Ted Mosby Is(?) a Jerk
Jan. 25th, 2010 01:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jetpack_monkeyI'm kind of half-assed still working on the HIMYM chronology while I clip for my Barney/Robin vid, but I noticed something fascinating that can't really be explained away by Future!Ted as unreliable narrator.
The relevant episodes/events are these:
Ten Sessions: Somewhere between Ted's seventh and eighth sessions, Barney visits Stella's clinic. We know that Barney lies to Ted about what happens at the visit -- he doesn't really overhear Stella complain about her folliculaphilia. Let's assume that the stinger on the ep (Barney hitting on Abby the receptionist) is what actually happened. This works because other episodes have shown that the stingers can take place at any point in the episode (like in "Stuff", when Marshall gets in the second slap). It's possible that Barney visits twice or that the first visit was a complete fabrication and he only visits after Ted's treatment is complete, but the proposed scenario seems to work best for Barney's character.
No Tomorrow: March 17, 2008, St. Patrick's Day. Ted goes out with Barney to a party and plays tonsil hockey with a woman who turns out to be married.
Ten Sessions again: During Ted's tenth and final session, Stella says the only party she went to within the last year was on St. Patrick's Day, firmly placing the last session after that day.
The Bracket: This episode opens on a Saturday immediately after the 2008 NCAA Division I basketball tournament has begun, putting it on March 22, 2008 -- six days after "No Tomorrow". Barney discovers that a mysterious woman (later revealed to be Abby in "Everything Must Go") has been following him around.
Based on this, there are two scenarios for when Ted's sessions take place (since the show doesn't tie them to any particular date) and neither paint him in a very positive light.
First, "The Bracket" takes place after the end of "Ten Sessions." So, in a single week, Ted has gone to a party with one set of girls, ditched them, and made out with another girl -- all knowing that later that week, he's going to ask Stella out. Real smooth, Teddy boy.
Second, like "No Tomorrow" and "The Platinum Rule", "The Bracket" takes place during "Ten Sessions." Ted doesn't mention Stella, so it's no problem. It would need to take place after Ted's seventh session but (obviously) before his tenth. Therefore, "No Tomorrow" would take place after Ted's sixth session but before his ninth -- so he's still planning to ask Stella out after the tenth session. Ted gets a little more leeway in this scenario, I guess, but his actions in "No Tomorrow" are definitely more jerktastic than originally presented.
The relevant episodes/events are these:
Ten Sessions: Somewhere between Ted's seventh and eighth sessions, Barney visits Stella's clinic. We know that Barney lies to Ted about what happens at the visit -- he doesn't really overhear Stella complain about her folliculaphilia. Let's assume that the stinger on the ep (Barney hitting on Abby the receptionist) is what actually happened. This works because other episodes have shown that the stingers can take place at any point in the episode (like in "Stuff", when Marshall gets in the second slap). It's possible that Barney visits twice or that the first visit was a complete fabrication and he only visits after Ted's treatment is complete, but the proposed scenario seems to work best for Barney's character.
No Tomorrow: March 17, 2008, St. Patrick's Day. Ted goes out with Barney to a party and plays tonsil hockey with a woman who turns out to be married.
Ten Sessions again: During Ted's tenth and final session, Stella says the only party she went to within the last year was on St. Patrick's Day, firmly placing the last session after that day.
The Bracket: This episode opens on a Saturday immediately after the 2008 NCAA Division I basketball tournament has begun, putting it on March 22, 2008 -- six days after "No Tomorrow". Barney discovers that a mysterious woman (later revealed to be Abby in "Everything Must Go") has been following him around.
Based on this, there are two scenarios for when Ted's sessions take place (since the show doesn't tie them to any particular date) and neither paint him in a very positive light.
First, "The Bracket" takes place after the end of "Ten Sessions." So, in a single week, Ted has gone to a party with one set of girls, ditched them, and made out with another girl -- all knowing that later that week, he's going to ask Stella out. Real smooth, Teddy boy.
Second, like "No Tomorrow" and "The Platinum Rule", "The Bracket" takes place during "Ten Sessions." Ted doesn't mention Stella, so it's no problem. It would need to take place after Ted's seventh session but (obviously) before his tenth. Therefore, "No Tomorrow" would take place after Ted's sixth session but before his ninth -- so he's still planning to ask Stella out after the tenth session. Ted gets a little more leeway in this scenario, I guess, but his actions in "No Tomorrow" are definitely more jerktastic than originally presented.
