State of the Show: How I Met Your Mother

I suppose the "big news," at least the way the producers intend it, is Ted's season-ending proposal to Stella. What will she say? Is she the titular Mother? And so on and so forth. But to me, that development was no more than the fourth most significant event in that finale. Here are the first 3:

1) Ted and Barney kissed and made up: Well, except for the kiss. But they're friends again, and that's a good thing because their split seemed phony and wasn't doing the show any favors.

2) Barney made googly eyes at Robin in the last scene in such a way as to indicate he looooooves her (if you saw it, it was clear this was the intent). This is a terrible thing because their one-night hookup was one of the biggest blunders the show has ever made, and I cringe at the thought of that storyline continuing.

3) The Marshall story didn't make me laugh. Having him label various events as "Miracle!" probably (or hopefully?) played a lot funnier on paper than it did on screen. Even when the show is at its most self-indulgent with the sentimental Ted stuff, Marshall can make me laugh. Not this week, though, and that worries me.

You see, this season finale was another in a string of subpar episodes that followed the strike. It's gotten to the point where I'm really worried about the direction of this once-great sitcom. I liked "Friends" in its heyday, but that show went on way too long and started piling up the missteps, some of which sound awfully familiar today: Desperate plot devices (Ted and Barney splitting, anyone?), everyone in the cast hooking up with each other (Barney and Robin), and Special Guest Stars (Britney Spears).

Ah, yes, the Britney Experiment. Sure, it boosted the show's ratings at a time when many returning series saw declines. But it led to several disappointing episodes and sent a terrible message about what fans can expect. This was a sharp, clever sitcom that lost much of its edge with one lame stunt casting decision. It's possible the ratings boost she gave the show led to its fourth-season renewal, but HIMYM has to sell its soul to get more episodes, I'd rather it just call it quits.

After all, the Britney guest shots just weren't that funny, and that's what it's supposed to be all about. Her presence wasn't the cause of the creative decline, but a symptom, and I;m not sure if things will improve right away next year. By the end of this season, the catchphrases and repartee that was the show's hallmark seemed increasingly forced. Maybe a summer break will do us all good.

I'll still be watching come fall, but I'm really hoping things can get back to where they were in the first couple of excellent seasons. I don't even care where they go with Ted and Stella. Just get back to the basics. I don't need to see these characters grow and change. I need them to make me laugh.