Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context HIMYM / TropesSeasonEight

Go To

1Tropes for ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', Season Eight.
2
3!!Examples:
4
5* ActorAllusion: In "P.S. I Love You" the gang watches a Canadian version of Creator/VH1's Behind the Music devoted to Robin Sparkles. Among the people they interview is Dave Coulier. At one point in his interview he says his classic catch phrase "Cut. It. Out!" complete with gestures. Future!Ted remarks [[Series/FullHouse "I always did like that joke."]]
6* ActuallyPrettyFunny: In "The Fortress", Robin admits that she actually thinks some of the devices Barney has in his apartment (originally intended for his days as a bachelor) are genius.
7* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: In "Splitsville", [[spoiler: while trying to help Robin and Nick break up, Barney pours his heart out about his feelings for Robin and doesn't hold back.]]
8* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Quinn asks one after she and Barney keep adding on conditions in their pre-nup.
9-->'''Quinn:''' Do you trust me?\
10'''Barney:''' [[spoiler: [[WhamLine No]].]]
11** A smaller one, but still important.
12-->'''Patrice:''' Robin... is this really about me?
13-->'''Robin:''' ...No.
14* ArkhamsRazor: [[spoiler:Which tale of teen rebellion is true? Only kindergarten teacher Lily's, where she painted herself as basically an {{Expy}} of [[Series/TheWire Omar]] and the scourge of the neighborhood.]]
15* BaitAndSwitch: At first, in "The Autumn of Breakups", we're led to believe that Ted really ''was'' going to [[spoiler:tell Robin he couldn't be friends with her anymore... only for a subtle cutaway to ensue, showing that Ted's telling ''Victoria'' that he couldn't bring himself to cut Robin out of his life]].
16* BathroomStallGraffiti: In "Time Travelers", Marshall writes Robin's number on the mensroom at [=McLarens=] to get back at her for having a drink he invented named after her. Robin appears to do the same in retaliation, but when Marshall goes to the ladies' room to see, [[spoiler:he finds a long, eloquent apology written on the whole wall. As he gets to the end, it is revealed that it was really a trick to have Marshall get caught in the ladies room.]]
17* BatmanGambit: [[spoiler: "The Robin", the final entry in The Playbook.]]
18* BelatedHappyEnding: We see that, eventually, Arthur manages to reunite with Tugboat.
19* BerserkButton: Robin: "DAMMIT PATRICE! NO ONE ASKED FOR YOUR HELP!"
20* BittersweetEnding: "The Final Page". [[spoiler: Barney and Robin finally get back together for good, while Marshall and Lily share the joy of the snowfall with their son. Meanwhile, Ted stares out at the city from his building, all alone.]]
21* BookEnds: The first episode of the season ended with the moment Ted was about to meet The Mother. [[spoiler: The finale ends with ''us'' meeting The Mother.]]
22* BreakingTheFourthWall:
23** In "The Final Page Part 1": Before the second commercial break, when Marshal, Lily, and Jinxed!Barney are left alone in Daryl's basement (with them thinking he is going to murder them), the three of them scream towards the camera.
24*** However, since Barney is unable to talk due to the Jinx, his "scream" is done [[TalkingWithSigns with his notebook]] a la [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Wile E. Coyote]].
25** Something similar happens in "Nannies", as Lily and Marshall are freaking out over Marvin's disappearance.
26** Lampshaded in "Who Wants to be a Godparent?": Marshall brings Ted, Barney and Robin into the apartment to play the game, and says that they'll be back "right after these messages." Ted comments, "Why is he pointing at the wall?" ''Cut to real commercial''.
27*** The three of them also break the "interior" fourth wall when they speak to Marshall and Lily within their answers.
28* BrickJoke: A rather epic one dating to the second season. When Barney had to return Brover to his owner Robin came along with him and reminiscent about when she gave her dogs to her aunt and her female friend living together upstate back in "Stuff." In that episode Lily mentioned that "Oh, they love dogs!" which confused Robin over what she meant by "they." Talking about it again Barney made it clear that her aunt is a lesbian and she was caught off guard that she didn't realize that before.
