How I Met Your Mother is a CBS television situational comedy (sitcom). It first aired in 2005 and has been a success since its debut. The show is a story told in reverse. The main character Ted in 2030 (narrated by Bob Saget) tells his kids about how he met their mother, and all of the crazy events leading up to that point since 2005. For more details about the show, refer to DVD Talk's reviews of season one and season two.

After a successful first two seasons, How I Met Your Mother dives into new (and old) territory by continuing the story of five New York friends. Season three has a similar tone to past seasons with a great mixture of comedy and drama. The main characters continue to go through the ups and downs of life. Notably, there are stories about the aftermath of the Ted-Robin breakup, Marshall and Lily experience life as newlyweds, Marshall passes the bar and goes to work, Barney learns something about his past and sleeps with a lot of women, and more. It is a very fun season with Neil Patrick Harris continuing to steal the spotlight.

The season opens with "Wait For It...", which addresses a couple storylines. Towards the end of season two, there were a couple shifts in the romances. Ted and Robin called it splitsville, but remained friends. Robin went on vacation to South America. In season three, Robin comes back with boyfriend Gael (Enrique Iglesias). The introduction of Gael causes complications for Ted, Robin, and the rest of the gang. As the season continues, Ted slowly gets his life back together and the idea of Robin not being an important part of his life.

The other key development from the season premiere dealt with Marshall and Lily. They got married at the end of season two and are now a happy couple that still shares an apartment with Ted. As the season progresses, they consider new living situations, which include a crooked house. Included in this development, Marshall passes the New York bar and gets a job as a real life lawyer. His dream job is complicated by the decision of saving the environment or providing for his family. Lily has a surprise in store for him that makes the decision easy. John Cho guest stars as one of Marshall's boss.

The season has many other big developments. Barney gets a case of "The Yips", where he loses his confidence with women. Barney learns that his first time with cougar Rhonda was not as good as he was led to believe. Afterwards, he doubts his ability to please women. Before this event, he has a number of wild nights with girls. Ted joins him on a few escapades, which include acting as tourists, a wild St. Patrick's Day, and more. Ted also embarks on a relationship with Stella (Sarah Chalke), which gets pretty serious (and little humorous). Robin dates an old flame played by an overweight James Van Der Beek.

Overall, season three is exciting, hilarious, and just all around fun. There are a lot of dramatic developments that are supplemented with lots of great laughs. Neil Patrick Harris continues to be the shining star. His abrasive, egotistical, yet endearing personality makes him a great character. The others work well with him and produce nonstop laughs. Fans of the show will not be disappointed.

Episode Guide

1. Wait For It... After his breakup with Robin, Ted wants to wait a while before dating again, but when Robin returns from vacation with a hot new boy toy, Ted overcompensates with a legendary night on the town.
2. We're Not From Here Taking a cue from Gael, Robin's boyfriend, Ted and Barney pose as foreigners to meet more women, but the plan backfires.
3. The Third Wheel When two women are equally attracted to him, an overwhelmed Ted relies on the rest of the gang for guidance as he considers the possibility of "riding the tricycle".
4. Little Boys Though not especially fond of children, Robin tries dating a single dad. Elsewhere, Ted and Barney go head-to-head in pursuit of the same girl.
5. How I Met Everyone Else Ted's new girlfriend sends the gang on a trip down memory lane, where Ted reveals a shocking secret from his past.
6. I'm Not That Guy A lucrative job offer may prevent Marshall from pursuing his dreams, but Lily has even bigger worries. Meanwhile, Ted and Barney set out to find the porn actor who has been using Ted's name.
7. Dowisetrepla Marshall and Lily make every mistake in the book while trying to buy their first apartment, and Lily's credit card debt leads to a huge fight. Meanwhile, Barney stumbles upon a great use for open houses.
8. Spoiler Alert Ted's new girlfriend has just one major flaw, but it soon becomes evident that nobody is perfect. Meanwhile, Marshall needs help with his bar exam results.
9. Slapsgiving Ted and Robin question their relationship after a fight leads them to sleeping together. And, while Marshall and Lily prepare for their first Thanksgiving as a married couple, Barney dreads an inevitable slap.
10. The Yips The gang joins a gym, but things don't quite work out. Barney fears that he's losing his touch with the ladies and goes on a mission to restore his shaken confidence.
11. The Platinum Rule As Ted prepares for a date with the doctor who is going to remove his tattoo, everyone tries to convince him that dating someone that he already sees on a regular basis is a serious mistake.
12. No Tomorrow A wild St. Patrick's Day out with Barney causes Ted to realize how much he's changed. Elsewhere, Marshall and Lily make a surprising discovery about their new apartment.
13. Ten Sessions Opps! As Ted amorously pursues his reluctant dermatologist, eh has a hard time getting past the office receptionist, who has her own interest in him.
14. The Bracket A mysterious woman is warning other women to stay away from Barney, and in order to stop her, he must face up to his past misdeeds, tournament style.
15. The Chain of Screaming Marshall's volatile work environment leaves him wondering if he's made a mistake by taking the job. Meanwhile, Ted buys a new car to impress Stella, but keeping it clean isn't easy.
16. Sandcastles in the Sand An old flame from Robin's teenybopper days has her reliving the past... until Barney steps in.
17. The Goat As Ted prepares for his thirtieth birthday, Barney, having slept with Robin, enlists Marshall's legal expertise to find a loophole in "The Bro Code".
18. Rebound Bro While Barney struggles to adapt to life without his main wingman, Ted jeopardizes his relationship with Stella by spilling a big secret.
19. Everything Must Go While Marshall and Lily decide to sell some of their possessions -- including Lily's artwork -- online, Barney and Abby set out to make Ted's life miserable.
20. Miracles A brush with death causes Ted to reevaluate his relationship with Stella, and at the hospital, Marshall tries to convince Robin that miracles really do happen.

