Real Estate and Homecoming - The Bastions of American Life

How I Met Your Mother - Dowisetrepla - Ep. 307
Aliens in America - Homecoming - Ep. 106

Well, apologies to any regular readers that may be offended by this but I'm just going to say it. Real Estate Agents are EVIL. Most developers are evil too but at least they create something. Real estate agents are just pure blood sucking evil leaches on society.

Oh. Hello! haha! Alright, so yes. I hate real estate agents. They really do nothing for our society as a whole except skim off 2.5-5% every housing sale as they try to sell you on a cracked concrete foundation that's "solid", leaky roof that "humidifies" the house, and small windowless rooms that are "cozy". Yeah, whatev. If I had to turn in one of these new condo plans at school, I would have failed miserably (well, that's really greedy developers and weak architects faults). Can you tell I'm bitter? (Is it fair that the architect makes about average 5% on creating the building, with personal liability included, while the real estate agent can make the same for selling the place? Yes. Bitter (former) architect I tell ya. Treat your architects well I say, they are probably starving while having the best/most expensive tastes. It's the dilemma of it all).

Marshall gets the great idea to buy a place when living with Ted becomes a nuisance for the newly married couple. He does everything possibly he could do wrong as they check out the first place they look at, showing his love, falling for the "other buyer" scheme, and just throwing his money at the place. The money he doesn't have because he doesn't know that Lily has HUGE credit card debt. While last week I was kinda annoyed/laughed at Lily's realistic money problems that explained off her Hollywood style wardrobe (much like Monica's "rent-controlled" digs on Friends), I'm loving that they are carrying it through and it wasn't just a one-off thing. Marshall and Lily apply for a mortgage and Lily's secret debt comes out, much to Marshall's shock, and the threat of a divorce looms overhead.

LILY AND MARSHALL DIVORCED??? SAY IT AIN'T SO! No worries, Lily's plan was just to divorce Marshall so that he could apply for a mortgage alone, but thank goodness, they rescinded on that idea. Barney wouldn't have been able to take it. (Awww. Barney IS a sweetheart as he bursts into tears after thinking Lily and Marshall were divorcing).

Barney manages to get the key lock from the real estate agent and uses it as a pad to seduce a girl by being fully committed. Loved that he becomes the adopted white son of the Asian couple (that really own the unit), because, well, "They're a Chinese couple that wanted an American baby; it works both ways"!

Robin pulls out some more Canadianisms! (Lily's debt is so "Mt. Waddington", which is 4000 meters high!). Well, get used to it. Our dollar is finally going just as high! I'm still shocked.

In the end, they buy the place in Dowisetrepla, a "cool, hip and happening" place that only true "New Yorkers" would know, or so says the evil real estate agent (OH. MY. GAWD. It's JANICE! Maggie Wheeler!) and find out Dowisetrepla is an abbreviation for Down Wind of the Sewage Treatment Plant. Doh.

Over on Aliens in America, Justin, who was hero to the float committee last year for coming up with the apparently brilliant "Soph S'Mores" float (where they get to throw s'mores!) is yet again looked upon as the leader during Homecoming time. That is, until Raja makes a good point, wondering how Soph S'Mores or his newest idea "Junior Mints" has anything to do with showing how much the Juniors rock.

Raja steals all of Justins thunder (the only thunder he has at all in the school), by introducing an idea of "Unity" and Justin gets bitter and fights back (or at least, as much as he could, like breaking a pencil tip. Ha. So THERE!). Raja, in as much passive aggressive anger the good-mannered child could possibly muster, retaliates with Justin by pouring his post-sugared-cerealed milk into the sink (GASP), but then subsequently washes the dishes. The face and pose that Adhir Kalyan puts on as Raja washes Justin's bowl was possibly the single funniest look on TV this season so far (though Ned's lying twitch is pretty damn good too).

Meanwhile, Franny is all excited about shopping with Claire for her Homecoming dress until she realises how old she has gotten. Claire buys a sexy short dress which Franny secretly tries on. Gary catches her, is totally turned on, and they continue with fulfilling their marital duties. It's all a big set up for the moment Claire walks down in the dress only to be eye fondled by her father, but Scott Patterson turns the moment from ew awkward to ew hilarity. He's disgusted by the shortness of the dress and refuses to believe his little girl is all grown up, something Franny had already discovered before (while Claire was in the outfit below).