(S04E03) As a native and resident of New Jersey, I was very offended by this episode.

Actually, that's not true. As most Jerseyans will tell you, we have a sense of humor about our state and make fun of it all the time. But when outsiders make fun of it, boy... watch out.

Ted Mosby's the worst kind of New Yorker; he moves there from some other part of the country, rides a subway or two, has a dog at Papaya King and thinks he has the right to make fun of the B&Ts (Bridge & Tunnelers) who love visiting New York but would rather live in their (slightly) cheaper and quieter homes in the suburbs. We've seen Ted unleash his wrath on the Garden State in the past, but now his dislike of my home state came back to bite him in the ass... in the form of a pretty blond doctor.

I know Stella's not supposed to completely fit in with the gang, but you'd think she'd have slid into the group's groove a lot better by now. And it's weird, because we all know how good Sarah Chalke can be in a comedic setting.

Stella was a little more animated tonight, but it seems like every time we see her, she becomes more staid and dull. Maybe Bays and Thomas are doing this on purpose to not make longtime viewers think she's the mother; after all, she's making Ted move out to a place he hates so much that he goes to the bathroom to drop a "huge New Jersey." Yes, Teddy came around after he realized that being with Stella and her daughter Lucy was the important part. But I don't buy it. Ted was his usual selfish self just five minutes before that, only compromising enough to suggest moving to Brooklyn; I can see this being a big issue as we go along.

My favorite moment was Marshall's speech about being "too big for New York." "I'm a huge monster that came out of the ocean to destroy bodegas!" Given his Minnesota background, it's refreshing that Marshall hasn't bought into the NYC mystique as much as Ted has. But those withering looks from Lily will keep him in New York forever.

We just knew that Robin was going to get that foreign correspondent's job, wasn't she? Two weeks ago, I wrote: "And will that job (Barney) encouraged Robin to go for will take her away from Barney in one of those cruel twists of fate? Can this show be that melodramatic?" I guess it is. It's interesting that the entire time Barney was keeping his fist up for hours looking for a cheap bump, he was sincerely encouraging Robin the entire time to believe in herself and not call her old boss back. The look on his face when she mentioned the new job is why NPH is the MVP of HIMYM (whew, a lot of initials there).

More fun stuff:
- Despite the fist hold and the "awesome manly pain tears" associated with it, Barney's speech that described the regretful look women get when they go back to him a second time was the Best Barneyism of the week. It worked on about three different levels. Close second: his attempt to seduce a lesbian.
- Never saw dog shirts at my Costco (or Price Co., as they called it), but those recliners with cupholders were all over the place.
- Robin's 24-esque adventure to get back to her old job on time seemed to be a bit underdeveloped and out of place, but worth it to hear "Molar bear" and "the shocking de-rails... after this."
- Stella said that NJ is a place where you know your neighbors. Maybe in her neighborhood, it is. I have no idea who everyone is on my floor, and I've lived next to some of them for years.