#but it was a good episode!! to see how he’s coping w the breakup too AND how he’s actually admitting his feelings for once

[itsmarsss]

Ill give my spoiler free thoughts on the episode.

First and only helluva episode to make me genuinely cry. I had to pause the episode to calm down.

watched it!!!!

[blues-valentine]

pws/rinis are still going w the “pw and rini would’ve been endgame if it wasn’t for olivia” claiming “justice for ej” and just being bitter individuals is hilarious. they had a year to cope.

I think it’s a choice to still engage in a media you don’t like and being bitter about it and continue clinging to a statement that is untrue.

A thing I’ve learn from years of watching TV shows is that paying attention to the storytelling is essential and what has been true to HSMTMTS is that most of the times what you see it’s not exactly what the show is telling you. They're actually great with subtext. I've said this before, the typical audience for HSMTMTS severely lacks media literacy because they've missed the most obvious signs in storytelling 101 that I feel like an unbiased person would pick up on.

PWs/Rinis are only watching the show at face value because if they dig deeper they would be forced to admit the narrative build around Ricky and Gina has been stronger than any ship in that show. The effort and attention to detail build into their story line and dialogue is very telling. Rina gets the most foreshadowing and parallels out of every couple since Season 1. So, some be purposely misreading the signs and would hold onto any idea to make it true.

A creator of a show does not film a whole confession scene, in this case between Ricky and Gina (at the same time he filmed the Ricky and Nini confession) for a couple they are not planning. Everything in TV cost time and money. A creator doesn’t give a ship a whole secret plot that only them know to create suspense for a mid-season finale reveal if they aren’t planning on moving forward with them. After that flashback on 206 was revelead. It was a wrap. Truly, people that interpreted that as closure don't know how to read subtext at all.

The IRL drama + the hit hadn’t blow up yet when they wrote Season 2 and when they were filming the first episodes of the season. 201 already foreshadows how Ricky and Nini were not going to work out. I had said this several times. It was there on neon signs. Ricky and Nini were not build to be the "happily ever after" couple. There’s an actual interview from the creator saying he wants to portray realistic breakups in teen media.

Nini and Ricky were going to break up and end exactly how it ended at the end of Season 2, had Olivia stayed or not. PW was build to fail since day 1. There were multiple neon signs on 2B that literally tells you this. 209 is full of them. Gina used EJ to move on and because he was the easier route. He was the safest seat on the plane (literally). Gina hadn't moved on from Ricky. The fact that Ricky and Nini broke up on 208 and later Gina and EJ became basically the romantic plot on 209 is storytelling 101. I could tell you how this choice in narrative always ends up in teen dramas. Ricky and Gina were always the couple being kept apart for narrative and therefore the endgame.

Also, creators having to cut screen time of a ship or dynamic in order to build another one is never a good sign. They knew PW would not be believable if they keep Ricky and Gina interacting and Season 3 proves this.

And even if Ricky and Nini + EJ and Gina were the planned endgames when the show was originally created. Things change. HSMTMTS is not the first show that changes ships during filming the moment unexpected actors show superior chemistry and it won’t be the last. Dawson’s Creek says hello. It’s been told before Gina was going to be a plot device for Rini until her chemistry with Josh on 105 was too good to waste and so there were changes. PWs and Rinis conventionally forget this statement was made. Sofia Wylie was rooting for Rina since Season 1 and she has always delivered on that.

PWs (mostly ex Rinis) continue being bitter Rini isn’t endgame and use Olivia as their consolation narrative. The other side of PWs have EJ as their favorite character and have proved they don't care about Gina on her own. Rinis supported PW because as long as PW was a thing, in their minds Rini was still a possibility.

[thestupidhelmet]

Hey, Idk if you have already done something like this, but could you give us some subtext about 7.14 "Street Fighting Man"?,I feel like the ep itself only acknowledge Jackie's feelings and how she's really not ok about her recent breakup w Hyde, but they don't really show or express Hyde's feelings about the breakup, bc in this episode he kinda does not care about her and he just seems fine. What do you think? & why do you think the writers decided to treat the characters like that in this ep?

Hyde it totally not fine about his breakup with Jackie in “Street Fighting Man” (7x14). He’s miserable about it, but Hyde’s character is almost all subtext -- which can make his feelings hard to recognize unless one looks beneath the surface of what he says and does. In the episode “Cat Fight Club” (2x25), Hyde essentially gives Jackie and us a guide to understanding his studied aloofness.

