Dt:14 Nov 2015
Its Children's day today here in India celebrated on the birth Anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru ,,India's first Prime Minister .. and a good day to get back to what you like doing the most...blogging :-)
So this one is a Thank you note to the cast & crew of the sitcom 'How I Met your Mother' .I have been planning to do this for quite some time now but here it comes today.
The journey for me began with my first trip to the USA in December 2013.I had been there on a professional assignment. Downside being that I was in a city where I had very little friends to hang out with(Ofcourse there was Disney & Universal ) .For major part of the 6 month assignment I was alone the moment I was out of office ..I could not easily blend with the new cultural set up thanks to the amount of time I was spending on my professional commitments.The weekends would be lonely and the weekdays would be sad.Plus I am not someone who can spend hours on the phone talking to people to keep myself occupied.That made me very irritable during the first couple of months.
Soon my roomie introduced me to the world of Netflix where you could watch unlimited movies & choose the content that you watch on TV.This was my only mode of entertainment and I started watching a lot of vintage movies One of the best movies that I watched there was the 'The Cider House Rules' .The movie left me emotionally drained & I decided that in order to survive the next few months I needed to watch comedy .Thats how I ended up selecting HIMUM. Netflix had 6 seasons of the sitcom listed & I decided that this would keep me entertained for the rest of m stay in the US .
I started watching the first season and soon this became the norm for me.On weekends with Budweiser for company and the cheap 5$ pizza from Seven-11, I would watch back to back episodes till late into the night .It almost felt as if I had company and I was in the bar hanging out with Ted,Barney, Lily Marshal & Robin.This series over the next few months made me so emotionally attached that I could almost sympathize with each of the characters.Also being somewhat close to contemporary this show would highlight the moral compass of the American society .It told me that the Americans have very strong value systems and most of them live by it.In fact if you discount for their liberal views on relationships then they would very much mirror the Indian social values.(more on this later...)
I would like to talk to about each of the characters as they have been very inspiring from a story-writer's perspective as well as in real Life
Lily (Played by Alyson Hannigan)
Lily according to me is the central most character of this masterpiece as she is the one who holds all the characters together,I must say that Alyson is also the best actor in the entire starcast as her expressions are flawless & it almost seems as she has lived this character .Her conflict with her ambitions while continuously wanting the best for her husband , friends makes her the most lovable character .The best moment in the series is where she wants to stay back in America so that Marhsall can become a judge but is disturbed when Marshal accuses her of being selfish .
Marshal (Played by Jason Segel)
Marshal is the kind of character who we could call as Mr.Right .He has his own set of values which he tries to implement .He tries to be just & not hurt anyone while making sure that he does what he does.My friend thinks that I am more like Marshal (He might be right here).Unlike Lily's character Marshal's is more of one tone character but Jason plays it very well & is adorable .Couple of moments stay with you .One where Marshal comes to terms with the loss of his father who was very close to him and completely shuts off everyone for some days.The other moment is where he takes his son on a road trip to make it to Uncle Barney's wedding.His love for poetry & creating rhymes on the go(and explaining it to the rest when they dont get it ) is hilarious .And yes i almost forgot the SLAPATHON....
Robin (Played by Cobie Smulders)
Robin is the eye candy & the Canadian angle to the story. The beautiful girl in green in her introduction scene almost ensures that you will watch the series till she is around.I remember discussing HIMUM with my manager where we could not recollect the name of her character but still were in splits on the Canadian jokes that were played on her .Robin's is a more complex character of a girl who is away from home and looking to make friends yet wants to stay independent.A girl who wants to be at the top of her game & is very ambitious yet seeks to have a family and almost hates the fact that she missed out on Ted.To be frank I did not like the last bit of how her character played out as I felt after settling with Barney she would have worked hard to make it work,However that may actually be the difference between the Indian society & the American society
Barney (Played by Neil Patrick Harris)
Barney this is the most entertaining character of the lot ...The first thing that remains with you is his love for Suits ..."Suit Up","Have you met ,,Ted " , "Wait for it" , "Legenddddd...ary" and more such catch phrases used liberally but never irritating prove that he became the most lovable character.With his magic tricks And the Playbook tricks Barney kept the audience in splits all the time..The best part would be when he would get preachy and quote the 'Brocode' to justify his actions or wishes.His constant fight with Marshal to be Ted's best friend made him adorable.The character takes an unbelievable turn when he decides to settle down with Robin ,Those moments where he burns the Playbook & claims to have found true love are almost a U-turn to the original character..The moment when he holds his daughter is the best scene & I guess that should have been the climax for his character..But his reason for breaking up with Robin also looks more justifiable.All in all a dream character for a very good actor..And yes I almost forgot the SLAPATHON....
