Warning: if you haven’t watched “Last Forever” turn back now. 

For what was a rather extensive series finale I will attempt to be brief.

The sun finally set on How I Met Your Mother tonight, and with that, The Mother finally gets a name, we saw the famed couple meet, and we learned why Ted was telling his children this epic.  And of course, we got a glimpse into the gang’s future.

The episode traveled through time, beginning back in 2005 right as Robin would be inducted into the fray near the series’ beginning.  Lily sets a rule, as she wants to keep Robin around forever, that neither Barney or Ted may bang her unless they marry her.  Take that bit of information for what you will.

Onto the wedding reception where Ted is ready to leave even though he spots the bassist at Barney and Robins wedding.  Despite Barney’s attempt to play one last game of “Haaave you met Ted?”  Ted insists on heading out, and the five deliver what really is the emotional crux of the entire hour – the goodbyes.  But yet again, things aren’t what they seem, as Marshall and Lily fid Ted in the bar just 24 hours later, apparently having given up on Chicago because he met a girl – the girl.  The Mother.  But more on this later.

This takes us to 2015 where Ted and The Mother’s wedding planning must be put on hold because the couple learns that they’re pregnant.  Meanwhile, Barney and Robin’s marriage isn’t working out as well as we have all hoped – and the two divorce in secret.  Fast forward to 2016 where Lily and Marshall decide to move to a bigger place upon the impending arrival of their third child (plus a bonus visit from the cockamouse!), Barney is back to his old self apparently at the Halloween/farewell-apartment party, and Robin denounces the group’s attempt to stick together.  She notes that they’ve become the married couple she never sees, her ex-husband hitting on girls in front of her, and the man she probably should have married with the mother of his child.  Nothing stays the same.

In 2018 we see the full return of Barney’s womanizing-self, and Marshall’s official becoming a judge – “Judge Fudge” – and making a first ruling: that Barney is allowed to just be himself after declaring that “if it wasn’t going to happen with Robin, then it’s just not going to happen with anybody.”

2019 sees perhaps the only part of the finale that wasn’t seen coming – Barney’s quest for a perfect month (31 women in 31 days) led to a pregnancy.  Cue the arrival in 2020 that is a baby girl named Ellie, the love of Barney’s life.  “Everything I have and everything I am, is yours.  Forever,” he tells her.  Kudos to NPH in this scene.  Such a big event prompts Ted to finally marry the mother – they’ve been just going on engaged for years (a shock for Ted, I know) – and guess who shows up for the wedding?  With The Mother’s insistance: Robin.

Ultimately, the episode becomes a story of loving despite tragedy.  As we all guessed weeks ago, the reason that Ted is telling his children this story is because she’s passed away – however, that happened 6 years ago.  As the kids argue, the story really isn’t about how he met their mother, though their meeting scene is especially charming and successful in compression the years-worth of clues we’ve gotten about who The Mother is: Tracey McConnell, by the way.

In the end the kids urge Ted to ask out Aunt Robin becuase he’s clearly still in love with her.  And while this may seem a giant slap in the face to us fans, it is surprisingly fitting of the hope the show reaches to inspire.  Penny and Luke are completely fine with their dad going for it with Robin, and so Ted shows up one more time outside Robin’s apartment, blue french horn in hand.

But the kids are right.  The entire series as a whole is not about how Ted met the mother.  It’s about this group of five friends and their lives.  Sure, the quest for true love may be the hook and title card, but it’s not the entire hinge of the story.

True, it would have been nice to not have such a rushed ending after a series that was set during one weekend.  But there are always things we’d wish were different in a series finale, and there will never be a “perfect” ending.  To read my personal thoughts on “Last Forever” click here.

Sure, in such a compressed style the finale is far from what it could be.  But given that Lyndsy Fonseca and David Henri filmed their final scene years ago, clearly Craig Thomas and Carter Bays had a vision and they were sticking to it.  In the grand scheme of How I Met Your Mother mythology, the finale was true-to-form.  As I continuously find myself thinking now hours out of watching the finale, a series isn’t only about the ending – it’s about the journey.  And HIMYM has had a pretty great one.