In this meta, I’ll go scene-by-scene, analyzing Hyde’s dialogue and actions and their subtext.

In the opening scene, Donna announces that she got tickets to the Packers game.

JACKIE: Wait, wait, wait. So we're all gonna go to the game together?

FEZ: What, you won't go now 'cause you and Hyde are broken up? Well, I guess you'd rather stay here and make sweet, short love to me.

JACKIE: No, no, no. I'm fine with going because I'm the one who did the breaking up. Steven is the one who's all devastated. So why don't you go make sweet, short love to him?

FEZ: Um, I think something got messed up here.

HYDE: Well, I'm going, because I'm fine.

JACKIE: Well, good, 'cause I'm fine, too. In fact, I'm super-fine.

Jackie calls out Hyde in front of all their friends, stating that he’s “the one who’s all devastated” over their breakup. Hyde has trouble expressing or admitting his true feelings in general, and he’s got his pride. So his response is to react the opposite way to Jackie’s claims about him. Hence, his, “I’m going [to the game even if Jackie goes, too] because I’m fine.” It’s a defense mechanism, a way to protect himself when he’s vulnerable.

Jackie’s response afterward copies his defense mechanism and exaggerates it, revealing the lie in her words and implying the lie in his.

Later, at the football game, Jackie decides to enact revenge on Hyde for the pain their breakup is causing her and, deeper, the reason behind their breakup: his immaturity and commitment issues. She buys him caramel corn because “Steven doesn't like caramel corn. And he knows I know he doesn't like caramel corn, but I'm gonna give it to him anyway.”

Jackie gives Hyde the caramel corn.

HYDE: I don’t like caramel corn.

JACKIE: Oh, my! Well, if I was still your girlfriend and not just someone you couldn't see a future with, I might care. But I'm not, so I don't. Buh-burn!

HYDE: Hey, Red, want to trade that hot dog for the caramel corn?

RED: Yeah, sure. I don't care.

JACKIE: Damn! I forgot about tradesies.

Hyde grew up in survival mode, thanks to his parents. His mother pulled the same kind of passive-aggressive behavior on him all the time, so he developed many coping mechanisms for it. He won’t let himself be controlled by Jackie’s passive-aggressiveness and manipulation. We see that early in their romantic relationship, in “Over the Hills and Far Away” (5x06), “The Girl I Love” (5x11), and later on in “The Acid Queen” (6x04). His behavior in “Street Fighting Man,” so far, is consistent with his previously-established characterization.

Even later, Jackie hatches her second scheme of the day.

DONNA [to Hyde]: Jackie wants to know if you could take a picture of her having the best day of her life.

JACKIE: Yeah, uh-huh! [A man stands on either side of her.]

HYDE: Is she insane?

Hyde is confused by Jackie’s behavior. He doesn’t understand why she’s doing what she’s doing. For someone who generally understands the subtext of behavior, he’s written a bit dense in this episode. But he explicitly states his lack of comprehension once Jackie says, “Okay, Steven, certain people have implied that I might still have feelings for you, But I want you to know that I don't. In fact, now that I'm single, I realize how big of a loser you are, and I'm lucky to be rid of you. So I'm gonna go and celebrate with a giant gold-and-green cotton candy!”

Jackie leaves the stadium, and Hyde says to Donna, “Man, what the hell is her problem? She's ruining the football game. I'm gonna go tell her where she can stick that cotton candy.”

This is the moment where Hyde’s pain and anger become evident. In hostility, Jackie just expressed her own pain and anger at their breakup. As evidenced in “Winter” (7x11) and “Don’t Lie to Me” (7x12), he doesn’t truly understand why Jackie broke up with him (again, his manipulated-by-the-writers-for-plot uncharacteristic denseness is at play here).

When Hyde leaves the stadium to confront Jackie, he finds her crying against a pillar. Finally, he understands that her anger at him stems from hurt. He puts his own anger aside, but he’s in no emotional state to comfort her. He also probably believes she won’t accept what he can give her. So he sends Donna to comfort Jackie instead in his deflecting, subtextual way.

DONNA: Hey, what happened with Jackie?

HYDE: Huh? Oh, nothing. I didn't find her. You might want to go to look for her, though. By the snack bar. Behind the pillar, concourse A.

So far, I’ve shown that Hyde reveals his feelings about his breakup with Jackie throughout the episode through subtext. By the end of the episode, however, the subtext becomes text ... somewhat.