Ted (Played by Josh Radnor)
Well the story has been written for him .No wonder he got the best part.As an architect in his late 20s & struggling to find a consistent partner even as friends around him are settling down he is very charming.I personally related a lot with Ted's character .From his love for old world architecture ,novels etc.. to his constant search to find the perfect girl ,,,this is the best character ever written.There are many adorable moments but his constant belief in love at first sight and hoping so badly that he would get Robin are some of the things one can relate to.You almost want that he be compensated and that he gets a good girl after Robin decides to get married to his close buddy Barney,Everything that Ted does from making sure that he is the master of gifting ,to calligraphy, to parenting Marshal & Lily's kid when they need some break ,to being there for Robin when she felt lost just before her marriage ,to his love for that old Bean bag because its been part of the journey so far are things that I could relate to.And finally his self analysis while he tries to put together things that have happened to him and reflects as to why the universe is conspiring against him are touching moments.
The Mother (Played by Cristin Miloti)
Tracy as the girl who eventually gets married to Ted is very well etched character.The writer has taken pains to tie her up to the whole narrative by linking her presence in past episodes.The scene where Ted finds out the Yellow Umbrella link is awesome.Overall at times you wonder that when Ted had more beautiful women in his life why would he settle for Tracy.But it eventually makes sense as the writer drives home the point that when the time is right & the person is awesome IT JUST HAPPENS ...:-)
Few Words for the Writer /Director
Creator Craig Thomas & Carter Bays have created a wonderful story.There is no doubt that they have drawn many references from their real life as its not easy to create such characters who can connect so well with the audience
Pamela Fryman as the female director clearly explains why the series was high on emotional content as well .
I became a fan of the back and forth narrative and the fact that they could continue doing that episode after episode sometimes linking stories across seasons.
Another narrative style that I liked is the part where Barney goes on to explain that every night should be awesome.. following with a series of stories each beginning with . 'The Night we ....' titles.
Some of the quotes which really explain life
AND THE BEST ONE
End Note
I had watched almost 5 seasons in the US (till July 2014) & after returning back to India I managed to get the rest of the seasons from friends .It took me a real long time to complete watching all the seasons .I know you would be surprised when you hear that I eventually completed watching the series only in October 2015.Meanwhile the story has made a big impact in the way my life has shaped up in the last couple of years.The story has inspired me to take some big decisions in life..
Ted's life reflects the challenges people in their late 20s and early 30s face and it always served as a reference point for me in the last couple of years.So much so that I resisted committing to someone till Ted found his match & got married(I know that sounds stupid..but true story :p )..
Now that Ted has found his match & true love as well ,the decks have been cleared & I can move on with my life as well...
Thanks to the team of HIMUM for all the life lessons & yes for keeping me company during tough times
Its Children's day today here in India celebrated on the birth Anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru ,,India's first Prime Minister .. and a good day to get back to what you like doing the most...blogging :-)
So this one is a Thank you note to the cast & crew of the sitcom 'How I Met your Mother' .I have been planning to do this for quite some time now but here it comes today.
The journey for me began with my first trip to the USA in December 2013.I had been there on a professional assignment. Downside being that I was in a city where I had very little friends to hang out with(Ofcourse there was Disney & Universal ) .For major part of the 6 month assignment I was alone the moment I was out of office ..I could not easily blend with the new cultural set up thanks to the amount of time I was spending on my professional commitments.The weekends would be lonely and the weekdays would be sad.Plus I am not someone who can spend hours on the phone talking to people to keep myself occupied.That made me very irritable during the first couple of months.
