First night down/Reaction shot soapbox

First of all, congratulations to the cast and writers on what I hear was a great opening night for "(Upside down exclamation point)Run Palindrome Nur!" For those of you who haven't seen it, it was built on a novel concept, and it turned into a completely cool show. I missed out on its debut due to previously set obligations in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. But I will be there next Friday and the Fridays after that, and you should be there too! Or else. I will pee in your shoes.

So everyone has something they like that they feel no one else likes and believes everyone else should... like. Sometimes it's a band. Sometimes it's a food. Sometimes it's a TV show. In this case, my show is How I Met Your Mother. I made fun of a friend for watching it for an entire year before I sat down and actually watched it. It's funny in a quiet chuckle type way, and it's a relateable in an "I do that universal thing that soul-searching mid-to-late 20-somethings do too!" type way. Plus Neil Patrick Harris can do no wrong, unless he murders more than five people, and even then I would have to know more details before making a final judgment call. But every diamond in the rough has a piece of poop clinging to it, and in this case, it's the reaction shots. Like, when someone says something funny or someone does something funny. The best sitcoms gloss over it and keep the ball rolling. they live in an alternate universe where everything said is witty and therefore unlaughable. You just said something funny? Of course you did! That's how we talk to each other! Pass the salt. But in the case of HIMYM, the camera reserves a few seconds after every humorous comment for a shot of someone across the table laughing, or smiling broadly, or nodding their head in approval/disapproval. It's really awkward, and it interrupts the flow of whatever's being said. You'd like to think they would've learned this after three seasons, but it's season four and the nods are just getting more exagerated. It's to the point where I close my eyes and take a big bite of sandwich when I see it coming. Long soapbox short, save the laughs for the audience. I've got nothin'...