29* ButForMeItWasTuesday: Everyone, Barney included, forgot that Barney tagged along to go to the art gallery and did a play from the playbook. Because he usually does things like that.
30* CallBack: To ''Season 4'': "[[spoiler: I'm gonna win her back.]]" (although the two clips of Ted saying this are totally different).
31** A rather clever one to Season 2: The last two episodes in Season 2 are titled, "Something Borrowed," and "Something Blue." [[spoiler: The last two episodes in Season 8 were revealed to be titled "Something Old" and "Something New," which goes along with The Mother appearing in the Season Finale.]]
32** "Where's the poop, Ted?"
33** The Previous season has an episode called Good Crazy, this season has an episode called "Bad Crazy".
34* TheCameo [[spoiler: Mike Tyson]] in ''Bad Crazy''.
35** [[Film/TheKarateKid Ralph Macchio]] and more importantly ([[RootingForTheEmpire for Barney]]) [[spoiler:William [[InvokedTrope Zabka.]]]]
36* CastingGag: The guy who Alyson Hannigan's character runs into right after returning to the college after 15 years? It's [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Oz]]!
37* CharacterDevelopment: Barney and Robin break up with their Season 7 romances, then dance around and toward each other. Lily and Marshall reconsider the direction of their careers. It is [[TheHero Ted]], however, who gets the most development out of everyone for the 8th season. After the heartaches and trials he had endured for the past year, the experiences finally gave him the push to stop chasing every distraction and really settle down.
38** In ''Band or DJ'', Ted learns that he doesn't always have to be right, and sometimes it's better if he's not.
39** In ''Weekend at Barney's'', Ted breaks up with Jeanette, who tears through apartment destroying all of his stuff. This event represents the destruction of Ted's single-guy baggage and convinces Ted to really commit to his search for a wife.
40** In ''Something Old'', Ted encourages Robin to take matters into in her own hands and not to rely on the Universe for signs.
41* CliffHanger: Two in The Stamp Tramp: [[spoiler:after Marshall and his boss find out their opposing lawyer knows their entire strategy, Marshall is told, "Win this case or lose your job!" Also, Barney and Robin have TheBigDamnKiss, only for Robin to freak out and leave.]]
42* ClosetShuffle: Much of the episode "The Over-correction."
43* ContinuityNod:
44** Barney's explanation of the entire show in 52 seconds has a lot of these.
45** Brad claims that his breakup with his girlfriend [[spoiler:caused his StartOfDarkness to suit up and side with the CorruptCorporateExecutive.]] Marshall says he knows that can happen, because Marshall knows that's what happened to Barney.
46** Brad and Marshall note that they'll always be brunch bros.
47** "The Over-Correction" sees the return of Ted's red boots, the Bro Code, the Intervention banner, and the Playbook. [[spoiler:The Playbook is [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness destroyed by Barney.]]]]
48** The last jinx Barney broke led to his being hit by the bus in the third season.
49** "The Final Page Part 2" shows that Marshall is still a ShipperOnDeck for Ted/Robin, as was previously revealed in "No Pressure".
50** "P.S. I Love You" show Barney using a notepad and drill that both say "Property of Ted Mosby", calling back to "The Over-Correction", where it was revealed that the group is always "borrowing" Ted's things and not returning them.
51** Barney is breaking into Robin's apartment using the same drill that Robin used to break into Barney's apartment a few months ago.
52** Barney and Robin attempting to break up a rude couple in "Something New" with the "ring in the wine glass" trick. [[spoiler: It works, though they later decide to get married anyway and ''thank'' them.]]
53** In "Something New", when Marshall is trying to find a way to simultaneously be in Rome and [[spoiler: be a judge]], he offers the possibility of doing the "[[Film/SupermanTheMovie Jor-El head thing]]" to be a [[spoiler: judge]] from long distance, referencing "The Fortress" where it's revealed that Barney has such a contraption in his apartment.