What did you think of “Last Forever”?

The post How I Met Your Mother Finale Review: Last Forever appeared first on TVHackr.

After last week’s episode provided such an extensive resolve of the show’s peripheral characters, “The End of the Aisle” had a lot of work to do in allowing the wrap-up of Barney and Robin, and Marshall and Lily’s stories, given that Ted still has to meet The Mother and presumably decide not to move to Chicago.

Both Barney and Robin spend the episode more or less panicked about the whole ordeal – Barney writes novel-length and inappropriate vows, while Robin is well and truly convinced that she is making a mistake.  However, as always, their friends get them through it.

Barney, in a truly not-Barney fashion is completely losing it in the half-hour before the wedding.  It isn’t until Marshall and Lily try to help him write his vows that he seems to have an ephiphany.  But is it a good one?  More on that later.

Remember the locket that Jeanette flung into the river?  As it turns out, Ted dove in after it and has been holding onto it as a surprise for the bride, however, upon seeing Robin so distressed and believing that marrying Barney is a mistake, Ted gives it to his bro to give to her.  But of course, Robin knows immediately that Ted is really the one to track it down.  After attempting to convince him to run away with her, Robin flees on her own…and crashes directly into The Mother.

The still-nameless Mother gives Robin the simple advice to take a few deep breaths, in a way that is sweet and funny as we’ve seen from her character thus-far, and yet was still apropriate in the story as she’s still relatively a complete stranger to the famous five friends.

It is at this point that Barney – who previously seemed ready to jump ship on the wedding – walks in with a confession.  After previously refusing to take advice from Marshall and Lily since they just had a fight, Barney realizes that their biggest problem was Marshall not telling his wife the truth – and so, Barney vows to always be honest with Robin, thus taking a sledgehammer to her fear that he will always be a liar.

The episode also saw Marshall and Lily borrow the alter to revise their vows.  Their talk with the almost-groom opened their eyes that they can’t be perfect, and their vows should be realistic.  This was an excellent subplot that not only bolstered the tone of the entire show, but really served the couple themselves and highlighted how they’ve grown since their own nuptials.

“The End of the Aisle” also gave us the last slap, which, while seemingly  incredibly understated, also felt appropriate.  The fact that it was used to literally slap Barney in place as he’s about to bolt from the alter in nervousness somehow felt right – a way of showing that the series of slaps has led to this moment, if you will.  (Moreso, if you consider that the orginal slap bet was set because of Robin)

And yes – Barney actually got them a ring bear at the wedding.

This episode did a great job of following from last week, and leading into the series finale.  While somewhat gimmicky, as a fan of HIMYM I would’t believe it to be the end of the line if it wasn’t.  Marshall’s ‘vow’ puns were charming (“vow-za!”) and true to his silly character, and I would expect nothing less of Barney than to have a flower gorilla in line behind the ring bear.

But now that everyone has seen the end of their stories – or so it seems – the next and final hour of the show should hopefully actually revolve around Ted and the purpose of the show.  The Mother is still nameless, nor has Ted actually met her.  And of course, we will find out exactly why Ted is telling his children this 9  year-long story.

What did you think of “The End of the Aisle”?  Are you ready for the finale of How I Met Your Mother?  Drop your comments below!

The post How I Met Your Mother 9.22 Review: The End of the Aisle appeared first on TVHackr.

First and foremost: Gary Blauman.  When Blauman (played by Cobie Smulder’s real-life hubby Taran Killiam) unexpectedly shows up at the wedding, Robin calls a code red, enlisting Marshall’s help in finding a place for him.  Cue everyone (except for the bride, including Zabka) revealing why they either hate or love the guy.  Ted once believed himself to be in a competition with Blauman for a girl’s affection, Zabka’s all for him because Blauman appreciates his poetry, James reveals that Blauman is the man with whom he had an affair, thus breaking up his marriage (as Ted is excited to learn he was the prize way back when, not the girl), and Lily loves him because he kept her from getting a horribly huge and embarrassing tattoo of Sugar Ray.  And of course, Barney can’t stand Gary Blauman because he once stole an accidental curly fry.

