The writing was back to its usual sharpness with this slightly disjointed episode. For months now there has been speculation regarding Robin and Barney...and it finally came to fruition this week right at the end. I don't know if those 'hints' were carefully inserted in previous episodes this season, but the writers eventually got where forum members of this site were predicted.

Before I talk about THAT, let's consider James Van Der Beek's turn as Simon, the loser from Canada that Robin used to date. His exaggerated accent, combined with 'tasteful' wardrobe choices and his sense of self-importance made for an entertaining turn. The accent sounded almost Scottish just to think of it. A solid cameo but still nothing compared to Sarah Chalke's performance as Stella the other week. The effects of 'revertigo' were amusingly displayed by Robin, but to a better extent by Lily and Ted when their respective 'pasts' came back to visit them. Lily's 'act like I'm black' impression was pretty funny to see, and it was made funnier by the fact that her friend Michelle acts completely normal without Lily around.

The subplot regarding Robin Sparkles' second video clip was already communicated in the title and also pre-episode speculation on fan sites. Barney predictably tries to find it, but in the end he only sees the video through Robin's generosity. Note Barney comforting Robin after she gets dumped by Simon for a second time, just like he does with Claudia in season one. He seems to be a professional at it. The innuendo leading up to watching the video was constructed really badly on purpose, so we knew what was coming next, but THAT kiss at the end sets off another chain of events to be followed in the story.

So now we have two things to follow now - the mother and the story of Barney and Robin. Watching the episode for a second time, the storyline concerning Simon and 'revertigo' seemed to pale in comparison to the last scene. It didn't really fit that well, and Robin inviting Barney back to her place was all too convenient.

All in all, an important episode in the story line, but the plot line didn't flow all that well. But it was full of awesome one-liners throughout, and great comic turns (Michelle studying behavioural psychology). Funny enough for new comers to enjoy and pure gold for those of us who have been following every second religiously.

Oh well, another week: another disappointment. I love How I Met Your Mother, it's an awesome show in general but this season just doesn't cut it. This installment was no better or worse than the previous week, just less comedy and more drama. The storyline surrounding Marshall's inability to handle pressure in a corporate environment wasn't that amusing to start with. The apathy shown by his friends was appropriate, from Ted's happiness with his new car, to Lily's need for a railing - it was like they were all in their own world without really understanding Marshall. Barney did his best to give good advice, but as usual, it was bad. Robin is becoming more and more a bit part player in this series, without any real character defined besides being occasional comic relief or part of a punchline. The writing isn't becoming formulaic, it's just that the story lines are no longer interesting and the jokes don't really hit the mark. The only amusing parts were Lily's desperation for some loving, and Ted trying to keep his new car clean (something all new car owners experience). This was just another filler episode, and the optimism from the return from the writers' strike has well and truly subsided. If HIMYM is depending on celebrity cameos for ratings and not the quality of the writing, then CBS would be stupid to renew this show.

Any episode that doesn't bring us closer to the mother is frustrating to watch if it has absolutely no direction. The only interesting outcome will be the trajectory of Lily and Marshall's future. We've seen in a flash forward that Marshall ends up as a corporate high-flyer, but how he gets there is worth sticking around for.

Not an absolute shocker, but not so great either. Maybe we were expecting too much from the writers after such a solid episode the week before. What I didn't like about it was who one-paced it was, but it was by no means predictable. Stories revolving around Ted seem to have an actual direction, which helps with the plot, and gets us closer to finding the mother. But when we examine another character, Barney is particular, it just seems like a filler, albeit an amusing filler. The systematic process of finding out which one of his past conquests is taking their revenge out on him is slightly amusing, but what is really interesting is that the final four that we get to see are all obviously mentally disturbed, or have problems of their own. Maybe Barney's conquests are all damaged goods...

The study of Barney as a character is starting to get a little tedious, especially as we examine what he prides himself on - being the New York Casanova. His lack of remorse is no longer shocking, because we are desensitised to it. The outrageous methods Barney uses to bed women are incredible in some respects, but as Lily once put it, 'unfortunately it's only a new middle.'

What saved this episode was the Doogie Howser blog at the end, but instead of finding out something about himself, he makes the predictable conclusion: I'm Awesome.

Two things to take note of: Ted said 'more about her later' when talking about Barney's stalker. Could that be something to do with the mother? And the way Robin couldn't control herself when Barney was fake-hitting on her. All those 'Barney and Robin' fans have probably more ammunition to back their case up with, unlike those stupid 'Ted and Robin' fans that still prowl the forums in their deluded state.

