How I Met Your Mother

[Dave]

Last night episode was actually brilliant, save for one detail... They gave away the Zoe ending! What the hell is that all about? More on that later...

On the whole, last nights episode was pretty damn awesome. I especially liked the storyline that is constantly progressing with Barney. Nora seems like a cool cat and I could not stop laughing at the way Barney kept unwillingly smiling when he said her name. Coupling that with the way he changed his character just to give her a call, you have to think that Nora is going to be a big part of Barney's life over the next few episodes and maybe beyond that. His interactions with Robyn was absolutely hilarious too. When he smashes up his phone just to prove that he doesn't care about Nora had me absolutely buckled in laughter. It was a great moment.

The storyline with Marshall and Lily usually pulls at my heart-strings but I just wasn't feeling it on that episode. I mean, it was progressive and all but you have to think that they have done this part of Marshall's character so many times. Yes, we get it! You want to work at saving the environment. Either make it happen or just let it go... I like how they tied it to the storyline with his father but I am just getting annoyed that they keep coming back to this without actually doing anything about it. Lily's desperation was priceless though, it was one of the highlights of an altogether great episode.

Now getting onto Zoe and Ted. I cannot believe that they gave it away! The best part of How I Met Your Mother is guessing whether Ted's latest love interest will be the final stop on his road to marriage and children. Telling the viewer that it doesn't work out with Zoe is like saying “don't watch this show for a season or two”. I just do not get why they did that. Maybe it is some sort of swerve but I really doubt it. Either way, his interaction with The Captain was absolutely brilliant and I loved that Ted thought he was the bad guy.

It was a great episode for sure. Here's looking forward to the next one!

 

[Theo Mays]

Dave I don't know if you remember them mentioning it or not, but the mother will deal with the yellow umbrella and the roommate of the one student Ted had, so we pretty much knew that Zoe wasn't the one. I actually liked that they gave the ending away, because we know now that things between Ted and Zoe end shaky and it just has me waiting to see just what happens between Ted and Zoe and how it ends.

I can't wait to see the further developments between Barney and Nora. I love that they've tweaked Barney's character to allow love into his life. Barney, I always felt, was a perfect match with Robin. I was a bit bummed for it to end, but it had run its course. Of course Barney chasing girls is always fun, but that can be a bit of a drag at times. Barney is always good no matter what route they take with his character. Him and Nora have great potential as she is pretty much a female Ted. I can't wait to see this.

 

[Alastor]

So we know Wendy the waitress will leave the group soon because she still assumed Ted was with Zoey when they met in the future. That would mean either Wendy will be leaving the bar soon or Zoey will be around for a bit longer. We know it is not Wendy's wedding because Ted was telling her about it.

I have a theory that the wedding is the second marriage between Zoey and the Captain's. Maybe being with Ted made her realize her mistake in leaving the Captain. Also, the Captain is weird enough to invite his former love rival to be his best man, seeing as how he brought Zoey and him closer together. Everyone was invited to the wedding because she was part of their circle of friends for some time already.

Another theory about the wedding could be between Barney and Nora. Or it could be Barney's father's wedding. Both would be plausible for the whole gang to be invited and for Ted to be the best man. In the first case, Barney always treated Ted as his best friend. In the second case, Ted could have been the one bringing the father and son back together and Barney would defer the best man position to Ted as thanks.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

So we know Wendy the waitress will leave the group soon because she still assumed Ted was with Zoey when they met in the future. That would mean either Wendy will be leaving the bar soon or Zoey will be around for a bit longer. We know it is not Wendy's wedding because Ted was telling her about it.

I have a theory that the wedding is the second marriage between Zoey and the Captain's. Maybe being with Ted made her realize her mistake in leaving the Captain. Also, the Captain is weird enough to invite his former love rival to be his best man, seeing as how he brought Zoey and him closer together. Everyone was invited to the wedding because she was part of their circle of friends for some time already.

Another theory about the wedding could be between Barney and Nora. Or it could be Barney's father's wedding. Both would be plausible for the whole gang to be invited and for Ted to be the best man. In the first case, Barney always treated Ted as his best friend. In the second case, Ted could have been the one bringing the father and son back together and Barney would defer the best man position to Ted as thanks.

