That last episode was actually pretty decent. Looks like the last season might end on a high note.

who is the mother?

SO it's kind of like lost?

oh, that would just make the entire run a complete waste of time for me.

I have to agree. "Kids let me tell you this light hearted tale of how I met you mother, who had just recently died." ugh

I had wanted the twist ending to be adoption and the reveal of the "real" mother, but seeing Cristin Milioti preggers killed any chance of that happening.


Also, can we talk about how miscalculated this Marshall/Lilly fight was by the showrunners? Every discussion I have seen about this is pretty much "well, Marshall should have discussed it before taking the job" then a 4 page rant of every time Lilly has been a bitch on the show.

It is quite amazing to see. After this all plays out, I would love to see an interview question about this. Hopefully, without the Anna Gunn "People who don't like a female characters are just misogynists who think women should serve their husbands."

True, his judgeship acceptance was contrived to the point where a Redditor noted he took the time to ask if he could video conference, use a giant Jor-El head to officiate, et cetera et cetera but not take the time to make a phone call to Lily to talk about it. But at the same time you have to accept the notion that if he were offered the spot on the bench after such a short time of applying for it, he'd have to take the position.

That being said, the way Lily's actions have been written have opened her up to such hate. While she isn't a bitch per se, she's been made out to be pretty self-centered a lot of the time.

1) Going to San Francisco to find herself and get her art career started: I'll defend this one because at least it's a defensible thing for any person, female or male, to pursue. I'd think that if the writer's so chose, they could have made her career successful instead of not and have her brought back to NYC for Season 2 but postponed her and Marshall's rejoining to build up some tension.

But they didn't, so she came back when Barney flew out to SF to convince her to return because of how bad Marshall was.. even though he was just starting to look like he was moving on when he dated the girl at the coffee shop (Morena Baccarin) which brings me to my next point..

2) Lily broke into the apartment and stalked the coffee shop girl. If you flip the genders on these characters and this looks a hell of a lot creepier. Gender dynamics aside, Lily put the kibosh on him moving on to date someone else. That was part of her reason for going to SF: to find herself out of Marshall. Why can't he do the same?

3) Finally, why I really think Lily deserves to be taken down a peg, is the arc with Marshall working for Barney's bank. He took the job in large part to Lily's monstrous credit card debt, which is fine. However, when Marshall considered staying at said job, Lily attacked him for it because it didn't jive with her idea that Marshall would work as an environmentalist lawyer which is what he had planned up to that point. The ****? So you're fine with him paying off the thousands of dollars racked up in purchases (when she actually does purchase something, remember she does have deft hands when it comes to stealing) but not fine with how he's getting the money? Nuh-uh.

It's basically the Jim-Pam fight during Season 9 of The Office, <strike>but instead of a fifteen episode arc leading up to the fight, they decided to condense it down to one episode.</strike>

Good thoughts/breakdown of Lily.

She's never been an extremely likeable character. Part of that is because Lily and Robin and Marshall and Ted are examples of flipped gender roles.

Lily and Robin display a lot of traits usually reserved for the male gender role (me-first, find themself before committing, career-first, life-experience first, not wanting kids, logical rather than emotional, and probably a few that aren't springing to mind, sexual empowerment, sexual curiosity).

Meanwhile, in Ted and Marshall, you see two really sweet, nice guys that are relationship-first, family first, romantic, emotional).

The Ted-Robin relationship doesn't work because they're in different places or because she isn't The One. It doesn't work because Ted is too sensitive/progressive for Robin, and not (traditionally) manly enough.

One other thing I was thinking about after this week's role: They've done a lot in the last season and a half to break down some of the Barney Stinson facade. First, the settling down/falling in love with Robin. In the past episode, him admitting that he was broken inside and his behavior reflected that, and also his reveal that his entire job was an elaborate long con designed to get revenge on the guy who stole his girlfriend...

Not sure how I feel about that. Is Barney better off being humanized and brought back to earth, as they've recently done? Or is he better as a ridiculous caricature?

I think a large part of the problem is that the show should've only ran for 6-7 seasons max. I don't really believe they intended it to go 8. I think you see the cracks in the narrative once you realize that the whole point of Nick and Quinn/Karma in Season 8 were to extend the same plot points brought on by Kevin and Nora from seasons 6 and 7 for Robin and Barney respectively.

EDIT:

Plus IF they did, the time traveler episode from last season would become profound. It would end up being one of the cornerstone episodes of the series instead of the uncomfortable fart noise that it is.

I don't remember the Time Traveler episode. It's probably best I don't.

