What Are You Watching: ‘How I Met Your Mother’

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Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

About a month ago, I started watching the popular American sitcom “How I Met Your Mother,” and it has been one hell of a journey so far. I am currently on Season 4, and have a few more episodes until I reach the halfway mark. The show starts off right away with a unique narrative format, playing with the protagonists’ memory and imagination.

The series revolves around Ted Mosby’s quest to find true love, as he regales his children with the intricate and often humorous tale of how he met their mother. The intricate narrative structure, with its flashbacks, flash-forwards, and multiple timelines, keeps me engaged and guessing who “the mother” is going to be. It’s a testament to the show’s impeccable writing that it seamlessly weaves together these threads to create a compelling and cohesive story.

At the heart of the show are its characters, each bringing their own unique quirks and complexities to the table. Ted is the hopeless romantic, Marshall and Lily are a somewhat dysfunctional but rock-solid couple, Barney is the lovable womanizer with a very guarded emotional side, and Robin is the independent and career-driven woman (also a hopeless romantic). The chemistry among the cast is palpable, and their performances are a testament to their talents. They effortlessly bring these characters to life, making them feel like friends we’ve known for years. Being able to relate to different characters in the show was comforting, knowing that every person needs to work on their personal relationships.

There were many relationships and couples in the show that I found to be toxic and dysfunctional, like Marshall and Lily’s. Their relationship alerts me to all the red flags to look out for when meeting women. But in the end, I guess, every story is about finding the right person for you, and not the “right person.”

As a 25-year-old bachelor, constantly switching personalities between Barney and Ted, I believe the show came into my life at an instrumental age where I needed to examine my love life. The show taught me how there isn’t a right direction in life to meet my perceived expectations and goals, but many choices that I will make along the way. The show really embodies the quote, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey,” by showing the multitude of experiences that one experiences in their young adult life.