How I Met Your Mother

[SD619]

In other words, Barney could be engaged to Quinn in the current storyline but actually end up marrying Robin (and they could show us how it all happened, next season)/

There is a good chance that something like this will happen. Another thing that I see happening is that they show Ted talking to a few (4-5) women throughout the episode and at the end reveal that one of them is the mother without actually revealing who specifically the mother is.

Really excited for this episode.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Another thing that I see happening is that they show Ted talking to a few (4-5) women throughout the episode and at the end reveal that one of them is the mother without actually revealing who specifically the mother is.

Really excited for this episode.

I agree with this and they can accomplish that by at the very end, one of the women, going outside and pulling out the yellow umbrella, but the umbrella will cover her up enough that we won't be able to figure out anything.

Then, in the series finale, they can go back to the wedding and show it from Ted's point of view, including showing him meeting the mother.

 

[Davi323]

I think that would be a huge copout. For as much time as they have spent dealing with getting from single Ted to married Ted in the show, if they don't tell us who the mother is until the last damn episode of the series, I will feel kind of gypped. I get that doing it that way would allow him to conclude the series with "And that, kids...is how I met your mother"...but we, the viewers have so much invested in watching the show that I want to see him actually romance her! I want to see them date, see how they embrace each other's idiosyncrasies, etc. I want a full emotional payoff, dammit!

I want the show to end with her and Ted getting married. Yeah, the show is called How I Met your Mother, implying that the focus is on just meeting her...but the way the series has progressed over the years is not just about meeting her, it's been about Ted's transition from being single to getting married, implying the relationship is included in that.

I don't want the Smallville ending. Mother needs more screen time than the Superman suit got.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I think that would be a huge copout. For as much time as they have spent dealing with getting from single Ted to married Ted in the show, if they don't tell us who the mother is until the last damn episode of the series, I will feel kind of gypped. I get that doing it that way would allow him to conclude the series with "And that, kids...is how I met your mother"...but we, the viewers have so much invested in watching the show that I want to see him actually romance her! I want to see them date, see how they embrace each other's idiosyncrasies, etc. I want a full emotional payoff, dammit!

I want the show to end with her and Ted getting married. Yeah, the show is called How I Met your Mother, implying that the focus is on just meeting her...but the way the series has progressed over the years is not just about meeting her, it's been about Ted's transition from being single to getting married, implying the relationship is included in that.

I don't want the Smallville ending. Mother needs more screen time than the Superman suit got.

I agree with you, it would be a copout and of course we'd all love to see a whole season of the mother and Ted building towards their marriage and kids but that would take away what's so great about the show: the mysteries and the clues. Sure we all have so much invested in the characters now and we still all love the hilarity at times but if they show us the mother, where's the mystery in season 8? We'd know who Barney is marrying. We know who the mother is, we know that Marshall and Lily had the baby. I've thought about this longer than I probably should have and I really think the best way to preserve the integrity of the show is to not show us the mother until the series finale or like one or two episodes before.


EDIT: Yes, I know they have technically showed the mother twice that I can recall (showed her feet in Cindy's apartment and showed her this season when Future Ted told the kids about the first time he told her he loved her) but what I mean above is actually showing us her face and Ted actually meeting and interacting with her.

 

[Theo Mays]

Man I'm stoked for tonight. Having a big party for the show and doing my best Marshall Eriksen and making pancakes for those in attendance. I just hope Barney isn't the bride tonight for Barney. That is my biggest worry and I think is a low blow to Ted's character as he tries to move on from confessing his love for Robin. Robin has been my least favorite character on the show for awhile now and I think Barney is better off with Quinn and that is a better story. I'd much rather see the super swerve of Nora and honestly that is what I'm hoping for. We expect Quinn or Robin to be the bride (and I think the episodes are based around that if I'm not mistaken), but maybe just maybe it is Nora. Major pipedream, but who knows. Maybe she calls in Ted to make sure Barney is changed and only Ted would know if that's true or not. Either way, super excited.

