How We Lived The Star Wars | S4E1 "Do I Know You?"

Alek Lev (0:00)

Previously, on How We Made Your Mother.

Josh Radnor (0:02)

Welcome to the first episode of How We Made Your Mother. Are we calling it Hwim-Yim?

Craig Thomas (0:08)

I was wondering about that. Hwim-Yim.

Josh Radnor (0:10)

I think it's Hwim-Yim.

Craig Thomas (0:11)

Does it work? I think it does.

Josh Radnor (0:13)

I so enjoy talking about How I Made Your Mother with you and unpacking this thing we made that has been the biggest gift and has carried a lot of shadow with it. And it's just like all things is a very complicated thing, but also a very beautiful thing. And you're the person I love talking about this show with the most. So when this idea struck me like, you know what, it's actually time for me to turn around and revisit How I Made Your Mother, but also watch it. A lot of the episodes for the first time, I only watched about half the episodes when it was on. So I will be rewatching the show along with you and our listeners, some of whom I assume will be coming to the show for the first time. Other ones will have watched it many times and are just looking for the backstage notes here.

But I figured, if I'm going to do this, why don't we put it on the record and actually just walk through the show together. Much like the older, wiser narrator Ted, which we are now around that age, let's look back and see who we were, who we are now, where we're going.

What else would you say about what we're doing here?

Craig Thomas (1:18)

Well, first of all, I can't believe you only watched half of the episodes. I'm deeply offended. I think I'm just going to walk off. I'm walking off the project.

Josh Radnor (1:44)

Well, hello. Welcome to season four of How We Made Your Mother. I'm here with my friend, Craig Thomas. Hey, Craig.

Craig Thomas (1:52)

Hey there, Josh.

Josh Radnor (1:54)

Welcome back.

Craig Thomas (1:55)

Yeah, man. It's good to be back. Season four. How are we here already? This is crazy.

Josh Radnor (1:59)

Well, Alec just treated us to a little flashback to the beginning of our flashback podcast about a show that's a flashback within a flashback within a flashback. Like so many Russian nesting dolls.

Craig Thomas (2:11)

How I Met Your Mother, I think is the best way to say that. And now I'm again walking off the project again. But this time in shame.

Josh Radnor (2:20)

Well, thanks for joining us.

We have missed you. We've missed each other. It's been a little bit since we've-

Craig Thomas (2:27)

In a minute. You've been away, you've been traveling, you've been doing all kinds of globetrotting. And yes, you've had a much more exciting summer than I did.

Josh Radnor (2:34)

But today, we're talking about episode one of season four, which is called Do I Know You?

And it was written by- correct me if I'm wrong here, Carter Bayes and Craig Thomas, I believe.

Craig Thomas (2:49)

Carter. It's been called Carter Bayes. Cartier. Cartier Bayes.

We wrote this. Yeah, we wrote a lot of the premieres. We tended to just come in feeling like, all right, let's set the tone, let's come in and kind of get it going.

Josh Radnor (2:59)

I don't think there was a premiere episode that you didn't write.

Craig Thomas (3:01)

I think that's right. I think that's right. And if there is, I will be surprised. And I think we wrote all the premieres. Yeah. I will say my first note right off the bat, it shouldn't have been called Do I Know You? That's too forgettable of a title. It should have been called something like The Star Wars Test. Because that's the thing people remember from this episode. It's The Star Wars Test. Does this woman like Star Wars? I think we're right off the bat.

Josh Radnor (3:22)

Well, I would argue that Do I Know You, while it might seem on its face to be generic, actually pertains to the A and B story both.

Craig Thomas (3:31)

It does. No, it works thematically. But when I see the title Do I Know You, I go, which one was that again? Oh, it's The Star Wars Test one. It's the one where he wants Stella to like Star Wars. And that's where the Friends titles were good, because it is kind of how you think about, what's the thing you think about?

Josh Radnor (3:46)

But I would say some of this Monday morning quarterback we're doing, especially around titles, is because you saw what stuck from the episode.