Tuesday, October 03, 2006

How I Divorced Your Mother

Sadly, with this post, I am revealing my very pathetic TV viewing habits. I was wandering in and out of the living room last night and happened to catch the last few minutes of a goofy sitcom I'm just a little hooked on: How I Met Your Mother. While it may not have the sci-fi spin of Lost, it's got its own little mystery. Namely: Who is the mother??? The premise of the show is a dad far off in the future, telling his kids the story of how he and their mom met. We watch as the show's hero, Ted, dates girls and has typical goofy sitcom friendships, all the while wondering, "Is it Robin, the perky newscaster Ted has been chasing for two seasons and has now finally caught...or is it some other random girl??"

In last night's show, Ted's parents are in town for their 30th anniversary and go to brunch with Ted and all his friends. In the last minutes of the episode, we learn that Ted's parents have been divorced for two years--a fact that Ted is learning for the first time. Mom and dad have sneakily kept it quiet, not wanting to upset the kids. The parents reassure Ted that the tandem bike he bought them last Christmas hasn't gone to waste; Mom uses it with her new boyfriend, who was introduced to her by Dad. Outside the restaurant, where Ted has gone to escape the nuttiness, Mom and Dad tell Ted that they simply realized they were too different and they couldn't be meant to be together. Ted is supposed to be okay with this, but as the episode closes, we know Ted is not okay. He's stunned by his parents' admission. But more tellingly, their lost commitment makes him look at Robin, his perfect girl, in a new light.

Will Ted recover? Will he be able to see that his love for Robin doesn't have to follow the same path as his mom and dad's love? Will he forgive his mom and dad? Will he keep the secret from his sister, who still doesn't know? All of these questions will have to wait for another episode. Don't worry -- I'll be watching.

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