Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT The Big Fudge
By Cindy McLennan | Season 5 | Episode 13 | Aired on 01.18.2010
In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.Marshall thinks his new co-worker, Jenkins, is hilarious. At first, all the Jenkins-flashbacks feature Edward Flores, but Jason Segal provides the Jenkins voice in a demi-falsetto, plus the episode guest-stars Amanda Peet, so we know right away that (Marshall's "playing" Lily and) Peet is playing Jenkins. And by the way, HI AMANDA PEET! Thank you for taking this opportunity to rinse the last bit of Sorkin's 60 Issues On The Sunset Strip aftertaste right out of my mouth.
Jenkins isn't only a woman, she is also a huge Vikings fan from Pelican Rapids (just like Marshall's grandpa, only she's not dead), and she allegedly has boobs (just like Marshall's brother Martin). Tangentially, Marshall frequents some college bar regularly, and his nickname on the Skee Ball score board is "Big Fudge." Make your own jokes (at least until the full weecap). Speaking of fudging, when Marshall first told Lily about the fabulously funny Jenkins, Lily assumed Jenkins was a man, and rather than correct her, Marshall just made sure all his subsequent Jenkins-anecdotes were pronoun free. Because the stories come across oh-so-differently with Ms. Peet in the role (examples: Jenkins downs a bottle of cherries for the guys; Jenkins gyrates suggestively behind the boss's back; Jenkins dances on a table top and takes off Jenkins' her shirt), coming clean is complicated. When Lily makes a surprise visit to GNB, Marshall confesses the pronoun obfuscation, but Lily is so NOT jealous that it hurts Marshall's feelings; that's only compounded when Robin and Ted explain Lily is the "Settler" and Marshall is the "Reacher" in their marriage, and as such, Lily will never be jealous of Marshall. Ya gotta have friends. I guess. When a drunk Jenkins kisses Marshall and he confesses this to Lily, she thinks he's lying to make her jealous.
The B-plot sprouts when one of Ted's students, Scottie, recognizes Robin. When you stroke Robin's ego, you feed the beast, so soon, she's dropping by Ted's class to pimp her show and get a little validation. The students, led by Betty, are happy to oblige. Once Robin leaves, the kids confess that they watch Robin's show because they're usually still out drinking when it airs, and her habit of saying "But um..." has made for a great drinking game. Ted and Barney try it out and lose 5% of their liver function. Later, Ted plays But Um... with his students, but that's only after informing Robin about the game in a fit of pique, so Robin strikes back on air, and nearly gives Ted and his class alcohol poisoning.
Sober Jenkins feels terribly about the kiss and goes to MacLaren's to confess all to Lily, which Marshall allows, on account of it will prove he was telling the truth, and maybe shift the balance of power. Who's the reacher and who's the settler in their marriage is far less clear-cut, once Lily reaches her fist... right into Amanda Peet's face. Sorry, Amanda Peet. I think Studio 60 was punishment enough on its own.
Tomorrow, I'll cover all the details, including the end tag, in the full weecap. In the meantime, come on over to the forum, where there's nothing but wood in the 50 hole.
Add "reacher" and "settler" to our HIMYM Lexicon, then see why we still think Ted is Awesome.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!This episode was a joy to watch, but not so much to weecap, so after failing miserably for a day, I'm trying a new method. See, I usually write in my office, sitting all upright at my desk, watching scenes over and over, checking online transcripts when available, and so forth. Today, I'm curled up on the living room couch in my comfiest jammies, and I'm going to do my level best to rip through this bad boy. Since I'm in my comfiest jammies and my sainted husband just started another pot of coffee, I'm good either way, but for your sake, gentle reader, I'm hope this works. But um... just in case, every time I suck, why don't you take a drink.
Saget!Ted tells his kids that when you're a thirtysomething New Yorker, there are a few places you avoid like the plague: Times Square on New Year's Eve; Rockefeller Center around Christmas; and most of all a college bar. In my head, I hear TWoP editor Mindy Monez weeping, wailing and gnashing her teeth, not over college bars -- at least they have booze there (and Mindy's a young thing). No, see, she works at TWoP Towers at 30 Rock, and as soon as the giant Christmas tree goes up, Mindy's heart shrinks three sizes. It doesn't return to normal (or "normal" -- she is a TWoP editor, after all) until ice skating season is over. Yesterday, she was complaining about the Beatles music playing there (!!!) but um... I'm going on too long about Mindy, so DRINK! (Heaven knows she would.)
Marshall leads a less-than willing Ted into a college bar. His fear that he'll run into his students turns into a desperate longing to run into his students and a full-blown fantasy that they'll hound him for an impromptu lecture, which he'd never ever want to give. Ted has an active inner-life, doesn't he? That's just as well, this week, as he doesn't get to do much that actually matters in this episode. Marshall explains he has been stopping by this particular watering hole once a month since he finished law school, just to maintain his record as Skee Ball champ. Ted points out the leader board and assumes it's too late for Marshall, as someone named "Big Fudge" is now on top. When he sees Marshall's face, he realizes what we knew as soon as we saw the board. "And you're Big Fudge." Marshall grins. "The biggest." When I was writing the recaplet, I planned to go there in this weecap, but um... comfy jammie girl isn't inclined, so DRINK!
When the guys take their seats, Marshall tells Ted he invited Jenkins. Marshall's been talking about his new, hilarious co-worker for a while now. We flashback to Marshall taking the gang on a series of additional flashbacks as he tells them about Jenkins. The Jenkins-scenes feature Edward Flores, but Jason Segal provides the Jenkins voice in a demi-falsetto, because... No, I'm getting ahead of myself... Anyhow, in the first flashback, Jenkins downs a bottle of Maraschino Cherries on a $200 bet from the GNB crew. While recounting this story to his friends, it's clear Marshall thinks it is hilarious, but none of the gang gets it. In the second, Jenkins dances suggestively (sort of like a latter day Elvis) behind the CFO, who's bending over a table, signing some papers. In the last, while out drinking with the GNB crew, Jenkins hops up on their table and gyrates "like a deranged stripper." Narration-Marshall laughs. "Next thing you know -- off comes the shirt. It was so gross." Jenkins' shirt lands on Flashback-Marshall.