Episode 3.1 - Wait For It

This episode introduces us to two very minor characters who are inserted for the sole purpose of changing the path of a main character. They don’t have any real goals or plot of their own, they both exist just to put Ted on a different path. Gael is meant to make Ted jealous enough to interact with Amy, who puts Ted in a compromising position that will end up changing his life entirely.

These stereotypes are conveyed to the audience through some very specific shortcuts.

Gael (played by Enqrique Iglesias) is devastatingly handsome. He’s dressed ultra-casual. He speaks Spanish. His name literally means “joyful”. He’s a masseuse. And at his side, Robin looks very different (wavy hair, no makeup, beaded jewelry, hippie dress, cross-body handbag). We’ll cover this Manic Pixie Dream Guy trope next episode.

Amy (played by Mandy Moore) shows up on screen and all we see of her is an armful of tattoos, red streaks in her heavily-teased hair, an exposed bra strap, big hoop earrings, and studded accessories. When the shot pans out, there is a leather miniskirt and a pair of fishnet stockings.

These characters are opposites of a kind, and they do nothing to contradict their initial stereotypical appearances. There are no surprises, no twists. In fact, when Amy says she has a hot tub, you think it’s kind of in character but also pretty aspirational for a girl her age in NYC. Then when it turns out she’s lying and breaking into someone’s house (the house of someone who fired her) everything makes sense again.

The whole purpose of Gael is to make Ted jealous and insecure, and when Ted is jealous and insecure he gets drunk and falls for a girl who is bad for him. Both characters exist solely to push Ted forward in the story.

Stereotype characters are often a sign of lazy writing. This episode gives us a good example of when to use shortcuts, when to quickly convey a character’s purpose without spending a lot of time developing nuance.