Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) is nearing his thirtieth birthday and his search for his soulmate goes on. He attempts to recover from his breakup with Robin (Cobie Smulders) but it proves difficult until Stella (guest star Sarah Chalke) enters his life. Meanwhile, Marshall and Lily (Jason Segel and Alyson Hannigan) face apartment hunting now that they’re married and Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) continues to be… Barney.

CRITIQUE

Sitcoms on television seem to have entered a stagnant period. Their favor with critics seems to be at a low point due to a lack of originality and freshness, with a few exceptions. This show is one of them. How I Met Your Mother’s third season continues the hilarious comedy and engaging plotting of the first two seasons with the ever-appealing cast in top form.

Picking up literally where last season left off, with Barney finishing “Legendary!” and Ted having just broken up with Robin, the show proves that it’s tone is very much intact. The season premiere allows for commentary on breakups in the series’ usual tickling, slightly naughty style. We finally also get a panoramic glimpse of the mother of the title, under her yellow umbrella. A brief period of Ted having a different date each episode is handled adeptly, which is a welcome feat for a series about one guys journey to his soulmate.

The only complaint some viewers may have with this season rests in this section of the year, with an episode about Ted getting the chance to be with two women at once and this is a story he is telling his children. He refrains from any details or to reveal the actual ending, but what’s there may be enough for some audience members to be a little creeped out.

The writers here somehow always manage to ingeniously play with timelines and chronology. Running gags are another of their specialties, especially the HILARIOUS slap bet, which carries on from the second season. The viewers also get another dose of Robin’s Canadian teen pop-star past in her second music video, “Sandcastles in the Sand.” It is pricelessly cheesy, and therefore completely entertaining.

Alongside these things, though, the series always manages to inject genuine emotion. Ted’s eagerness for a soulmate never dims, as we see in his pursuit of Stella, while the development of Barney and Robin’s one-night stand becomes much more effective when followed by a sweet maturation of his feelings for her.

This ties into the strong talents of the entire cast. Radnor’s everyman quality never ceases to endear, while Harris ceaselessly provides catchphrases and gut-busting laughs. Segel and Hannigan make a sure-fire team by now and the parade of guest stars is wonderful. The thrill of a successful sitcom can be found in How I Met Your Mother and the third season is no exception, providing excellent plot progression and plenty of comedy.

THE VIDEO

Widescreen is fast becoming a widespread format for television on DVD and this three-disc set is a good example of how the show can come even closer to a theatrical experience than its actual broadcast. The transfer, in both picture and color, is perfect, as usual.

THE AUDIO

5.1 Dolby Surround is the sound format, and it is excellent for this show, which features quite a bit of music- and it’s great for the jokes, too! There are also English, French, and Spanish subtitles offered.

THE EXTRAS

Commentary: Seven episodes get commentary here, by various people involved with the series including show creators Bays and Thomas, episode writers and directors, and cast members. These are all worth listening to at least once. The behind the scenes information can be quite interesting, such as when guest star Chalke reveals that the gag in one scene from the episode where her character and Ted start dating was changed at the last minute, and we also learn that Smulders was given the advice to eat a green apple to get the raspiness out of her early-morning voice in order to record “Sandcastles in the Sand.”

Lily and Marshall’s Honeymoon Videos: This is a HILARIOUS group of vids that aim to show Lily and Marshall on their honeymoon in Scotland. The tone here perfectly fits in with the actual series and the development that Marshall wants to stay at Loch Ness for a week is believable and funny. There is also a PERFECT bit of physical comedy here from Segel, which I won’t spoil. These are a must-watch!

How It Really Happened - Additional Scenes: Six episodes have added scenes here and they are mostly worth watching. Good bits of humor can be found here, though not all of it is PG-rated, particularly the addition for “The Third Wheel.” Watch these, and then hope include more for next season!

Music Videos and Audio Track: The Robin Sparkles follow-up to the classic “Let’s Go to the Mall” is titled “Sandcastles in the Sand” and is here in all it’s hilarious glory! The Tiffany and Alan Thicke cameos are a hoot! Also included is a very brief but also funny video for Marshall’s ode to Barney upon the completion of the third slap from the slap bet, called “You Just Got Slapped.” Definitely fun to watch! There is also an audio track that appears in this season included here, called “Ted Mosby is a Jerk” and it stems from an episode in the second season when Barney pretended to be Ted. It’s long and a bit boring, so you can skip it.

Featurettes: There are three here: “Cast Favorites,” “Series Retrospective,” and “Behind the Scenes of We’re Not From Here.” The first is just each principal cast member discussing their favorite episodes, and their choices are pretty expected but their comments are still fun to watch. It’s funny when Segel introduces himself as “the breakout star of How I Met Your Mother” and Harris, who is standing nearby, laughs. The second is a brief recap of the first two seasons. It’s kind of cool and funny but viewers really probably won’t watch it more than once. The third is an excellent extra, a depiction of the behind-the-scenes process for one episode. We see the rehearsal of the script, the tackling of a special effects problem, and a bit of the final filming.

Unrated Gag Reel: There is quite a bit of profanity here, so be warned! The laughs do come plentifully in these outtakes, which are longer than the typical gag reel.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The third season of How I Met Your Mother simultaneously tickles and entertains, a product of great writing and acting. The writer’s strike that stalled television last season doesn’t make itself felt in a viewing of this season, either, which is a nice plus. There are hilarious and informative extras on this three disc set, too. Everyone will want to own this series and the third season is just as essential as the other two have been.