54* CrazyPrepared: After Hurricane Sandy, Ted stocked his bedroom with plenty of food, water, and a toilet bucket in case of a future emergency. In ''Bad Crazy'', this comes back to bite him when [[spoiler:his girlfriend barricades herself in the room]].
55* CreatorBreakdown: Robin, when writing her ObsessionSong.[[invoked]]
56* TheCutie: Patrice.
57* DarkerAndEdgier: Robin Sparkles → Robin Daggers
58* DarkestHour: "The Time Travelers" has Future!Ted explaining just how depressed he was in the lead up to meeting The Mother that [[spoiler: he has himself derail the story to confess to The Mother about the future they had in store]].
59* DerailingLoveInterests:
60** Nick. At the beginning of the season he's depicted as just a hot guy without much personality, but generally presented as mature [[DeadpanSnarker and even having subtle snarker tendencies]]. Then we learn he's "girly", overly sensitive and has rather dorkish [[GranolaGirl Granola Guy]] tastes. And as for the sixth episode, he's TooDumbToLive. Attempted justification, that he's been an idiot all along, [[MrFanservice but was just too hot for Robin to notice that]], is offered, but it's not very convincing.
61** Attempted with Victoria but backed off at the last moment. In the same episode that "revealed" Nick was too sensitive, it was also "revealed" that Victoria was a total slob at home, something that was not a character trait before. But it was moreso {{Foreshadowing}} that she and Ted were not back to their perfect first relationship. Her being a slob wasn't mentioned, and the cause of their break-up (Ted's friendship with Robin) was depicted as a legitimate issue.
62* DisproportionateRetribution: [[spoiler: Barney and Robin breaking up a couple that were rude to them and took their seats at a restaurant by making them think the guy was proposing to the woman. Later on make up and decide to get married.]]
63* DistractedByMyOwnSexy / ScrewYourself: Sort of. It turns Robin on to see herself on TV. She says it's because it makes her feel confident. Her former experience with Argentinean Robin in season 3 suggest otherwise.
64* DontExplainTheJoke: In "Twelve Horny Women": Barney comments that nowadays, he only wears handcuffs in the bedroom. The bailiff comments "Bondage. I get it."
65* DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale: Jeanette is a psycho who will trash your property if she feels you slight her in the slightest. If Ted did a quarter of what Jeanette does to a woman's apartment he would have been locked up for a decade at least.
66* DramaticIrony: A year earlier, Victoria had gently chastised Ted for sharing his apartment with his former lover, Robin. This year, she and Ted are doing the same thing, sharing their apartment with ''her'' former lover (and fiance!) Klaus. [[spoiler: And Klaus sometimes hangs around the house naked!]]
67* TheEndingChangesEverything: "The Time Travelers" has a surreal story of Ted [[spoiler: and Barney dealing with duplicates of themselves in multiple time periods along with a detailed subplot of a Marshall and Robin conflict regarding the name of a new cocktail, the ending has Ted realize that it was an ImagineSpot of him being alone in the bar and hallucinating events from different periods in the past. Future!Ted then talks about how that was such a depressing moment in his life that he says the only thing that he would have wanted to do was run to "The Mother" and be with her 45 days earlier than what really happened]].
68* EpicFail: Barney's bachelor party. [[spoiler: Exactly as planned.]]
69* EskimosArentReal: Nick thought Gypsies were made up just like unicorns and dolphins.
70* {{Fanservice}}: "Lobster Crawl" features Robin dressed up as [[Franchise/TombRaider Lara Croft]].
71* FelonyMisdemeanor: In a flashback, baby Marshall gets tossed around by his father and his older brothers. Judy is horrified - they could have broken a lamp or a vase. The men continue their game outside.
72* ForegoneConclusion:
73** [[spoiler: As revealed in the season seven finale, Barney and Quinn don't end up together. The same goes for Ted and Victoria, since it's been stated that Ted meets the Mother at '''the day''' of Barney and Robin's wedding.]]
74** Given that one of them was marrying someone else, its pretty obvious that [[spoiler: Robin and Nick]] aren't going to last. Ditto [[spoiler: Barney and Patrice, which turns out to be faked, as told in "The Robin".]]
