Barney Stinson: he’s rude, callous, sexist. He suits up and talks down. He lets the quotes fly and entertains us with his warped view of the world for a half hour each week on How I Met Your Mother. And we love him just the way he is … or do we?
As of late, it seems that Barney is developing a sensitive side. Instead of hitting on countless bimbos, he’s pining away for Robin. I’m not sure this is OK with me.
On the one hand, I get that characters need to grow and change. We’ve seen that with Marshall and Lily; Marshall bucking up and taking one for the team as he accepts an evil corporate job and Lily making it through her commitment fears and realizing her place was in the classroom and with Marshall, not in art school.
Ted has changed throughout the series too. He’s become a truly successful architect, he’s survived and learned from several failed relationships, and he’s come out of every situation with the little nuggets of life lessons that he shares with the kids, and the viewers.
Even Robin has grown, in her own way, realizing she couldn’t stay in the broadcasting job. Granted, she’s having a bit of trouble finding herself at the moment, but she has evolved since the inception of the series.
Barney was the control in the scientific experiment of the other characters’ growth. He’s the stagnant point upon which we measure how far Marshall, Lily, Ted and Robin have come. So now if Barney starts to evolve, where does that leave us?
Bays and Thomas will have to handle this one very, very carefully to win me over. I fully admit, I have trouble with change and need some time to get used to any divergence from the formula of a show that I love. But the formula they’ve created works, and the evolution of Barney could be a misstep.
Can they pull enough Barney-isms out of each episode when Barney and Robin are mooning over each other? Is the Bro Code going to be left defunct? Will a relationship between Barney and Robin really be legendary?
What do you think? Can Bays and Thomas pull of the evolution of Barney?
Clacked by Debbie McDuffee
on Jan 14, 2009 @ 13:00 EST5EDT
I disagree that Bays and Thomas are really changing Barney. The entire Robin storyline has been handled without altering the character’s DNA — Barney himself is appalled at his attraction to Robin. He continues to be the legen – wait for it – dary philanderer we all know and love.
In other words, all they’re doing is introducing something unexpected to the character of Barney, and allowing us to see how he’ll deal with it. Which has been pretty funny, honestly. Watching Barney try to express genuine emotion, watching him try to go on the “date” Lily set up, and watching him react with horror to Ted and Robin’s friends with benefits arrangement — these are some of my favorite Barney/NPH moments of the season.
Also, it’s not at all fair to say that we’re watching Robin and Barney moon over each other. This thing is completely one sided so far, which is where the comedy is coming from. It gives Robin less to do, granted (because she’s stuck playing the blind fool), but it only highlights NPH’s great chops, as you watch him fight with himself over what he actually wants.
Robin is also exactly the woman a guy like Barney would wind up falling for. She’s the kind of woman that men who sleep around always say they want — gorgeous, smart, one of the guys, not overly emotional, etc. Everyone noticed the Barney/Robin spark back when Robin was Barney’s wingman for the night.
And finally, I love that until now, Lily has been Barney’s only confidante. First, it’s the only think Lily has EVER kept from Marshall, which is an exciting development in the character of Lily. Second, they’re an unlikely pairing and its given them something to bond over in their weird way.
Now that Ted knows, things might move forward. Or they might not. But I’ve enjoyed the ride so far. Bays and Thomas have figured out how to do the tired Ross-and-Rachel in a new and actually funny way, without getting mired in the romance. Kuddos.
Did my ramblings earlier this week inspire this? ;)
Easiest solution for Barney and Robin. Let them hook up and be primaries in an open poly relationship. That way we get to satisfy the need some of us see for their characters to be together and let Barney and Robin still remain in their core personalities. Besides, how awesome would it to have your wingman be your girlfriend?
*POST AUTHOR*
In fact, they did! ;-) And I like your solution!
Glad I could help spark more debate on one of my favorite shows.
Unfortunately as awesome as my solution to be, I doubt CBS would ever let something like that fly. (Although when you accept that they do put out that Old Ted is telling his kids all about his [and their aunts/uncles] sexual exploits maybe it would work)
I hate this as much as Joey falling for Rachel, but as I said before since that worked in the end I was ok with it. I also hate change but sometimes it’s needed to keep a show going.
