Sigh, and I had so much faith ...
Warning: This is not a Carter Bays-Craig Thomas friendly post. Ie, I am NOT happy with how the Robin/Barney relationship has played out ... AT ALL.
My discontent began with the finale last season. From the finale the season before with Barney's realization that he loved Robin, we saw his feelings explored through every angle imaginable. We saw his feelings. So when the finale came around, all of Barney's actions were the culmination of a season worth of build-up. It was wonderful. What was not wonderful? Robin's end. While we spent all season on Barney's feelings, other than a few episodes -- Robin showing up at Barney's room at Stella and Ted's wedding, and her being hot for him during his "fighting" stage -- we got nothing. There was no indication that Robin had any residual feelings leftover from their night together. There was nothing to let viewers know that Robin was struggling with the same doubts, emotions, highs and lows about Barney that he was for her. So when the finale came, from her end, it fell completely flat. While I could laugh and enjoy in it from Barney's end, from Robin's there was nothing there. No build-up, nothing to explain why she was doing what she was doing, saying what she was saying. I didn't buy it, because Bays and Thomas never even tried to sell it to me.
Which brings us to this season. I didn't have a problem with how Barney and Robin's relationship was shown to take place over the summer, and I *did* love the ending with them holding hands, but I really disliked Lily forcing them to do what SHE wanted them to do. It wasn't her place, she wasn't in the right ... at all. And then every episode afterward has just fallen flatter and flatter. "Robin 101?" Puhleeze! As if Barney would EVER take lessons on a relationship, let alone from Ted unless the only point was to do the opposite of what Ted said to do. Robin having an issue with Barney hanging out at strip joints? Nothing in her character prior to that episode made that even remotely believable. And then this last episode was so depressing because, other than the cutesy nicknames, I loved that version of Barney/Robin. Walking away from fights -- because most of the fights were over silly, little things that would blow over in time and just don't matter -- made sense for them and totally worked. I liked seeing them just crazy in love in their own awesome, dysfunctional, sexually-amped up way. Why COULDN'T that have been how they were written? Why are Bays and Thomas trying so hard to make them something they are not. That IS Robin and Barney, that is who they are and they are awesome like that.
I'm just so very disappointed in the writing of Barney and Robin. I had so much faith in Bays/Thomas and they've let me down completely.
My discontent began with the finale last season. From the finale the season before with Barney's realization that he loved Robin, we saw his feelings explored through every angle imaginable. We saw his feelings. So when the finale came around, all of Barney's actions were the culmination of a season worth of build-up. It was wonderful. What was not wonderful? Robin's end. While we spent all season on Barney's feelings, other than a few episodes -- Robin showing up at Barney's room at Stella and Ted's wedding, and her being hot for him during his "fighting" stage -- we got nothing. There was no indication that Robin had any residual feelings leftover from their night together. There was nothing to let viewers know that Robin was struggling with the same doubts, emotions, highs and lows about Barney that he was for her. So when the finale came, from her end, it fell completely flat. While I could laugh and enjoy in it from Barney's end, from Robin's there was nothing there. No build-up, nothing to explain why she was doing what she was doing, saying what she was saying. I didn't buy it, because Bays and Thomas never even tried to sell it to me.
Which brings us to this season. I didn't have a problem with how Barney and Robin's relationship was shown to take place over the summer, and I *did* love the ending with them holding hands, but I really disliked Lily forcing them to do what SHE wanted them to do. It wasn't her place, she wasn't in the right ... at all. And then every episode afterward has just fallen flatter and flatter. "Robin 101?" Puhleeze! As if Barney would EVER take lessons on a relationship, let alone from Ted unless the only point was to do the opposite of what Ted said to do. Robin having an issue with Barney hanging out at strip joints? Nothing in her character prior to that episode made that even remotely believable. And then this last episode was so depressing because, other than the cutesy nicknames, I loved that version of Barney/Robin. Walking away from fights -- because most of the fights were over silly, little things that would blow over in time and just don't matter -- made sense for them and totally worked. I liked seeing them just crazy in love in their own awesome, dysfunctional, sexually-amped up way. Why COULDN'T that have been how they were written? Why are Bays and Thomas trying so hard to make them something they are not. That IS Robin and Barney, that is who they are and they are awesome like that.
I'm just so very disappointed in the writing of Barney and Robin. I had so much faith in Bays/Thomas and they've let me down completely.