Overall, not a great episode, but a few great one-liners saved it from becoming a disaster.

The incredible interest surrounding the guest appearance of Britney Spears on this episode created a lot of anticipation and the writers served up an episode closer to the contrived laugh-a-minute sitcoms that populate the television landscape.

An episode that focuses solely around Ted is always going to be a strong episode because Josh Radnor plays the Single Guy looking for The One so well. His pursuit of Stella by doing anything possible to win her heart was the focus of this episode, with hilarious consequences each time he tries something new.

The pace of this episode was a lot faster than usual, not doubt written in mind that lots of new viewers would be tuning in just to see Britney Spears. On that topic, Britney Spears' character Abby was played beautifully as the awkward, shy and reasonably creepy receptionist. The amount of dramas that Britney has gone through in her life, along with her new body image means that she probably won't be able to play sex sirens anymore. But if she wants to carve out a niche playing these sorts of slightly disturbed characters, she will find much success. What I found weird was that although she attends a church group (or at least goes bowling with them), she asks Barney, 'Can we have sex first and then go shopping later?' Not exactly a Christian response...

Back to that faster pace, it seems that the laughs were a little more set-up as usual without the smart subtleties that we are used to. If HIMYM continues on with this formula, there is nothing to distinguish it with the million other laugh-track sitcoms that are out there. But with that said, it was still a funny episode. The highlight for me was another typical Robin the air-head moment when she said, 'I bet Roger Daltrey is rolling in his grave.' The casting of Sarah Chalke was the right decision as Stella. I know she pulled out before shooting but even though Alicia Silverstone would no doubt have been far more attractive, and her credentials as an actress can't be discounted either, Sarah Chalke is used to being in a sitcom and her delivery was spot on. Playing a doctor would be pretty much second nature to her.

Barney, Marshall, Lily and Robin were sidelined to some extent in this episode but Barney's method to win the bet with Ted that he would never grow a moustache was a classic, very similar to 'Mary the Prostitute'. There is one thing that sets apart HIMYM from other sitcoms, and it's this: it's over-the-top gestures. Having a larger-than-life character like Barney helps push this along, but Ted is no stranger to doing ANYTHING to win a girl either. He did a rain dance for Robin and this time he put himself through all humiliation for Stella, including reading a self-help book, juggling and as mentioned before, growing a moustache. But the two minute date at the end would be a good summary of why HIMYM is such an incredible show. Ted pulled off an elaborate meal and movie set-up that could only happen on TV, which really appeals to all romantics out there. It was also good to see Ranjit back as the taxi driver, but they could've given him more lines. There have been better episodes of HIMYM, but not in this season. That's three solid episodes in a row, and no doubt some useful ratings figures. This episode was well-played and well-written, and another episode or two of the same quality will mean that HIMYM will return for a fourth season.

It seems that the layoff has done the writers a world of good, where this episode is not only a return to the sort of form which made season two a success, but it advanced the storyline further whereby Ted and the mother are in the same place for the first time. This episode wasn't so big on its comedic value, but the storyline of whereby Ted finds out that 'do bad things, and good things happen to you'. It's interesting that he uses the word 'theory' a lot in trying to explain the events going, because in the last episode, he castigates Barney for having so many theories on life and how restrictive they are.

In the forums it has been said that we have physically seen the mother in a chance encounter, but I'm not entirely sure about this. All we have been given is the introduction of the yellow umbrella into his life. If you remember an earlier episode, there was a scene where the yellow umbrella was flying away into the distance. We await this event eagerly on this journey to finding the mother.

The Lily and Marshall side of the story wasn't so amusing, but the misfortune that beset them of having an apartment slanted on an angle is probably just emphasising a point made earlier on that buying the apartment was one of Marshall's three big mistakes. That luge game that Robin invented was a very un-Robin thing to do, but at the same a very Lily-like thing...perhaps Robin is starting to be less self-centred and learning to be truly friends with the gang. This is as opposed to being the chick Ted liked in season one and Ted's girlfriend in season two. I thought Robin's character would be made redundant this season, and her appearances thus far have been obviously reduced. She is yet to find her niche in the group, but many people are banking on Robin getting with Barney. For any new viewers, this episode probably didn't hold any great appeal because of its focus of pushing the storyline along and dropping lots of clues. For existing fans, this would be compulsory viewing, and the storyline of the episode itself was excellent. By my standards, this is perhaps the fourth 'good' episode out of this season (the others being 'How I met everyone else', 'Spoiler Alert' and 'The Platinum Rule'). But they've managed to string together two in a row, which is a first. Let's hope they make it three in a row next week.