I stopped watching the office by then. What was the fight about?

this one?

http://how-i-met-your-mother.wikia.c...Time_Travelers

In the first episode of the ninth season, Jim helped launch a start-up company (a sports agency) based in Philadelphia without fully conveying the level of this commitment to Pam. Eventually, he had to start working part time in Philadelphia but did not give Pam a true idea of how involved he would have to be with that company.

Episode 12 culminated in a huge fight between Jim and Pam while Jim was in Philadelphia (both John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer were lauded for their performances here) and through the remainder of Season 9 they focused on rekindling their relationship (while many assumed (correctly) that they would wind up back together, the relationship was quite calamitous for a while).

Overall, Season 9 of The Office vastly exceeded my expectations leading into the season. It had some low moments/episodes, but the last three episodes (especially the finale) are definitely worth a watch if you have not seen them already.

Pretty much this. I'm on Marshall's side on this.

Admittedly, I've only been passively following this season of HIMYM, and the episodes I've seen didn't mention Marshall's new job. I now see that Marshall actually brought this up in the first episode of the season (rather than it being introduced in the last episode).

I still believe their marital issues mirror Jim and Pam's in the last season of The Office (which, as Vulture points out, was similar to the marital problems seen in the last season of Friday Night Lights).

It just seems to me that someone his age with his relatively short career as a lawyer would never be offered a judgeship, especially in NYC where there are likely hundreds, maybe thousands, of far more qualified lawyers. Seems really far-fetched.

I know of a lawyer who couldn't have been more than 40 when he took a municipal judgeship dealing with traffic violations. The HIMYM cast is about in their mid-30s.. He *did* go to Columbia Law.. Perhaps his work with GNB / Barney's meddling got him early consideration.

What if it ted that dying not the mother?

Didn't cross my mind until a Redditor suggested that on /r/HIMYM

Yeah I watched the last few episodes and the amazing finale. They had that one line regarding Pam being blamed for the fight that I didnt get, so that is why I asked.

I bailed on the office in the middle of Season 8. Sounds like I didnt miss anything good.

Yes.

I don't think HIMYM has gotten any worse than any other long running show trying to stretch out a last season. The time travelers episode was pretty good I thought. I was the last of my friends to settle down, so maybe it just spoke to me a little more than those who have given input already. The past couple seasons haven't been as good, i'll agree, but I'm still enjoying the show.

I have to side with Marshall in this fight. All past events aside, he is the one that spent all that time and money going to school for his job. Lilly just kinda stumbled into her's, and now she claims its her "dream" but her dream was actually to become a famous artist, and the idea of being an art consultant didn't cross her mind until the captain offered her a job doing it. I get why she is upset, as Marshall didn't tell her until after he had accepted it, but I think any sane spouse would understand that a judgeship is the culmination of all of her husband's hard work.

I'm a little hard on the time traveler episode because it felt really unnecessary, and it's filled with missed opportunities.

And I agree with the rest of what you said. I'm still very much enjoying it. The show has gone on too long. But I have faith that the home stretch will be worth the wheel spinning.

I thought the last two weeks episodes were pretty funny, so i'm hoping it picks up some steam. Looking forward to this monday's episode to see things from her point of view.

Anybody else hear they are thinking of doing a spin off called "How I Met Your Father" ? The host on 38 said something about it during one of the syndicated airings and I'm really not sure how I feel about it. Had they come up with the idea a few years back, I think the writers wouldn't be running on fumes, and it would have been a great idea. However, like we've said, they stretched this out too far and I'm worried any spin off wouldn't even be worthy. Kinda like Friends/Joey.

It's been green lighted and a received a series order from CBS. It's happening. I think it could be cool. Emily Spivey is joining the writing/show-running team. And it will focus on a brand new group of people, which could be fun.

From what I've read it looks like the main tie between the two shows will be MacLaren's.

This article doesn't really give anything away, so it's safe to click. But I'll put it in a spoiler tag just in case there are some that don't want even a hint about anything in the finale. I avoid spoilers and this article didn't ruin anything for me.

Yeah it was a reaction shot because they figured out that the children would age out of their roles most likely.

Tonight's a big one -episode 200.

Might've been the busiest ****ing opening segment the show's ever had.

EDIT 1: Oh c'mon that was some bullshit
EDIT 2: Wow that joke was so incredibly meta it was ****ing hilarious
EDIT 3: So that's why they kept the pace up for that first section.
EDIT 4: "I know you're up there playing baseball with your dad"... yeah thatwould've been REALLY sad had that been developed ahead of time.

Nakedman!!

ONE! Toasted English Muffin. . . That is just what I aaaaaaam!!

Is it weird that I expect Lou Ferrigno Jr to talk like he's deaf?

Two out of three times man. Two out of every three times.