The DVD

Video:
The video is given in 1.78:1 ratio anamorphic widescreen color. The picture quality is average. It has a relatively clean picture with minor color distortions and noticeable compression artifacts.

Audio:
The audio is given in English 5.1 Dolby digital surround sound. The track is dialogue driven and audible throughout the presentation. There are also subtitles in English, French, and Spanish.

Extras:

• Audio Commentaries: are included for episodes "The Platinum Rule" with Carter Bays, Pam Fryman, and Sue Federman, "Ten Sessions" with Carter Bays, Josh Radnor, and Sarah Chalke, "The Bracket" with Craig Thomas, Neil Patrick Harris, and Joe Kelly, "The Chain of Screaming" with Chris Harris, Jason Segel, and Danny Bress, "Sandcastles in the Sand" with Craig Thomas, Cobie Smulders, Pam Fryman, and Kourtney Kang, "Everything Must Go" with Alyson Hannigan and Jonathan Groff, and "Miracles" with Carter Bays and Pam Fryman.
• Series Retrospective (2:42): is a short recap of seasons one and two. Bob Saget narrates.
• Lily and Marshall's Honeymoon Videos (10:37): is a collection of four "home videos" from Lily and Marshall's honeymoon. They are entitled "Awesome Honeymoon", "Love on the Loch", "Nessie vs. Lily", and "Honeymoon Suite It Is".
• Cast Favorites (4:58): is a featurette with the cast talking about their favorite stories from the series. They include Robin Sparkles, Barney on The Price is Right, Marshall says goodbye to his high school car, and more.
• Behind the Scenes of "We're Not From Here" (5:39): is a behind the scenes look at the aforementioned episode.
• Additional Scenes: How It Really Happened (8:30): are a collection of deleted scenes for episodes "Wait For It...", "We're Not From Here", "The Third Wheel", "Little Boys", "How I Met Everyone Else", and "I'm Not That Guy".
• "You Just Got Slapped" Music Video (1:49): is a short video of Marshall singing and playing piano about slapping Barney.
• Gag Reel (11:10): is montage of the cast and crew acting goofy and messing up during season three filming.
• Ted Mosby is a Jerk (20:40): is a long, long narration with Abby (Britney Spears) talking about how her "relationship" with Ted Mosby did not work out.
• Robin Sparkes "Sandcastles in the Sand" Music Video (3:39): a music video from Robin's failed career as a teen pop star.

Final Thoughts:
How I Met Your Mother is a fun sitcom about a man telling his kids about how he met their mother and all of the crazy fun that occurred since then. The show has a pretty strong cast, with Neil Patrick Harris in the front. The characters are goofy and interact in over-the-top situations and outrageous dialogue. It is a fun show. This third season has a few dramatic plotlines with nonstop laughter. It is something you do not want to miss out on.