The nerve.

After the confessions, Marshall plays Judge and calls a recess to make his decision – after all, the bride asked him to figure out the seating.  However, though Marshall decided to let Blauman stay at the wedding (“Judged!”) Barney ran off during the faux recess to tell Blauman to leave or Zabka was going to kick his face in.

Once Blauman has left, the gang suddenly realizes that they may never see him again – maybe he’s really not that bad – and it’s a shame that people don’t stay in touch.  And as Future Ted says, when you find someone you want to keep around, do something about it.  Thus begins an incredible parade of previous (and surprise) guest stars with updates on their futures.

Carl is still working at the bar, with his son; Jeanette was arrested and sent to therapy with Robin’s ex Kevin, who apparently sparks up a romance with the psycho; Ranjit hit it big in stocks and owns his own limo service; Patrice has a drive-time radio show (with a caller that sounds suspiciously like Robin); Zabka becomes an award-wining poet; Zoey is still fighting the man; Scooter finally settled down…with Lily’s doppelgänger, Jasmine a.k.a. “Stripper Lily”; The Blitz bests a gambling addiction; James and Tom get back together; Sandy Rivers moves to work in Russia, still his inappropriate self; and Blah Blah…well, her name is Carol!

In the end, Gary Blauman returns.

Of course, this entire episode is a story that Ted is telling to the Mother, rather than to his kids.  Out on their first date, three days after the wedding, the two intend on dining at a Mexican-Scottish fusion resturant (complete with Mariachi Bagpipes) yet end up walking around as Ted tells her the story of Gary Blauman.  Along the way they spot the Mother’s ex – who’s proposal she just turned down the day before the wedding.  Realizing that she’s in too weird of a place, and not ready to date, Ted takes her home.

Instead of pulling an early HIMYM Ted, he actaully does let her go, feeling that it was going to work out.  He turns and leaves, but – the Mother calls him back and goes in for the kiss.  When she asks what he’s doing standing there and not following after she suggests walking around more, he answers: “Remembering this.”

Aww.

I have to say, this may be my favorite episode this season.  Not only did the episode serve the HIMYM mythology incredibly well both with the recap on guest stars as well as the episode’s set-up and style, it served a larger purpose.  I’ll admit that going into this episode I wasn’t sure what to expect: I honestly completely forgot that Gary Blauman already existed in the show’s past, and I was more than a little nervous that this episode would be too much of a “filler” show than we should get in the remaining two hours of HIMYM.

But, Blauman’s relatively minor character was used pretty handily.  For one, by having the characters explain why they did or did not want him at the wedding, the show was allowed to dip back into these characters’ pasts, however ridiculous those moments were (with the exception of James’ confession on the man).  And inversely, in having a change of heart and deciding to let Blauman stay Future Ted got to give a sweet little speech on the importance of keeping such people around, and gave us that catch-up on past friends and otherwise.

While we didn’t really need this sort of flash forward, it does add a nice wrap up to characters that while seemingly irrelevant, are relevant in the big picture.  I actually found myself excited to see these returns once they actually began.

And of course, Ted’s remark on keeping people like Blauman in your life is a great little piece of foreshadowing to Ted’s commitment to the Mother.  Unfortunately, while it is great to see scenes like Ted and the Mother’s date (Radnor and Milioti have clear chemistry and are undeniably charming in their roles), it still stings a bit to realize that the entire season could have been used to showcase their future instead of just the build-up.

What did you think of last night’s How I Met Your Mother?  Are you ready for the final three episodes?  Keep in mind, a lot still has to happen before the show signs off for good.

The post How I Met Your Mother 9.21 Review: Gary Blauman appeared first on TVHackr.

While Robin was dealing with the terror her mother inspired by explaining her relationship with Robin’s father – something which bears a striking resemblance to Robin’s own with Barney – said groom was out with the boys.

