How I Met Your Mother

Hey everyone,


       There's this show I really love, and my family likes to watch it with me. You've probably seen it, it's called How I Met Your Mother. It's funny, it's heartwarming, it's highly inappropriate for my little sister, but she watches it anyway. The main protagonist, Ted Mosby, is portrayed by actor Josh Radnor. I think he does a wonderful job. He's exactly who he's supposed to be, an optimistic, daydreaming but down to earth, sweet and romantic guy. My mom thinks he's a loser. I think that the character, Ted, could be misconstrued as a loser. He has had his share of failures so far (I haven't seen the end of Season 7, so don't ruin it for me!), but I don't think that makes him a loser. I think in a lot of TV shows, the main character is less of a dynamic character. In That 70s Show, the main character is Eric Forman, but he's way less interesting than his friends, and he has way less backbone. In CW's Supernatural, Sam Winchester was intended to be the main character, but I think everybody can agree that Dean is definitely the better character, and the fan favorite. I'm having a Supernatural party this month, and as party favors I bought Supernatural-themed buttons, magnets and bumper stickers. There's one button that says "Team Dean" on it. I didn't bother buying a Team Sam button, because I knew no one would want it. I don't mean any disrespect to Jared Padalecki, because I'm a huge fan. But next to Jensen Ackles's Dean, it's hard to compare. So I think the reason Ted appears to be a loser is that he pales in comparison to his supporting characters. The main character should be a little less awesome, per se, than his/her supporting characters, like a brown background, so that his/her quirky, interesting friends really pop. And what friends! Barney Stinson, portrayed by Neil Patrick Harris, is the shining beacon of the show. My nine year old sister won't stop telling us to "suit up" and is currently planning a HIMYM party of her own. His humor is unmatched. His timing is impeccable, and no one can fault his sense of style. Ted's other best friend, Marshall, played by Jason Segel, is funny in an entirely different sense. His character is a crazy firework hidden under a wrapper of cuddly, teddy bear-type boyfriend. Marshall's girlfriend, Lily, played by Alyson Hannigan, is a veritable cornucopia of the insane and wacky. She and Marshall make a good couple who always are there to support their sometimes single friend Ted. Finally, Ted's ex-girlfriend and Canadian friend, Robin fills the somehow necessary role of overbearing crazy feminist/tough-girl friend. In That 70s Show, the role is filled by Donna, played by Laura Prepon. I can't say I'm a fan of either. I just think they come on too strong. But the point is that these dynamic characters wouldn't work if the main character had to compete with them. Ted is the usually sane, mostly normal, sometimes boring but sweet and understandable main character that ties the whole show together. So, loser or not, I definitely recommend the show to anyone above age 13.


-Kaetie Mulhern