All three gave it their best shot last week, but the mixed drinks of "The Perfect Cocktail" still allowed for some laughs and some fun. But in "Landmarks," there was no stopping Ted, Zoey and The Arcadian. No B-storyline was going to lighten the mood. No sad guest appearance from Bob Odenkirk was going to do the trick. Nothing surrounding Ted, Zoey and The Arcadian could escape their black hole of unfunniness. This episode doesn't work because this couple hasn't worked from the very beginning. The character of Zoey was and is just a two-dimensional prop-- first as Ted's nemesis, quirkily married to an eccentric billionaire, then as a bland, uncaring love interest. She's just a means to an unseen end, and I'm starting to think that "end" has just been to fill some time.
There has also been no believability in this season-long storyline. It's difficult to get behind either character's argument for or against this building. For one, every shot we see of the site shows it as ridiculously unimpressive. Might have helped if the series could have upped the budget for a more impressive fake building. Second-- compromise! Early on Ted was talking about incorporating the existing building into the design of the new building, only to toss that idea after Zoey rubbed him the wrong way. Well why not go back to that once you started dating the woman? Hard to get caught up in a conflict if there are several ways around the conflict that nobody is talking about.
"Landmarks" does get a few points for trying to tie in bits from last week's episode and scenes from earlier this season into its storytelling. HIMYM hasn't yet lost its ability to be limber with structure and timelines and that at least keeps things interesting. But the story structure and use of flashbacks aren't enough to make something any funnier. The one thing I will take away from this episode, however, is Ted's last line to Zoey: "Sometimes things have to fall apart to make room for better things." That's what I'm going to believe this episode was, the Ted/Zoey story falling apart to make room for the better stories in the last couple episode of the season. And then I won't have to think about this episode and Ted, Zoey and The Arcadian for the rest of the year.