How I Met Your Mother Ep. 9.05 “The Poker Game” sacrifices character for easy humor, drama
With an episode so full of new running gags and old returning jokes (and so many wigs), it’s no surprise that “The Poker Game” stumbles into its climatic moments: it’s clear the focus was on slapstick over emotional resolution in the construction of this particular segment of season nine’s puzzle. It’s a funny episode, but another one that works against its own characters, creating unnecessary, petty tension in the core friendship of the show – and in the other corner, throws Barney (the character who has grown the most over the series) under the bus for a quick laugh, and another plot line To Be Continued at a later date (and one nobody is interested in, to boot).