 

[Nate DaMac]

I just hope Barney isn't the bride tonight for Barney.

Dude, that wold be the greatest thing ever.

I disagree with most of you, apparently. It should end with him saying, "And kids, that's the story of how I met your mother." That's the name of the show for fuck's sake. It's not, "How I Met Your Mother And How We Spent the First Year of Our Lives Together." They simply show how they connect, and then they follow it up with a 5 minute montage of their lives up to the point when the kids were born. That's the way I want it to end. Watch the season finale of the 8th season of Scrubs. That's how this sort of series should end and how that particular series should have ended.

 

[The Man They Call WMD]

Should have been Quin. The show seemed forced, expected better. I don't know what I didn't like about it, but it just seemed force.

 

[jmt225]

Nah, Quinn is a bitch, man. I never thought the show would get me to accept the idea of Robin and Barney being together, but I'd rather see him with Robin than Quinn.

That said, Robin/Barney won't last. No doubt about it. Either something happens at the wedding, or they divorce before the series is over. I guarantee it.

Anyways, I thought tonight's first episode was mediocre. All the "Tell me stories!" stuff got on my nerves a bit, but I love the dynamic of Marshall and Barney, so their scenes together more than made up for it

And I thought the real finale was fantastic. It provided me with my biggest "LOL" moments of the season (Marshall testing the stapler on himself, and Barney getting out of the handcuffs), and the Victoria/Ted storyline was intriguing, though I didn't like the way it ended. I thought Ted was doing the stand-up thing by taking her back to her wedding, and I thought the show swerved just to swerve at the sacrifice of Ted's integrity. I really don't like shit like that, but I guess we'll see where this goes...

 

[FlexAmerican Dynamite]

I hate the fact that Robin is the apparent Bride. I hate this because I know it won't last because of the episode last season where she ran into that guy she had a crush on. Robin has been my least favorite character since season 3 and she continues to be every episode. Besides that I liked it, I'm interested to see where this goes with Victoria but I have an aching feeling that won't last but we will see.

 

[Alastor]

I hate the Ted and Victoria sidestory. I know there are fans out there wanting Victoria to be the mother but the series is making Ted as a real scum here. He is now my least liked character in the show. He broke up Zoe's marriage, now he steal Victoria away from her wedding. From the start of the series, he rushed into every relationship, then complain about them not working out, only to revisit them later to end up hurting the women even more. At least Barney has the decency to end every relationship fast. What wouldn't Ted do to ruin everybody's happiness just because he cannot find his own?

 

[Theo Mays]

Dude, that wold be the greatest thing ever.

I disagree with most of you, apparently. It should end with him saying, "And kids, that's the story of how I met your mother." That's the name of the show for fuck's sake. It's not, "How I Met Your Mother And How We Spent the First Year of Our Lives Together." They simply show how they connect, and then they follow it up with a 5 minute montage of their lives up to the point when the kids were born. That's the way I want it to end. Watch the season finale of the 8th season of Scrubs. That's how this sort of series should end and how that particular series should have ended.

Lulz. Typo on my part. Meant Robin. And I agree that it should end with "that's how I met your mother."

Onto tonight's episode. Hated it. This show has never really disappointed me until tonight. Ted ruins a marriage and looks like a hypocrite. Sure I love Victoria, my favorite of all his girlfriends. But he ruins her marriage and to a part ruined Zoe's, but that was a joint decision in my eyes. Ted got left at the alter and it killed him, now he is the bad guy.

And Robin, don't get me started. You saw my last post. I don't like Robin and I feel her being the bride in the end for Barney was just lazy writing and not how the crew does things of being somewhat risky. I knew it wouldn't be Quinn at the end (though I was hopeful) and part of me was hoping it would be Victoria, just to see how they went about it. I'm rather displeased. I'm likely overreacting as it is just a TV show, but I feel devoted to the show at this point haha.

