How I Met Your Mother - Recap: The Best Thing We Do

Recap and review of How I Met Your Mother - Season 9 Episode 22 - The End Of The Aisle:

At some point, How I Met Your Mother had to bring Ted (Josh Radnor) to the point where his feelings for Robin (Cobie Smulders) fell away completely. It had to be something that happened before he could meet The Mother (Cristin Milioti), and it couldn't simply be a matter of Robin rejecting him outright. It had to be Ted coming to that realization himself, recognizing that Robin just isn't the woman for him. And so it is here with "The End of the Aisle," an episode I wasn't sure would ever come. Not only do Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) and Robin officially tie the knot, but we finally get a sense of closure on a romance that has been going on for nine years now, as Ted not only lets Robin go, he sends her on towards her destiny. It's a corny way of phrasing it, sure; but there's a lot about this episode that would be corny in any other context. However, the sincerity of the cast, particularly Radnor, makes "The End of the Aisle" a triumphant half hour of TV.

Credit: CBS

The crux of the narrative is the old "Bride and Groom Get Cold Feet Before the Wedding" plot. In theory, this should be a tired development that's beneath the show at this stage in the game. However, this plot is the catalyst for resolving nine years of unresolved issues. Basically, Robin feels that because Barney didn't find her locket, it's a sign that she shouldn't be marrying him. With just an hour to go until the wedding, Ted decides that the only way to fix things is to give Barney the locket to give to Robin. And it's a noble plan; sure, it involves deceiving Robin, but Ted is sacrificing the affection he'd have won for founding it, all so she can get over her nervous jitters and confidently embrace a future with the man she's meant to have. And yet, it isn't until the end of the episode that both Ted and Barney (hell, the entire cast) recognize that they can't win with deception. In short, the episode has two separate narrative tracks, yet they both focus on the injurious nature of deception in a relationship, and how honesty can often be a balm to doubt.

Robin immediately sees through Ted's ploy to have Barney take credit for finding the locket, and wonders if maybe she's marrying the wrong guy. In fact, she starts to wonder if Ted might not be the guy for her after all. She claims that she knows Ted and knows his heart, and she needs a man who will always "go big" for her. But Ted responds by saying that if she thinks he'd be a party to breaking up her marriage to Barney, she doesn't know him very well at all. As flatly as he can, Ted declares that he doesn't love Robin in that way anymore, because he's "not that guy anymore." Much like in last week's date with The Mother, we see how nine years of ups and downs have morphed Ted into a different man. His sentimentality is still evident, but it's balanced with reason. He's not a being of pure emotion anymore, he's a man who understands what's best for him, and has the good sense to help his friends see what's best for them. It's taken nearly a decade, but this is the moment where I feel like we're meant to see Ted as finally being ready for The Mother. Hell, if it's not this moment, it's the next...

Ted launches into a speech that ranks among Josh Radnor's best moments in the series, as it's a speech that could easily have collapses under the weight of its own inherent corniness, and yet it ends up being among the most powerful scenes this season. As if addressing audience concerns that Barney and Robin don't make sense as a couple, Ted allays Robin's fears by saying that love isn't supposed to make sense. Love is something you simply feel for another person, and it's not something you have to justify to anyone. And if that isn't good enough, then the human race should probably pack it in. "Love is the best thing we do," Ted declares, and assures Robin that the fact that nonsensical nature of her relationship with Barney actually makes perfect sense. It's a gorgeous scene that has me wishing Josh Radnor received more awards recognition for this role over the past handful of seasons, since he's at least as good as some of the other actors who've been shortlisted for the Emmy in recent years (Matthew Morrison, Jon Cryer, take your pick). And I'd argue, in many ways, he's better. He has material that might not work on the page, yet he brings it to life in such a way that it's damn convincing. Ted is the heart of this show, and not just because he's the narrator. He's a moral center and a guiding influence. It's not just his story, but it's through him that the show directs its sympathies and finds the poignant, lingering moments and stories. Barney is HIMYM's most memorable character, but I would argue that Ted is its most affecting. His smile when he spies Barney and Robin's make-up kiss tells us all we need to know about how far he's come, and how ready he is for what's ahead.

Credit: CBS

The B-story this week isn't nearly as compelling, but it works because it manages to rope back into the main plot. In writing his wedding vows, Barney challenges Marshall (Jason Segel) and Lily (Alyson Hannigan) on their authority on all things marriage-related, since they've done nothing but break all the vows they made for one another. This gives some of the episode's few straight-up comedic moments, as we get flashbacks to all the ways in which the two have violated their vows, in addition to Marshall making a bunch of puns on the word "vow" ("vowerpoint presentation" and "invowluntary" were my favorites). But after a while, it got to be kind of tiresome. I generally like Marshall and Lily, but with so little time left in the series, I kept wanting to get back to the meat of the story. In fact, I'd be a lot more irritated if I didn't think this was the intention, since these moments with Marshall and Lily provide a breather from the melodramatic (not a bad thing) heights of the Ted/Robin stuff. It also allows the show to put a bow on one of its most dependable pairings, bringing the Marshall and Lily relationship full circle by having them craft new wedding vows that are honest. I'd also argue that Jason Segel has rarely been better than here, as he imbues Marshall with an endearing sincerity that overcomes the saccharine nature of his lines. Marshall vows to fall more in love with Lily every single day, and so help me, it's one of the best moments in an episode loaded with them.

Credit: CBS

Case in point, Robin decides to make a run for it, only to bump into The Mother. It's The Mother who convinces Robin to give herself time to make a decision before doing anything rash, advising her to just take three deep breaths. The Mother says that three deep breaths could change everything, and so Robin listens. When she opens her eyes on the third breath, she finds Barney in front of her. In searching his mind for the perfect vows, he ultimately realized that what their relationship truly needs is honesty. Barney recognizes that much of their relationship has been built on lies he told her, whether the ice rink rehearsal dinner, or "The Robin" play that led to their engagement. But he wants to turn over a new leaf, and so he makes only one vow, since it's the only one that really matters: Barney vows to always be honest with her. He even confesses that Ted found the locket, and that she should probably thank him for it. In one moment, all of Robin's doubts are washed away. It all leads to a wedding that is brief but incredibly satisfying: Marshall uses the last slap of the Slap Bet to smack some sense into Barney, who is still worried he picked the wrong tie for the wedding; we also learn that Barney really did hire a "ring bear" to deliver the rings (and also a "flower gorilla," although Robin ixnays that idea on the spot); we even get to see several of the secondary characters who've been invited to the wedding, including Jerry (John Lithgow) and Patrice (Ellen D. Williams); and it's all set to what sounds like a wedding-tinged version of "Sandcastles in the Sand"!

Credit: CBS

As Future Ted (Bob Saget) explains, “It was a twisting, turning road that led to the end of the aisle.” And so it has been with How I Met Your Mother. "The End of the Aisle" is up there with some of the best episodes the show has ever done, and it's raised expectations pretty high for the finale. Given how strong the latter half of this season has been, it wouldn't surprise me one bit to find, this time next week, that the show had met them.