Good theories. I don't think the wedding will be Zoey's and The Captain's. It appeared that Marshall along with Ted were both groomsmen. I doubt the Captain would have Marshall as one of his groomsmen.

I think you might be on to something about Nora and Barney. I always assumed that "the wedding" was referring to Punchy's wedding as we have seen Punchy asking Ted to be his best man. However, I could totally see "the wedding" being Barney and Nora's wedding. It makes perfect sense.

 

[Theo Mays]

I'm pretty confident that the wedding is that of Barney's. I don't recall ever seeing Barney during those wedding scenes and it is just Ted and Marshall. Ted is Barney's best friend and with the gang being at the wedding it makes more sense for it to be Barney's and not Punchy's wedding. Like I said earlier the gang isn't fond of Punchy and I'm not sure they'd all be invited to his wedding. Whereas we know they will all be present at Barney's wedding. It will certainly build up in the coming episodes and when they actually focus on a story the show is even better so I can't wait to see it. I'm mostly interested in seeing how they develop Barney's character throughout this whole thing.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I'm pretty confident that the wedding is that of Barney's. I don't recall ever seeing Barney during those wedding scenes and it is just Ted and Marshall. Ted is Barney's best friend and with the gang being at the wedding it makes more sense for it to be Barney's and not Punchy's wedding. Like I said earlier the gang isn't fond of Punchy and I'm not sure they'd all be invited to his wedding. Whereas we know they will all be present at Barney's wedding. It will certainly build up in the coming episodes and when they actually focus on a story the show is even better so I can't wait to see it. I'm mostly interested in seeing how they develop Barney's character throughout this whole thing.

I think what will end up happening is that Ted will have to step outside of the Church for some reason, during Barney's wedding. When he steps outside, he will see a woman with a yellow umbrella. He will recognize the umbrella, and so he'll go stand under the umbrella and talk to the woman. That's how he meets the mother.

It started raining when Lilly called Ted inside the church and in the first episode of season 3 Ted tells his kids that the umbrella plays a role in how he met their mother.

Now it's going to be interesting to see what happens with Barney and Nora as I'm assuming the wedding will be the series finale (whenever that is).

Also, will Lily get pregnant by the time this thing is all over? I've heard they want to do one more season.


Finally, I agree with what Jason Segal thinks (Marshall), the Mother died and that's why Ted is recalling to the kids, how he met her.

 

[Nate DaMac]

I'm still not sure if I'm happy with the way things are going. I mean, we know now that Zoe isn't the mother, so anything moving forward with her seems like wasted movement. Though this show has a way of making everything connect so I'm not going to voice any displeasure. I'm looking forward to seeing how the relationship ends so badly.

I'm thinking of 2 possibilities here with the wedding.

1. The Captain and Zoe are getting remarried, which would explain why Ted is the best man seeing how The Captain thinks so highly of him. Also, Zoe seems to have befriended the rest of the gang so it's not out of the realm of possibility that she invited them to the wedding as well.

2. It's Barney and Nora. Now this one is a long shot, and possibly a dreaded result. They could easily go a similar route to what Stella and Ted did (jumping into marriage way too fast) but they could actually go through with it. The only issue is the possibility of killing off Barney's womanizer character. Now they did ok with him and Robin dating, but that was only short term.

Like I said, everything is just kind of up in the air right now and there's a lot of questions that need answers. Hopefully this goes well.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Well, that was certainly interesting last night.

I still think Barney and Nora might have a future. I really enjoyed that episode. Definitely, puts a twist in any Barney-Nora storyline/wedding plans.

It got me thinking though, why are we writing off Barney and Robin so quick? I'm starting to think that maybe they'll will get back together again and ultimately end up getting married. Could "the wedding" where Ted meets the mother be Barney and Robin's wedding?
They could be throwing Nora in there to steer us off course and we're all thinking that Barney and Robin will never get back together but honestly it makes the most sense if "the wedding" is Barney and Robin's.

