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Barney & Nora & Ted & Robin: How I Met Your Mother Season 7 Thus Far, or How a Sitcom Tried to Kill Me

By Courtney Enlow | Posted Under TV Reviews | Comments (37)

robin-barneyhimym8.jpg

“There is a reason it didn’t work out between you and me. But it’s not Germany. It’s Robin. She is so much bigger in your world than you realize and this thing that you’re all doing— you and Barney and Robin— where the three of you hang out at the bar, night in, night out, like you’re all just buddies, that doesn’t work. Trust me. I’m right about this.”

“And sure enough, she was right. It didn’t work. We just didn’t realize it yet.”

We’re three episodes into this season of “How I Met Your Mother.” And I’ve come to one absolute conclusion.

They are trying to kill me.

I’ve stated my position on Robin and Barney already. You guys know that I am firmly Team Swarkles. And, my fellow teammates, with this season placing Robin in the unrequitee Barney role from Season 4, this could be our year.

Or, it could not.

We learned at the end of last season that the as yet unseen groom at the mythical wedding where Ted meets “the mother” is Barney. Here’s what we know through various interviews with the creators:

- Barney is the groom.
- We do not yet know the bride, but will by season’s end.
- Barney does get married that day. There will be no The Graduateing.
- When we last left, the bride was requesting Ted’s presence.

It’s Robin, I say to myself, arms wrapped shoulder to shoulder, weeping softly. Obviously.

But here are the obstacles:

- Nora, because 2011 has been all about hot chicks of Middle-eastern descent totally fucking up couples people seem to enjoy on CBS sitcoms.
- Other various upcoming love interests for each respective character.
- Could it be too obvious? Too simple?
- The possibility of Ted/Robin Redux.

That last point brings us back to Victoria’s words to Ted at the end of this week’s episode, and SagetTed’s confirmation that she is, in fact, correct. So, could take this a few different ways. One, Ted and Robin give it another go. This would be horseshit. I love this show, and I stand among its most ardent defenders. But a Robin and Ted reunion would be a dirty drain circle, covered in hair and toothpaste remnants, and it would not recover. Two, and the general internet consensus, Ted and Robin have a “if we’re not married before 40” deal. As long as Ted has a future with his dream girl, he doesn’t need to find anyone else. It’s been six years, and he’s no closer to getting his shit together (not that marriage and family qualifies as “getting one’s shit together” but he’s no closer to his goal than he was in the pilot).

Someone or something in all this is a red herring. Be it Nora, be it the way Victoria worded her farewell, the wedding, the bride, the mother herself. We’re getting messed with in the best possible way. The show is already better than it’s been in two seasons. God, I hope it stays that way.

The show started with Robin for a reason. Ted met her, and that set his story into action. Robin is, one way or another, the endgame (but she’s not the mother, so don’t waste my comment space with that). Over the course of this and the next, the likely final, season, we’ll find out why.

Until then, we’ll always have this.

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Comments

I could see Ted and Robin trying to go back down that road together, because a) Ted doesn't know about how Robin feels for Barney and b) Robin might decide that she ought to give Ted another shot because Barney is clearly occupied and even douchey Ted is better than heartbreak and sorrow. But it won't work and I imagine they'd realize it pretty quickly if they tried. Or, Ted will interpret Victoria's message as he should get back with Robin, tries unsucessfully and finds out Robin still loves Barney. At that point, he tries his damnedest to get those crazy kids back together.

Or, he decides they can't all be friends and some hard, unentertaining choices will be made by both the characters and the writers.

Also, just for a Mother theory: Has Ted actually met Nora, yet? I can't remember if they have, but I can really only recall Nora sharing scenes with Barney, Robin, and Barney and Robin. She's been a romantic like Ted ever since her introudction, and for that alone seems like a better fit for him. Maybe they do meet and there's a love quadrangle?

Nah, the Mother is totally Barney's half-sister. And Barney and Robin get hitched, making their "aunt" and "uncle" titles official. I've said this before, I'll probably say it again the next time we post a HIMYM article. I should stop typing now.

Posted by: RobP at September 29, 2011 2:14 PM

You're wearing a monocle!

I like Barney and Nora together, but I'm not the shipper I once was. David and Maddie used up my youth and shippiness.

And now I want some ladyfingers and piping hot Darjeeling.

Posted by: Mrs. Julien at September 29, 2011 2:15 PM

I hate Robin. She hasn't been funny or interesting since season 4. And the fact that she fucked shit up AGAIN between Ted and Victoria (obviously the best of all his girlfriends) is pissing me off. I hope they boot her out of the group so Ted can "get his shit together."