Soon my roomie introduced me to the world of Netflix where you could watch unlimited movies & choose the content that you watch on TV.This was my only mode of entertainment and I started watching a lot of vintage movies One of the best movies that I watched there was the 'The Cider House Rules' .The movie left me emotionally drained & I decided that in order to survive the next few months I needed to watch comedy .Thats how I ended up selecting HIMUM. Netflix had 6 seasons of the sitcom listed & I decided that this would keep me entertained for the rest of m stay in the US .
I started watching the first season and soon this became the norm for me.On weekends with Budweiser for company and the cheap 5$ pizza from Seven-11, I would watch back to back episodes till late into the night .It almost felt as if I had company and I was in the bar hanging out with Ted,Barney, Lily Marshal & Robin.This series over the next few months made me so emotionally attached that I could almost sympathize with each of the characters.Also being somewhat close to contemporary this show would highlight the moral compass of the American society .It told me that the Americans have very strong value systems and most of them live by it.In fact if you discount for their liberal views on relationships then they would very much mirror the Indian social values.(more on this later...)I would like to talk to about each of the characters as they have been very inspiring from a story-writer's perspective as well as in real Life
Lily (Played by Alyson Hannigan)
Lily according to me is the central most character of this masterpiece as she is the one who holds all the characters together,I must say that Alyson is also the best actor in the entire starcast as her expressions are flawless & it almost seems as she has lived this character .Her conflict with her ambitions while continuously wanting the best for her husband , friends makes her the most lovable character .The best moment in the series is where she wants to stay back in America so that Marhsall can become a judge but is disturbed when Marshal accuses her of being selfish .
Marshal (Played by Jason Segel)
Marshal is the kind of character who we could call as Mr.Right .He has his own set of values which he tries to implement .He tries to be just & not hurt anyone while making sure that he does what he does.My friend thinks that I am more like Marshal (He might be right here).Unlike Lily's character Marshal's is more of one tone character but Jason plays it very well & is adorable .Couple of moments stay with you .One where Marshal comes to terms with the loss of his father who was very close to him and completely shuts off everyone for some days.The other moment is where he takes his son on a road trip to make it to Uncle Barney's wedding.His love for poetry & creating rhymes on the go(and explaining it to the rest when they dont get it ) is hilarious .And yes i almost forgot the SLAPATHON....
Robin (Played by Cobie Smulders)
Robin is the eye candy & the Canadian angle to the story. The beautiful girl in green in her introduction scene almost ensures that you will watch the series till she is around.I remember discussing HIMUM with my manager where we could not recollect the name of her character but still were in splits on the Canadian jokes that were played on her .Robin's is a more complex character of a girl who is away from home and looking to make friends yet wants to stay independent.A girl who wants to be at the top of her game & is very ambitious yet seeks to have a family and almost hates the fact that she missed out on Ted.To be frank I did not like the last bit of how her character played out as I felt after settling with Barney she would have worked hard to make it work,However that may actually be the difference between the Indian society & the American societyBarney (Played by Neil Patrick Harris)
Barney this is the most entertaining character of the lot ...The first thing that remains with you is his love for Suits ..."Suit Up","Have you met ,,Ted " , "Wait for it" , "Legenddddd...ary" and more such catch phrases used liberally but never irritating prove that he became the most lovable character.With his magic tricks And the Playbook tricks Barney kept the audience in splits all the time..The best part would be when he would get preachy and quote the 'Brocode' to justify his actions or wishes.His constant fight with Marshal to be Ted's best friend made him adorable.The character takes an unbelievable turn when he decides to settle down with Robin ,Those moments where he burns the Playbook & claims to have found true love are almost a U-turn to the original character..The moment when he holds his daughter is the best scene & I guess that should have been the climax for his character..But his reason for breaking up with Robin also looks more justifiable.All in all a dream character for a very good actor..And yes I almost forgot the SLAPATHON....Ted (Played by Josh Radnor)