Out with the boys because Zabka lets it spill that he saw Lily rushing into a quick mart and speed away in a strange car.

Remember how Lily ran off after her fight with Marshall in “Unpause”?  Tonight we found out where she went.

To the Captain’s.  (It’s the “AHOY” license plate that reveals it.)

The boys, including Zabka and Ranjeet, floor it to the Captain’s place in Farhampton, find him dating “Boats, Boats, Boats” (Robin’s ex-co-anchor: Season 6, “Canning Randy), and learn that when Lily arrived that fateful night, she spent an awful lot of night in their powder room.

Ted instantly jumps into detective mode to figure out why, and after lining up a rather supportive trail of ‘evidence’ determines that Lily had to have been smoking, as she always does when she and Marshal are apart for long periods of time.  Zabka must have seen her running into the store for a fresh pack, then off to the Captain’s for a safe place to have just one more cigarette.

He reaches into the potted plant from the bathroom – a Daisy – expecting to find ashes, but pulls out…a pregnancy test.

A positive pregnancy test.

So, naturally the boys rush back to the hotel where all is revealed.

Lily: “Told you guys I could keep a secret.”

Flash forward in the episode tag to Italy, after Marshal convinced Lily that they were going to live her dream (she’s giving him his, cue the “aww”).  The two argue in Italian over Funyuns, Lily’s dad and Marshal’s mother walk in with now toddler-aged Marvin and an infant in a stroller – Daisy.

The episode, obviously is very Lily/Marshal heavy.  Which, really, for this amount of sweetness is not a problem.  It helped to tie up their future now that we’re really down to the final episodes, and really served to remind us that there can be couples like the two of them who will make anything work so long as they can be together.

Though seemingly less of an important storyline, Robin’s mother (Tracy Ullman) succeeded in not only terrifying her daughter about the man she’s about to marry, but then also reminded her that as long as she has someone to come home to who she can count on, the insanity is worth it.  And as Robin tells her mother – she does.

“Daisy” was really an enjoyable episode.  There was plenty of actual humorus moments mixed in with the serious and sweet.  “Kind of insane how much happened in a day and a half” – really Ted was just voicing what we’re all thinking.  And I’m not going to lie – I got a good kick out of the Captain’s musical greeting to his staff.  I thought this was a great way to transition to the actual wedding as well as add some other closure to the series besides how Ted meets the Mother.  It wasn’t overdone, stayed in-character, and let the story matter most.

At this point, I’m ready to see how everything ties up (though I’m not sure I’m ready for there to be no more HIMYM).  Only three episodes left, people!

What do you think will happen before the big finale?

The post How I Met Your Mother 9.20 Review: Daisy appeared first on TVHackr.

Flashforward to the year 2024 and Ted and the Mother are back at the Farhampton Inn for some time away from the kids.  The snowstorm outside prompts Ted to share the story of the worst snowstorm ever…several times, but the Mother knows them all.  Apparently this is a great thing for them as they’ve finally reached the status of “old married couple,” as they both know all of the other’s stories.  Curtis arrives – still working at the Inn – and mentions a past visit in which a lamp was broken, leading us to the meat of tonight’s story – a story, says Ted, that is laced with “intrigue, betrayal…and lamps.”

To cut straight to Ted’s point, the lamp gets broken while Robin is relaxing via playing indoor hockey with her sister Katie (Lucy Hale returns to the role).  But the reason why Robin is so set on playing hockey and watching “The Wedding Bride, Too” – a film made by Stella’s husband – is a little more of an irritant to Lily than everyone else.  Lily can’t stand that Robin isn’t excited, or even nervous, about it being her wedding day.  She attempts to get Robin to crack by putting on her own wedding dress and threatening to wear it to the wedding.  (Really she just brought it to re-do hers and Marshall’s own awful photos).

Things get real when they all acknowledge that it may be the last time all five of them will be together – as Ted is moving to Chicago the next morning.  It becomes clear to them all that sometimes, it’s best to not to even mention the things we don’t want to think about or deal with…like leaving all of our friends behind.