Hyde and Jackie are alone together in the Formans’ driveway, and they have a real conversation.

HYDE: Well, this sucks ‘cause before we'd just kind of hang out, you know?

JACKIE: Yeah, well, that was before. Obviously, hanging out doesn't work so well now.

HYDE: Yeah. Want me to give you a ride home?

JACKIE: No, that's okay.

HYDE: I don't mind.

JACKIE: No, I'll walk. But thank you.

This conversation can be interpreted two ways. One, Hyde is saying that he wishes he and Jackie could go back to their pre-romantic-relationship dynamic/friendship  -- during season 4. Prior to that, they weren’t friends. Theirs was a more complex and complicated dynamic. 

Or, two, Hyde is saying he wishes they could be together romantically again. This is a stretch. But considering they really weren’t ever shown as friends during the series, despite the unwritten connection their characters display on-screen in season 4, it’s not an impossibility.

Hyde’s offer to drive Jackie home is his way of telling her he still cares about her. At her refusal, he even offers a second time (i.e. “I don’t mind”).

In the previous episode, “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” (7x13), we’re told and shown, albeit largely subtextually, how affected Hyde is by their breakup. In “Street Fighting Man,” he does his best to cope with his grief -- and Hyde’s go-to coping mechanism is feigned indifference. He’s written mostly in-character during this episode, and his feelings are obvious when one reads between the lines.

[ramenfallsbutnotudon]

3% Season 1 Episode 1 Re-watch (w/ spoiler commentary)

(by spoiler commentary I mean my stream of consciousness watching and thinking about the entire 2 season series)

·         I didn’t realize how prevalent Marco was in the beginning. We see him walking behind Michele and even leaving his home’s caretaker (?) with the note for his son.

·         Michele seems to have just been waiting for this day. She gratified her walls to keep track of time like a mock calendar, and of course the photo of Andre (her brother).

·         I didn’t notice the wooden-faced man (forgot his name) seen her pass in the window on the way to the procession.

·         Ivana, The wooden faced man, and I’m assuming the other dude (the one who works with Joana in S2) ((Silas??) are in that La Causa meeting – along with another I can’t recognize or remember right now.

·         Joana speaks to Rafael because his registration is fake. We find out hers is as well. Although hers is “official” so to speak, maybe she wanted to see if it worked.

·         Homegirl really did take that kiwi from Rafael’s bloody hand.

·         Rafael was willing to do anything to pass (steal the cube) because he knows this is his only chance after stealing his brother’s registration and failing La Causa the first time. This also seemed to resonate with Joana, since we know why she can’t “go home” and who she’s running from.

·         They think the fruit is too sweet because they have no goddamn fruit everything is on the offshore. Could also be an analogy for the pretty, sweet appearance of the off shore. Like it’s too good to be true.

·         Bruna was shown La Causa’s symbol and asked about her opinions of them. This should be some sort of foreshadowing. Also Bruna’s little sister standing alone with three other girls, and the camera dramatically panning to her leaving up the stairs – going to a place her sister and family can no longer reach. (RIP girl)

·         Did Michele help Fernando because it was a part of her cover, or because she actually wanted to help him? She grabbed that necklace in the beginning and also seen the wooden faced man, so it’s safe to assume the moment she stepped out of her house she was in anarchy mode. If Fernando hadn’t helped her, she would have been eliminated. Interesting the two moles both couldn’t pass the test, but one relied on himself and the other outside help. This mirrors the s2 ending where Rafael is alone trying to help himself and repair things with his girlfriend Elisa, and Michele is asking Fernando for help.

·         Fernando really does hate his father. My first time watching this series, until his dad double crossed him I thought maybe he was exaggerating. But he really does detest him and doesn’t want to be like him. He also mentions something about wanting his mobility back, but we know that’s a lie because he’s comfortable in his wheelchair. Unless, he did feel that way but after his elimination those feelings also went away. Or maybe it was when he was told he could walk again and confided in Michele? Either way, this is something to look out for.

·         Marco really isn’t shit. I knew this my first watch, but seeing him again lie and (seemingly) flirt with the interviewer just re-affirms that. Then bragging about how he is an Alvarez to Agata. Then decided to play “good guy” and breakup the mob that was attacking Rafael. Again, interesting that they have this parallel again but instead Rafael is trying to stop Marco from harming people.

·         Joana is an absolute fucking genius, I mean can we just give it up for her? She was my favorite, along with Rafael and Fernando being a close third.  11 cubes? Seeing through everyone’s bullshit but not getting involved? Catching Ezequiel’s eye early on?