 

[Dave]

Last night's episode was actually amazing, as per usual. However, I didn't like that Barney stood outside the café and didn't go in, like we saw in the vision. I just don't understand why they would tease us with the idea of getting Barney into a relationship with Nora and then snatch it away at the most desperate of moments. I am not so ignorant that I think that this is the end for that relationship but I would liked to have seen them at least give it a go. Then again, if they manage to make it all work out in the end with Barney and Nora, then I will be cool with the rather disappointing ending of the show last night.

I mean, I love Barney. I love his moments with women, his stories about them and the way he acts like a role model to all men. However, the one thing that is missing from his character is true love. I thought he was going to go the distance with Robyn and that might still happen but I am keen to see some progress with Nora. It is clear, or at least it was clear, that she was going to play a part in his development and I want to see that happen. Barney needs this, even if it isn't going to go the distance. His character has become a little more developed in recent season but he still seems a little one-dimensional for my tastes. Surely his impending relationship with Nora will fix that.

Either way, I love the structure of the episode last night. I like when they examine things from a different point of view like they did last night. By looking at his heart rate and the emotions that were attaches to each irregularity, I felt it added a much more defined aspect to the show. It is not one of the many shows that run in sequence. No, this episode was a little more thought out and I loved the way Barney and Lily played off of each other, it was one of the highlights of the episode.

I was a little disappointed to not see anything from Ted and Zoe, especially when their relationship is in such an early stage that it can still be pretty damn funny to watch them try to find out what they are doing with each other and how it is going to pan out. No sign of The Captain last night either, which disappointed me but I doubt we will be seeing much of him any more.

Either way, last night's episode was a good one and gets a respectable 7.5/10 in my estimation. It would have been higher if we had seen something a bit better from the Nora/Barney angle that the whole episode was focussed on.

 

[jmt225]

As I do with any episode that revolves around Barney, I loved this week's episode.

I thought the show took unexpected turn after unexpected turn. I did not see the "I just said all that stuff to sleep with you" line coming, nor did I see the Barney only daydreaming his apology to Nora coming.

Sure, it hurts watching Barney continue to torture himself by being afraid of committing to a relationship, but that part of him brings so much complexity to his character. I mean, I'm sure by the end of the series he'll have found a true love, but right now it would be too quick for him to make that step. When Barney was with Robin, I think he and Robin both they knew deep down it was never going end up anywhere, but with Nora... I mean, Barney KNEW something special was happening, and that this was a girl he could spend the rest of his life with and have his children with. I don't think he ever felt that with Robin, but he felt with Nora, and it scared the shit out of him. If he doesn't go back to her, he will definitely live to regret it.

And the Scooby side-storyline was for this episode brilliant/hilarious. Usually these side storylines on sitcoms suck ass and serve no point, but that's one of the many things that makes How I Met Your Mother so special. Every little storyline seems to serve an important point to the bigger storyline, and it always comes together and is even later referenced in the future, rather than forgotten about.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

How I Met Your Mother has been renewed for 2 more seasons: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=134337246

All of the 5 main stars signed on for 2 more seasons as well.

This begs the age old question: Does the series end in two years when the mother is revealed or do they reveal the mother maybe halfway through the 8th and final season so they can have some episodes where we see Ted build the relationship?

 

[jmt225]

Okay guys, this post is going to be spoiler crazy, so be forewarned!

First off, the next new HIMYM episode will air March 21st, and the episode is titled...

Spoiler

Legendaddy​

Obviously, after six and a half seasons, we will finally see Barney meet his real father, who will be played by none other than John Lithgow, who people should know from Harry and the Hendersons, 3rd Rock from the Son, and most recently, Dexter. This episode will definitely go down as one of the most anticipated and important episodes of the show's history. Can't wait.

Also, the season finale's title has been leaked, and the name of the episode gives us a huge indicator of who's wedding Ted will be Best Man of. See for yourself if you want to know:

Spoiler

Challenge Accepted!​

This, of course, is a Barney phrase, which should lead everyone to believe that it's Barney's wedding that Ted is Best Man of. Of course, this could be a swerve at the same time, but right now it looks like Barney's confrontation with his father in the next episode might change him and he'll gain the courage to start a serious relationship. I certainly cannot wait to find out.

