“Kids, there is more than one story of how I met your mother. You know the short version, the thing with your mom’s yellow umbrella, but there’s a bigger story. The story of how I became who I had to become before I could met her.”

… dary! And we’re back.

Season 3 returned last night with a bang. We join our friends at the end of the summer after Robin and Ted broke up with Ted talking about how each person goes through their ritualistic after-break-up routine. Ted grows a beard, paints and generally sulks. Barney tries to help him out, but Ted isn’t ready. That is until he sees Robin and her new boy toy, Gael (Enrique Iglesias). From this point, the show turns to how can Ted “win the break up”. In his quest, Ted meets Amy (Mandy Moore), a tattooed wild-woman who Ted begins to fall for and who gives Barney a run for his money. Amy talks Ted into getting a tattoo, against Barney’s protest, which I won’t blow the secret, but it’s good.

The rest of the episode is about Ted trying to win the bet, but really get over Robin. We learn towards the end that they somehow figure how to make it work and remain friends.

I’m still not sure if I really liked this episode or if I am just really excited about the season starting back again. The episode does enlighten us on how the series might continue. All of us who have been watching from the beginning can recognize the changes between the previous two seasons. Season one, the show was new and stuck to the theme of Ted trying to meet his perfect woman. Meeting several along the way, learning something about himself, but her not being the one. Season two was all about Lily and Marshal getting over their break up, Ted and Robin being a couple, and Barney… well being Barney. It looks like season three is going back to Ted looking for the perfect woman. Only this time the writers just come out and say what we can really expect. “There is a bigger story. The story of how I became who I had to become before I could meet [the mother].” Will we ever meet the mother? I’m not sure, but at least the writers are being frank about how this isn’t really just the story of two people meeting one another, but rather a story of Ted growing up and what he’s learned on the way to meeting his perfect woman.

Some thoughts I had while watching this episode were, and if you were in the chat room last night you probably already know all these:

• Didn’t like Ted’s beard but liked the mutton-chops.
• Didn’t like Lily’s new hairdo, but we’ve been through that.
• Didn’t care for Mandy Moore’s character. As people mentioned in the chat, it was just a made up role for a guest star to bring in new viewers. Which I hope it did, and I hope they stick around.
• We got to see skin! Barney sans shirt, Robin in a bikini, and Ted with out a shirt too.
• Liked Barney’s explanation of how sex on a wind-surfer was impossible.
• Not sure what to feel about the Cadillac reference. You probably all saw at the beginning of the show, and on their website, that the show is being sponsored by Cadillac. Then Ted says “he’s the Cadillac of rebound guys.” Not sure that that was intentional, but it was there. I’m okay with it if they work in sponsor name dropping as smooth as they did this episode, but will hate it if they start saying things like. “Let’s all get in my new Caddy, which B the W gets 35 estimated miles per gallon!” Tread carefully CBS.
• Loved that they brought in the slap countdown into the episode!

Some of may favorite quotes:

• “We are going to get cirque du so-laied” – Barney
• “You’re suited up, I’m bearded down. Let’s get out there and win this thing” -Ted
• “Oh well you can check off: 8:54, dress up like a dork and bother the cool kids, now beat it nerd!” -Amy (Mandy Moore)
• “I wouldn’t let you take care of the imaginary kids I make up to score with single moms” -Barney
• “This is SO going in my blog” – Barney (Which “B the W”, when he said the first time in season one inspired me to start howimetyourblog.com)

The music in this episode was off of Mandy Moore’s new album “Wild Hope” (so the clip at the end tells us) all but the song Enrique sings in their apartment. That was his new song “Somebody’s Me” (in Spanish), which CBS links to his video here.

Sound off in the comments with your thoughts.