While it remains to be seen just how serious Lily and Marshall are about moving to Rome, their arc did bring up some intriguing points about Lily's career as an art consultant, as well as Marshall's future in environmental law -- especially since it appears that he has little left to do at his current firm. Otherwise, though, this storyline was pretty uneventful -- more bridge-building than anything else.
As for Ted and Barney's storyline with Liddy the wedding planner (Mircea Monroe), there were definitely some notable moments. I will say first that I got a huge laugh out of Barney's line about Ted referring to Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol as "ridonculous." I liked how that reference was then peppered in a few more times, with Ted talking about the movie at yoga and Liddy bringing it up later at the bar. In fact, the only disappointment with Liddy was that we never actually got to see the body "that could melt a nazi's face." Such a waste...
Of course, the underlying theme of this arc was in regards to Barney's negligence as a partner to Robin -- an issue I feel was long overdue for examination. I understand it's in the DNA of Barney's character to womanize, but that's all the more reason his relationship with Robin has been an uphill battle from day one. At this point, the writers want to have their cake and eat it too, but they'll soon need to commit Barney to one side: dutiful boyfriend or lovable playboy. You can't have it both ways. Which is why I was utterly relieved to hear Ted finally give a voice to what I've been thinking for nearly half a season. Honestly, the sheer number of times Barney has sexualized other women -- just post-proposal -- was beginning to reach absurd levels of indecency. I don't know in what universe it's okay to not only propose to your best friend's ex-girlfriend, but then neglect that fiancée right in front of your friend. (Now, that's ridonculous.)
So to have that terse exchange between Ted and Barney this week was comforting, if only because it means the creators are at least aware that this is a pretty unfair situation for Ted, who has (for seasons and seasons) been a real sport about the whole Barney/Robin thing. Even tonight's confrontation seemed pretty tame on Ted's part, as he kindly warned Barney that Robin is cool, but not that cool. For Barney to retort, "Robin's marrying me, not you," I thought was a glaring overreaction.
If the intention here was to be torn on which of the guys is right, well, there's no bones about it. Barney needs to get his s*** together and start acting like a true friend. I only wish this scene had gone on longer, but alas it was quickly (and uncomfortably) dropped. Until next time, I'll be patiently waiting to see where this goes, as I predict it will lead to a much more serious, "gloves-off" conversation in the future. Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love by following @Max_Nicholson on Twitter, or MaxNicholson on IGN.