Lily resides to be content with Robin’s not making a big deal out of it being her wedding morning, yet, Robin’s “holy crap this is my wedding moment” finally comes when she leaves the room to get ice and runs into her mother.

The fact that this episode was told in a flashback between Ted and the Mother added an interesting emotional angle to the episode.  Particularly because it brought even more light to the widely popular theory that the reason Ted is even telling his kids how he met their mother is because she’s dead. “I love your yarns,” the Mother says. “I hope you never stop spinning them. You’re the love of my life, pooh bear. I just worry about you. I don’t want you to be the guy who lives in his stories. Life only moves forward.”  The theory is further fueled when the Mother remarks “What mother is going to miss her daughter’s wedding?” and Ted tears up.

That’s not to say that I hold much stock in the theory.  While such foreshadowing exists, I would not put it past the HIMYM writers to completely spin the story in a different direction come the finale.

The episode weight was lifted a bit by the B-plot of Barney trying to pick a suit for the big day.  Ted initially thinks that his friend is having a pre-marital affair when he spots Barney slipping into a room, but gets a truly Barney-esque shock when he finds that the room is full of suits.  He has to talk his friend into picking one – the right one – custom made for his wedding day by Tim Gunn, which makes for an amusing, touching scene between two bros.

“Vesuvius” was a great transition episode as we move into the home stretch for the season, and the series.  There is clearly a shift going on to the more serious stories and how our favorite five friends are going to handle things.  And let’s remember – Ted still has to actually meet the mother, not just hear her singing from the room next door.

What did you think of tonight’s How I Met Your Mother?

Oh!  And, can we give a round of applause for the retur of Swarley?

The post How I Met Your Mother 9.19 Review: Vesuvius appeared first on TVHackr.

Plus, we got a glimpse of the mother being pulled into the fray of the gang.

The episode opens with Ted and the Mother attending a New Year’s party on the eve of 2022, where Ted notes that he made a vow never to get horribly horribly drunk ever again.  Flashback to 8 AM on the morning of Barney and Robin’s wedding.  Barney is currently in the middle of his worst hangover ever – so bad that he can’t even take a good picture – and the four remaining sober must figure out how to pull him out of it before they have to take wedding photos.

The cure?  The Stinson Hangover Fixer Elixer.

We follow as Ted and Marshall attempt to gather all of the known ingredients for the Elixer while Lily and Robin do everything they can to get the mystery ingrediet out of comatose Barney (this includes, ice water, threatening to cut his tie, and making out).  Throughout the ordeal each of them vows to never get as drunk as Barney is – only to have flash-forwards reveal that they will.  These include glimpses of Marshall’s running for State Supreme Court, Marvin’s first day of college, and a suspicious morning with Barney and Robin that seems to suggest they have experience living with an infant (even though the infant in question in the scene is not theirs).

In a brief moment of clarity Barney reveals to his friends that he lied about the Elixer.  There is no magic hangover cure – he tricked them because he loves them.  As Ted explains, all of their worst hangovers happened at the absolute worst times, and Barney was just trying to help his friends.  It seems as if everyone is ready to enact “Weekend at Barney’s” – one of Barney’s plays – to get through photos, and they even tell Barney that yes, they did execute the play….

but they didn’t.  Photos are cancelled and Robin’s angered father kicked Barney in the crotch.

Closing the episode, Ted continues the Fixer Elixer tradition by serving it to the mother after that New Year’s party.

This episode was a great way to come back.  It was funny and touching – exactly what these final episodes should be.  Hopefully from here on in we will get to see more and more of the mother, as we also get closer and closer to the end of the aisle (“The End of the Aisle”) is also the title of HIMYM‘s penultimate episode.

“Rally” not only showed how these five friends care for each other, but also set-up the fact that their relationships aren’t necessarily changing anytime soon.  The flash-forwards into the future suggest their happy ending, yet in each situation nothing about these characters has really changed.  Lily still manages Marshall when he gets in over his head and cuts loose when the chance is offered – after bringing Marvin to college – and Robin and Barney still have a knack for getting into…some kind of interesting position.

