History HIMYM / TropesSeasonNine

* SassyBlackWoman: Daphne. [[HeyItsThatGuy She is]] [[Series/ThirtyRock Angie]], after all.

** Barney reminds Ted to choose the right girl during the weekend as how [[IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade Indiana Jones choose the Holy Grail]].

* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: Sort-of; "No Questions Asked" wouldn't have happened if Marshall made the realization that [[spoiler:he doesn't need to keep secrets from Lily]] earlier than he did in the episode.

--->'''The Mother:''' [[spoiler:What mother is going to miss her daughter�s wedding?]]

* DisproportionateRetribution: Barney wants to kick Gary Blauman out of the wedding. Why? [[FelonyMisdemeanor Because Gary ate four of his fries!]] The fourth one is a curly fry!

* AirVentPassageway: Barney gets to Lily's hotel room through air ducts like how the "[[CompletelyMissingThePoint bad guy]]" did it in ''DieHard''.

** In-universe, Barney's continuing habit of [[RootingForTheEmpire viewing movie protagonists as the bad guys]], including [[TheKarateKid Daniel LaRusso]] and [[DieHard John McClane]].

* NonIndicativeTitle: [[spoiler:In "How Your Mother Met Me", the Mother doesn't actually meet Ted, although she does see him at least twice; once when he started teaching class in the wrong room (and she laughed at his "shellfish" joke), and a few moments later when she was about to turn and head back to the right classroom, he came rushing by, heading for his real class.]]

* CallingTheOldManOut: Penny and Luke [[spoiler: call Ted out on the long, convoluted tale about meeting the Mother when it was mostly about Robin. They know he's just asking permission from his kids if he can date again.]]

* BittersweetEnding: The series finale itself [[spoiler:where Barney and Robin divorced after three years of marriage. Tracy (the titular Mother) died six years before the "present" when Ted is telling his kids the story. But the kids realized that the story is more of ruse from their dad, asking permission to date "Aunt Robin" which they permitted him to do. And the story ends with Ted, holding the blue French horn and standing outside Robin's apartment, implying that they do end up]].

** As the finale shows, [[spoiler:The entire show was one big example. The Mother had died of unspecified illness 6 years before the start, and Ted's story was a way to ask his kids if it was okay for them if he started to date their Aunt Robin.]]

** In "Last Forever", Barney tells a woman "You are the love of my life. Everything I have, everything I am, is yours. Forever." Only he doesn't mean it and was simply making a point to Ted that he wasn't going to settle down. Later he says the same line to [[spoiler:his newborn daughter]], only this time he means it.

** TheStinger to "Slapsgiving 3: Slappointment in Slapmarra" has Marshall [[spoiler:talk directly to the audience as he introduced Boyz II Men as they perform "You Just Got Slapped"]].

** The title "Last Time in New York" mirrors a season 2 episode "First Time in New York".

** "Vesuvius" has a reference to a sequel to ''Film/TheWeddingBride'', as well as a stage adaptation.
*** This was set by canon, since the first time Ted told The Mother that he loved her was when they couldn't get in to see ''Wedding Bride III.''

** "Vesuvius" reveals that there was a sequel to ''Film/TheWeddingBride'', as well as a stage adaptation.

* RuleOfThree: In "Slapsgiving 3" Marshall guesses Red Bird is 32 (she's 86), White Flower is 32 (she's 106), and The Calligrapher is 35 (he's 34).
-->'''Brooo!!!'''

** "Vesuvius" reveals that there was a sequel to ''TheWeddingBride'', as well as a stage adaptation.

* DoubleStandard: Robin falls into this in her state of panic before the wedding, thinking all of Barney�s romantic gestures were actually based on a lie and she can�t base a marriage on deception, while Ted has always gone out of his way to make her happy and is very open and straightforward with her, and gives the time he stole the Blue French Horn for her as an example of his dedication. Apparently, lying (or, more accurately, tricking) for a big romantic gesture is out of the question, but theft for a big romantic gesture is great.

** From The Mother to Barney: [[spoiler:�Do you wanna keep playing, or do you wanna win?�]]

--> ''[[Series/GameofThrones King Joffrey�s]] parents were [[spoiler:brother and sister]], and he was a fair and wise leader.''

** From The Mother to Barney: [[spoiler:‘Do you wanna keep playing, or do you wanna win?’]]

--> ''[[Series/GameofThrones King Joffrey’s]] parents were [[spoiler:brother and sister]], and he was a fair and wise leader.''

* DoubleStandard: Robin falls into this in her state of panic before the wedding, thinking all of Barney’s romantic gestures were actually based on a lie and she can’t base a marriage on deception, while Ted has always gone out of his way to make her happy and is very open and straightforward with her, and gives the time he stole the Blue French Horn for her as an example of his dedication. Apparently, lying (or, more accurately, tricking) for a big romantic gesture is out of the question, but theft for a big romantic gesture is great.

* ExactWords: While under the truth-serum drunk, Barney tells Robin [[spoiler:there will be a ring bearer, Trevor Hudson, who's adorable. He doesn't mention that Trevor ''is'' a bear (with the rings tied to his collar). [He cancels the flower girrilla.] ]]

* TheGhost: Out from the main five’s parents, Robin’s mother is the only parent who does not have an official appearance onscreen throughout the show. She can’t come to her daughter’s wedding due to her fear of flying and we only know little details about her such as being stung by a jellyfish and making the best scrambled eggs. [[spoiler: She is finally shown in Vesuvius.]]

* GracefulLoser: In "Sunrise", Ted ''finally'' lets go of Robin and accepts that they're never going to be together.

* ParentalHypocrisy: "Rally" flash forwards to 2030 where Marshall and Lily drop Marvin off at Wesleyan for his first year of college. They warn him not to do any underage drinking, but Marvin, well aware of what they did in college, goes to a bar moments after they leave…. only to run into his parents doing shots.

--->'''The Mother:''' [[spoiler:What mother is going to miss her daughter’s wedding?]]

** In "Unpause", there's one to Barney's StartofDarkness. [[spoiler: It's revealed that Barney's job has him act as a fall-guy for his company's illegal dealings. Barney managed to turn the tabled by working with the FBI and getting his boss arrested. His boss being the guy who slept with Shannon all those years ago.]] There's even another one in the same scene: the song from Barney's Awesome Video Resume plays while [[spoiler: his boss is being arrested.]]

--> '''The Mother''': Yeah, who cares about Florian von Otterloop?

* ActorAllusion:
** [[spoiler:[[Film/PitchPerfect Aubrey]]]] is ironically disgusted at Ted's puking, pulling a face more resemblant of [[Series/{{Glee}} a singing]] [[Film/PitchPerfect competition judge]].
---> '''Ted:''' What kind of music do you like?
---> '''Cassie:''' ({{beat}}) Nothing.
** In "Gary Blauman" Barney convinces the title character to leave by claiming that William Zabka will [[TheKarateKid crane kick him in the face]] ("that's not even my move!"). Later, when they're trying to make it up to Blauman, Zabka notes "if I was going to do anything to you, I'd SweepTheLeg and put you in a bodybag, everyone knows that."

* DoubleStandard: Robin falls into this in her state of panic before the wedding, thinking all of Barney’s romantic gestures were actually based on a lie and she can’t base a marriage on deception, while Ted has always gone out of his way to make her happy and is very open and straightforward with her, including stealing the Blue French Horn. Apparently, lying (or, more accurately, tricking) for a big romantic gesture is out of the question, but theft for a big romantic gesture is great.