 

[Skairipa Matrix]

i hate the idea of robin being the bride for barney i had a feeling it would happen though based off the fact the bride wanted to see ted and to me that eliminated quinn but atleast with quinn things would have a small chance of lasting i feel like marshall and lily are gonna get boring now that they have a kid and robins pretty boring as is and tonight ted was made out to be a complete and total basterd and if victoria doesnt end up being the mother this whole season finale tonight was pointless. very horrible season finale to a other wise good season.

 

[SD619]

Onto tonight's episode. Hated it. This show has never really disappointed me until tonight.

I agree a lot with you. The whole episode did not have any flow to it. The childbirth scenes were neither funny nor emotional. They tried to insert a lot of jokes in every scene. The 'What's behind the door' thing had a really stupid ending.

Ted ruins a marriage and looks like a hypocrite. Sure I love Victoria, my favorite of all his girlfriends. But he ruins her marriage and to a part ruined Zoe's, but that was a joint decision in my eyes. Ted got left at the alter and it killed him, now he is the bad guy.

At this point, it really seems like they have no idea what to do with Ted (even though he is the main character).

And Robin, don't get me started. You saw my last post. I don't like Robin and I feel her being the bride in the end for Barney was just lazy writing and not how the crew does things of being somewhat risky. I knew it wouldn't be Quinn at the end (though I was hopeful) and part of me was hoping it would be Victoria, just to see how they went about it. I'm rather displeased. I'm likely overreacting as it is just a TV show, but I feel devoted to the show at this point haha.

I facepalmed when it was Robin. I hated the Barney-Robin relationship and they have very less chemistry. Atleast Quinn and Barney have some sort of chemistry. The way Barney proposed to Quinn was probably one of the best things about the episode.


One thing though, Ted reveals that he met 'the mother' at Barney's wedding. Does that mean that Victoria is not the mother?

 

[Nate DaMac]

I guess I'm totally alone in loving the finale. The way I see it, it brought a whole new level of realism to the show and made it way more relate-able than it's ever really been for me.

Despite everyone saying that Quinn and Barney have more chemistry, Barney is ultimately going to end up with Robin now. Who here hasn't seen this exact sort of scenario play out before in your own life? I know I've seen friends who have found other girls/guys who seem much more compatible as partners in my eyes, but every time he/she ends up going right back to the same person. You don't control who you love and if anything has been clear for the past few years, it's that Barney and Robin love each other.

The other element in the Robin/Barney situation is Ted's involvement. When you hang around the same people, feelings of whatever nature are going to develop. It doesn't matter that Robin was with Ted, Barney cannot control the feelings he has for her and when tempted, it's going to be hard to put the friendship above your feelings. This shit happens everyday in the real world.

The Ted and Victoria situation is a little more sticky but still, more of the same. Not every relationship story is some cutesy romantic comedy chick flick. Sometimes, you do things that you're not proud of to get the one you love. Emotions can override your better judgement and as a result, you do things that you normally wouldn't. I loved this angle simply because it's humanizing Ted. Sometimes, people do fucked up shit. It doesn't mean they're bad people.

Sometimes I really wonder how many people here have experienced love and the crazy shit it can make you do. It really makes this whole thing a lot easier to swallow if you can relate.

Also,

One thing though, Ted reveals that he met 'the mother' at Barney's wedding. Does that mean that Victoria is not the mother?

I have to assume you're right. Or else the show would have ended about halfway through the 1st season when he actually met Victoria.

 

[Davi323]

The thing about Victoria is...we have no idea how much time passed between her running away from her wedding and Barney's wedding. Victoria is obviously a distraction meant to create a lot of speculation between now and September. She isn't the mother. She can't be. If they took the lazy way out with Barney and Robin, they sure as hell can't do the same with Ted and Victoria.

 

[RuskinArms]

Well I liked the episode tonight. Got a major laugh from the story of the breakfast club when they all came dressed in the same outfit, hilarious!!

