‘How I Met Your Mother’ – ‘Karma’: Pour some sugar on me

A quick review of tonight’s “How I Met Your Mother” coming up just as soon as dessert has fireworks in it…

“Karma” wasn’t a wildly funny episode of “HIMYM” – though I winced knowingly at several of Robin’s Jane Goodall-esque observations of suburban life vs. city life – but I thought it did a good job of checking in on where all five of our leads were at emotionally, and pushing them through to what’s coming next.

Marshall and Lily weren’t likely to stay in East Meadow – the logistics of justifying their presence in the gang’s adventures were going to be enough of a hassle with the baby’s arrival without factoring in the commute to Long Island – but I never expected them to wind up back in the original apartment, sans Ted. Even though the three of them were essentially sharing the place when the series began (Lily still had her place in Brooklyn but never stayed there), it always felt like Ted’s place, first and foremost. Him moving out, for both his own sake and his best friend’s, is a big event, and one that felt poignant in light of what he’s been through lately, and how much he cares about Marshall and Lily.

Quinn hustling Barney, meanwhile, seemed like an amusing joke being stretched out way too far, up until the moment where he acknowledged that he deserved this, and more, for the kind of guy he used to be. I imagine the show is going to circle back around to Robin and Barney, and soon, but NPH and Becki Newton work well together, and at this point I find Quinn’s reactions to Barney’s persona more entertaining than, say, Nora’s.

And Robin and Ted’s acknowledgment of the end of whatever they might have been was the kind of scene that arguably should have been in last week’s episode had there been more room, but was welcome all the same coming a bit later.

Some goofiness here and there, but the emotions were solid, and some weeks, that’s enough.

What did everybody else think?

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