What did you think of “Rally”?

The post How I Met Your Mother 9.18 Review: Rally appeared first on TVHackr.

But kudos to the show for trying to make me think it was a really special episode.

It would have worked so much better, at least for me, if last night’s hadn’t been yet-again, mother-less.  I had hopes that after the mother “met” Ted – which really didn’t happen in the such-titled episode – she’d come more into play.

And with a meager seven episodes left, isn’t it about time she does?

That being said, Ted’s apparent affection for the mysterious woman singing “La Vie En Rose” the night before was apparently irrelevant when last night’s episode began with he and Robin walking along the beach.  The stroll quickly turned into a reflection of Ted’s previous girlfriends, culminating in Ted admitting once again that he’s in love with Robin.  He lies to Robin that he hasn’t spoken to Stella, Victoria, and Janette – but he has.  Because he’s been trying to track down her grandmother’s locket.  Unfortunately for Ted, Janette tosses it over a bridge into water below.

When Robin questions why he suddenly broke up with Victoria after everything they had been through, Ted is forced to admit that it was because of her – that Victoria didn’t want them to be friends anymore.  But Ted’s okay with the wedding, because as he said in regards to his best balloon friend – if you love something, you can’t let it go or it’ll be gone forever.

Meanwhile back in the Inn, while Lily is off Marshall finds himself haunted by not one, but two ghosts of her – present day-Lily and 2006-Lily.  With some extra help from the ghost of his father he realizes that the New York versus Italy arguement is not a battle to be won.  Lily’s specter let’s him know that if they keep on acting like that way, he’s going to lose her.  But there’s no telling how this thread will unravel in the final episodes given the happy ending last night.

The most satisfying plot of the night belongs to Barney, who took it upon his drunken-self to educate two young, naiive men on “how to live.”  Though he of course has questionable practices (teaching the boys about strip clubs and how to play ‘Haaaave you met Justin?’) it’s a touching moment when he passes down torn pieces of The Playbook to them:

“Whatever you do in this life, it’s not legendary unless your friends are there to see it.”

Again, this was an absolutely necessary episode.  Ted seemed to finally let go of Robin?  And I hope it wasn’t just me confused by her floating off into the sky during a seemingly “real” moment.  The writers did a great job of incorporating Ted’s exes in a way that supported the plot, and who doesn’t love to see Tim Gunn?

Upon the end of the episode, I find that I’m left asking, where are we going from here?  It would seem like the majority of loose storylines have been tied off, except for the fact that Ted and the mother haven’t yet met.

Although….we still don’t know where Lily ran off to…

What did you think of “Sunrise”?  And what are your predictions for the final run of How I Met Your Mother?

The post How I Met Your Mother 9.17 Review – Sunrise appeared first on TVHackr.

Flash forward to the Farhampton Inn, 2017, where Ted and The Mother are enjoying their last weekend away before the birth of their second child.  The entertainment comes to a halt in a bittersweet way, when The Mother goes into labor in the middle of the night.

Remember Ted’s mother’s rule that nothing good happens after 2 AM?  Stay tuned, because back in the present (at 2:01 AM) our favorite five friends are dealing with what happens when secrets bubble to the surface…albeit, in very different ways.

There are many different versions of drunk Barney, but for the first time ever Ted and Robin meet truth-serum-drunk Barney.  Naturally, they take complete advantage of this to get him to spill the truth behind all their lingering questions. He keeps dehydrated doves in his pockets, spends “one crapload” per year on suits, and has had sex in Ted’s bed 14 times.  But these are just the small things.  Ted finally gets the answer to one of the series’ most puzzling questions – what exactly does Barney do for a living?  Though in the past he’s answered with a laugh and a “please,” truth-serum-drunk Barney reveals that “please” is actually his job.  After losing his girlfriend to Greg (Mark Derwin) in his old hippie days, Barney went to the man to get a job – Provide Legal Exculpation And Sign Everything – meaning, he signs sketchy legal documents that could implicate him.  But fear not, for it is all an elaborate plan of Barney’s to exact revenge on Greg – he’s been colluding with the Feds who will be arresting the girlfriend-stealer in two months.

