Photo: Courtesy of CBS.It's been a long, hard road for How I Met Your Mother fans. When the show started we couldn't get enough — the MacLaren's gang was always a hoot, and we genuinely cared about Ted finding love. But now, nine years later, there have been so many one-night stands, failed proposals, runaway brides, and romantic missteps that we just don't have the energy. Cut to the chase and show us the goods already! (The goods being Ted and The Mother's first meeting, of course).
But, last night, the HIMYM team celebrated the show's 200th episode by finally bowing to the audience's collective desires. "How Your Mother Met Me" retold the story from the point of view of, you guessed it, The Mother. Think of it as basically one big Missed Connections, with a whole bunch of HIMYM inside jokes tossed in. We got to watch as Ted and his soon-to-be betrothed come unknowingly in and out of each other's lives, whether it's drinks at MacLaren's, attending the same St. Patrick's Day party, or mutual run-ins with The Naked Man.
Some of the plot points simply played out story lines that we knew about — Ted dating The Mother's roommate, Ted stealing the infamous yellow umbrella — but it also gave us more of her surprisingly tragic backstory. The Mother celebrated her 21st birthday at MacLaren's the same night that Ted first met Robin, but the two never ran into each other because spoiler alert: The Mother received a phone call telling her that her long-term boyfriend died. It's certainly a bold move, but it also explains why it took so dang long for her to be ready to date. If she hadn't been in mourning she certainly would have been scooped up by one of her many suitors to come along before Ted.
Sure, if you look closely it was all a bit contrived and slightly too convenient, but it was also gratifying and sentimental. This episode was meant to gear up our emotions for the show's final stretch, and darn it if we didn't get a bit misty eyed when we watched Ted listening to The Mother sing "La Vie En Rose" on the next balcony. Cheesy? Sure. But isn't that why we're watching in the first place? (Vulture)