It has been a week since How I Met Your Mother fans watched Barney and Ted measure each other up against the Bro Code's standards of friendship.  

At the onset of this week's episode, we were still 48 hours away from the wedding. If I'm not mistaken, that would mean only three hours elapsed from the start of last week's installment to this one. In terms of the show's timeline, it hasn't been too long since Lily met the mother on the train, but "The Poker Game" marked the second episode in a row in which we were denied any further glimpses of Ted's future bride.

Sadly, what we got was a piecemeal flashback story involving Ted and Marshall and yet another crisis of confidence between Barney and Robin just days before their big ceremony.

Are we really supposed to believe both Ted and Marshall have harbored resentment toward each other for something which dates back to Marshall's wedding and neither of them knew about it? Marshall needs to jump in Doc Brown's DeLorean and get to this wedding yesterday because the whole road trip scenario is played out. 

At the poker table, Lily made her stink face at Ted, but my brow was furrowed as I wondered where Linus had gone to with Lily's never ending supply of drinks. Was it his day off? Marshall's road trip still has gas in the tank, but Lily can't get a drink? Come on. 

I did like how Robin finally put her foot down and called out James for crapping all over the wedding. The all-in push with the ring kicker was a nice move. Her point to Barney about him having her back was legit, but what didn't gel was Barney's sudden loyalty to his family. For most of the show's run, we rarely see much of either James or Loretta, but now on his wedding weekend, Barney is conflicted about choosing sides? If Barney was THAT close with James, he would have had some clue that his marriage was on the rocks. 

I did like how Robin didn't back down one bit in the final scene, when she tried to return Loretta's blouse.

Loretta Stinson: You won the battle, but I'll win the war.
Robin: Game on bitch! | permalink

The conflict between the two, though, could have easily been avoided had Barney not gone so overboard when showing Robin just how much he had her back. Although I did love how he punctuated the scene by smashing the vase on the floor in front of James and his mother. 

Hopefully the show can sweep up the pieces from this week and put together a strong follow up episode.