Man, has Season 7 has been awesome or what? And it looks like it's all going to end with a boom.

 

[Dave]

Dude! That is freaking awesome!

For the purposes of keeping these things a secret, I will do the rest of my post in spoiler brackets. Read on, if you will.

Spoiler

Firstly, I absolutely love that John Lithgow is going to be Barney's dad. To me, I could not think of a better choice to represent the Stinson lineage. Lithgow is hilariously funny when he wants to be but can also pull off the strain of an emotional meeting, which ought to be the case when he meets Barney for the first time. I honestly think that he will be the opposite of Barney and will tell him how important it is to be a family man. Or, and this may be a whole lot funnier, he is the exact same as Barney and causes Barney to realise hoe shallow his life has been up until this point. Either way, I am looking forward to that episode in a huge way.

Secondly, I get confused with all of the angles that are running concurrently. I have a feeling that it will be Barney's wedding too and hopefully that is his marriage to Nora because that relationship has shown us more of Barney in two episodes than we have seen in 6 seasons! If it is not Nora, then I will be intrigued to find out who it really is, if it is indeed Barney's wedding... At this point though, I don't see anyone else who's wedding it could be.

You hit the nail right on the head though, jmt. This season has probably been the best of them and you get the feeling that they are actually heading towards something now, rather than just wandering around aimlessly, waiting for the show to be wrapped up. It almost reminds me of Lost at some points but I am glad that this trend seems to be turning around now.

 

[Theo Mays]

Awesomeness on both accounts on the above post. I was a little weary that next season would be our last, but two more seasons (at minimum) gives us a great buildup for the future. As for jmt's:

Spoiler

I can't wait. Barney's character changing is something that will be written well and performed well by NPH in my mind. I can't wait to see the potential transformation of Mr. Barney Stinson. Also John Lithgow is awesome. The season finale should be great as well as we get to find out if that is truly Barney's wedding. Can't wait!

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Regarding the episode title of the season finale:

Spoiler

I'm sorry but I just don't understand how the title of the season finale above gives us any indication about the wedding. It could mean anything. That is Barney's phrase but could it literally could be for anything. Without more, there's no way for us to get any clue about the wedding.

With that said, I hope you all are right and it is indeed Barney's wedding

 

[jmt225]

Incredible episode last night, just as anticipated. I just wish it could have been an hour special, since with 22 minute time constraints made the show rush a couple of things.

Regardless though, AWESOME episode, with two absolutely brilliant performances from NPH and John Lithgow. The scene towards the end with Barney trying to take the hoop down was some of the best acting we've seen from the show from anyone, and the ending when Barney tells Ted that every kid should have a hoop.... just heartbreaking. And that was actually something I could relate to. Not to get too much into, but my parents separated when I was a baby, and while my dad stayed a part of my life (sort like a weekend a month thing), he had his girlfriends throughout my life, which came with many basically step brothers and step sisters. The longest relationship he had was with this woman who had 3 kids, 2 girls and a boy, with the boy about a year older than me. This relationship probably lasted from when I was 6 to about 10 or 11.

Anyways, I wanted a basketball goal in my backyard more than anything, but money was limited on my mom's side, so my grandfather on my dad's side made me a rim he built himself, and my mom and I created the cement in the backyard where the pole to put the rim on would go. It was up to my dad to get me the actual pole to hang the rim on. Well, it never happened. Instead my dad got a pole for his girlfriend's son and gave the rim his dad built to him. I was fucking crushed, but never said a word to him about it, and kept my mom from ever confronting him about it as well.

That's my little story, so you can see why last night's episode hit home a bit for me. A part of me never got over that, but it is what it is.

But yeah... great fucking episode last night. Not only was it heartfelt and real (Marshall telling Barney to go see his dad was some powerful stuff as well), but there were a couple of very funny moments, too. Barney interacting with his brother and Lithgow egging him on for example was fucking HILARIOUS. And there was another really funny moment, but damn it, I can't think of it at the moment.

And the side storyline with the "Gaps" was pretty good as well. Loved the Marshall stuff about him hating people tippy-toe around him since his father's passing, which led to a couple of great moments like the possum, etc.

