HIMYM: The Mother's Story; Barney's Night Out

Ted had a balloon best friend when he was seven, which caused him to fear ever letting anything go, even for a second. This is a terrible way to live life, and I cannot imagine that motto working in any regard. Ted has not shown himself to be the most mature adult on this show, so part of his personality certainly matches with this value, though at the same time, it's still just frustrating beyond belief. Fortunately, the Mother can't let go of things, either, as she can't bear to live life with another man EIGHT YEARS after her previous serious boyfriend died. The two of them will clearly have an interesting and irritating life together, though perhaps the similarity will work for them.

How I Met Your Mother "How Your Mother Met Me" (S09E16): In a fresh breath of fresh air, the audience is treated to the background on the Mother, and how she narrowly escaped meeting Ted multiple times throughout the years. In September 2005, she leaves the bar and goes to a different MacLaren's. She turned 21 the night Ted met Robin, and Marshall and Lily got engaged. Her boyfriend at the time, Max, died, and she was turned off from dating for a few years, but in April 2008, her roommate drags her out with the yellow umbrella, and she leaves early to donate her cello to her old orchestra camp instructor, Mitch. [wearing red and it's St. Patrick's Day??!?] His "naked man" doesn't work on her, but he does suggest that she base every decision on her ideal that she wants to end poverty. This pushes her to get a degree in economics, which she starts in fall 2009.

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She makes friends with the girl sitting next to her in class, who becomes the roommate who breaks up with Ted in January 2010, due to the fact that everything he liked was the Mother's. [remember when Shawn fell in love with Angela's stuff and didn't know it was hers on Boy Meets World?] Mom meets Louis in April 2012, and after a drink at MacLaren's, she blows him off, not believing she could win the lottery again. [awww. that's the night of Ted in the green dress!] They wind up dating for a few years, but it wasn't love. Still, Louis has a beachhouse in Farhampton, and that's where the Mother is staying because she's playing in the band that was suggested when Ted ran into Cindy.

Louis proposes on the fly, and the Mother talks to Max in heaven, asking if it's okay if she moves on. [it's been EIGHT YEARS!] But, she still turns down Louis, packs up her things, and heads to the Inn, where she gets Robin's mother's room. She sings and plays the ukelele on the balcony, a wall away from Ted, who hears the little performance. [it's all slowly coming together!]

Oh, and Barney is missing!

How I Met Your Mother “Sunrise” (S09E17): Sunday, 5am, 13 hours before the wedding. Barney is drunk and walking along the road when he runs into two dorky guys, whom he decides to mentor. He leads them to a strip club, gets them suits, and “trains” them to talk to women. At a party, he even passes them a miniature playbook. [that made me smile!]

A few days earlier, Ted talked to Stella and Victoria to see if they had Robin’s locket. [omg, this is still going on??!?] Victoria had it, and sends it overnight to Ted… but Jeanette intercepted it. [ugh!] She won’t give it to him and throws it into the river, even though he told her he loved Robin. [b!tch!] Ted finally reveals to Robin that she’s the reason he and Victoria broke up, and that she’s been his #1 relationship. She fears their future friendship will be weird, but he assures her it won't be, because he’s moving to Chicago.

Marshall imagines PresentGhostLily and 2006GhostLily, and they make him realize that he can’t hide things from his wife, though she later comes and says that they will stay in New York. [this makes me sad, even if it was the right thing to do.]