SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't seen the previous episode, "Bad News," don't read this review. Unless someone's already told you about the huge plot event that happened at the end of the episode.
"Last Words" continues HIMYM's sidestep into serious territory as the gang travel to St. Cloud to help Marshall deal with his father's death. Everyone comes up with a job: Lily decides to help Marshall's mom, Judy, any way possible; Robin is "Vice Girl" -- basically, she has anything Marshall might need to help him grieve, including alcohol, cigarettes, and "Crocodile Dundee 3" --; and Ted and Barney decide to make Marshall laugh by showing him YouTube videos of guys getting hit in the nuts.
I had some high hopes for this episode because HIMYM has never delved into such a dramatic subject before -- even Ted getting left at the altar pales in comparison to a death in the family -- and I thought it was a bold move for the series. I have to say, I was a little disappointed. It was still a good episode, but it could've been better.
The main story revolved around the decision for everyone in the Eriksen family to share the last words Marvin said to them before he died. Marshall is disappointed because everyone else had ideal last words, but he got, "Rent 'Crocodile Dundee 3.'" He spends the episode trying to remember something better and ultimately finds a butt-dial voicemail from his father the day he died. After five minutes of pocket rubbing, Marvin realizes he called Marshall, picks up the phone, and tells Marshall he loves him.
It's a nice, emotional ending, but the rest of the episode is just kind of ... eh.
Aside from Robin, the rest of the gang didn't have much to do beside stand around and look dumb. Ted and Barney were ridiculously juvenile whenever they showed one of the videos they found -- Marshall even yells at them at one point --, and Lily's way of helping Marshall's mom was making her freak out because that made her eat and sleep, which she hadn't done since Marvin's death. .
A side-plot that sprang up and disappeared involved an old bully, Trey Platt, from Marshall's high school days. Trey is the son of the reverend who is supposed to perform Marvin's funeral but has to leave because his daughter goes into labor in Chicago. Marshall is upset that Trey is performing the funeral, and Trey is a downright douchebag to everyone in the family, but then walks out of the shot and isn't seen again.
It really felt like the writers were trying to get a lot accomplished in this episode, but 22 minutes just wasn't enough time.
Despite its shortcomings, this episode had a lot of good moments. When Marshall hears his dad's voice at the end of the voicemail and it was hard to fight that urge while watching it. And, Robin was hilarious as "Vice Girl" who kept hooking up the other funeral attendees with booze, etc.
"Last Words" did an excellent job of setting up some major story arcs for the rest of the season. Naturally, Marshall is going to take some time to grieve and I think the show can benefit from the seriousness. And, after the funeral, Barney calls his mom and tells her that he's ready to meet his dad.
Like I said, I thought this episode could've been better. But, I'm really excited to see where things go from here.
Rating
8 (of 10): Excellent - A great episode with some minor flaws.
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