HIMYM: Each Person Sees Differently

Not gonna lie... I was pretty disappointed when I heard that "The Captain" was back. He was never my favorite character, and I feared that it would bring miserable episodes to a comedy that can no longer really take chances. No, the ratings aren't taking a nosedive... in fact, they're actually up from the start of the season. The interest level held by the fans, however, is waning. While they aren't hate-watching, many people I've talked to and a large chunk of internet critics are all merely "putting up with" this show because they can't be left hanging - WHO is the mother?? Though I still genuinely like this series most of the time, episodes like this one are completely useless to me - what do I care if Lily quits being a Kindergarten teacher? When we saw her in the classroom, she was never doing a stellar job anyway! Marshall desperately wanted to be an environmental lawyer and Lily a painter... things don't always work out the way we dream! Remember how Ted wanted to be a practicing architect but mostly teaches? How Robin wanted to be a major anchor but wound up in a newsroom? Can we just have more of Neil Patrick Harris arguing with himself? Because that's really what I want to see.

Richard Cartwright/CBS

How I Met Your Mother "The Ashtray" (S08E17): The Captain calls Ted, asking for Robin's number. In trying to figure out why, Ted, Robin, and Lily all recount an art opening in 2011 where they ran into The Captain. [meanwhile, I question why the man was calling back so soon after leaving a message...] Ted thought that he stole a second girl from the man, Becky. Robin thought The Captain had hit on her at the party (calling her his "one true love"), but she told him to wait 18 months. Well, Lily was the only sober one that night and remembers Robin going after the Captain but passing out, and Ted being rude to the man. [no surprise there.] Lily was upset that the Captain thought she had poor taste in art, so she stole a large crystal ashtray from him. Lily confesses that it's too late for her to pursue her dream of art, but Marshall just tells her to quit her job teaching kindergarten and return the ashtray. Turns out, The Captain confused Robin with Lily, as she's the one he wanted to talk to. See, he bought a painting she recommended that night, and it's now worth $4M so he offers her the job as his art consultant, and she accepts. [is that really a full-time thing?]

The only other thing that happens? Barney is jealous that he wasn't at the event so Ted and Robin pretend he was, but he was off running "The Royal Archduke of Grand Fenwick" from The Playbook.