No "How I Met Your Mother" tonight, thanks to the NCAA basketball championship, but I just got an e-mail from "Victoria" -- aka Ted's baker girlfriend from season one, played by Ashley Williams -- claiming she had started a site called TedMosbyIsNotAJerk.com, complete with testimonials from her and some of Ted's other exes. (Robin, crazy/sexy Blah-Blah and chatty Cathy from the glass-shattering episode all speak up for our boy.)It's a cute site, but with no epic 20-minute pro-Ted musical anthem to counter the one on TedMosbyIsAJerk.com, is it just another sequel that can't hope to live up to the original? Should they have even tried to follow up last week's throwaway genius or just left it alone? Should I now be worried about the upcoming Robin Sparkles B-side?
Or, with the whole Alicia Silverstone/Sarah Chalke/"Scrubs" ongoing problem, is this thing some kind of set-up for Victoria to return and somehow become The Mother?
UPDATE: In looking for a picture of Victoria to accompany the post, I stumbled across a post at Have You Met Ted?, where the author went to the trouble to write back to "Victoria" to ask if she and Ted might get back together. I still doubt she's coming back -- the site just seems an attempt to build on the momentum of last week's site -- but you never know.
UPDATE #2: Inspired by Have You Met Ted?, I e-mailed "Victoria" myself to find out whether a pro-Ted song might be forthcoming, and "she" wrote back:
Hi Alan,Update #4: Now it's beginning to look like this isn't an official sequel but a fan copy of the original. Investigating. Back later when I know.
I am not the best singer in the world, but if a song will help save Ted's reputation, then I am willing to try one.
I have one in the works, but it's not ready for release yet. It's hard to find time to write, record, and post a song, given my busy schedule here in Germany! After my internship, I took a job working in a prestigious French-style cafe in Berlin. It takes up a lot of my time, but it's so rewarding!
Speaking of that, though, I should be getting to bed. I need to be up in five hours for early morning baking.
-Victoria
Update #5: Okay, nevermind. Bays and Thomas had nothing to do with this one. Resume partying.
Wow. I didn't think a person existed who'd make me question whether my love for HIMYM would overcome her guesting. I mean, I put up with Britney Spears!
ReplyDeleteBut if they bring back Ashley Williams in all her non-glory, I'm done. I'll free up that half-hour.
I literally spent a good chunk of my weekend finally getting around to seeing season 1 of HIMYM (season 2 ASAP) and I speecifically made note of the fact that Victoria's German Desert Program was to be a two-year diversion. That means she should be back any time now.
ReplyDeleteAlso worth noting: It was stated by future Ted that at his 30th birthday party, they wind up with a goat in the bathroom. As he turned 28 during season 1, we should be getting some hot goat action before May.
Also: The testimonial from "Trudy" (Danica McKeller in the Pineapple Incident and the threesome episode) makes a blatant and unsubtle allusion to her being on the Wonder Years. Makes me think the new site is unafiliated with the original tedmosbyisajerk.com because, especially after last weeks ending, the writers of HIMYM are a lot better than that at referencing their actor's past credits.
ReplyDeleteThe Conspiracy on that website is kind of funny, though.
r.a. porter:
ReplyDeletewhy don't you like Ashley Williams? I thought she was really good and super cute to boot. why the hate?
Any way to confirm that this new site is legit?
ReplyDeleteIt's crossed my mind in the past that Victoria might end up being the mother in the end.
I could live with that.
Alan,
ReplyDeleteCan you e-mail Carter/Bays to see if this site was made by them, or is a fan site?
I'm leaning toward it being a fan site, because it seems a bit sloppy, with the humor being too broad. Why would Robin write, "It wouldn't work oot?" Why would blah-blah give her name as "blah-blah?" Plus the testimonials all seem to have the same syntax and diction, which makes it seem like they weren't written by a professional writer. A writer would know how to show more characterization.
And I don't buy that Victoria would come up with the Conan O'Brian conspiracy theory. She's too smart to suggest something so absurd. And she knows Barney, so why wouldn't she suggest that it was Barney?
