(S05E03) Well, it seems like Bays and Thomas are batting about .750 to this point in the season. Of the first three episodes, they made solid contact on each one, only really missing with the "double date" A-story of last week's episode. This week stood out not just for the fact that it was a heavy Brobin (Rarney? I'm still trying to find a nickname I'm comfortable with) episode, but it showed that even Ted can see the dark sides of the cartoons and balloons perspective he brings to relationships.

Oh, and I've seen the Robin nostrils-flaring look. It's different on every woman, but it means the same thing. It means: Run like the wind! No time to go back for your things! Run! Hopefully, Barney will get less of this look and more of "You're an idiot."

It's funny how truly predictable Robin is. She loves the Canucks. You know she'd be adamant about gun cleaning and maintenance. She wants nothing more than to hear those six words from her father, "Robin, I'm proud of you, eh." Without the previous four seasons of character development, the Robin 101 class wouldn't have been nearly as funny. Even the bit about the Emperor penguins was good, because that kind of goofy thing has distracted Robin in the past, and it ties into Ted's warning never to show her a YouTube video of an animal playing a musical instrument. So it was a fun way for Bays and Thomas to explore the wonderful fact that Robin is the most beautiful alpha male in North America.

And what was interesting about that whole story was that not only was Ted able to channel his extensive Robin knowledge to help Barney out -- there seems little chance he and Robin will be rekindling anything soon, which is great -- but that Barney is so willing to stamp down the Stinsonocity in order to learn. Yes, he was a distracted student -- "I had A... D... something" and "Can we have class outside?" tie for my Best Barneyisms of the week -- but it turns out that he was a good learner, too. Oh, and he has a hell of a recall of Dead Poets Society...

(Odd how the standing on the desk reference Dead Poets reference popped up twice in a week. Community also did a different, and equally funny, desk-standing gag last Thursday.)

As much as I liked to see Mabel the barrel get the cold shoulder in the Bermuda Triangle, the most important part of that story was that Barney's Robin 101 notes disappeared after Barney carelessly tossed them on the barrel. Who do you think has those notes, with all that personal information? Maybe it was Shin-ya. Nah, he audited the class and wrecked the curve; he doesn't need any stinkin' notes.

More fun stuff:

• The slides of Robin were friggin' hilarious. The hungry look was great only because of the consequences (inappropriate laughter and hunger narcolepsy). Drinking beer on the toilet was also good, as Ted's architecture class found out.
• What computer did Ted use to generate that "Cover Hog" graphic? A Commodore 64?
• Quick thinking on Lily's part to create that barrel resin allergy. Who the hell wants a barrel in their living room?
• Though if we didn't get to know Marshall over the last four years, we'd never get why he loves Mabel so much. But given his hardy Minnesota upbringing, a little barrel love doesn't seem to out of character for him.
• Butterscotch is the Canadian woman's version of chocolate, eh? But there's no such thing as "dark butterscotch," is there? That would seem to be the more appropriate comparison these days.
• STINSON OUT! STINSON BACK IN! The best part was the random off-stage bartender handing Barney a drink as he came back to the table.
• I was a touch dissappointed that we didn't get to see more examples of Ted's revisionist history. The knee thing was funny, and I figured we'd go back over a few more of those, as the writers are known to do here. But they just kinda let that part slide.
• Ted's line to Barney, "I've never seen you work so hard to keep someone around," pretty much summed up why Robin is going to be the one to get Barn to settle down.
• How do you folks like this direction that Barn is taking, by the way? He's still got a lot of his Barniness intact, but he still has that soft spot for Robin. Think this relationship might ultimately make him too soft?

[Watch clips and free episodes of HIMYM at SlashControl.]