Well the story has been written for him .No wonder he got the best part.As an architect in his late 20s & struggling to find a consistent partner even as friends around him are settling down he is very charming.I personally related a lot with Ted's character .From his love for old world architecture ,novels etc.. to his constant search to find the perfect girl ,,,this is the best character ever written.There are many adorable moments but his constant belief in love at first sight and hoping so badly that he would get Robin are some of the things one can relate to.You almost want that he be compensated and that he gets a good girl after Robin decides to get married to his close buddy Barney,Everything that Ted does from making sure that he is the master of gifting ,to calligraphy, to parenting Marshal & Lily's kid when they need some break ,to being there for Robin when she felt lost just before her marriage ,to his love for that old Bean bag because its been part of the journey so far are things that I could relate to.And finally his self analysis while he tries to put together things that have happened to him and reflects as to why the universe is conspiring against him are touching moments.The Mother (Played by Cristin Miloti)
Tracy as the girl who eventually gets married to Ted is very well etched character.The writer has taken pains to tie her up to the whole narrative by linking her presence in past episodes.The scene where Ted finds out the Yellow Umbrella link is awesome.Overall at times you wonder that when Ted had more beautiful women in his life why would he settle for Tracy.But it eventually makes sense as the writer drives home the point that when the time is right & the person is awesome IT JUST HAPPENS ...:-)
Few Words for the Writer /Director
Creator Craig Thomas & Carter Bays have created a wonderful story.There is no doubt that they have drawn many references from their real life as its not easy to create such characters who can connect so well with the audience
Pamela Fryman as the female director clearly explains why the series was high on emotional content as well .
I became a fan of the back and forth narrative and the fact that they could continue doing that episode after episode sometimes linking stories across seasons.
Another narrative style that I liked is the part where Barney goes on to explain that every night should be awesome.. following with a series of stories each beginning with . 'The Night we ....' titles.
Some of the quotes which really explain life
- We struggle so hard to hold on to these things that we know are gonna disappear eventually. And that’s really noble. Lily
- Whenever I’m sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. Barney
- Because sometimes even if you know how something’s gonna end that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the ride. Ted
- The littlest thing can cause a ripple effect that changes your life. Ted
- It’s like Descartes says, “In order to determine whether we can know anything with certainty, we first have to doubt everything we know.” Ted
- We’re going to get older whether we like it or not, so the only question is whether we get on with our lives, or desperately cling to the past. Ted
- There are a lot of little reasons why the big things in our lives happen. Ted
- Look, you can’t design your life like a building. It doesn’t work that way. You just have to live it… and it’ll design itself. Lily
- You can’t just skip ahead to where you think your life should be. Lily
- There are two big days in any love story: the day you meet the girl of your dreams and the day you marry her. Ted
- The future is scary but you can’t just run back to the past because it’s familiar. Yes it’s tempting… Robin
- People don’t get the chance to discover each other anymore. Ted
- Revenge fantasies never work out the way you want. Marshall
- If you’re not scared, you’re not taking a chance. And if you’re not taking a chance, then what the hell are you doing? .Ted
- So really the biggest mistake would be not to make that mistake, because then you’ll go your whole life not knowing if something was a mistake or not. Lily
AND THE BEST ONE
- You can’t cling to the past, because no matter how tightly you hold on, it’s already gone. Ted
End Note
I had watched almost 5 seasons in the US (till July 2014) & after returning back to India I managed to get the rest of the seasons from friends .It took me a real long time to complete watching all the seasons .I know you would be surprised when you hear that I eventually completed watching the series only in October 2015.Meanwhile the story has made a big impact in the way my life has shaped up in the last couple of years.The story has inspired me to take some big decisions in life..Ted's life reflects the challenges people in their late 20s and early 30s face and it always served as a reference point for me in the last couple of years.So much so that I resisted committing to someone till Ted found his match & got married(I know that sounds stupid..but true story :p )..
Now that Ted has found his match & true love as well ,the decks have been cleared & I can move on with my life as well...
Thanks to the team of HIMUM for all the life lessons & yes for keeping me company during tough times