Posted by: APOCooter at September 29, 2011 2:31 PM

I hope they boot Ted out of the group. I hate Ted, and I am so very tired of caring about who stupid douchey Ted is trying to have an epic grande romance with now. Zoe was almost my limit, and when Victoria (whom I really liked) left again, that was the camel-breaking straw.

Posted by: Siege at September 29, 2011 2:39 PM

Robin's my favorite character, except during the season when she and Ted were dating because she suddenly turned into a giant irrational bitch. So yeah, I'll be annoyed if they revisit Ted-Robin. But Barney wasn't too great for her either. I want her to be happy, and none of these dudes seem to be cutting it. At this point I hope she ends up with the unknown crush guy from the clothing store, because I'm not liking the options on the table.

Posted by: Cree83 at September 29, 2011 2:41 PM

I'll just relate a conversation my sister and I had via text (I got her into the show in May and she's since cannonballed the whole run. Twice).

Me: what do you think about the the Robin development?
Her: Inevitable.
Me: BAH.
Her: Shrugs. What do you think?
Me: I think it's a DICK MOVE. He's not gonna end up with her.


So, uh, I guess I coulda just said "Enlow, I agree with you."

Posted by: Alabaster Salamander at September 29, 2011 2:54 PM

I would let Robin fondle my turtle any day of the week. And I wouldn't mind Barney putting up the wallpapers in my kitchen

Posted by: YesPlease at September 29, 2011 2:59 PM

There was an interview with Bays and Thomas that was linked to in a previous article here on Pajiba where they spoke about this issue.


SPOILERS(?)


Wait: Are you saying Ted and Robin is back on the table?
CB: We're going to get into why Ted decided to start the series telling his kids about how he met Robin.
CT: The notion that Ted is living with his ex-girlfriend, the catalyst for this whole story ... is important. So while there's a lot of great Robin-Barney coming up, Ted's going to remember why he [fell for Robin]. We're really bringing it back to the group this year. Ted won't be dating some other woman for fourteen episodes. It's these people dealing with how they feel about each other. We care about these five people and there are going to be some serious soap-opera story lines.
CB: Part of what Lily and Marshall's story is going to do is, it's going to reset Ted on the path he started out on at the beginning of the series. That episode was Marshall and Lilly deciding to get married, and that got Ted thinking. Now it's six years later, and they're having a baby, and Ted really hasn't gotten any further. So we're going to revisit a lot of the show's mythology as he tries to figure out what the last six years have meant. It'll involve revisiting some old favorites from the series.

By the by, I'm a rather large fan of Barney and Robin (probably not as big as Courtney) and hope they do end up together.

Posted by: csb at September 29, 2011 3:00 PM

While we all be h8tin'-I hate Lily. She's always telling everyone what to do, how to live and all about romance and relationships. She's been in exactly one relationship. She's talking out her ass. I hope that baby rips it's way out of her like a reboot of Aliens. Want to top Marshall's dad-grief? Lily grief.

Sadly. She's made it to the wedding. Hopefully, Ted's misremembering, like the goat.

Posted by: Wembley at September 29, 2011 3:14 PM

I just hope we find out what lead up to the vignette of Ted running into McLaren's in a dress and announcing, "Now, we're even!"

Posted by: Mrs. Julien at September 29, 2011 3:19 PM

Future Ted hasn't realized that his kids are so fed up with this long-winded Shaggy Dog about how their parents got together. Regardless of how this series finally wraps up, I'm sure they'll just snap and go all Lyle and Erik Menendez on him. And judging by how douchey Present Ted is, I cannot imagine a jury would convict them.

Now that I think of it, wouldn't THAT be an awesome way to end a sitcom series? A first person view of a terrified Future Ted running down the hallway away from his armed and temporarily insane children with the show's theme in the background as wildly fired buckshot sends drywall exploding around him. They finally catch up to him just as he sees a blood-spattered photo of the five principle cast members mounted on the wall and then crumples to the floor. As his view fades to black, we see the feet of his kids and the Daughter saying, "Unlike you, we get to the point." *BLAM! ... Executive Producer Carter Bays.

...Either that or after the series finishes its yarn, the kids look at Future Ted, sneer and say, "We didn't ask."

Posted by: bleujayone at September 29, 2011 3:24 PM

Back in June, I wrote this in an e-mail to my wife:

--[Ted dating and marrying Barney's half-sister] produces both inherent character conflict ("She's my sister!" "You don't even know her!") and closes the circle a bit more, giving the character web a more secure, cozy feel. Lots of fresh interactions and possibilities for conflict and hilarity, far more than would be created by bringing in Random Woman #34.

