HIMYM: So Much in Motion

Apparently, although Marshall only knows eight words in Italian, he knows many more in Spanish. [regardless, "El Ganso con la Riñonera" = "fanny pack dork" is priceless. literally, "the goose with the waist."] And, although everyone knows who Wayne Gretzky is, nobody can name a second hockey player. I found both of these facts pretty funny, which is notable when you consider how much I disliked the season finale. Although not EVERYTHING is certain at this point, two things in particular angered me: first, that the audience "met" The Mother but Ted did not, and, second, that the entire ninth season may wind up being done 24-style to accommodate the final event being "meeting" The Mother. I'm rather conflicted about that being the case... I think that if there was a writing team who could pull that off, it would be Carter and Bays, but I don't know if it's right for the series. Similarly, had that been the series finale, I would have been VERY upset. As others all over the internet have already theorized, two season finales could have existed OR this one slightly re-shot or re-edited, but the very idea that we'd see the face of The Mother without learning HOW Ted met her just drives me crazy! How do you see the next (and final) season playing out?

How I Met Your Mother "Something Old" (S08E23): Marshall and Lily pack for Italy, but struggle to toss stuff. [moving is very cathartic for me, and we always throw out tons of stuff when we pack, but if a move isn't on the horizon, it's very easy to just save everything...] Ted tries to help by getting rid of anything they haven't used in the past year, but he's also biased. [ha!] So, the couple sends Ted for fanny packs so they can "triangle" some of the things they want to ditch. Ted figures it out, though, and admits that he's afraid that he'll be ditched in a year. [awww. but, as sad as it is, it happens.]

Back in 1994, Robin's dad took her to NYC, and she buried a locket in Central Park, under the premise that she'd be back to marry a city boy. [WEIRD.] She asks her dad to help her find it, but he'd rather play laser tag with Barney. [figures.] Ted blows off a job interview to help her, and although they find the box she buried, it's empty. She deems that to be a bad omen.

Neil Jacobs/CBS

How I Met Your Mother "Something New" (S08E24): When Barney and Robin are annoyed by another couple repeatedly, they try to break them up by sending Robyn's engagement ring over to them in a glass of champagne/ This causes the couple to fight because he's not ready for marriage, but it backfires and, after talking to their therapist, they decide to get engaged and thank Barney and Robin. [I liked the "we did that!" to both outcomes, though!] 

Marshall's mother calls, unaware that the move is in motion. To please her, Marshall and Marvin head to Minnesota for a week, though that may not be enough to keep her from following them to Rome. [yikes!] Plus, things are further complicated when Marshall is offered a place as a judge in New York. [I'm terribly curious as to what's going to happen with THAT!]

Meanwhile, Lily hangs out with Ted and learns that he's decided to sell his Westchester home and move to Chicago the day after the wedding. [Ted is more obsessed with Robin than Ben is with Amy on The Secret Life of the American Teenager! so annoying!] In talking to Ted, Lily admits that, in 2008, Robin was jealous that Ted was marrying Stella and not her, so she drunkenly went to Central Park and dug up the locket, which then went into a pencil box that's still on Ted's desk. This gives Ted the perfect gift for his friend, and as the episode closes, we learn that it's 56 hours before the wedding, and "the girl with the yellow umbrella" (played by Cristin Miloti) buys her ticket to Farhampton.