Overall, great episode, just wish it could have been an hour special like I said. I think Season 6 is turning out to be my 3rd favorite season from the series. Hopefully these last few episodes really nail it like they've been doing pretty much all season long.

 

[Alastor]

was slightly disappointed with this week's episode. After having no new episodes for HIMYM for a couple weeks, I was expecting something that was superior than what was shown. The laughs were kind of forced for this episode, the only real laughs I had was Robin's gap thinking the North Pole is fictional. My guess is this episode is another episode that focus more on developing a more sombre storyline (like Marshal's dad's funeral) rather than being a sitcom that make us laugh. I am OK with that as I liked Barney's character development into a guy that sees the positives of a a stable family life, when in the past he absolutely hated it. However, this is not an episode I would recommend to a first time viewer.

Spoiler

Could Barney's college going half-sister be the ONE?

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I loved that episode. I agree somewhat that the laughs were forced in that episode but I think that episode was intended to be a little more serious.

At the very end when the gang was standing in the house and Barney said "every kid needs a hoop," that was almost perfect. What they should have done is flashed forward and showed "Future Ted's" kids still sitting on the couch and then panned to the window so you could see that the basketball hoop is still there.

That would have been really cool.

 

[Theo Mays]

http://b.ai/lnh

Just read this article hear and it is a great read for fans of the show. I'll post in spoilers so I don't spoil some things.

Spoiler

The wedding at the end of the season will be taking place in the future and when season 7 airs we will be back in present time and learning about the buildup to this wedding. Really makes you start thinking. I've pretty much have it narrowed down to 3 scenarios. The most likely being Barney marrying Nora or Barney marrying Robin. The other one (and least likely one) being that Zooey remarries the captain or even Barney. I think Barney is the key to the wedding piece here as I really think Barney's half-sister may be the mother. Why else mention that she was away at college and did we even see a picture of her during the Legendaddy episode? Plus we know that Ted's future wife was in college because she was in the class he accidentally started teaching and she was the roommate of Rachael Bilson (the lesbian girl). Whatever it may be I really look forward to the buildup for the rest of this season and how they lead up to it with the next two seasons.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

http://b.ai/lnh

Just read this article hear and it is a great read for fans of the show. I'll post in spoilers so I don't spoil some things.

Spoiler

The wedding at the end of the season will be taking place in the future and when season 7 airs we will be back in present time and learning about the buildup to this wedding. Really makes you start thinking. I've pretty much have it narrowed down to 3 scenarios. The most likely being Barney marrying Nora or Barney marrying Robin. The other one (and least likely one) being that Zooey remarries the captain or even Barney. I think Barney is the key to the wedding piece here as I really think Barney's half-sister may be the mother. Why else mention that she was away at college and did we even see a picture of her during the Legendaddy episode? Plus we know that Ted's future wife was in college because she was in the class he accidentally started teaching and she was the roommate of Rachael Bilson (the lesbian girl). Whatever it may be I really look forward to the buildup for the rest of this season and how they lead up to it with the next two seasons.

Great find and interesting theories.

Spoiler

I like all of your ideas above. In my opinion the wedding is Barney and Robin's. They've lead us to believe that their relationship is over but ultimately, they are perfect for each other and will end up together. How come we have not heard of an "Aunt so and so" (referring to Barney's wife) when Future Ted talks to his kids? How come we haven't heard of an Uncle so and so, referring to Robin's husband? It's because Barney and Robin are married.

As for Barney's half sister being the mother, I totally agree with this. It makes perfect sense as to why she would be at the wedding (where Ted meets her for the first time), if Barney is her half brother.

 

[Theo Mays]

And how could we let this fall to obscurity? Probably the lack of new episodes, eh? Have no fear though as we got a new episode this past Monday. And if I do say so myself it was a darn good one. The interaction between drunk Barney and drunk Marshall was great. Full of emotion and humor. Also we saw the return of the cockamouse, who couldn't be excited about that? The key thing though is we get some drama heading into the final two episodes of the season. Ted is now on Zooey's side to keep the Arcadian, in which Marshall is lawyering for. The tension in this final two episodes should be great and could possibly lead into next season as well. Things are looking good and I can't wait for the next two weeks.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I loved the Season 6 finale. We've got some great storylines leading into the 7th season. I kinda figured Lily would finally get pregnant.

