Today I will write about How I Met Your Mother's two-episode season finale "Magician's Code".
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| Barney, Robin and Ted with new Marshall and stripper Lily |
Why This Ending is Big:
1. Barney's bride is revealed... before Ted even meets his second bride.
2. Lily give birth to hers and Marshall's son. And his middle name is awesome... and it's not even Hurricane.
3. Ted... well, he's driving off into the sunset with The One That Got Away (aka The Woman Who Makes A Lot of Sense). Finally.
My Thoughts on "Magician's Code":
1. No matter how much I love How I Met Your Mother, its episodes can't be 43 minutes long. It's just too much for my short attention span. But this was a season finale so I made an exception.
2. Of all of Ted's gazillion exes, with the exception of the great Robin Scherbatsky, it was Victoria who he had the best connection with. When she came back this season and told Ted why he hasn't found The One yet, I want to tell the writers, Please let Victoria be the Mother. She gets Ted (and even his friends) so well--in the relationship front--that I want them to end up together. Him going after her made more sense than him going gaga over Stella or Zoey. Sadly, I know Victoria is not going to be the Mother but I forgive the writers for this deflection because (a) Life is a series of deflections and (b) going after Victoria, like in Robin's case, was necessary for Ted. He needs to put closure to all Must-Have-Beens in his life for him to be able to be ready for the awesomeness that is the Mother. Even the Slutty Pumpkin.
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| Ted's necessary deflection |
3. Marshall and Lily (and Barney!) outdid themselves once again by middle-naming their son Wait For It. This baby is going to be awesome.
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| Best. Middle. Name. Ever. |
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| Marshall: Our baby's first outing was to a bar. |
4. Barney grew up... more. I thought Season 6 was the season when Barney became mature enough to acknowledge that: (a) James' dad is not his, (b) his father is not as legendary as he used to be, (c) Loretta is and has always been a good mother and father to him and James, (d) he and Robin loved each other and had a good run, (e) "the future is scary but [he] cannot just run back to the past because it's familiar... it's a mistake", and (f) he should go after Nora and try make things work. I was wrong. Season 7 was bigger for him because he: (a) had two serious relationships (mind you, Ted had none), (b) broke up with Nora to be with Robin, (c) got dumped by Robin and didn't make a scene out of it, (d) seriously dated a stripper named Quinn, (e) allowed Ted to pursue Robin because Robin's his bro, (f) moved in with Quinn, (g) tried to be ok with the fact that his girlfriend dances on men's laps for a living, (h) proposed marriage to his stripper-girlfriend despite not loving her job, and, to top it all off, (i) gets married to his best-bro Robin.
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| Two awesomes don't cancel each other out. |
Who said this show was only about meeting The Mother?
The whole Magician's Code thing--Barney proposing to Quinn but revealing Robin as his bride--was a smart move on the writers' part. They have promised that Barney's bride will be revealed and managed to keep our (read: those who watch the show mainly because of Barney and Robin) interest piqued 'til show's final season, Season 8. They have kept their implied promise that Barney and Robin just "need[ed] to let things run their course".
5. Albeit the growth Barney underwent this season, this was truly Robin's season.
5.1 She realized she still loved Barney the same time he realized it's time to try things out with Nora. The scene in "The Best Man" when she helped Barney "try not to screw things up" using the words she wanted to tell him was heartbreaking.
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| Barney to Nora: The reason that I called is... Robin: To tell you how I feel about you. I know we didn't work out the first time, and I know it doesn't make any sense. But I can't shake the feeling that we belong together. Is there any part of you that wants to try again? |
5.2 She let Barney prove to Nora that he's "trying to change" and not give him crap about it.
5.3 She helped Barney end his Bimbo Delivery Systems and, while doing so, realize that he deserves to be happy.
5.4 She got into therapy for assaulting one of the bimbos who replied to Barney's BDS when the bimbo tried to ruin his date with Nora.
5.5 She accepted that she's constantly looking for reasons not to be happy because the thought of being happy scares her.
5.6 She dated her therapist, seriously.
5.7 She gamely jeers Barney for being "one-quarter Canadian!"
5.8 She cheated on her nice boyfriend with one of her best guy friends.
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| Two wrongs don't make a right. |
5.9 She gave up on giving Barney and her a second chance because her boyfriend was just... so nice.
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| The second that would never end. |
5.10 She thinks she's pregnant, tells Barney about it, deals with Barney's
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| Ted cheers Robin up. |
5.11 She agrees to marry her therapist-boyfriend. Only for him to take the proposal back because she's scared to owe someone that much (read: being a father). Oh. Dear. God.
5.12 She tells Ted she doesn't love him even though she knows that this will affect their friendship, and Ted tells her their 40-Deal is over.
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| It's finally over between Ted and Robin. |
5.13 She moves out of the apartment she shares with Ted, and tries to live with Lily and Marshall.
5.14 She tries to be happy for Barney and Quinn when they moved in together.
5.15 She became Sandy Rivers' co-host. Again. Finally a victory.
5.16 She doesn't talk to Ted for "a long time", as they struggle to get back to normal.
5.17 She (and Ted) helps Lily with her contractions. It's funny how she tries to deal with Lily's impending delivery like she did with a cow when she was young.
5.18 She tells Ted he is full of crap and he should stop chasing the wrong women... and go after Victoria instead.
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| Robin to Ted: Then you would actually have a chance to get what you say what you want, and it terrifies you. Why? Because if I saw a scalpel and I cut you open, all I would find inside is a scared, trembling pile of crap. |
5.19 She agrees to be the photographer for baby Marvin's birth announcement card... despite having to deal with the fact that she can't have children months earlier. Strong woman.
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| Marvin W. Eriksen |
5.20 She tries to look normal and happy as Barney and Quinn tells the group that they're engaged. She tells him he's awesome and she's happy for him. Relationship-wise, what's worse than losing three of your best
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| Robin: I'm really happy for you. Barney: Really? Robin: Really. |
6. For me, season 7 worked. It did what it had to do: Lay down the ground work for Season 8, the show's last. Answers were given, albeit creating more questions. But, it brings home the point that How I Met Your Mother has been trying to and is continuing to make, this story is not about the ending. It's about how we get to it--not when. After all, the show is not named When I Met Your Mother.
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