Can we have class OUTSIDE?!

Now call me a skeptic, but I’ve never quite bought the whole Barney/Robin thing. Plus, in the short time they’ve been “together”, Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) has gotten a little less funny and Robin (Cobie Smulders) has become a tad whiny. It pains me to even TYPE those words, given the fact that How I Met Your Mother is one of my favorite shows and Barney and Robin are my two favorite characters. I’ve LOL’d many a time at Barney’s legen-wait-for-it-dary antics and I’ve always enjoyed the boldness of Robin’s character and her refusal to conform to most stereotypical “girl” traits. As Lily put it best in this week’s episode, “Robin Sherbatsky is many things… but she is no crazy, jealous stalker bitch!” I’d just hate to see the writers trade in that great comedy for something with a little less punch. Hooking up two seemingly random cast members for some added spice is a move straight out of the Friends playbook (Chandler and Monica, then briefly Joey and Rachel), and while it worked there I’m still not 100% convinced it’ll work on HIMYM.

However, the naysayer in me was silenced (temporarily) after watching Monday’s hilarious episode, “Robin 101.” Robin is worried that Barney is not attentive enough as a boyfriend and Barney begins secretly taking night classes with Ted (Josh Radnor) to learn the, err, ins and outs of dating Robin Sherbatsky. Convinced that Barney is cheating on her, since he goes missing after work to go to this secret class, Robin breaks into his briefcase to find clues as to his whereabouts only discover his notebook and thus everything Ted is teaching him. Suffice it to say, hilarity ensues.

The episode plays heavily on Robin’s unique (and uniquely Canadian) personality, and any time the writers venture into that territory, they hit the comedy jackpot (two words for you: Robin. Sparkles.) Ted teaches Barney everything he learned while dating Robin, from deciphering her many faces, distracting her when she’s upset and – my personal favorite – that butterscotch is to Canadian women, what chocolate is to American women. Can I also say, that I am LOVING Ted as a college professor?? It’s yielding some great moments (how do you spell PROFESSOR again?) and it's temporarily giving him a much needed break from his quest of finding the love of his life.

As brilliant as Ted and Robin are in “Robin 101” (and as delightful as Lily (Alyson Hannigan) and Marshall (Jason Segel) are as the sidekicks that get stuck with the B-is-for-barrel storyline), it is Barney that actually shines the most. When he perfectly answers Ted’s rapid-fire pop quiz, and most importantly in the show’s closing moments where he opens up to Robin, I totally jumped on board the Barney-Robin express. I think I may even sit down, get comfy and see where this goes.