--Can the writers resist the creation of Female Barney and the inevitable weirdness she'll bring? They cannot.

--This creates a retroactive joke. "Uncle" Barney is, in fact, actually their uncle.

--AND: "Aunt" Robin really is their aunt. Barney will marry Robin. Why? Because the introduction of Ted's wife is the most the show can handle. If Barney marries anyone but Robin, that means that the show will have two new regulars (assuming the wedding goes off, which, admittedly, isn't a mortal lock): Ted's wife and Barney's wife. Too much. Unless they write out Robin, which I doubt they can do.

The course of the next season will probably go thusly: Barney will get serious with Nora, who is far too boring to be a regular. Robin will be freaked. She and Ted might come close to getting back together. (The show has established before that he's never really gotten over her.) Barney will propose to Nora, going back on years of "marriage is evil" talk; Robin will be devastated. Then, big freakout/breakup, likely because Nora's crazier or more evil than suspected. Barney, now adjusted to the idea of marriage in theory, gets back together with Robin. Ted is destroyed. Barney and Robin get engaged. Ted makes a Big Stupid Ted Move to get her back, one last retarded gesture. It fails. He is crushed. At the reception, he meets Barney's father's family for the first time. And lo, who is there, but the Future Mrs. Mosby.

Should the show continue, the character of Distaff Barney will be folded into the group as its sixth and final member.

THIS IS WHAT WILL HAPPEN.

I KNOW, FOR I WATCH MUCH OF WHAT YOU CALL "THE TELEVISION."

HEED MY WORDS, O PEOPLES OF THE INTERNET.

Posted by: Soulless Merchant of Fear at September 29, 2011 4:14 PM

(Whoop -- italics went all wonky. They were supposed to continue to the all-caps rant. Sorry.)

Posted by: Soulless Merchant of Fear at September 29, 2011 4:15 PM

I hope they boot Ted out of the group. I hate Ted, and I am so very tired of caring about who stupid douchey Ted is trying to have an epic grande romance with now. Zoe was almost my limit, and when Victoria (whom I really liked) left again, that was the camel-breaking straw.

Word. Ted is intensely dislikable. I feel like this season has been watching season 1 all over again. SO BORED.

Posted by: PerpetualIntern at September 29, 2011 4:41 PM

I honestly love what a douche Ted is. "EncycloPAYdia!"

Posted by: Courtney at September 29, 2011 4:52 PM

OK, I see I'm going to have to say this again:

The series is called How I Met Your Mother. Once Ted meets the mother, he can't tell his kids the story of how he met their mother anymore, because the story is then over. Ted will meet the mother in the last episode of the series. She will not be a regular or recurring character. Once the meeting happens, the TV show is over.

Therefore, Barney's wedding will take place on the last episode, probably as someone said above at the end of next season.

Posted by: Three-nineteen at September 29, 2011 5:23 PM

Ted to get blind drunk and not remember the wedding
cue "it was only later that I would realise that I had that night met your mother" or similar in the season end voice over

or someone gets injured or Lilly goes to give birth during the wedding and the mother is a nurse or a doctor or an emt or a random other person in the hospital

seriously there are dozens of ways he Ted can have met the mother at the wedding without realising it and then finally meet the mother to end the next series

just keep making it funny - and if possibly focussed on Lilly's boobs, curse you Denisoff you lucky dog - and all will be well

I also like the idea that Ted is in a mental asylum talking to Barney and Robin's kids - or just hallucinating, I would just hug the writers if they went full fuck YOU audience Shyamallamadingdong (its less douchey cause I made it a Grease reference) nonsense twist ending on us like that.

Posted by: PyD at September 29, 2011 7:29 PM

Did anybody notice Barney's tie "speech" in the first episode of the season being eerily similar to (perhaps almost word for word) the same comments he made to ted the first time Barney and Robin got together? That is my thinking that it will be Swarkles together.

Posted by: Murph at September 29, 2011 7:45 PM

omg, Soulless Merchant of Fear - YES. Just - YES. I'd bet lots of things I have that you hit the nail on the head.

Posted by: annie711pm at September 29, 2011 9:21 PM

Didn't we learn that Robyn ends up with Don?

Posted by: ashleyebelle at September 29, 2011 10:18 PM

Years ago I made a slap bet with a friend who thought that Ted and Robin would end up together in the future. Not that she's the Mother, but that things with Mother don't work out, and "aunt" Robin is really step-mother Robin. I've never been afraid of that slap until this season...

I don't want to be slapped...

