WARNING: Full spoilers abound!
Tonight’s episode of HIMYM didn’t really add much to the overall story arc, but what we were presented with was definitely worth watching and had me rewinding my DVR a good number of times to re-watch scenes that made me laugh my ass off. Throw in a bunch of great geek references, and you have an excellent entry in the HIMYM dossier.
Robin has moved in with Barney, and as he regales her with tales of the gadgets he used to get rid of women after the one night stand was over (Ho Begone?!), Robin informs him she didn’t give up her apartment just to leave in a gross bachelor pad, and that Barney needs to get sell his apartment so they can get a place that is both of theirs.
Meanwhile, Lily has been working nearly non-stop for the Captain as his art buyer, and Marshall is feeling frustrated about their lack of intimacy and the fact he never sees her anymore and they no longer have time to watch Woodworthy Manor — a very tongue-in-cheek nod to Downton Abbey. After Lily blows off another Woodworth Manor date to go back art schouting, Ted, dying to see the new episode (complete with high tea service), finally convinces Marshall to cheat on Lily with him and the two settle in to learn who was overwatering the Madam’s roses.
Barney offers to sell Ted his apartment, or the Fortress of Barnitude, complete with 3D Jor-El hologram, but Ted refuses due to the fact that Barney’s hook up lifestyle has made the place inhabitable for human living. Barney reveals to Robin that he couldn’t find a buyer, so Robin takes matters into her own hands by hosting an open house with a realtor, something that Barney does his best to sabotage by showing off all the different contraptions he has in the place to get ride of one night stands or ‘keep out the fatties’ (Escape from Bitch Mountain was a favorite). Marshall and Ted are invited to be plants for Robin and pretend to be the gay parents of Marvin when Lily shows up, late again, and art hipstered out (complete with cape).
The episode wraps with Lily finally realizing that she has been working too much and needs to spend more time with Marshall and Barney agreeing to sell the apartment if it will make Robin happy. We discover that Robin did indeed find a buyer, but the people interested were pretentious and wanted to tear the whole place down, so she scared them away with the hologram contraption Barney used earlier.
You could tell that the writers were really having fun with this episode as it was probably the funniest HIMYM in awhile (Robin Sparkles going emo notwithstanding) even though nothing involving the main plot actually happened. There were countless scenes that had me laughing so hard I not only had to rewind my DVR just to catch what happened next, but also to enjoy that scene over and over again. Some stand outs were Barney using the ‘Ho Begone’ on Robin when they’re arguing over selling his apartment, the numerous jabs at Downton Abbey, Barney acting as Jor-El (complete with lisping Marlon Brando impersonation), and Robin using the same device to kick out the buyers. Simply put, ‘The Fortress’ reminded me how much potential this show has, and why I’m both excited for more episodes to come and saddened we’re almost done. Not everything worked, however. Ted’s role as Marshall’s gay, British lover, Emsbree, fell flat, but it was more than made up for with Marshall’s over-the-top gay sass.
All in all, this was a ton of fun, and one I’m looking forward to watching again. Keep up the good work, guys, and let’s finish this show off with a bang!