·         Speaking of Ezequiel, during his speech he looked up to where Julia used to stand. He also did some jedi mind fuckery with speaking to certain candidates. Still not sure how he pulled that off.

·         Michele, like Gloria in s2, does not repeat Ezequiel’s mantra the first time he has everyone else repeat it.

·         Vape Goddess™ Aline was serving looks and being sexy as all hell. Even dare I say, a bit intimidating? She really got Ezequiel good about his wife’s suicide, would have loved to have seen the outcome of that before he was interrupted.

·         Of course, Ezequiel enjoys half drowning himself because it reminds him of his dead wife who soothed him with water and sensatory manipulation. His stress triggers him to resort to that.

·         The murder had just taken place where Andre murdered someone after finding out the truth of the founding trio.

·         Also before the process began, we saw some religious founding couple fanatics praying outside. I think Fernando rolled by and gave them dirty looks.

·         I forgot how tiny the offshore really is. 4,000 miles away by submarine.

·         They hyped the hell out of the Alexandre character by showing him, his interview, and his suicide. I thought he was going to be one of the main crew during my first watch, but I see it’s just an early on way to show what the process does to people. And hits at the “coping methods” (i.e. have a fuck ton of kids for our sterile island of passive-aggressive hell). I think he would have passed if he just shut the fuck up when the lady was smiling.

·         Did I already mention that Ezequiel has a hard on for Joana and that he probably knew who Michele was as soon as she was passed and got the mole news?

·         Joana is great.

·         Its funny Ezekiel called Denise in to talk to her and decided to drown her and she thanks him. I know Aline is appalled, and I don’t know if that was some sort of dog and pony show he was putting on – but can we talk about how toxic that water dunk has become? It was initially sensual and calming, but mixed with E’s feelings of grief and his slim grip on shifting power paradigms, it’s turned into something terrifying. Forcibly shutting out the world – silence – but also a sort of sick rebirth for those he manipulates. I think of Michele a lot writing this bullet point and her s2 relationship with water after Joana tells E to go fuck himself and Michele becomes the protégée.

·         “I do this every day to remind myself that what we do is a matter of life and death” so maybe it is also to bury feelings of guilt, shame and inadequacy – the voluntary near death drowning in a glass sink thing.

·         “Thank you for almost drowning me, I loved it. I’ve learned so much, you’re such a great mentor”  “You’re welcome, young grasshopper” as Aline looks on disgusted lmao.

·         I bet Ezequiel is into some really kinky shit since his wife died. Maybe bondage. He seems the type.

·         Oh, fuck off Cassia.

·         I love how the snake Michele already knows what’s up when they call her and Bruna away. I could point out that there were other people at that table and Fernando couldn’t have been the only one who was around, but then again he might have been the only one who cared. Although the candidates are a small bunch, they seem to have their own cliques and groups. And Michele and Fernando became friends in the cube test.

·         Michele also mentions that she’s sorry for talking shit about the process and/or a candidate. Does she know that they record everything? They are constantly being surveilled? Or most likely, it is a part of her act.

·         Michele put her head down, got her lies together and started the spin of lies for Bruna. The rare snake Michele is born.

·         “…Bruna, please” I felt like this was more of a “please lie for me/cover for me” and not a “please believe me”.

·         SHE SAID “TRUST ME, OKAY?” before getting her best friend killed. Is that not what she told Fernando at the end of s2? This snake is a work of art. In a bad way.

·         In the Michele flashback where the wooden man is coaching her, it reminds me of the scene when Rafael meets Elisa. The computers didn’t pick up in their personality analysis that Michele was lying. Elisa and Rafael were not compatible. Can the machines only pick up certain personality types and not deviants? Do they rely on honesty? Because Marco lied through his teeth, Michele lied through her teeth, Rafael lied through his teeth…Does this have something to do with the Founding Trio or a modification by the Founding Couple?

·         Of course the old man wisely advises Michele to stay away from his protégé Ezequiel. She should have listened too, we could have been spared the poison catastrophe later on.

·         I think she really is grieving Bruna’s death, but it’s interesting the conversation of “holding back tears” comes to her mind just before her actions. Like this is Michele now, crying and grieving before going back to the snake mole that she is 98% of the rest of her time there.

·         Can we talk about homegirl’s shoes though? Are those suede booties? ·         

Is this what Ezequiel has candidates running around in? lmao

·         Fernando stay away from the snake baby boy, she’s no good for you.

