How I Met Your Mother – Brides, Babies and Backtracking

I have pretty mixed feelings about the final two episodes of How I Met Your Mother, which aired last night. It’s been no secret on the blog that I’m ready to meet the mother. I think HIMYM has been struggling for fresh material over the past couple seasons, and I’d rather see the show enter a new phase than fade into the kind of take-it-or-leave-it comedy that I don’t care if I miss.

And even though two main characters welcomed a child into their lives last night, I felt like the rest of the arcs were just old news. I hate to say it, but I’m tiring of this show.

Baby’s First Bar

I’ll start with Marshall and Lily’s storyline, since it’s one I actually liked. Everyone, welcome their son Marvin Waitforit Erikson to the world! Best/worst name ever.

The stuff about Marshall trying to get back to Manhattan in time for the birth of his son was pretty funny, but my favorite material came after he and Lily took their new baby home. They told their friends to only come to them with issues that ranked an “eight or higher” and soon got two, and they accidentally took Marvin on his first outing in the outside world to…where else, MacLaren’s! Robin was tasked with capturing a sweet photo to send out as the birth announcement, and she found it when she saw Marshall, Lily and baby all fast asleep in bed.

A Magic Moment

The stuff with Barney was interesting since anyone with Internet knew that the show would reveal his bride in this episode. I had a pretty strong suspicion that it wouldn’t be Quinn, so I found I just couldn’t get invested in what was going on. It was all too predictable and, honestly, I found it kind of stale.

You know what? I like Quinn. I want Barney to marry her. He and Robin have had too many chances over the years, and I no longer believe them as a couple. I want Barney to meet someone who he’ll have a family and be happy with, and I see Robin going a different, more career-focused path. I’m just not that interested in seeing these two rekindle their romance yet again – though since we know it’s for good this time, perhaps I’ll feel differently once it actually happens. Still, I think that final moment had been so teased to death that I groaned when I saw Robin, rather than feelings excited.

Runaway Bride

Really, Ted? Letting a bride run off with you when you yourself were left at the altar? This is perhaps the douchiest thing Ted Mosby has ever done.

I’m not completely opposed to the idea of Ted revisiting his romance with Victoria. We know he meets The Mother at Barney’s wedding and, since Barney is currently engaged to Quinn but will marry Robin, we obviously still have some time to kill before getting there. Ted has to do something, and Victoria is a perfectly pleasant way to fill that time. But… running away with her on her wedding day? That’s just rude.

And really, I think that’s where the biggest issue lies for me – the idea of killing time. I think I’m experiencing HIMYM fatigue, because I’m just not as invested in this show as I used to be. I think it’s overstayed its welcome, it’s teased too many plot points that take too long to occur, and it’s recycling tired storylines in the meantime.

Stray thoughts & favorite moments:

“The inside of Tinkerbell’s vagina” is my new favorite decor theme.
It became way too obvious that the magician’s box was Barney’s proposal. Way, WAY too obvious.
“Tell me a story” delivered some funny moments, but for the most part slowed things down.
Robin: “That was not cool, Ted!”
Lily (in labor): “Contraction!”
Robin: “That…wasn’t cool, Ted?”

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