The debate over which is better will rage (hopefully Rd. 2 and beyond will take place in Comments) but I'm here to weigh in. And to do make my decision, I'll ask this: Which characters would you rather go to Montreal for the weekend with?
My rational: Giving a half hour of your time every week to watch the characters in their day-to-day lives is a very big committment. For that committment to be justified, I think the people you're watching should be cool. What better way to see how cool someone is than to see if you'd like to spend a weekend with them in Montreal?
(Note: I would put this in Vegas, but I've never been. We all need to do a trip there together, and soon. Rand, I know you're in. Maybe a long weekend this winter?)
So, here goes.
The best way to break this down is to compare the complementary characters: Barney/Joey, Ted/Ross, Marshall/Chandler, Monica/Lily, Pheobe & Rachel/Robin.
Barney has the edge over Joey. Yes, they will both spend a lot of time bringing hot girls back to the group, which is fine, and yes, continually being told to Suit Up for something Legendary *may* get a bit old come Sunday afternoon. The key point is this: Barney will be so into making sure that everyone else has a good time that he will constantly be coming up with cool activities probably meticulously researched before (so we won't have to do that) and he will also probably be springing for cool drinks just because. Joey seems like he'll follow along and may stumble into something cool, but that's as far as he would go. And he definitely wouldn't be buying us all rounds of car bombs.
(If you doubt how important that is, remember Rand stepping up at the Lehigh Valley House? I was barely into my conversation with the guys who thought
This guy:
(David Lighty)Was this guy:
when Lim tapped me on the shoulder and said 'Car bombs, other room, now.' That was awesome.)
Anyway, there would be a lot of moments like that with Barney, so he gets the point.
As for Marshall and Ted vs. Ross and Chandler; I just don't feel like it's a contest here. If you want someone who'll be talking geology and whining over his latest girlfriend while you're (accurately) predicting every roullete ball, pick Ross. If you want someone who can explain how exactly that bio-dome stays standing - and what it's for - pick Ted. Likewise, Marshall can either be the butt of jokes (with Lily), or the instigator, because he would inevitably lawyer someone (who's most likely to get lawyered?) on at least three separate occasions. Chandler, on the other hand, desperate for attention, would shower us with lame-ass jokes until, at last, one of them hit.
Granted, Ted and Marshall do lose some points for the Bachelor Party episode. However, the party they had planned did sound like a whole lot of fun too, and who knows what would happen in Montreal. Barney loses a point because of the stripper he hires during that episode and the weird show she performs. We'd have to keep his dark side in check. Even so, I think that would be fun. And I think the bitterness factor with Ted and Marshall is low enough so that we could mess with them.
As for the girls, no doubt at all. Monica would have actually died on the spot if she'd seen the Econo-Lodge room, and that would have made the weekend slightly less enjoyable (they probably have naked funeral homes there, but that wouldn't be all that fun.) Rachel: too prissy. Pheobe might be fun, but also might not. It would be hit or miss.
Lily and Robin, on the other hand, would knock it out of the park. Robin would be so intent on proving her independence that she would probably lead the charge to some cool bars and maybe a strip club (I can't remember how she reacted in the Bachelor Party) but I know that she would want to Cronkite with me. Lily is cooler than both of them, without even needing an argument to back it up.
Of course, there's always the chance that the HIMYM cast might break into this:
Of course, there's always the chance that Joey might stay in character too long and wind up with this:
(which may not be that bad too watch)
Of course, there's also the chance that, if we're left alone with Joey too long, he'd break into this:
(Which is bad, unless you're SammyC.)
In the end, the HIMYM cast would be much more fun to spend a weekend in Montreal with.
5 comments:
dre,
i'm sorry but this post just does not address the real issues in deciding which show is the better show. true, the characters are important, and i agree that the characters on HIMYM are cooler and much more relatable to our lives but the coolness of the characters is not the only thing to discuss when comparing friends (an epic sit com that has gone down in TV history) to HIMYM (a new, funny show with a lot of potential.)
