“If it’s a choice between mystery and history, I want mystery”
In “Mystery vs History”, Bays and Thomas take us into the world of mystery and how sometimes, thanks to today’s age of information everywhere, we “just gotsta know”. With Lily and Marshal trying to hide their child’s gender and Ted dating an unknown entity, we tackle the question of if it’s worth knowing in the first place.
In the main story, we find Ted meeting the generally known Janet Mcintyre (Amber Stevens, Greek), a beautiful young woman he happens upon in the bar. In today’s information filled society, its extremely easy to research and find out about someone before you ever meet. Ted even mentions how his parents didn’t have the internet to research each other in the past, and how things worked out (until they got divorced anyways). As such, he and Janet makes the valiant commitment to not research each other before their date, and naturally discover each other though conversation.
It’s a concept I think that resonates with many of us in this data filled society. Its extremely difficult for me to restrain myself and not pour into the details of those I meet before I get a chance to really meet them. And like Ted, once we find out about them via the impersonal internet, it’s easy to psych yourself out and ruin your chances. We’ve all done that, myself included. As such, I’ve made it a vow to never look up people I’m interested in online, as once I enter that rabbit hole, it’s a sure fire way to end up messing up the whole situation, exactly as Ted did with Janet by turning into an intimidated bubbling idiot (something else I’m also known to do).
On the other side, have Lily and Marshal attempting to hide the sex of their baby, much to the anguish of Barney. Like many new parents, they relish the surprise that comes from not knowing the gender until birth. It’s an intimate and hard decision to make, and one that they must handle for months on end, despite the regular followups with doctors and the never-ending pestering by their friends. Likewise, Barney is gung-ho about knowing, fueling his insatiable need to know everything that happens. Barney does make a compelling argument, considering that knowing the gender allows him to provide an awesome baby shower gift, as opposed to the gender neutral burlap sack outfit.
But like not learning about our dates via the internet beforehand, its extremely difficult to not learn about our future children’s gender while they are still in womb. It doesn’t take long to learn that soon, our newest member of the family will be a little boy. At least now we can lose that hideous yellow paint. I’m sure the director of photography during those scenes was having a meltdown trying to film that room.
Finally, as a fun aside, with Robin still dating Kevin the therapist, we get to see the group though the eyes of a mental health professional. It’s a great way to highlight what we already knew, that the group is a co-dependent gaggle of people full of psychosis and inappropriate social behavior. I’m surprised it took him that long to analyze and fear the group as it is. It’s not something we didn’t know already, but it does make for a fun confirmation of what we already knew and love about the gang.
Other Observations
- “What started out really creepy turned out really sweet.” “That’s kinda my move.”
- “Dear God, I’ve lost the ability to talk to girls without the internet. My brain has totally shut down.”
- Kevin’s analysis of the group
- Separation Anxiety
- Inappropriate Social Behavior
- Denial
- Survivor Guilt
- Emotional Extortion
- Pathological Liar
- “I know, I’m a dude.” – I’m sorry, but Avery Stevens hiking up her dress at the urinal is both disturbing and hilarious.
- Other past Ted dates
- Mia Plumbly – Former morbidly obese girl that continues to eat as she once did.
- Nadine – Wanted for meth trafficking and pit bull fighting, married to a death row inmate, and hates Annie Hall
- Pauline – Dates inanimate objects, engaged to her refrigerator.
- While Kevin didn’t see “violence” among the group, we all know better. And if you didn’t, there’s a great fast montage of some of the best acts of violence.
- “Boys can do ballet, girls can do football.” “The Green Bay Packers have been proving that for years.”
- Robin uses the same Speck case for her “not a macbook” as I do.
- 2005 was the dark ages, then came the smart phone.
- Symbols to describe what your bowel movements look like…that’s…really different.
- Sadly janetmcintyre.net isn’t a real website.
Baneryisms
- Barney continues to wear the ducky tie.
- Where was the projector?
