I think that it was a great episode.And I don't believe that Stela is mother.

I loved, loved, loved this episode. Wasn't laugh out loud during the whole thing, but, hell, why should it be? The reason I love this show so much is because they actually develop the characters. I mean, the Stella character has been more fleshed out in and developed in a handful of episodes than any of the Friends were in 10 years!

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the amazing editing job done in this episode, especially the 5 minutes or so when they switch quickly back and forth between the Lily-Barney conversation and the Ted-Marshall conversation. A lesser show never would have thought to juxtapose the two; they'd just show it as two separate scenes. On this brilliant show, though, they realized they had two conversations dealing with opposite aspects of relationships: the Barney section shows irrationality of emotions and the Ted section shows the nitty gritty "a relationship can't just be based on love" idea. The way they cut back and forth between the conversations at exactly the right moment...just amazing, the stuff of indie films, not sit-coms.

I liked this episode, but for a season premiere it felt weird to have the characters so separate from each other. Aside from the very beginning, there was no interaction between Barney/Lily/Robin and Ted/Marshall/Stella. HIMYM is usually at its best when it's got a good group dynamic going, which is why I say good, but not great.

Ode to Bimbos was de- wait for it -lightful, though.

this might be the weakest HIMYM review I ever read on TVSquad... is this a new reviewer?!?! We would have had Barney's O to a Bimbo all transcribed! Where is the Barnyism!??!

Sigh... i hate recession.

Didn't really dig this episode. Was bored to tears in parts. Chuckled once or twice, but not enough to make it worthwhile. Not to mention that Star Wars mentions make me cringe.

I laughed out loud consistently throughout this episode. NPH alone makes this show appointment television. What do I care about Ted/Stella's relationship when it provides fodder like the scene of Ted and Marshall gaping at the TV "121 Awesome Minutes Later" and getting ready to watch Star Wars again?

As HIMYM is still a sitcom at heart, I'm thinking that perhaps Robyn will take the new, more serious news job, which *won't* require her to move away... but one of her first stories will be a "searing" expose of illegal immigration, after which it will be revealed that she herself is an illegal immigrant... at which point Barney will step forward and offer to marry her so she can stay in the US. Much laughter and will they/won't they moments will follow as Barney attempts to explain to Robin that he actually loves her, and then shortly after he gives up she'll realize she's in love with him, and then David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston will make cameo appearances, and aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh! Sorry, had an aneurysm there.

I'm still not sure if Stella's the mother. But I loved the whole "must love Star Wars" movie thon.

The scene immediately generated a conversation in our household.

What movie is so important to you that your significant other must like it if you two are to spend the rest of your lives together?

http://redlightnaps.wordpress.com/2008/09/23/himym-4-do-i-know-you/

That ode to bimbos was hilarious. NPH was totally robbed of his well-deserved Emmy.

Ted in relationships makes the show drag because we all know, every time, that the relationship is eventually going to go down in flames unless the woman is Your Mother. If that seems unlikely, then's it's just a matter of waiting for the inevitable, which is distracting.

I think "Mother" is dying a slow death. I'm as bored as Ted's two kids with this story. Let's just get to the part where we find out WHO the real mother is already!

Meanwhile, I'm sort of disappointed that no one (so far) at TV Squad has done a review of the Big Bang Theory's first show of the season.