But any who onto the main stuff I had a lot of scenarios going through my mind during this episode, at one point I thought they were gonna have Victoria end up being Barney's bride. I have to say though I was happy with the whole Ted and Victoria ending, whilst this kind of act has already drawn mixed responses I think it showed just what Ted was willing to do for love and whilst we know that it wont end up working out I'd like to see what happens next.

As for Robin being revealed as the bride, I was devastated. They did exactly what they said they weren't going to do and turn this group into a remake of Friends. I much prefer Quinn, has way more chemistry and pretty much anything romance related next season not involving Barney is gonna lead to a null.

That's when I got thinking, and I could be grabbing at straws here cause I really dont wanna see them together. What if they don't end up marrying each other. What if Bays and Thomas are showing two separate weddings but leading us on to think that its one wedding. A few reasons for my point

• Future Ted said "Which leads us to a wedding day which went horribly wrong" What is this referring to exactly?
• Present Ted is discussing with Marshall. About leading to this day has had some twists and turns, With Marshall saying "In a weird way it all makes sense doesn't it?" To me it seemed like they were dropping hints to the audience. Everything you see isn't what it seems.
• The transition from Ted leaving Barney's room and going to Robin's room wasn't smooth. I know it was different scenes but I think that fact lends itself to my theory that it could be showing two weddings.
• Being an avid fan of HIMYM and knowing this show very well, it's the fact that when we think we have got something figured out. Bays and Thomas usually have found a way to trick us and I think this episode is no exception.

Now I know that I'm clutching at straws here, but I don't think this love triangle is completely done and dusted as we might think. Also there is an interview with the creators after the finale which I think also debunks my theory a bit, if anyone can find it I'd appreciate it. Thanks

Found it: http://www.vulture.com/2012/05/himym-barneys-bride.html

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Well.... where do I start....

I thought overall, the finale was decent. Wasn't great but wasn't horrible.

Once Barney and Quinn were engaged I knew the bride was Robin. They wouldn't have spoiled who the bride was that early in the episode.

Part 1 was funny with the casino and re-living previous moments.

I suspected that Barney's "trick" was going to be an engagement ring. Seemed kind of obvious.


Ok, now onto Victoria. I'm not sure what the hell they're doing with this. First things first, unless Future Ted has been lying to his kids, she is not the mother. Future Ted said the day he met their mother was the day of "the wedding" which Carter Bays later indicated is Barney's wedding. Now that Ted has been left at the alter and he stole someone from the alter, it's only fitting that "The Wedding Bride 3" is playing in the theater when he first tells the mother he loves her (that was earlier this season). I just don't get where they're going to go with this and how or why they will break up. I think what will happen is Ted will break it off but this will be the final "test" before he meets the mother. Once he breaks it off with Victoria, he'll be ready to meet the mother.

Also, here's a crazy thought. I'm sure this is not going to happen BUT there's no guarantee that Ted and the mother marry nor is there a guarantee that they're still married when Future Ted tells the story. It is theoretically possible that "the mother" is not Ted's wife. So he could marry Victoria but the actual mother of the kids could be another woman. I mean, I doubt that's the situation but it could be. I've always thought that the mother is dead in the future storyline and that's why Future Ted is telling his kids about her.

Future Ted mentioned that the wedding went horribly wrong. My guess is that either Barney or Robin (or both) get cold feet. Look, we saw Robin as the bride at the wedding but that doesn't guarantee that they ended up going through with the wedding or that they remained married. We don't know how Barney and Quinn end up breaking up (we'll find out next season) but maybe they do end up together when it's all said and done.

My prediction from yesterday is going to be true. The series finale will be the entire wedding.

Overall, I wasn't that surprised with Robin being the bride. The question is, how do we get there?

 

[JamJam]

I have mixed feelings about the finale. I wouldn't say that I hated it but I wouldn't say that I enjoyed it as much as I would have liked. It did have it's funny parts. I think the door story was pretty funny. And all those random stories that Robin and Ted told Lily while she was in labor.

