Sonja Flemming/CBS
Spoilers for How I Met Your Mother coming up after the jump:
You could look at the opening of last night’s How I Met Your Mother as kind of a meta-joke on the episode. Ted tells his pals how glad he is they helped him through his breakup with Stella, how he’s come through the hard times and is stronger for it. Then they remind him that, um, it’s only been a day.
So then we go through the episode, his friends help him through the hard times, and—one episode after the wedding—he’s through the hard times and stronger for it.
So yeah, a little sitcommy. But not terribly so. Another route would have been to let the wedding episode be the last word and move on; I’m glad HIMYM brought Ted’s feelings to some resolution instead. Beyond the central plot, a funny, if not top-tier episode with strong flashbacks—especially Lily’s ninth-grade he-who-smelt-it-dealt-it treachery. Now to pick up the pieces and move on.