[fly-on-paper-wings]

Alright, let's fucking go. The finale to HIMYM is not perfect by any means, but the theme was always "there is more than one "the one". This is shown in the very first season when Ted immediately falls for Robin in the first two episodes. She feels the same way, but her character isn't like Ted's, she isn't as willing to take as big as an emotional risk as Ted.

When they started dating in the middle of the series, you could see their chemistry. They had private inside jokes, they were very intimate, and they sacrificed for each other. Even while Robin was with Barney, Ted sacrificed everything he could to make Robin happy. He was always in love with her, however, he knew that Robin was happiest with Barney. He did everything he could to keep them together.

Keep in mind, there was only one reason they broke up. They wanted different things out of life. Robin wanted to travel the world and be the best journalist in the world. Ted wanted to settle down and have children. Children, as we learn, is not only impossible for Robin, she detests children altogether (being an aunt is an exception).

Each of the main characters, besides Marshmellow and Lilypad anyway, have two loves. Ted had Tracy and Robin. Robin had Ted and Barney. Barney had Robin and his first love that changed everything. Hell, you could even make an argument for Quin. Even Tracy had two loves: Ted and Max.

In speaking of which, let's talk about Barney. Although it was poorly executed, his character arc post wedding makes sense. He wouldn't be happy traveling the world with Robin. His heart always belonged in New York, he would rarely be around Robin, he would miss his best friends at home way too often, etc.

Post Barney breakup makes sense. I know a ton of people cry out "character development is thrown out the window!" but consider this: everytime Barney hits an emotional setback or downspin, his womanizing comes back stronger than ever. This is true after his first big breakup. He decided to "suit up" for the first time. This is true after his first breakup in the series with Robin. Remember? They were so happy that they lost who they were. When they seperated, Robin was so uncomfortable watching him womanize that she felt she was "just a number". The exact same thing happens in the finale. It's almost like it's Barney's defense mechanism to cope with being emotionally devastated.

I don't think anyone can argue that Marshall and Lily's final arc wasn't fitting. God, I love them.

But finally, here's the part that most people hate, Ted letting go and asking Robin out again. Multiple things play into this. For instance, there are several subtle hints throughout the series that Tracy tragically passed. For starters, it makes logical sense that Tracy never interrupts while Ted tells a story that's NINE SEASONS LONG. Joking aside, the episode "Versuvius" is one of the biggest hints. Tracy worries Ted will be left with nothing but stories and says "what kind of mother would miss her daughter's wedding". Keep in mind, Tracy told Ted to "stop living on his stories and move forward" in 2024. Ted tells his kids the story of how he met her in 2030, six years later.

Or the episode "How Your Mother Met Me". If Tracy were alive, shouldn't she be telling this story? And not Ted?

Ted calls Robin the "big question unanswered in my life".

Ted wants to name his kids Luke and Leia, an obvious reference to Star Wars. In Star Wars, the mother almost never makes it.

There are other examples, such as them showing Tracy's tombstone in Season 7 Episode 13, but you get the point. Tracy was supposed to die. This was decided before Season 2 was even developed.

So, six years after Tracy has passed, Ted wants to move on. He's old now, in his mid 40s or so, and as he's said before "I'm tired of being single. I'm not good at it." Ted has had his kids. He has fulfilled his dream of having the marriage and the family he's always wanted. Likewise, Robin has accomplished her dream. She's traveled the world, she became the best journalist in the world. The ending becomes complete full circle.

Besides, they DID promise if they weren't married they would marry each other...

Keep in mind, I don't hate Tracy or love Robin/Ted. I would've loved to have more Tracy screentime or scenes where her and the gang hang out. The alternate ending just feels like a cop out to satisfy fans that can't handle a "dark ending". I don't believe the ending was played out fantastically, but it was the best ending for the series. Especially with the hints they played out.

Edit: There's nothing wrong with a fairytale ending. In it's own way, the original ending is still a fairytale ending, albiet a more bittersweet one. Ted still got the girl, Tracy, for many years until her death, and even then, he was still able to find happiness. The ending is just not the somewhat generic, cookie cutter ending most people expected. Although it wasn't executed perfectly, I applaud the writers and creators for trying something different in a genre that can be predictable.

remember when how i met your mother aired it’s series finale and it was so terrible that after it ended people weren’t even sad that it was over, we just couldn’t believe how badly they fucked up the show in it’s last ever episode