But this is really really tricky. Look at the facts: Robin likes Barney the way he is. Now he’s acting all cuddly and emotional and is jealous and pining and he doesn’t high five friends with benefits. Hello? What’s up with that? That’s just pityful.
On the other hand I also said that I don’t know how long this show can keep going just with BroCode and goats. They have to show us something and basically this is the final thing they have left. The next possible thing would be one of the guys falling in love with the goat and who wants to see that?!?
Ewww… shame on you who just thought that… ;-)
“I don’t know how long this show can keep going just with BroCode and goats. They have to show us something and basically this is the final thing they have left.”
That’s all they have left? Well except for that small tiny thing called actually meeting the mother.
Besides, if we see the goat this year as predicted it will be done with and probably not revisited again (unless a small flashback like the pineapple did)
Akbar, do yourself a favor and take the foot out of your mouth and read this and don’t forget to read who wrote that.
*POST AUTHOR*
Play nice, boys! ;-)
*snicker*
Yes Mom
*ducks* *runs away*
And what exactly is that supposed to prove? That you are all high and mighty that you got to do a guest post here? Guess it worked then.
So pray tell master sebastian… what happens when after we see the goat this season and the show continues for how many more seasons it gets and we never see the goat again? What are you going to proclaim then?
Debbie I apologize if I come across negative. I don’t mean to be but just can’t stand when attitude like this flies around.
*POST AUTHOR*
I know, but do try to take Sebastian with a grain of salt — *grin* — it’s so hard to come off with the right tone in text sometimes. I love that you both are passionate about your TV — we have the best commenters here at CC! :-)
Also Sebastian, I would like to say that even if this poll isn’t anywhere near representative of every viewer of the show, the majority (at the time of this posting at least) seem to want to see Barney grow. Thus your previous claim that “the only reason people watch HIMYM seems to be the pig that Barney is and how NPH plays him.” is a bit incorrect.
a) I’m not your master and honestly you’ve been really in my face the last couple of days so deal with me being just as nice to you as you are to me :-)
b) The poll’s question is suggestive and if you ask me it’s answered in a “Is a person allowed to grow” and of course the answer will always be yes and not no.
You could be a little more diplomatic in the way you are discussing, Akbar, really.
I mean just take the stuff I said over the last couple of weeks and you could simply come to the conclusion that Barney “growing” or better changing character for Robin is one of three things left for the show at the moment. Revealing the mother and the goat are the other things for major plot development. And just like on “Friends” they have to pursue this plot just to fill their seven (now eight) years of signed contracts. They can’t reveal the mother ’cause that’s the catch of the whole show, the goat will be revealed on May 9th and then there simply isn’t anything that could happen anymore at the moment.
So while I voted no and while I hate the whole idea of Barney “growing”, you could argue that he was already a softie in the past, before he suited up, and that this isn’t actually Barney growing but rather reverting to his former self. Who says that that isn’t a possibility for the show, him being soft and everything? Fans of Barney the pig can always how he’ll turn back into evil Barney sooner or later, just like when Ted “broke up” the friendship between him and Barney when Barney slept with Robin.
So while I’m not fine with this whole thing I’m ready to find out more about it. You could say I’ll watch no matter what but since I know that voting should reflect what you WANT for something, I often enough don’t vote green but rather red during an election because the green party isn’t able to do anything anyway… or to use an example you guys in the US understand I’d never vote Nader even though I might agree with him simply because he always takes away votes from the democrats and that’s why you should vote democrat to prevent a republican president.
So I voted no but my current position is kind of the middle ground. Let’s see what happens.
And now let us bury the hatchet and forget about all this. And maybe use a little smiley here and there, if you’d stand directly in front of me you wouldn’t talk like that anyway :-)
March 9th (before you give me another military rank lession).
I think that was the day they displayed on screen the last time the goat showed up.
The problem I see sebastian is the way you write things they come across as “the final be all end all truth” There is no room for any other interpretation in your view of things. That may not be your intention but that is how it comes across. And yes I got on your face over the whole military rank joke thing since you seem to claim such endless knowledge on the show.
So answer me this then… you live in Germany correct? Does the show actually get broadcast over there at the same time or are you obtaining the episodes through some illegal methods?
And yes, I would speak the same way to you in your face.
Ah isn’t that funny.
You tell me you’d behave exactly like that, and then you try calling me a criminal.
You are so cute.