Meanwhile, Robin’s biggest concern is whether or not there will be a ring bearer at their wedding (which is now “tomorrow”), as Barney has been consistently saying “ring bear” since they arrived in Farhampton.  But I’ll let you watch the episode for the answer…or not…to this one.

While the trio is downstairs, Marshall is upstairs doing everything he can to unpause the impending fight with Lily over his judgeship.  But despite his efforts, the unpause comes – and explodes spectacularly.  In the heat of the arguement Marshall mistakenly calls Lily’s work with art a hobby, and calls out her leaving him to move to San Francisco as a greater act of selfishness than his.  Hurt, Lily gathers her things and leaves.

So while nothing good happened after 2 AM for Marshall and Lily…the exception to the rule for Ted and The Mother is baby Luke.  As they head off to the hospital from the Inn, Ted carries their daughter Penny, exclaiming sweetly how proud he is of his wife.

In all the best ways, this episode of How I Met Your Mother combined everything that is great to see in one episode.  The commitment to the show’s running gags was fantastic (what a great nod to Barney’s first high five), as well as the running jokes throughout the season itself – the ring bear.  And it goes without saying that the callbacks to past seasons are delightful to see in this final string of episodes – not just the returning guest stars, but little bits such as the golden rule of 2 AM.

But let’s not forget, while “Unpause” is about 80% funny and happy – Lily and Marshall still have a lot to deal with.  Just where did Lily go in that car?

What did you think of tonight’s HIMYM?  Thoughts on the big reveals?  Hit the comments below!

And don’t forget!  Next week is How I Met Your Mother‘s 200th episode!

The post How I Met Your Mother 9.15 Review – Unpause appeared first on TVHackr.

A young kung fu student directed him to his teachers – who all have reason to want to slap Barney Stinson for some reason-, beginning with Red Bird (a Robin doppelganger).  Under the Cruel Tutelage of Red Bird, he learned speed, the first of three necessary skills to master in slapping.  After asking him “What is the sound of one hand slapping?” she taught him how to master the Slapping Tree.

Under the Punishing Scholarship of White Flower (Lily), Marshall learned strength, and that he could gain power by absorbing the anger of those who hate Barney – he needs to be slapped by Barney”s scorned lovers.  Cue the return of several Seuraavaksi tarkastellaankin hiukan, mita nama hedelmapelit oikein tarkalleen ottaen ovat, mista ne ovat saaneet alkunsa seka millaista on taman paivan hedelmapelit arjonta netissa. familiar faces and ex-girlfriends including Stacy Keibler and one of Barney”s few serious girlfriends, Nora (Nazanin Boniadi).  Marshall also experienced what it was like to make love to White Flower underneath the the Slapping Tree – to which Robin reacted “Oh my god, you had a tree-way?!”

Marhsall”s studies further when he finds himself under the Some-Might-Call-It-Nitpicky-But-It’s-Really-Just-Thorough Schooling of The Calligrapher (Ted).  Now that he”s mastered speed and strength, it”s time to learn accuracy.  However, he learns that he might not be all that prepared when he tries to save The Calligrapher from choking, and instead slaps his heart right out of his body.  The Calligrapher stays alive just long enough – okay, maybe a little longer – to deliver his final teaching.

Early on in the episode, Marshall tells Barney that the slap will be delivered beneath a willow tree, with four women and a tiger nearby – so when Barney tries to run, only to find himself in such a situation, he knows that he is doomed.  Marshall gets the slap in…but that”s not the best part.

Boyz II Men step out of the forest to sing Marshall”s slow jam “You Just Got Slapped,” as the soundtrack to a montage of the previous slaps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45CA0w-8TGs

And there”s just one slap to go!  Where and when do you think it”ll happen?  My personal hope – Marshall gifts the final slap to the Mother to deliver.

