With the casting of John Lithgow as Barney's father, it was clear that Barney's father would not be a cool, suave guy where the episode blows up in spectacular fashion. Naturally, Jerry does not live up to expectations, what with Barney's lofty ideas about himself and everything around him. Even still, I didn't think Barney would be so rude.
I usually find Barney to be the funniest character, but man did I dislike him, with all those snide comments and insinuations. In other circumstances, his jokes would certainly be funny; in this case, however, I didn't remotely find it funny. The scene outside the house provides somewhat of an explanation, Barney wanting the too-friendly suburban life, and it has most emotion of an otherwise muted episode. But the episode does provide solid ground upon which future episodes can build on.
The only other thing this week is the rest of the group teasing each other about severe deficiencies. Ted pronounces "chameleons" with the "ch" sound, Robin didn't know the North Pole existed, and Lily has bad aim. Also, a little more of Marshall dealing with his father's death is squeezed out, as he tells the group not to go easy on him. With all the shots of them actually in the middle of their various gaps, it was far funnier than the Barney stuff.
Score: 8.6/10