However, the best part for me was when Barney was taken in by airport poilce. That magic trick has got to be the greatest thing I've ever seen. But when the scene came up when Barney asked Robin that it would be the last time they could run away, I instantly thought that the bride would be Robin. I won't judge yet how this plays out with Robin as the bride so we'll just see.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

That's when I got thinking, and I could be grabbing at straws here cause I really dont wanna see them together. What if they don't end up marrying each other. What if Bays and Thomas are showing two separate weddings but leading us on to think that its one wedding. A few reasons for my point

• Future Ted said "Which leads us to a wedding day which went horribly wrong" What is this referring to exactly?
• Present Ted is discussing with Marshall. About leading to this day has had some twists and turns, With Marshall saying "In a weird way it all makes sense doesn't it?" To me it seemed like they were dropping hints to the audience. Everything you see isn't what it seems.
• The transition from Ted leaving Barney's room and going to Robin's room wasn't smooth. I know it was different scenes but I think that fact lends itself to my theory that it could be showing two weddings.
• Being an avid fan of HIMYM and knowing this show very well, it's the fact that when we think we have got something figured out. Bays and Thomas usually have found a way to trick us and I think this episode is no exception.

I love this concept. Anything less would be a disappointment. This is Jack and Kate on Lost flash forward swerve shit outside the airport Oceanic Airlines Golden Pass awesome. "We have to go back Kate! We have to go back!"

There is certainly reason to believe that Ted could be a groomsmen at Robin's wedding and that Robin would want to see him. I would have to look at the tux's but they may not be the same. Quinn could very easily send Lily (or Doppleganger Stripper Lily) to retrieve Ted for a talk. We haven't heard the whole story of Robin's mystery clothing store man. Is it possible Barney and Robin get married on the same day?

Anyway, I enjoyed the finale and thought that the Robin reveal was sweet (although now I'm not convinced it is the same wedding). The flashback stories were fun (very Community-like), anything that happens in a Casino is awesome, growing up in Buffalo it's nice to hear my city mentioned without getting insulted too much, the old folks with the heart attacks was classic, Chris Elliott is the greatest loser in TV history, "Waitforit" really is the coolest middle name ever, I'm happy for Lily and Marshall, it's nice they name the baby Marvin, you really do stop caring as much about your friends minutiae when you have a kid to care for, Victoria is an interesting character and kind of like Robin said Ted isn't ready yet to meet the mother.

In the end, while I don't love the decisions some of the characters are making I've enjoyed the ride and am not convinced everything is as it seems.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

While the conspiracy theories in here are interesting, keep some things in mind:

Carter Bays said on numerous occassions, that Barney's bride was revealed in the season finale of this season. He also confirmed that Ted meets the mother for the first time at BARNEY's wedding.

This means that Robin is the bride. Sure, you can argue that Barney's bride was revealed (Quinn) since they're engaged but I believe we'll find out next season how they broke up.

This also means that Victoria is NOT the mother since Ted meets her at Barney's wedding.

If you go back and look, the Church in Big Days, Challenge Accepted, and Magician's Code Part 2 is the same. The tuxes are the same. It's raining outside. The bride asks for Ted. There's continuity. I know it would be sweet to make it all different weddings but it's not, it's all clips of Barney's wedding. Now, keep in mind, we don't know if they actually get married. Future Ted said the wedding went horribly wrong so obviously something happens.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

If you go back and watch the wedding clips in "Big Days," "Challenge Accepted," "The Best Man" and "Magician's Code part 2" you'll see that the Church is the same one throughout. I compared the windows, steps, pillars, trees/flowers on the outside. The front of the church is shown a couple times and it is the same in each episode. The carpet however, looks a little different to my eye. If you go back in "the best man" (episode 1 of season 7), you will see good shots of the carpet then if you watch magician's code part 2 and look at the carpet when Marshall and Ted are talking, it seems to be very, very similar looking but slightly different. The square shapes seem to be a different size. So, I guess it is possible that it's two different weddings. However, that church they show before they fade in to Ted and Marshall, is the same. Also, it's one fluid scene from one Ted talks to Marshall inside and opens the door to Robin's room.