And I totally agree that the show is on the rise again. They've been steadily improving over the Season 5 low point, and I couldn't be happier. I really hope we see the mother by the end of this season. Even Lost didn't dangle plot points for this long.

Posted by: Nick O at September 29, 2011 10:56 PM

I took Ted saying, you're right, it didn't work, as the three of them hanging out together in the bar each night, as exes and friends. I don't think that it necesarily means that Ted and Robin still have feelings for each other- I think it just means that they're past the stage where they can all hang out as friends each night, especially with Robin's feelings for Barney and Barney's feelings for Nora.

Posted by: Ashley at September 29, 2011 11:19 PM

I don't see Robin and Ted getting back together. When Ted went blonde they had a moment at the end of the episode where they were about to kiss but didn't. And Ted said something like, it was a good thing we didn't do that. It would be weird after that and after their whole sex to avoid fights thing if they gave it another try.

As for Robin and Barney, I don't see it. Even if Robin has feelings for Barney she has said repeatedly that she doesn't want to get married. How is she going to do a complete 180 in one season, and for someone like Barney no less? Also, remember way back in the early seasons, probably the first, where Ted shows a picture that his kids drew of Aunt Robin. They were only playing with Robin. So either Barney doesn't interact with Ted's kids even though he is married to someone who does and is best friends with their dad, they kids just don't like their uncle, or the show is ignoring it.

Posted by: Dave at September 30, 2011 12:50 AM

Okay, me? I think it's kind of lame that they added this new "mystery" for us to obsess about in order to distract us from the question which the show has been building up to for what seems like an eternity. The show's creators are so blatantly, unashamedly milking it for all it's worth. I also do NOT, under no circumstance whatsoever, understand why Barney -- a character who's basically been established as the über man slut -- would get married so soon, let alone EVER. The power of love? Give me a break.

See what you're doing, HIMYM? You're making me bitter. Please end. Please end soon.

Posted by: Thijs at September 30, 2011 2:34 AM

I just re-watched the episode in which Robin dated a guy with a kid and Ted mentioned that "Aunt Robin" was a big fixture in his kids' artwork. No matter what, Robin is not the mother.

Like ashleyebelle I thought they were pretty clear about Robin ending up with Don, but I wonder if they're going to conveniently forget about that and have her end up with Barney.

Posted by: Even Stevens at September 30, 2011 3:03 AM

I thought it was already established that the mother was Rachel Bilson's roommate. Didn't Ted specifically state that her roommate was their mother? Doesn't that bury the notion of a secret Robin-swerve?

I hope the writers have a real plan here, and not some Lost-style figure-it-out-on-the-fly solution to all of this.

Posted by: Bouj at September 30, 2011 9:02 AM

That's right! I had forgotten that Bouj. Also, I could swear that they referred to Don as "Uncle Don" in the original airing of those episodes.

Posted by: Mrs. Julien at September 30, 2011 9:33 AM

I always thought Don was one of two possibilities: another red herring who somehow leads Robin to her future husband, or someone who was supposed to stick around longer but with whom Robin had no chemistry, so they shitcanned that storyline.

Posted by: Courtney at September 30, 2011 10:00 AM

I like how the comments thread hates everyone in the gang except for Marshall. Maybe after this show ends there will be a spin-off starring him. And it will be as terrible as Joey.

And as far as "2011 has been all about hot chicks of Middle-eastern descent totally fucking up couples people seem to enjoy on CBS sitcoms", Priya and Rajesh are Indians, and hence South Asian, not Middle Eastern, please get your geographical regions correct.

Posted by: Quietus at October 3, 2011 1:54 AM

My five cents here: everybody remembers the last episode of Lost, right? "Remember and let go". I think that's what's this season going to be about for Ted with regards to Robin. Victoria's comment that Robin is big in Ted's world is indeed true, but I don't see it for Ted as "OMG, I love Robin" but rather as "If I really want this to work out with someone, if I want to be ready to THE one when she appears, I must let Robin go".

As for the seminal question "who is the mother", as time goes, I get more and more convinced that it's Barney's half-sister. Everything just fits.

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Posted by: php mysql tutorial at October 12, 2011 3:48 AM

Please for the love of all that is holy don't bring back Robin/Ted season 2 was merely the most unbearable to watch if it wasn't for the slap bet and other things mostly related to barney i would've tuned it out completely Robin and Ted were absolutely dreadful together they have zero chemistry and Ted was boring and sappy and Robin was loathful always potrayed as perfect and beautiful(which she isn't she's kind of pretty but not stunning or anything) so the best thing the writers did was break them up and had her go with Barney and from then on it's been good except last season kinda sucked and I didn't give a crap about Zoey and I hate Nora seriously what is with all these middle eastern chicks moving in on our CBS couples although I'm kind of liking Robin and her therapist together.

