Victoria, Robin, and Lily go wedding dress shopping, while Barney, Marshall, and Ted shop for a suit for Marshall's job interview with the NRDC. Victoria has recently been offered an opportunity to attend a culinary institute in Germany, however if she goes she has to break up with Ted. Victoria deliberates whether to stay or not, while Ted tries to decide whether to ask her to stay. In the end Victoria decides to stay, and Ted decides not to ask her too. However when they meet to discuss it they both change their mind, and realize they need to break up. Marshall asks why they needed to break up right away, so Ted decides to spend one last good day with Victoria. Afterwards they decide to try long distance which Future Ted warns never works.
Meanwhile Lily has ruined an expensive dress, and Marshall has bought a really expensive suit, so Marshall has to take a job at Barney's company instead of getting his job with the NRDC.
Notes
Future Ted warns that long distance is a bad idea, and indeed this will contribute to the end of Ted and Victoria's relationship. Many fans wonder what would have happened if she had stayed, or if instead of doing long distance, Ted just waited two years for Victoria to come back. But this isn't what happens, and so the Ted/Victoria relationship is doomed. Marshall is forced to get a job at Barney's company which is the first part of a series long struggle Marshall faces between joining the NRDC and "selling out." Monetary needs force Marshall to "sell out" for the moment, and in a lot of ways foreshadows how he's going to act out this struggle. Barney pulls at Marshall's pragmatic side, while Lily tries to pull at his idealistic side. However Lily ends up putting financial strain on Marshall that forces him deeper and deeper onto the "sellout path".
Review
I like getting to see Barney's tailor and how sketchy it is. I also like the idea of Marshall working with Barney though we don't really see it here. That was the writers being smart and planning ahead, as Marshall and Barney at work provides plenty of plot opportunites. I also like the 3 girls 3 guys dynamic in this episode. That's one of the things that Friends had was sexual balance. I guess by having only two girls, Lily and Robin have a much stronger relationship because they don't have a Phoebe to deal with. It also makes it more of a guy's show which I can't complain about. Anyways, Marshall's career struggles provide some interesting plot. By the way, why hasn't he graduated yet? He's 28, and in my experience most law students graduate at 26. Wow, I'm getting off track. I guess it's because this episode sets up a lot of things without actually standing alone very well. I feel like if I was watching the first season back when it was first showing and I got this episode for a week I'd be dissapointed because it sets up a lot of things we don't get to see. As it is though, I can watch the next episode whenever I like, and this episodes sets it and others up very nicely.
Ranking
6 out of 10.
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