I am not sure if I want to commit to choosing a favorite of the two. I certianly laugh out loud more at HIMYM, but that's probably because I haven't seen every episode and I don't know all of the jokes yet. However, like i said before, Friends is epic. the characters have so many more intricacies and complications in their story lines than the characters in HIMYM. For instance: take lilly. she's pretty one demensional compared to monica. maybe that's becasue the show hasn't been on long enough to give her more and we should wait to see what happens.
also, take the central relationship: ross and rachel v. ted and robin. ted and robin are broken up-- it doesn't look like they are going to get back together and, let's face it, there doesn't seem to be any reason for them to stay friends. on the other hand, rachel and ross broke up but had to remain close because they were a part of this well established group. Robin is with this group because of her relationship with ted. Thus, on friends, there was a chance for more drama with ross and rachel-- more for the viewer to hope for-- when in HIMYM their relationship is totally over (and we know that becasue ted's voice is already talking about marrying someone else.)
therefore, friends had further to go than HIMYM ever could. the plot and the characters have very little room to grow and, therefore, the watching the show, while hilarious, might get a little tiresome. we watch friends for more than just the jokes-- we wanted to see what happened. we cared about the people, and not just because they were fun. Granted, I might have a different TV viewing agenda than you-- i am probably looking for a little more than laughs-- but so is mostly everyone else. Therefore, i think i'm going to say it: friends is the better show.
I have a different definition of what a good show is.
It's not necessarily watching characters grow over time, or discover that true love means finally accepting what's always been there.
To me, the scenes in Friends with only Rachel and Ross are the most hard to watch. They bore me and, frankly, I couldn't care less whether they end up together. (I did like the scene in the laundrymat when they first kissed, but only the part where Ross runs into the open dryer).
A good show for me is one that will repeatedly make me laugh out loud (like HIMYM does for you) without boring me too much with drawn-out stories about romance.
Point taken about the better-developed quirks of the Friends characters. That's true, and HIMYM has room to grow in that regard (specifically with Barney, who may get old after 3 more seasons).
True, Ted does spend a lot of time whining about love. But he's nicely balanced by Barney and is nowhere near as much of a weeny as Ross.
Basically, the Montreal example is relevant because it proves that HIMYM's characters are cooler than Friends', and I have much more patience for storylines that try to get all deep when I at least think the characters are fun to watch.
Great points, Coco. you clearly win that argument.
Also - I think it's about time that we start on a Planet Earth Power Hour.
Alright alright, here I go.
First off, Sam...or "Anonymous"...get off the bitter train for not gettin in on Friends on the ground floor and then trying to hop on to Joey only to see it be a miserable failure
Second, Coco, according to your Montreal argument, HIMYM looses bc where did they go? Not to Vegas, the real deal, like Friends went to but rather the bootleg and poor mans vegas, Atlantic City.
Secondly, to reiterate Zoe's point, you can't compare one of the most successful sitcoms in history to some sitcom that has only had two seasons and barely got picked up for a third.
If you will excuse my broad and genaric sports analogy, it is like comparing a proven hall of famer with an up and coming rookie who might have had a good season or two but for all we know could pull a hammie or be involved in some sex scandal and have his career go down the toilet.
Anyway, honestly, for me there is no real "which is better"...if they were on at the same time and were at the same number of seasons then maybe they would be comparable. A comparison might be semi-feasible for a show like Arrested Development because it has already had a complete run, be it only for 3seasons, and because it is something that is totally different from Friends. It is not any type of argument for a self proclaimed updated rip off of Friends to be held up to comparison...its like comparing me now with a 22yr old clone of me 20yrs into the future. It would be the same me but only in different clothes and in a different context and those experiencing the me in 20yrs will either be completely new or simply at a different place in their lives then when they are experiencing the me now. You are experience HIMYM as a different person then when you first experienced Friends
HOWEVER, I must air a grievance I have had with HIMYM for some time and that also conveniently works as a nice final point to why Friends is a better show (I know I just said the comparison is pointless but I must stand by the show that has provided me so many good laughs over the years)
Based on the show's premise and title, How I Met Your Mother is a failure.
Please tell me how, in two seasons, the show has gotten any closer to fulfilling the promise of the title. Not only are Marshal and Lilly the central love story, but the relationship of Ted's that we have become so invested in doesn't even pan out. We know Robin isn't the mom. So what? is there supposed to be a 6th cast member out there waiting in the wings who is gonna come in and mess with the dynamic you have all grown to obsess over?
Then they go and end this most recent season with Robin and Ted's relationship in the balance when why should we care because they do not end up together. My industry insider (and by industry insider I mean eonline) told me (and by tell me i mean it was published in an onlilne post for anyone with internet access to read) that the shows producers are even holding focus groups to see if people want Robin and Ted together or apart...and people said the LOST producers don't have a game plan
I am all but expecting them to make some roundabout and lame explanation as to why Robin was referred to Aunt and ultimately make her the mom.
So while HIMYM lost sight of their basic premise of presenting the story of how ted met the mother of his children, Friends never lost focus in telling the story of 6friends going through life
It sounds a lot like thte amare stoudamire, Tim Duncan comparrison
Post a Comment