Of course, the moment we were all waiting for happened and it turns out, it IS Barney's wedding where Ted meets the mother.

We now have several questions leading into next seasson. Does Barney marry Nora, Robin, or someone else. I think he'll end up with Robin.

Also, as was suggested up the thread, could "the mother" be Barney's half sister? I mean it makes sense that she would be at the wedding.

One of the main storylines next season will be Barney and Nora seemingly getting back together but I really think, in the end, he marries Robin. They want us to think he marries Nora.

 

[jmt225]

Also, as was suggested up the thread, could "the mother" be Barney's half sister? I mean it makes sense that she would be at the wedding.

Yeah, I see why people think that, but when you really think about it... what does Barney having a half sister have to do with any of Ted's story to his kids? I mean, seriously... if it's Barney's half sister, then Ted should be able to explain how he met his wife in three sentences, not countless hours. The show is too intelligent to go down that path, IMO.

But yeah... good finale last night. I knew Lilly was pregnant as soon as she started throwing up, but those bastards got me with the "Psyche!" joke regarding YM. Of course, I knew beforehand that he didn't meet her until the wedding, but still... for that split second, they got me. I felt like an idiot.

Anyways, I think the wedding is for Barney and Nora, and that Robin keeps it from happening and her and Barney end up together. I sincerely hope that that's not the case, because I think Barney and Robin ending up together is a lame idea, but I have a strong feeling that's the route the show will go, unfortunately.

 

[Nate DaMac]

I knew Lilly was pregnant as soon as she started throwing up, but those bastards got me with the "Psyche!" joke regarding YM. Of course, I knew beforehand that he didn't meet her until the wedding, but still... for that split second, they got me. I felt like an idiot.

Anyways, I think the wedding is for Barney and Nora, and that Robin keeps it from happening and her and Barney end up together. I sincerely hope that that's not the case, because I think Barney and Robin ending up together is a lame idea, but I have a strong feeling that's the route the show will go, unfortunately.

I'm with you on this. The "and that's how I met your mother" bit got half a spit take out of me and I felt like a tard when he said psyche. I bought that shit for that half a second.

The only difference between us is that I had no idea that Lily was pregnant. That thought never crossed my mind at all until she came in the room the next morning. I was actually pretty stoked for that one as it should make for some interesting episodes next season.

Also, I feel the exact same way about the Barney/Wedding situation. I think it'll be Barney and Nora getting married with Robin intervening, thus we see Barney & Robin back together. Frankly, I don't want to see that. I never thought that those 2 had the best chemistry, but somehow they always seem intent on bringing up the history and tension between them. I see the same thing happening that you do, it's just a shame that we seemingly already know what next season's finale is(of course it'll be the finale.)

All in all, I was thoroughly pleased with this season. I didn't love everything about it, but nothing pleases me 100%. HIMYM continues to be one of the best sitcoms of the past decade in my opinion and this season didn't suffer at all.

 

[Theo Mays]

HIMYM continues to churn out awesome season finales. This one was fucking fantastic and I am freaking amped for season 7. I too fell for the mother thing as it just felt right and I felt like a turd when he said psych, because we all know he meets the mother. That's what I like about this show, they draw you in and even know you know the outcome you still find yourself believing. Season 7 is set up brilliantly. We have plenty of storylines heading in. We have Lily going into the season pregnant (I knew once Marshall got home and she tried to talk to him that she was prego). Will Barney's future wife be Nora or will it be Robin or hell someone else? I was all for Robin and Barney hooking up the first time as I felt they were perfect together, but I want to see it be Nora as it would be too easy just to throw Robin and Barney together. And of course, will we finally meet the mother? I think we will finally be introduced to the mother or at least see Teddy Westside going to talk to her and when she is about to turn around, screen goes black and the season ends. Then we have all season 8 (which I fully believe will be the last) to build up the relationship between them and lead it all up to their wedding.