It's a fan site. TedMosbyIsAJerk.com was registered by Marc Geller in Los Angeles; TedMosbyIsNotAJerk.com was registered by Timothy Kirschenheiter of Rochester Hills, Michigan. You'd think even if it wasn't registered by the same exact guy, it'd registered by someone in the same state.
ReplyDeleteNow to scrub from my mind the image of a guy in Michigan writing all that content form the perspective of single twentysomething women ...
I'm checking with CBS on this. Had I not been distracted by writing an 18,000 word belated "In Treatment" post-mortem for tomorrow's paper, I likely would have done that already.
ReplyDeletePsycho-therapy: the enemy of all good journalism. Or something like that.
chris w.: I find her to be a vapid cypher. Great smile, pretty eyes, no soul.
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I both cringe when watching the season one dvds...knowing she's coming soon, knowing that run of episodes is there...shudder.
why don't you like Ashley Williams? I thought she was really good and super cute to boot. why the hate?
ReplyDeleteI'm with chris w. on this one. I love both the actress and character (at least, what I've seen of her on HIMYM).
Yeah, just a fan site. Thomas and Bays had nothing to do with it.
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ReplyDeleteAlicia Silverstone is on Scrubs? How many episodes have I missed?
ReplyDelete(tracey)
ReplyDeleteUgh. You know, garbage like TedMosbyIsNotAJerk.com put all fan sites in jeopardy. Most TV shows don't care if their fans have sites talking about the show, writing fiction, etc. (though they don't acknowledge their existance, to maintain plausible deniability). A simple little "this site is not affiliated yadda yadda" on the home page is enough. But when a site deliberately creates confusion as to whether it's official or not... they're just making trouble for *all* fans of *all* shows. Perhaps I should register TimothyKirschenheiterIsAJerk.com?
Count me in as being thrilled by the possibility of Ashley Williams returning as the mother (even as teh site's fan-maded status makes that no more a possibilitty than it has been). I thought she, and her arc, were great, and that she and Ted had the most chemistry of any coupling so far.
ReplyDeleteI agree with tosy and cosh.
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ReplyDeleteFor what it's worth, the HIMYM guys seemed flattered that someone was able to make such an accurate-looking retort to the original site.
ReplyDeleteAnd if you want some evidence of my jerk-hood, I am sure I could provide a lot to you.
ReplyDeleteOh, that won't be necessary. You've already amply proven what a narcissistic twit you are by searching for TV sites and seeing who's talking about you. Yes, I notice that you congratulated Alan within half an hour after he confirmed that your site was not official.
I just rewatched the Victoria arc last night. I liked her a lot better in my memories than on the actual show. Lines like "I want to know your soul. I want to know what makes you cry," are the sort of thing the show usually mocks, for good reason.
ReplyDeleteSo now I'm in the anti-Victoria camp.
steve: If you just sign in at the card table over there, Miriam will give you your wristband, welcome packet, and complimentary copy of "Ashley Williams: Faust's Daughter".
ReplyDeleteBe sure to keep the wristband on while you're at the convention center. It will get you into all the events.
See, I had less of a problem with her and Ted going ape-poopy on the lovey dovey crap, because it was, in fact, made fun of by Marshall and Lily. My problem with the character is that she is maniacally insane.
ReplyDeleteShe meets a nice guy at a wedding, and decides for no real reason to force him to play a game, thereby making certain that they will never see each other again. They have massive chemistry and she has the most magical night of her life, although she comes up with more arbitrary rules that keep him from ever kissing her. He puts forth a tremendous amount of effort to find her (which she could have done much easier), and then she decides that she won't sleep with the guy for a month, again, for no real reason. She is the architect (sex architect?) of her own singlehood, as she makes men jump through pretty rediculous hoops to be with her.
But that's just me. I like my women to be relatively sane. And hot. My breaking point on the crazy/hot graph is well below Barney's line.
Victoria: Thumbs down.
ReplyDelete