“Have you met Ted?” These iconic words were uttered by one of TV’s worst womanizers since Fonzie. I wonder though, have you met Ted? Because if you haven’t you are missing one of the most spectacular shows on TV today. A show filled with highs and lows, laughs and cries, and good old lessons about life itself.
How I Met Your Mother, at its core, is a show about Ted Mosby and the lengths at which he goes to in his journey from graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University to older self that is married and has two children to whom he is relating his life story. That is the core of the show, yes, but under it all and backing him every step of the way are his best friends Marshall and his wife Lily, the unsinkable Barney Stinson, and the ever present Robin Scherbatsky.
What is there to learn from these people you ask? Well, I’ll tell you that when life gets me down all I have to do is comb over past episodes of HIMYM and it lifts my spirits. Ted Mosby is man who has been knocked down by life and repeatedly kicked, but through it all the show hammers on the point that no matter what happens, your greatest friends are there to pick you up.
And while the show is heartwarming and all, there are very important things that it has taught us about love and life. Who can forget the Vicky Mendoza Crazy to Hot Scale? How about Crazy Eyes? I know one of my favorite lessons from the show, albeit a small one, is that $2,000 Scotch doesn’t taste any different than $10 Scotch, and Nothing Good Happens After 2 AM. The list could go on and on.
Another thing that I’ve noticed about the show is that these characters are down to earth and seem very much like the people I know and love in real life. There was that funny little stint of Sex in the City where every girl could claim that they were a Samantha or a (insert whatever Kim Cattrall’s character’s name was), and have it put on a shirt. Well, for those of us who aren’t compulsively shopping for strange men in New York, we should be able to claim that we are a Ted or a Marshall, and for the ladies, a Robin or Lily. Proclaim I proudly ladies and gentleman, I do.
As we come upon the 100th episode of HIMYM let us reflect on the lesson and quirks the show has taught us. Let us revel in friends like Barney Stinson and the crazy situations they get us into. Let us share in the wisdom and love of married couples like Marshall and Lily who can provide needed support or welcome company. Let’s go to the mall like Robin Sparkles. And let us not go quietly into that goodnight and keep fighting like Ted Mosby.
Kree Atore
Co-writer of http://thedrunkenscholar.net/
P.S.
I’m a Ted.
What are your favorite memories about How I Met Your Mother? Comment below...
It's not Ohio Wesleyan. It's Wesleyan University, in Middletown CT.