Tonight was the first time since Barney's bachelor party that I didn't hate myself for still watching this show.

Bays and Thomas redeemed themselves big time for most -if not all- of the filler episodes that have been made since season 6. Outside of one laughable "continuity" error, there was nothing more they could've done with tonight's episode that would have made it any way better.

I just began season 7. Season 6 was just...incredible, I thought...my favorite season yet. I started watching the show about 4-5 years ago... kept at it here and there until about 2 years ago. Took a break after Season 5 for no particular reason...I think I got hooked on Six Feet Under and just kind of forgot about it...and now that I've started watching again and am at the beginning of season 7, I'm just hooked.

In regards to season 6:

I agree 100%.

Yikes. Forgot about that. They also both vomit at the wedding, so there's that too.

I actually felt more for the Mother on the porch scene because we never knew Max. That hit like a thunder hammer. Some of the best writing/acting the show has produced. But I'm a major less is more type of person. The baseball line especially. What a great way to show us a history. Wow.

Well, this is good news. Looks like the spin-off isn't going to rely on a similar cast as the original.
http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/01/31/ho...acter-details/

how I met your dad is sounding more and more like That 80s show.

.

I'm not a fan of spinoffs. But if it's a similar writing crew, could be interesting to see what they do if they start from scratch. Hopefully, if it's a spinoff, they commit to an end date vs. trying to stretch the show out. I thought last week's episode showed that the writers still have it, when they stay on storyline.

If they waited a season or two to debut HIMYD it'd be no problem.

Since I figured correctly a gay couple would be in the main cast, I'm calling my shot to say that the titular dad will not be the man Sally winds up with.

Floating Robin. Awful.

Really casts an odd pall on what was a pretty good episode.

Agree. Thought is was good up to that part. Just seemed over the top and unnecessary.

Thought Ted's tirade on the bridge was one of the higher points of this season. Shows that Ted the Dreamer, Ted the Hopeless Romantic is still in there. That Ted the Player, Ted the Asshole... were just masks he assumed to try to get over Robin.

Managed to get through it and give him some closure on the Robin thing, hopefully once and for all.

I expect the Ted/Robin scene in the hotel room, when she tells him she can't do it, will cement the closure and show us that Ted has truly moved on. She'll leave him some sort of opening where he could slip back in and maybe be with her/start things over... and he'll turn it down.

Yep. I am so tired of Ted lovesick over Robin. I thought we had put that to bed last season. He is leaving for Chicago and is ready to move on. Now his character back slid into this bullshit again.

Sepinwall had two very valid points. Last week's episode clearly showed that they could have fleshed out the mother so much more this season. It would have been a fresh take for the show. Then he tweeted out this:
Alan Sepinwall verified
This is a problem. He meets Mother only HOURS from now. RT @graves996: "I wanted to bang your aunt robin for 8 yrs and settled for your mom"

While the episode was ok, I found myself going "Ugh.....more of this Ted/Robin bullshit. Can't we be done with this already?"

Hopefully, that was the point of the episode.

Him FINALLY... AT LAST... letting go and being OVER it.

I think it's an attempt to bring Ted the Hopeless Romantic full circle and bring him back to the place he was at the start of the show. That Ted is worthy of the mother and someone capable of living up to the ghost of Max. The Ted we've seen the past few seasons is probably not.

Fyi l, Bays and Thomas did an "ask us anything" thread on Reddit and said they'd decided back in season 5/6 to have Barney and Robin end up together. So yeah.. In a sense they've stretched two seasons of development over 3-4 instesf.

I am so annoyed that I missed that AMA. Jennifer Love Hewitt turned down the role of Robin. I am sure she is pissed she turned down all that syndication money.

I would have asked if they had a plot line or a character that they thought the audience would love, but totally misfired.

JLH wouldn't have worked out very well IMO. I think they needed an unknown for Robin's role.

cobie smulders was amazing looking in season 1. hotter than jlh imo.

I AGREE!!!!

Especially with Cobie having legit Canadian roots....I love the Canadian jokes/back story to this show. I think Canada and their Canadians are pretty awesome.

Robin was the perfect selection for this role.

Gosh...imagine if they would have went with Samm Levine over NPH for the Barny Stinson role......they made the right choice.

Greta Gerwig Lands Lead in ‘How I Met Your Mother’ Spinoff
by COLLEEN CASEY

Spinoffs are far from being television gold (Joey is just one example that comes to mind), but that isn’t stopping Carter Bays and Craig Thomas — the duo behind How I Met Your Mother – from looking for success with How I Met Your Dad. The cast started to take shape Tuesday when it was announced that Greta Gerwig will play the “I,” otherwise known as Sally, in the new series.

