"We tell stories in funky ways. There's a lot of fun with structure.
It's a little weird and a little counter-intuitive to show people an
ending of sorts and fill in how we got there, but there are so many
mysteries and runners and different questions to answer in the show that
we like the idea of answering something big about this wedding day
because we know Barney's future wedding day is the day Ted will meet the
mother."
- Craig Thomas, Writer (HIMYM)I don't know how they do it, I don't know what magic they perform .....all I know is that every year, HIMYM comes and takes our hearts away. The writers always know what they need to do to hit the right cord and this episode is no exception.
Season Finales are important because they set the trends for the next season and this is exactly what this episode does. The episode achieves parity between humour and emotions which makes it even more special. The decision to combine two episodes pays off as a perfect flow is achieved which engages the viewer till the end. Barney's bride is finally revealed in the end.
Part I mostly focuses on Baby Eriksen. As Lily goes into labour and Marshall is still in Atlantic City, Robin and Ted take up the duty of supporting Lily. They distract Lily by telling her stories (24 in total) as Barney and Marshal find a way to get back to New York. Part I ends as Marvin Wait-for-it Eriksen steps into a world where Ted and Robin are friends again.In Part II, the focus shifts to Barney as he reaches home (after the Atlantic City trip) to find that his house has been redecorated to resemble Tinkle Bell's vagina. Instead of getting furious, he is relieved to find that Quinn is still there. He apologizes and they decide to take a trip to Hawaii. At the airport, a Big Box is found in Barney's suitcase. He refuses to open it and cites the Magician's Code as an excuse. After a lot of drama, it is revealed that the box was just a ploy to propose to Quinn. She accepts the magical proposal and the couple head back to Marshall and Lily's house to recount the story. Meanwhile, Ted realizes that all this while (8 years) he had been dating the wrong women. So he decides to call Victoria (the only right woman, according to him) to catch up with her. To Ted's surprise, she arrives at the bar in a wedding dress and later reveals that she ran away from her wedding to be with Ted. The episode ends as Ted and Victoria drive into the sunset and Robin is revealed to be Barney's bride.
As you sit through this 44minute episode, you realize how perfect everything is. Not just the actors .... everyone in the HIMYM team contributes tremendously to make this landmark episode. I'll mention a few scenes which will help you realize how true this is. During the Tale of the Cursed Pants, as Marshall enters the Chinese shop, notice it's address and you will realize how good the art directors are. When Ted recites the Tale of Lily's Labour, notice the editing and you will realize how fantastic the editors have been. If you notice Ted's email and the ATM fiasco, you realize how fantastic the graphic designers are. And finally, if you cried or had that warm feeling in your heart throughout the episode, you will realize how great the writers and directors have been.
In Part I, the stories are amazingly woven around Lily's contractions. Even with all the stories, the director ensures that the focus remains on the baby. Tale of the Cursed Pants, Second Base with Neil Young, Ted and the Cuban Sandwich crisis and Terminator Barney are all amazing and hilarious. However the award for the best story has to go to 'Where does that Door Go?' Special Credits to Dr. Sonya and Lily's dad for making the delivery scene amusing.
Also, the scene where the baby is finally revealed to the whole gang is one of the best of the entire series. It is super emotional and really heart warming.
Part II is awesome in it's own way. It is great to watch Barney realize how much he loves Quinn. The marriage proposal is just too good and has the potential to go into some record books for being the most magical and unique proposal ever. His confrontation with Robin is super amazing and really touching. The return of Victoria and Ted's actions following her return are understandable and his desperation is visible. I was not very surprised with the end as I knew it would be Robin. (Wasn't it obvious ??)
Altough they won't affect my ratings, there were a few shortcomings that I noticed. Firstly, Robin's behaviour (especially in Part I) felt kinda stupid. Instead of having her own storyline, Robin's character is simply shaped by happenings in the lives of the other gang members. Secondly, the return of Victoria feels as if the series is taking a step back Finally, the episode could have been a little more amusing to make it even more memorable.
However Simply put, the Episode is Legendary.
Star Rating : ★★★★★
Laughometer : ☻☻☻
PS. Marvin Erikson seriously has the best middle name ever. I wish I could convince my parents to let me add "wait-for-it" as my middle name too :P
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