Favorite TV Show, will contain spoilers

Legen—wait for it I can’t believe this is the best blog in the world—One day, sophomore year, I spent the night at my friend Ryan’s house and we watched an episode of How I Met Your Mother. I could not stop laughing and later that week I ended up watching the entire first season. I was hooked.

Although it is a sitcom presented in 30 minute episodes, I became emotionally attached. By the end of the first season I wanted nothing more than for Ted and Robin to fall in love and up with each other. But Carter Bays and Craig Thomas wouldn’t give me the satisfaction. The two messed with my emotions because the entire time you are watching the show you are constantly laughing at the audacity of Barney Stinson, the quirkiness of the friend group, and the situational irony, but then out of nowhere it gets serious.  This show is a very good representation of the incongruity theory because every time one expects something to happen, a funny alternative is provided to enhance the experience. And Although one is laughing throughout the show, by the time one has watched two seasons, he is too emotionally invested in each character to let the humor act as the main reason to watch the show. As Carter and Craig allowed the characters to really show their true selves, it became impossible not to fall in love with them.

And with love, comes tears. This show made me cry for the first time from something that was not the direct result of pain or a real life tragedy. Somewhat towards the end of the show, Season 7 I believe,  (SPOILER) (SPOILER) Barney proposes to Robin through an elaborate scheme that was the result of his actions for the entire season. He titled his play “The Robin.”  Through the episode he tricks Robin into meeting him on the rooftop of a building where she sees a page lying on the ground. The show reads every step and then Robin reacts in astonishment, livid at Barney for lying to her the entire season. When my emotions are officially messed with and I have no idea what to expect, Barney says “Turn it over” and on the paper it reads, “Step 16: Hope she says yes,” I lost it. I saw him on one knee and I didn’t know what was going on. My jaw clenched and I swallowed my saliva. I felt the tingling under my eyes and near my nose that one feels right before they cry and tried as hard as I could to prevent them. My efforts were moot as tears dripped down my face. I wiped them off without knowing what was more shocking that Barney proposed to Robin or that I am actually crying at a television show. Of course being the macho man that every boy is raised to be I hid my tears before anyone realized what I was doing and asked the most aggravating question at that age, “Is everything alright?”

How I Met Your mother is my favorite television show because it teaches me more and more about myself each time I watch. The show is extremely well written because each individual can relate to every character, regardless of gender. Aside from Step 16, there are an abundance of emotional moments such as the death of Marshalls father and when Barney cries to his real father about being a boring old dad. But it also holds moment of pure comedy genius such as my favorite episode where Barney enters on The Price is Right to meet his “real” father.  Regardless of my current emotional state, How I Met Your Mother can make my day. I mean heck, I wore a ducky tie to graduation—dary.