Google Hotspotshield and visit cbs.com and honestly I’ve had enough of talking to you, I’ll revert to snide comments now.
Well, at least you admit you are breaking the law to watch the show. And because of that any ground you had to stand on is gone.
*chuckle*
Yeah right.
I’m glad to see how much you value the opinion of your peers (<- look, sarcasm).
Two things Sebastian:
A. If you were in anyway my peer I might respect you. But the fact that you are an arrogant think you know it all content thief, you are not.
B. When you have to point out you are being sarcastic, you are doing it wrong.
Ignoring the fighting here…I think they are doing a good job of balancing New Tentatively In Wuv Barney with Jerkass Barney so far. It’s a fine line and they’re managing it quite well so far. We’ll see how long that goes, mind you, but for the moment I have faith.
Debbie, I think you need to show a little faith. I haven’t found much that I’ve disagreed with Bays and Thomas doing yet. I didn’t like Stella, but it looks like I wasn’t supposed to (I mean, didn’t like Star Wars? Seriously?)
Its funny how you phrased your original post, because (And forgive me if I’ve written this time and time again) what I enjoy from drama is watching characters evolve.
But really, how much do you think Barney is going to change? Think about the funny Barneyisms that having nothing to do with him being, well, a man-whore:
– What he does for a living (“Please…”)
– Watching online videos of dogs pooping
– Suiting up (You think he can’t be a wingman)
– Running marathons
– Halloween costumes
– Running across the city to his best friend (I’m his best friend)’s aid even when Ted wasn’t talking to him
Barney is Barney because of his sense of humor and the way that he does things.
I guess this is a whole lot easier to me, because I have a best friend that ‘is’ Barney. When we were younger, he… Got around(?) But now, he’s settled down (in fact, he just welcomed his 2nd daughter on Monday).
Though, he did marry my high school sweetheart, so I guess if he’s Barney, she’s Robin, and I’m…
Ivey West… Architect
Aw damn it that’s a great idea. Yeah that would definitely be something I’d watch. Barney getting Robin pregnant, them having a kid on the show, and Ted still running around not finding Buttercu… err the mother, all jealous of them.
Maybe “Friends” Season 10 is a good example how things not changing is a bad idea. They just prolonged the inevetable future for Ross & Rachel for another season (same goes to Joey & Rachel two years before that).
So ok, bring it on. Change Barney, I can hardly wait :-D
And, not that I really want to weigh in on the top of half of this comment section, but (Ok, you know I do, I’m just restraining myself), but:
As much as I’m looking forward to the goat story, there’s no way, NO WAY, that you can consider it a major plot (er… Major Plot… sorry, had to).
And to think these guys are going to run out of things to write about anytime soon is just as crazy of a question to me (I mean, Best Burger was one of the better episodes of the season, and it had little to do with the show’s mythology).
Sebastian, are you a Battlestar Galatica fan at all?
He’s not a fan, remember his filthy, filthy donkey comment.
I would not like him showing his “quality” over on the BSG pages.
Do yourself a favor and Google “donkey balls”. Maybe visit the urban dictionary for that.
And maybe watch a couple of American Pie movies.
Sebastian-
O.K justify your crudeness as you like, *chuckle* when other people are being made fun of, call other peoples favorite shows “crap”, and make blanket rude generalities until your heart is content, just don’t act as if everyone else has the problem. That’s all.
I just call it like I see it. I love “Lost” for instance but I’m totally fed up with the numbers, the easter-egg hunt I call boheamian villages and some of the episodes are illogic to no end. I call that crap, because I expect more. Still it’s better than other shows.
But to be honest I really like everything that Kevin Smith does but some stuff he says at ComiCon I mean seriously “Wasn’t that the best moment on TV ever when Galactica decended into the planet’s atmosphere” – I mean COME ON. That’s the other end of the stick. The end I hold is the one where I call stuff crap, the other one is where Kevin Smith sits, catering to the fanboy audience. It’s as if it’s suddenly cool to be fat and have man-tits.
I’m not angry that you’re angry at me, trust me, and sometimes I need people to call me out on MY BS ;-)
I don’t hate BSG, I simply expected more from the four Cylons and honestly I have to agree to what has been said here – who really gives a damn who the last Cylon is? It’s like in the Season Premiere of Robot Chicken. “You’re a Cylon, You’re a Cylon”… bwah.
