Bracket Buster

Another subpar (relatively) episode of "How I Met Your Mother." It seems to me that since returning from the strike the show is more concerned with dropping subtle hints about my mother than actually being funny.
And what I loved about the first 2 seasons was that there wasn't this overarching need to solve a mystery. Sure the mystery was out there, but whenever we found out the answer was fine, so long as we were entertained in the meantime.
The weak attempt to bring March Madness into the show felt contrived, like Emmitt Smith's guest appearance when they were trying to do a Super Bowl tie-in.
The crazy chick bracket was amusing, of course the writers shine when they have to show their creativity.
I also liked when Robin said she was going to be the hot decoy. She was!



The Nicole Eggert guest appearance was also a welcome surprise, though I'm pissed they ruled her out as my mother.

[Correction: That was not Nicole Eggert. Holly was played by Maite Schwartz. Sorry for the false alarm.]

But of course the show ended with that one great scene that really saved the episode:



I'm glad they gently spoofed Doogie, they needed to do it at some point, but not overdo it. This was perfect.

And of course I also enjoyed the show's creative synergy, as TedMosbyisaJerk.com is a real website and it unveils the cover of the famous movie starring Ted Mosby, "Lance Hardwood: Sex Architect."