No one best line for this episode.  Instead, enjoy some of the episode”s great slap puns:

– “I wasn’t being held slaptive.”

– “You have shown great slaptitude…”

– “She lives atop Slap Mountain…It”s at the top of the Slappalachian Mountains.”

– “I”ve just got a slappetite for destruction.”

– “I shall remain a mere slapprentice.”

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“That’s how Marshall met your mother”

When “Bedtime Stories” (see below) left off, we saw Marshall setting out to walk the last few miles to Farhampton after the bus broke down to a new arrangement of “Marshall versus the Machine” (originally heard in “Subway Wars”).  However, in tonight’s episode he’s beginning to fade just as a white van pulls up with the mother in the driver’s seat.  She offers to drive Marshall the rest of the way, and after jokingly predicting his situation (revealing in the end that she’s already met Lily), she announces that she will be leaving as soon as she drops him off.

Her once fun band, started with business school classmates – Super Freakonoics – has been taken over by “the devil”, also known as lead singer Darren (guest star Andrew Rannells).  He plans to have her kicked out of the band, so quitting seems like a better idea.  Marshall, sensing someone too-nice, like himself, urges her to stand up for herself.  She’s already gotten a decent start with Lily’s “Aldrin Justice” angle, stealing Darren’s van, but she’s clearly still weary.

Meanwhile at the Farhampton Inn Darren is doing a stellar job of ruining everyone’s friendships,  reinforcing exactly why it is the mother hates him.  According to her, he begins by making you feel hilarious and adorable, then finds a flimsy connection based on where you’re from , and finally tells a deep personal secret about his past that steals from Disney films (generally Bambi, though The Lion King and Finding Nemo make appearances).  He slips to Lily that Robin is on Marshall’s side, and tells Barney of Ted’s plan to move to Chicago, effectively putting everyone at odds. 

The damage is repaired after Ted steals a bottle of scotch to make ammends with Barney and Robin, in admitting that she’s not a fan of losing her best friend to Rome, holds up Marsh-pillow for Lily to punch in anger.  Darren gets his due when he bumps into Ted, making him drop the third bottle of precious 30 year-old scotch, and Ted slugs him.  The drama pushes him to quit the band, which makes the mother so happy that she buys a drink for the mystery best man who solved her problem.

“Bass Player Wanted” was one of the most loyal-to-character episodes the show has aired.  Everyone had a respectable stance in the story, with their own threads that effectively added to character development.  Robin moved on from her more independent nature, admitting that she will miss her friend while Lily and Marshall, though in their own space are upset and ready for a fight, still commit to each other and “pause” upon being reunited.  Barney reaffirmed that though he can be on the jerk-ish side at times, he’s still Ted’s bro, and Ted, in turn, tries to do what he believes is best for his friend, ultimately breaking a personal rule for him.

The mother in the meantime, has quickly become a favorite character of mine.  Though we’re still catching glimpses, the lead-in to the audience meeting her has been perhaps one of the most effective, and consistent character reveals.  Throughout the show’s history hints have been dropped about her, and thusfar she is exactly who we could expect her to be.  Kudos to Cristin Milioti.

This is exactly the episode I was asking for, as in recent weeks I have felt like the story has strayed too much from Ted and the core of the goal, and added relatively useless fluff.  Not that I have anything to complain about – I thoroughly enjoyed the show’s last two episodes – but neither has done much to Ted’s credit or character at all, or extensively moved the story forward.  I felt as if this episode was far more balanced and had important statements for each character, and now that the mother is officially in Farhampton, How I Met Your Mother is officially in the home stretch.

When the show returns in the spring, How I Met Your Mother will hit it’s 200th episode, Lily and Marshall will presumably solve their career dilemma and Barney and Robin may or may not get married.  But most importably, Ted will meet the mother.

The only question there is….when?

Oh, but don’t forget the impending slap and “To Be Continued”…

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