Posted by: Olivia at October 26, 2011 11:27 PM

Why does everyone think that just because Ted calls robin "aunt robin" when talking to the kids that she's not his wife? I don't ever recall the kids ever calling Ted their father. Whose to say teds just not telling some of his friends how he met THEIR mother, while in fact he is just kid-sitting and is married to robin! (many close families have their kids call their best friends "aunt" or "uncle"

Posted by: Austin at October 28, 2011 2:13 AM

Robin is not the endgame but the person that caused the wheel to turn that led to Ted finally getting everything he wanted in life. Robin is the key to Ted finally learning the life lesson that makes him ready to marry his future wife. Season 7, the writers will focus on the group and the dynamic that binds them together. This will lead to finally moving forward and not be so co-dependent on one another.

Posted by: mafalaa50 at October 28, 2011 3:35 AM

I really like Victoria, she the best girlfriend ted had. I must say, the mother should be better

than Victoria at least, and should be prettier than Cindy (rachel bilson). That is pressure, but i

guess they'll work it out.

Anyway as for Barney and Robin, I like them together, but I always thought Barney would be

kinda cute with someone like Lily, I mean Lily got Barney to re-decorate his apartment and

replace his star wars statue, she also got Barney to willingly replace porn with books(after only a

few days). I dunno but that episode where they live together, was just so natural and easy, and

not complicated, just fun.

Anyhow i know Marshall and Lily are perfect for each other, and they should keep it that way.

But if ever Barney will end up with someone, I hope she'll be just as cute and sweet as Lily. And

no I do not mean Nora. I still largely prefer Robin and Barney, than Nora and Barney.

But you know what they should keep- they should just keep Barney single a little while longer.

He will be the Barney we all know and love, but if he's married, we'll see less of those crazy stuff

he does. Which is a bummer.

If Barney does marry someone other than Robin, I hope she finds someone too, It'll be sad if

she won't. And for the record, It will be better if Robin marries before Barney does. But maybe

they are getting married to each other. Still, Barney shouldn't be married before Ted, that is just

ironic.

Anyway for last, I know it's a totally weird ship (not to mention impossible) but...

In a weird way I still think Barney and Lily kinda works. She's cute and sweet and somewhat

romantic. Barney is the opposite basically. But unlike Nora, Lily can be a bit manipulative like

Barney is, so they can handle each other. And they're friendship is so cute, and they look cute

together in that episode where they kissed. Anyway I know this is never gonna happen and Lily

belongs with Marhsall.

But if ever Barney doesn't marry Robin, then I hope he'll end up with someone like Lily.

Posted by: Allie at November 2, 2011 9:37 AM

I really like Victoria, she the best girlfriend ted had. I must say, the mother should be better than Victoria at least, and should be prettier than Cindy (rachel bilson). That is pressure, but I guess they'll work it out.

Anyway as for Barney and Robin, I like them together, but I always thought Barney would be kinda cute with someone like Lily, I mean Lily got Barney to re-decorate his apartment and replace his star wars statue, she also got Barney to willingly replace porn with books(after only a few days). I dunno but that episode where they live together, was just so natural and easy, and not complicated, just fun.

Anyhow i know Marshall and Lily are perfect for each other, and they should keep it that way. But if ever Barney will end up with someone, I hope she'll be just as cute and sweet as Lily. And no I do not mean Nora. I still largely prefer Robin and Barney, than Nora and Barney.

But you know what they should keep- they should just keep Barney single a little while longer. He will be the Barney we all know and love, but if he's married, we'll see less of those crazy stuff he does. Which is a bummer.

If Barney does marry someone other than Robin, I hope she finds someone too, It'll be sad if she won't. And for the record, It will be better if Robin marries before Barney does. But maybe they are getting married to each other. Still, Barney shouldn't be married before Ted, that is just
ironic.

Anyway for last, I know it's a totally weird ship (not to mention impossible) but...

In a weird way I still think Barney and Lily kinda works. She's cute and sweet and somewhat
romantic. Barney is the opposite basically. But unlike Nora, Lily can be a bit manipulative like Barney is, so they can handle each other. And they're friendship is so cute, and they look cute together in that episode where they kissed. Anyway I know this is never gonna happen and Lily belongs with Marhsall.

But if ever Barney doesn't marry Robin, then I hope he'll end up with someone like Lily.

Reposted because I didn't post correctly before,my mistake...:/

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