How I Met Your Mother

This episode was made of win. It more than made up for the disappointment of the last couple.

Every time Mickey said "I've got Diseases!" when he was waiting in the doorway, it made me giggle. And what an elaborately gross game!

Loved the end tag with the Slap Bet game.

I guess my own family issues are clouding this but... I didn't care for the whole "let the useless father back into your life" thing. There are legitimate reasons for cutting off communication with someone, and I understood why Lily cut her dad out of her life.

Though the whole slap bet thing was funny as usual, and the game at the end was inspired.

I completely agree, and I was furious at Marshall for both going behind Lily's back to invite her father, and then telling her father to stay for Thanksgiving when Lily expressly said no. And then her stupid father ruined the turkey.

Everything slap bet related was delightful, though.

Yeah, the whole "You should forgive your dad because IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!11!!" thing drives me up the wall most of the time. Of course Lily's dad's transgressions were mostly played for laughs. Eh.

The montages went on waaaaaaay too long.

I think the Lily and her Dad thing can go many ways. It was wrong for Marshall to invite him and insist that he stay. Marshall's own family experience clouded his judgment about it. He comes from a nice, happy family and I am sure can't understand not wanting to have them around. But at the same time, Lily is super rigid and judgmental. Her Dad certainly looked like a knob, but I think at the end she realised that she needs to be more forgiving and let peoples' flaws go. Do I think she should have forgiven her father? I dunno. Do I think she should have forgiven the man at the corner store? Hell ya.

Well, that's what made Marshall's point so odd to me: "I can understand when you irrationally overreacted to these three relative strangers who made minor slights against you, but now that you can't forgive your father who has ignored you or shown to not give a shit about you all your life I am putting my foot DOWN!" Even at the end, I didn't think Lily's dad earned her forgiveness. I appreciate that at least she came to the decision to forgive him on her own, and that Marshall acknowledged that her feelings were legitimate.

And besides - we had a slap bet board game (!!!), Chris Elliot, a "dead to me" stare that made me fondly recall Dark Willow, and Ted's fake "I'm still in love with you!" manipulation of Robin. What's not to love?

It made me think of Dark Willow, too, but not fondly. Bad memories. I kept waiting for Giles to bust through the door and kick her ass.

I loved all the slap puns. They delighted me.

That was fantastic! I'm embarrassed to admit that I actually bought it for a second. I was momentarily stunned at what a loaded episode this was turning out to be.