Ok and maybe I’ll start throwing in more smileyfaces so you guys understand that I’m not a hater :-)
Ok, first of all you have to understand that I tend to over-simplify things to prove a stronger point but that usually only leads to stronger discussions as a result. I mean if I wouldn’t spark a littler anger in the other commenters/my readers, often enough I would never have gotten that much feedback.
The difference between now and my schooldays is that I actually listen to what others have to say then. I mean read my longer reply to Akbar. I took some valid and good points others made and changed my opinion based on that. I am not a dictator and I especially don’t think I am right all the time, even though I come across like that often enough.
You are absolutely right that Barney is more than the suited-up womanizer. And honestly all we fear is him getting all soft on us. I mean seriously the lamest thing he ever did was chicken out of a threeway for pete’s sake! ;-)
Like I said before I will watch it anyway and right now I really don’t mind anymore and really really cross my fingers that they get it right.
But you have to admit that Ted, Marshal and Lilly basically have now run their course. Take a look at Ted: he won’t be able to have another girlfriend in ages on this show. They ran him into the ground. And I stand by my point that the perfect mother has already been on the show.
I also won’t be able to stand another “bad teacher” scene for a couple of weeks for Lilly. And the whole “going to the bathroom at work” storyline this week was just meh, that didn’t do anything for me. I didn’t even manage to chuckle once because of that. The guy simply is boring to me now.
And the goat? We will know for sure what happened there in two months and I guess I’m just a natural born sceptic. I think it will be a letdown when all that happened there will be revealed on March 9th. Same goes with Barney. I think they showed us how they are able to manage shooting themselves in the foot before. It’s not as if this is shark-jump resistant. I had 9 seasons of “Friends” standing in a closet next to my bed for over two years because the 10th was simply something that shouldn’t have been done. EVER. It ruined the whole Ross&Rachel thing for me and I was so god damn angry about it for a long long time. “Frasier” on the other hand – 11 seasons, no shark-jump. They new when to end it and they did.
I simply think that now, halfway through their contracts, they really run out of material, that’s the basic fear I have and the reason for my article/post, and my harsh comments about making Barney soft.
I have had more than one female friend and trust me sometimes it’s simply the best thing to just be friends, because there’s just not enough for the two of you to be more than that. And I think the things Robin is interested in in Barney don’t justify a relationship. I mean Ted and Robin were in a relationship, they now managed to even have “benefits” while living together and were perfectly fine with that. If they re-write Barney in a way that THAT is at all possible the character of Barney would be absolutely ruined for me. I know he was some kind of hippie before suiting up but honestly I HATE THAT HIPPIE! And anything in between would just be another version of Ted with a dirty mind if you ask me and that just ain’t pretty.
I loved the first three seasons of BSG and hated the first half of season 4. That was just horrible, and I guess it was because I’m not member of any church and because I thought getting rif of Lucy Lawless was a good idea. I also honestly can’t stand the “I’m a cylon but I have feelings” BS anymore. Cylon’s were supposed to be evil with the need of destroying all human life. Now they are just humans, they don’t just look like them. Or you could say it now is just another TV show because all the characters have their own motives. I want my evil robots back, that’s all :-)
I just very strongly disagree with the idea that Ted, Lily, and Marshall have run their course as characters.
And respectfully, Sebastian, if you aren’t finding the show funny anymore, if you don’t like the storylines that they’re doing, then why waste your time? I mean, you’re specific about what you don’t like about what the show is doing, then why not move on? (I mean, I don’t really see your Buttercup prediction coming true, but hey, it could happen)
I’ve enjoyed just about every episode this season. I’ve watched shows reviewed as negative here get outstanding reviews elsewhere, and vise versa. But I’ve enjoyed every single one. There have certainly been things that I’ve not liked, but not that much, really.
Go Barney!!! change all you what, you will still be my favorite character ever!!! :)
I agree 100% with Emily.
Guys — Stop with the personal jabs. This isn’t a place meant to air your grievances. If you keep it up, I’ll be forced to put your comments all into moderation. And if it continues beyond that, I’ll have to start banning people. Please don’t make us have to do that. Thanks!
Keith, is there something on your shoulder in your avatar?
That’s Scratchy from The Simpsons ready to smack me over my napping head with a hammer.
Nice.