TV Connoisseur: TV Dinners and Dishes

Ted and Stella's First Date
"Ten Sessions" from How I Met Your Mother Season 3

Recap: Ted falls for his dermatologist, Stella, and has the ten sessions it takes to get rid of his tramp stamp butterfly tattoo to woo her. When he's unsuccessful, he finds out that she likes him but doesn't want to date him because she has a daughter and no time. Ted thusly takes her on the perfect two-minute date.

The Moment:



Ted: And...go. Taxi!
Stella: Yeah, but I seriously only have 2 minutes...
Ted: I know!
Stella: That's like 120 seconds!

Ranjit! I love Ranjit! One of the best recurring
characters of all time, man.

Ted: 380 West 22nd, please. And step on it, we're in a hurry.
Stella: 380 West 22nd street? But that's--
Ted: Right this way.
Stella: Thank you, sir.
Ted: You know, I've always wanted to try this place.

Waitress: House salad.
Ted: So, college?
Stella: Stanford
Ted: Wesleyan.
Stella: Oh my God, do you know Adam LeVar?
Ted: No. Scott Crambel?
Stella: Nmm hmm.
Waitress: Eggplant Parmesan.
Ted: Thanks.
Stella: Oh, already cut up. Nice.
Ted: Could I get the check please? We're trying to make a movie in 15 seconds.
Waitress: Of course.
Ted: Okay, great. How do you want to do this. You had the eggplant parm, I only really had water...I'm kidding. Let's go. Taxi! You nervous?
Stella: A little bit.
Ted: You can't tell at all.
Stella: Oh, good.
Ted: Yeah.
Ranjit: Hello!

I love how during this entire scene they're holding hands.
Which leads to delightful moments like this when
he practically twirls her into the taxi.

Ted: 384 West 22nd.
Stella: 15 seconds, the movie's started.
Ted: Previews. We'll be fine. Ah, just in time. It hasn't started yet.
Stella: So what are we seeing?
Ted: Manos: Hands of Fate.
Stella: The whole thing?
Ted: Only the important parts.

I love her look at him here. She can't believe him and is so
wonderfully surprised by his heart and his perseverance.

Ted: Worst movie ever.
Stella: Yeah, I almost walked out like five times.
Ted: How are we doing on time? Taxi!
Stella: We got a little time.
Ted: Okay, you want to walk it?
Stella: Why not?
Ranjit: Hello! Goodbye!

Ted: So, what grade's your daughter in?
Stella: Third grade.
Ted: Ah, that's a good year.
Stella: Yeah, she's wonderful. I just wish I could get her to quit smoking, you know?
Ted: What?
Stella: I'm kidding.
Ted: Oh. Little coffee and dessert?

My question: why is the faux Italian restaurant located
in front of a gyros place? WHERE IS THE FOOD COMING FROM?

Stella: You know, this neighborhood just keeps on changing. This used to be a cute little Italian restaurant.
Ted: I know. New York. It's a living organism, an ever-changing tapestry. Ooh, look at the time! Let's go.
Stella: The cheesecake's amazing.
Ted: Flowers?
Stella: I'm allergic.

I love how he planted the flowers and when he finds out
she's allergic, he just ends up holding them with no
embarassment or awkwardness.

Ted: Okay, see, we're getting to know each other! Stella, I had a lovely--doggie bag. Stella, I had a lovely time.

Best. Part. The entire time I was like, Ted, great date,
but she didn't even get to eat anything. And then
the doggie bag! He thought ahead!

Stella: Me, too, Ted.

Two minutes nineteen seconds later...

Ted: And...date!

Thoughts: Oh, How I Met Your Mother. One of the most consistently funny and endearing shows on television. Yes, there's Barney's hilarious womanizing and Lily and Marshall's adventures in coupledom. But the heart of the show (and, in fact, the main thrust of it) is Ted's search for a wife. It is a vehicle to show his depth of feeling, how he responds to love's ups and downs. He has his bad moments, but they are generally outweighted by the strength of his good intentions. I love Ted because he's willing to do anything for love.

This is possibly the cutest thing Ted has done on the show yet, although the blue french horn and blue orchestra come close. It's literally a great date boiled down to two minutes. You see instantly how connected the two of them are to each other. Stella had already been charmed by Ted, but on this date she finally is able to see that he is willing to put her first and work around her hectic lifestyle.

I can say honestly that I wanted Stella to be the mother. I have enormous respect for Sarah Chalke from her work on Scrubs and I felt that Stella and Ted had great chemistry--most importantly, a different chemistry than he did with Robin. You got to see Ted in a truly adult relationship for once: both had to compromise, but after each one, you never felt like either was losing too much. In the end, though, it was pretty clear that they weren't going to work out.