Also, something else to consider: Future Ted tells the kids about the wedding that went horribly wrong, in the finale of season 7. In "The Best Man" Ted and Barney are talking and Barney is nervous that it will be the worst wedding ever.

So, this leads me to believe that something crazy happens leading up to the wedding making Barney think it's going to be a terrible wedding and it does turn out to be terrible or at least it goes horribly wrong as future Ted put it.

 

[RuskinArms]

I have to agree it definitely is the same church in all the wedding clips, and like I said I'm clutching at straws hoping that Barney and Robin don't marry one another.

But that said until I've seen it's the same wedding I'm hanging onto the fact that they could be screwing with us. But any who, lets say it is the same wedding and we know:

• The wedding goes horribly wrong.

• Barney is contemplating if he made the right decision. We assume this is regarding the bride/tie

• And the directors told us that a romance ends, whilst another begins (or something like that)

So this poses the question what can go horribly wrong. Well the possibilities are endless. One of Barney's past encounters interferes in the wedding (Britney in my opinion would be hilarious). Or perhaps something more serious, aka family tragedy or Quinn accident leading Barney to realizing he made a mistake. But regardless at this point its all speculation.

And as far as the romance side of things, we aren't really 100% sure here who they are talking about. I'd suggest Barney and Robin ends, whilst Ted's and mother begins.

One final point I just read from Carter Bays, is that one of the points they try to highlight in this show is that you don't always get a happy ending. I wondered if this is referring to everyone in the show (Robin and Don's breakup, Ted and Zoey, Ted and Stella) or if this has reference to something thats happening next season. Guess we'll have to wait and see!!

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Maybe Quarney's (is this what the hipsters are calling it?) relationship ends when he finds out that she is addicted to stripping. He catches her lap dancing on some guy (special guest star ME) in a library one day while the gang is off on one of their zany adventures.

Mmmmmm, fantasy booking.

 

[Dark_Knight]

Predictable finale that made the entire season feel like a huge waste. The show used to be great, but now it's just dragging and dragging and dragging and dragging. The mother is not Victoria, it's going to be Barney's half-sister (any HIMYM fan would have worked it out by now).

 

[Remix]

Honestly, I loved the finale. Were parts of it predictable? Sure they were, but predictable things are often the result of those things being the logical outcome. As for the ending of the episode (Ted running off with Victoria and Barney's bride being Robin), it was a strong ending that makes sense for the story, and provides a good cliffhanger to keep people interested when the next season comes around.

I liked Ted running off with Victoria for one simple reason. Ted's got to torpedo that ship before he meets The Mother. The show isn't just about meeting The Mother, it's about the journey Ted took as a person before meeting her. How he went from a guy who'd say "I love you" on the first date, to not saying it again until meeting The Mother. It's been made clear throughout that journey that there are two real barriers that are stopping Ted from being ready to meet The Mother - Robin and Victoria. After seven seasons, Ted has finally moved on from Robin and now it's time to finally move on from the one that got away. Ted needs to realise that Victoria is a great woman, but she's not the right woman for him. Once he does that, he'll finally be ready to meet the woman he spends the rest of his life with.

Now, onto Barney and Robin. It's been made pretty clear that the two have feelings for one another. For better or for worse, that's the way it is. It therefore makes sense that they'd get hitched. Would it have been nice to see Barney marry Quinn? Sure, they're (wait for it) pretty awesome together. However, the triangle created by Robin, Barney and Ted/Quinn does need to be resolved before the series ends (as was noted by Future Ted saying that the three couldn't just be friends). Robin and Barney getting married might be the predictable/boring outcome, but the path to the inevitable outcome should be interesting.