'HIMYM' Recap Episode 7.22: "Good Crazy"

Well – how about that multiple-cliffhanger episode this week? This was yet another episode with nothing relating to Ted meeting his wife – unless you count the fact that he has decided to date again. Although, as we all know that he isn’t going to meet his future wife until Barney’s wedding, that’s not really much of a plot advancement. How about a “condolence high-five” for another filler episode? No? Okay, let’s just move onto the re-cap:

The Campbell’s Version:

Barney had a lot of screen time this week. Continuing from last episode, Barney is still uncomfortable with Quinn’s career choice, so he offers her a made-up job working for him at Goliath National Bank – which she turns down. Ted and Robin are going to great lengths to avoid seeing each other. Barney talks Ted into online dating, which doesn’t go well because he compares them all to Robin. Marshall drives Lily crazy with baby preparations, so she sends him off with Barney to Atlantic City to cut loose for a while. Of course, while they’re in Atlantic City, Lily goes into labor and can’t get a hold of either of them. The episode ends abruptly with several cliffhangers, so tune in next week to see what happens.

Now, for The Homemade Version:

“Good Crazy” opens with Marshall (Jason Segel) and Lily’s (Alyson Hannigan) baby shower – to which Robin (Cobie Smulders) shows up ridiculously early, Ted (Josh Radnor) shows up ridiculously late (both so they can avoid seeing each other), and Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) verbally attacks someone’s grandma because his girlfriend gives lap dances for a living. (He overheard Grandma Lois telling Quinn that 50 laps a day was a lot of laps – but it turns out, she and Quinn were talking about swimming. Smooth move, Barney.)

Later at MacLaren’s, Barney and Ted are discussing Ted’s love life, or lack thereof. Barney suggested Ted try online dating. So, Barney recommends some women, and Ted goes on dates with them. Unfortunately, Ted attributes certain characteristics of each girl with memories or characteristics of Robin. He gets discouraged, and thinks it’s because he is still in love with Robin.

While Ted’s off having yet another failed dating experience, Barney and Quinn go for a stroll through the neighborhood, where Quinn just so happens to run into half of her clients out on the street. (Come on writers, really? Did anyone else get the sense that they’re trying to rush a disagreement into the Barney/Quinn relationship?) Barney brainstorms, and decides that the best solution is to “rescue” Quinn from a life of stripping by giving her what is, essentially, a made-up job working with him at Goliath National Bank. I am happy to say that Quinn turned him down in favor of keeping a job that she actually enjoys. Of course, then Quinn tells Barney that she has to do some thinking about their relationship because he’s having such a hard time accepting what she does for a living.

Meanwhile, Lily is fed up with Marshall because he is going a little overboard with the baby preparations – such as setting an alarm to wake up every three hours, and carrying around a watermelon in a diaper. So, Lily makes an arrangement for Barney to whisk Marshall off to Atlantic City for some gambling-and-alcohol fun. Here we get the return of the Ducky Tie. Marshall is unwilling to cooperate with Barney, until Barney promises to wear the Ducky Tie if Marshall does everything he says – which includes turning off his phone.

Now, we’ve seen Marshall go crazy over making deals with Barney (slap bets, anyone?), but I did think that turning off your phone when you have a pregnant wife at home is a little much – especially considering the panic that he was in at the beginning. What person turns off their phone when their wife can to go into labor at any moment?

Anyway, as per their agreement, Barney puts on the Ducky Tie, and Marshall gets so drunk that we need subtitles to understand what he was trying to say – which is always a good time, and reminiscent of Beercules! Barney turns on his phone to discover he had several voice mails – one of which is from Lily, who is in labor.

Then, we flash back to Ted, sitting in MacClaren’s talking to Robin’s imaginary form about how he is sorry that he told her he loved her, and then let her go. (Are we looking at a resurgence of the Ted/Robin relationship? I certainly hope not – it’s been done.) Ted decides he needs to go find the real Robin, and runs out of MacLaren’s – straight into the real Robin, who then says she does not have time to talk because she’s in a hurry to get somewhere.

In all, clearly another filler episode interspersed with some moments of comedy and nostalgia – particularly the return of the Ducky Tie and Beercules. I feel that this episode sort of just dropped the ball at the end, as though they filmed more but realized they were running over time, and so just sort of stopped mid-conversation. I assume this has something to do with the build-up for the finale. That said, we’re officially done until the finale episode, where we’ll find out (I hope) that Lily wasn’t too mad at Marshall for shutting his phone off – even if it was a really stupid idea – and whether they were able to make it back in time for the birth.

As for Quinn and Barney – with them being on the rocks so close to the finale, I can’t help but wonder if this is because they are setting us up for a quick break-up where he turns around and realizes that he should be with Robin? (I know there’s a lot of Robin/Barney shippers out there hoping for that marriage.) Of course, if that’s the case, it will be a little too quick – since we know he has a wedding coming up – for him to go from living with Quinn, to marrying Robin.

Also, for those of you that remember, in “Trilogy Time”, there was a scene that was set in the future – where Ted already has a daughter – and Barney was very shifty with letting us see his ring finger. This is possibly a set-up preparing us for a quick marriage, followed by a quick divorce. (Just because he gets married at the end of the season, doesn’t mean he stays with his wife-to-be for life.) Clearly, though we’ve been building up to this wedding for the entire season, it’s main purpose is not to have Barney get married, but to introduce us (finally) to Ted’s future wife.

Now, for the various cliffhangers:

• What is Quinn’s decision regarding her and Barney’s relationship?
• What was Robin in such a hurry about when Ted ran outside of MacLaren’s and found her? Was it because she was rushing to see Lily, or for something else?
• Are Marshall and Barney going to make it back to the city before Lily has the baby?
• Are Robin and Ted going to be able to talk about their relationship – and repair their friendship – before the season’s end?

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see where the writers are taking us. So, until next time!

Don’t miss the hour-long season finale of HIMYM Monday, May 14^th on CBS at 8/7c

Author: Hello! I’m Brittany, currently surviving as a graduate student. I am highly opinionated, but seldom a “shipper”. I love the entertainment industry – books, television, movies, music – and I have an opinion on it all. Currently, my favorite TV shows include: How I Met Your Mother, The Vampire Diaries, The Lying Game, Jersey Shore, New Girl, and Switched at Birth. Find me on Twitter at @ItEntertainsMe!