Gerwig is known for her role in Frances Ha, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination. She wrote the movie with Noah Baumbach, and is reported to be a writer for the new show, as well as a producer. When the audience meets Sally, she is coming to the realization that she and her new husband have nothing in common, New York Daily News reports. Sally — a New Yorker in her late 20s — then goes on her search for her true soulmate with the help of her friends.

With How I Met Your Dad, CBS will be looking to fill the lucrative shoes of How I Met Your Mother. The series, now in its final run, has seen boosted ratings throughout its ninth season. Its 200th episode drew a 3.8 in adults aged 18-49 years old and had 10.7 million viewers, an increase of 23 percent over the previous week.

In an interview with reporters, Thomas discussed the spinoff, and IGN published his remarks. Thomas said the new show will have “curveballs,” because he believes “this new show has to prove how it’s its own thing and how it’s different.” Part of this is accomplished by having a female perspective, because that introduces new possibilities and problems. “The character in How I Met Your Dad, the main character Sally, is very different from Ted Mosby,” Thomas explained. “We meet her at a very different and tumultuous moment of her life.”

During the interview, Thomas revealed new perspective had been introduced into the writers room as well. Emily Spivey, who has written for Saturday Night Live and Up All Night, had joined the pair in creating the script.

Thomas is aware that How I Met Your Dad will have to fight against the doomed spinoffs of the past and the stereotypes that followed. “People will say, ‘Comedies can’t do that. Spinoffs only work if it’s like Frasier. You choose the right beloved character, and you spin it off in the right way.’ If you do it wrong, it’s The Tortellis on Cheers or something. Cheers has the two extremes of how it can go: Frasier and The Tortellis,” he remarked.

He quotes and credits How I Met Your Mother character Barney for the mentality he and Bays used when approaching the new series. Known for his phrase “Challenge accepted!” Barney entered into a variety of situations on the show. Likewise, Thomas and Bays are viewing a spinoff of the beloved original as a kind of challenge accepted. “We want to at least try. It’s worth writing 48 pages,” he said.

At the heart of How I Met Your Dad is an idea Bays and Thomas have been invested in since the earliest days of How I Met Your Mother. In an interview with the Writers Guild of America, Bays said the show was premised on an idea everyone can relate to. “Everybody wonders that about their parents. It felt like something we could tap into,” Bays said. “Then that sort of got applied to Craig and I writing about our lives and friends and the things that happen in our world.”

http://wallstcheatsheet.com/entertai...f.html/?ref=YF

Final Table Read


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Umm...so this is how the last HIMYM Table Read went for me.
<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23sorrytrees&amp;src=hash">#sorrytrees</a> <a href="http://t.co/UApWvPbbOM">pic.twitter.com/UApWvPbbOM</a></p>&mdash; alyson hannigan (@alydenisof) <a href="https://twitter.com/alydenisof/statuses/434475670932963328">February 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

That must be a really kinky script

Dry, arid even.

Someone is going to be "dead" by the end of the show.

Your avatar is a fitting memorial

It'd be the most aggravating series finale short of Roseanne's, St. Elsewhere's and Newheart's.

I'm not sure what to think. It's possible, but it would kind of make the kids groaning about Ted telling the story a little strange. Unless they built the ending assuming everyone could just ignore those kind of small details.

Newhart's is the greatest series finale in the history of TV. Him waking up with his wife from the first series and realizing the whole Vermont inn thing was a dream was brilliant.

Okay.. but still Roseanne tho.

My favorite was the Wonder Years.

Most ****ed up ending of all time in a hilarious way... Alf. Dinosaurs too, but that ended the way it was supposed to. Pretty hilarious that Alf was cancelled when it was.

Unless, he is trying to find a way to tell them the bad news but starting them off with the story of how they met.

Jesus that would be such a downer. Your mother is dead, but remember how funny Uncle Marshall was?

Remember how me and your Uncle Barney combined to sleep with around 200 women?

I'm really intrigued and have no clue which way they're taking this series finale.

The writers have specialized at hiding dramatic moments ... in fact, I think there are enough that classifying the show as a "comedy" is questionable at times. I still get a catch in my throat when I think about Bad News (the episode where Marshall's dad dies). And I balled the first time I saw it.

So it wouldn't surprise me at all if the show ends with something tragic... like the mother's death/impending death or something like that.

It also wouldn't surprise me if Alyson Hannigan lost it because the show is coming to an end or something like that.

I watched that twice. First time for the emotion, the second to catch every single number in the countdown. So creative.

Only five more eps left folks. Tonight's offering was pretty good.. had a moral, showed some Mother and comically showed some evidence why Ted is the way he is.

Nice episode.

Okay I'm almost 100% sure now.