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RSS'How I Met Your Mother' Finale: The goat, Linda Knievel and the leap
I don't know how else to say this, so I'll just come right out with it -- we got the goat tonight! "How I Met Your Mother" finally gave us the goat! Were you nearly as excited by that I as I was? I hope so, because if you weren't nothing that follows will seem magical.
What? You don't want to talk about the goat? You want to talk about Lily announcing to Marshall that she was pregnant? Yeah, that was a lie she told to stop him from plunging to certain doom. That wasn't as good as the goat.
I guess, perhaps, we could talk about the Barney-Robin thing, after all, I've been a 'shipper for much of the season. It does hurt me a little to talk about it though because Marshall decided that Robin wasn't all that attractive, and I like Marshall so I don't want to have to get into a disagreement with him.
Marshall also came up with the terrible idea (if you're a 'shipper) of Robin "Mosbying" Barney by declaring her love for Barney so that he would back off. That all may have worked if Lily hadn't opened her non-pregnant (and yet pregnant in that Alyson is pregnant) mouth.
I did love the back and forth between Robin and Barney in the hospital though -- that has to be one of the funniest scenes in a long time. It was kind of like the end of "Chinatown," but played for laughs, of course. Clearly there's a lot more to be explored in that possible relationship, but I hope the show doesn't keep the will they/won't they thing going on too long, and "too long" may not be that far off.
Enough of that however, on to Ted and the goat!
How is it that Ted couldn't come up with a design for the Ribtown cowboy hat-shaped restaurant? I have to assume that indicated that Ted was never a terribly great architect, some Imagineer over at Disney probably has 12 different versions hidden away in his desk right now.
Maybe Ted did come up with an idea by his deadline, but if you ask me the restaurant looked more like a 15-gallon hat, not the more traditional 10-gallon one (perhaps due to the size of the patrons?). However, that wasn't why he didn't get the job. Let's face it, Sven's dino-with-a-cowboy-hat restaurant was truly awesome. At least Ted didn't take the loss that badly, you know, except for the whole new career thing.
Ted as a professor works, the man loves speechifying. Do you think that just because the mother is in Ted's first class we'll get to see her soon? Does this make Ted the horny old teacher sleeping with a comely young student? I can see him in that role, too.
And then there actually was the goat. The show has been building the goat story since the first season, and I think they did a really good job capping it (probably) tonight. It was both funny and a moment which clearly marked Ted for the rest of his life (even if the hoof-print fades). I'd like more from the next slap and Robin Sparkles video, but for the goat story the semi-understated thing worked, after all, it's not like Ted was going to have sex with the goat, so what more could they do with it. I do have two questions on the goat though: how did the goat keep getting the washcloth and once the goat had it, why did Ted keep trying to take it back (it wasn't like the washcloth would ever be usable again)?
Odds and ends:
- Our final quote of the night for this season -- Marshall on how to design the restaurant, "it's a rib joint for fat tourists, just make sure the doors are wide and the chairs are reinforced."
- Lily is not Linda Knievel. Yeah, I'm pretty happy with that fact, I like her as Lily, and it was really nice to have her back for a full episode tonight. I actually didn't realize how much I had missed her presence these past few weeks.
- What do you think we can look forward to next season? What do you want to see?
The TV and Film Guy's Reviews -- we could totally be a professor.
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I hope people recognized the song when the goat was attacking Ted. It's Murder Train by the Foreskins!!! Loved it.
Bringing back Sven was funny too.
How did the goat lock itself in the bathroom without opposable thumbs?
I don't think Marshall thinks Robin is ugly. She's just not his type, clearly. Because his type is Lily.
Excellent finish. 2nd joke about the 2 girls being pregnant (Robin made a joke after she had food poisoning). They had good storytelling today, setting the stage for a move that makes sense for Ted. Good symbolism, albeit plain as day both times. Great inerplay between Barney and Robin. Lily is like Carla on Scrubs - she seems to get a mixed review from some, but I like it, as I think each comedy "group" needs a steadying influence in their "family", and she's it.
Robin didn't look pregnant (IRL) in this episode, but Lily did. Was this one filmed before Lily left and before Robin started showing? Or did Robin have her baby (IRL)?
The Barney/ Robin thing was such a let down. Did Barney's small heart grow three sizes that day? Did Harry run through the streets looking for Sally. Nope, that leap never happened. Who would turn down Cobie Smulders?
And why hide Cobie's pregnancy? How great ney, awesome would it be if Barney knew he could be the father-to-be.
Don't be hurt by Marshall calling Robin "Eh." Lily was right there. She does not want her husband to think her best friend is prettier than her. Besides, who's saying Robin is freakishly tall, huh? I know Marshall's the runt of the family.
As for Marshall, so funny to see him try to leap year after year. It called back to a past episode (can't remember, but I know it was a past episode). So nice HIMYM moment there.
Thought it was a pretty nice ending. We got the Barney/Robin ending (So shocking, but kinda understandable, to see Robin has been listening to Barney's proclamation). We know where the mother is. And, we finally figured what happened to the goat. To me, it was anti-climactic, but what else could you do with a goat?
@Carrie - it was filmed before
Alyson Hannigan (Lily) left and before Cobie Smulders (Robin) started to show.
Anyway, I wanted so much more for Barney and Robin, but I guess I have to wait for next season. I loved Robin's "It's Barney! I mean, it's Barney... but it's Barney." LOL Three different feelings on the same two words! Hospital scene was fun too.
For Mother watchers, this probably rules out the idea that Victoria? the cupcake girl is the mother since Ted already knows her and it'd be kinda of anti-climactic to have her be in his cl*** (also wouldn't really make sense). Though they could probably find some kind of way to inject that is/she isn't she the one story in, I'd be disappointed if they went that way, either way.
During the Marshall roof jump flashbacks, one was from a Halloween party. Not sure if it was the one that occurred during the show's timeline or the one that occurred the year before it where Ted met "The Slutty Pumpkin". I was trying to look for clues in the background but did not see anything determinate.
I was also suprised and a little disappointed that after Marshall and/or all of them made the jump, someone from the apartment didn't come out and say something like, "What the hell are you people doing on my roof" or something like that. Guess they felt the jumping moment was the best way to go out.
And how did they end up getting BACK? It looked like the roof they jumped to was lower than their roof.
I loved it!
So many things - Barney & Robin, Marshall's reactions/advice/party planning/leap, Lily finally back and the voice of reason and Ted becoming a prof. Couldn't we all picture that the moment Tony said it? And finally - something about the mother. I love how all the pieces finally fall into place. Just one question - are they going to take some liberties with the student's age? Ted did just turn 31.
The goat thing was ok, the hospital after was funnier.
Best moments: Barney/Robin in the hospital room, Marshall's Robin is 'enh'& pulling a Mosby, Lily's secret keeping skills, the foreskins and Sven returning and seeing professor Mosby after the year Ted had.