75** The show [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] this in "The Pre-Nup" by having a split-screen image of all four couples arguing in bed, and Ted ominously stating that one of the couples would break up the very next day, before admitting it obviously wasn't Marshall & Lilly.
76** Sorry Ted; you aren't moving to Chicago ''or'' selling your house.
77* ForeignRemake: Klaus' favourite show is pretty clearly a German remake of ''Series/{{The Odd Couple|1970}}''.
78* {{Foreshadowing}}: Marshall not telling his mother about his and Lily's moving to Rome foreshadows [[spoiler: how he deals with receiving a judgeship; he tries to keep it from Lily until he can tell her in person. He even uses the same line: "This is face-to-face news."]]
79* FriendsWithBenefits: [[spoiler: More like "Family with Benefits."]]
80* FunnyBackgroundEvent: The clown joins in with Barney in hating Ralph Macchio. Becomes a MeaningfulBackgroundEvent when it's revealed that [[spoiler: the clown is Johnny from the Cobra Kai Dojo, Ralph's rival in ''Film/{{The Karate Kid|1984}}''.]]
81** Earlier in the season (episode six), Barney has trouble with chopsticks while trying to eat Chinese takeout.
82* FunnyForeigner: Victoria's ex-fiance, Klaus.
83* GambitRoulette: Barney [[spoiler: through out the first half of the season, in a perfectly executed ploy to propose to Robin.]]
84* GroinAttack: Marshall gets two in the finale, courtesy of his brother.
85-->'''Marcus''': Hey, do you like crushed nuts?
86--> [later]
87-->'''Marcus''': Want me to grab your bag?
88* GratuitousAnimalSidekick: In "The Autumn of Break-Ups" where Barney has a dog (which is not his) named Brover and uses him as his wingman. Of course, it was temporary.
89* GratuitousGerman:
90** Klaus, who is played by American comedian Thomas Lennon, uses two words (Lebenslangerschicksalsschatz (lifelong destiny-darling) and Beinaheleidenschaftsgegenstand (almost passion-object) when he explains Ted about Victoria. The compounds are made up, but the words (if written as "lebenslanger Schicksalsschatz") ''would'' be valid German and at the very least understandable to a German speaker.
91** WhatTheHellIsThatAccent: Thomas Lennon actually does a decent job. Klaus' sister? Not so much.
92** In "The Pre-Nup": "It's time to give Klaus ''das'' boot." [[note]]''Film/DasBoot'' (pronounced differently) is a German WWII movie.[[/note]]
93** In the German dub, Klaus and his sister are speaking with a [[UsefulNotes/GermanDialects Saxon accent]]. This leads to a (for German viewers) rather surreal moment of hearing Barney utter the very Saxon expression: "Ei verbibbsch!"
94* HeelRealization: Marshall's defense helps [[spoiler:Brad realize he's on the wrong side, and joins Marshall's environmental law firm.]]
95* {{Hipster}}: Ted's date Carly.
96* HollywoodOld: Lily and Robin are shown in scenes from various points of the future in the sixteenth episode. Hairstyles change, the wardrobe gradually becomes more suitable for middle-aged ladies, yet not much effort is made to actually make the actresses look older. Despite the fact, that the last scene takes place seventeen years later, when both characters are ''fiftyish''.
97* HowWeGotHere: "The Over-Correction".
98-->'''Future!Ted:''' Ok, kids, you're probably wondering HowWeGotHere."
99* HugeHolographicHead: "The Fortress"
100* HypocriticalHumor: At the end of "The Final Page: Part 2", Barney mentions a few times that his friends have no boundaries while he [[spoiler: also mentions having one of his hidden cameras in Marshall and Lily's apartment.]]
101** Nick is made fun of for his misconceptions towards gypsys yet Robin, a Canadian, didn't beleive in the North Pole nor Riendeer.
102* ICallItVera: At the beginning of "Lobster Crawl", Barney calls one of his ties Cornelius.
103* IgnoredEpiphany: In "Weekend at Barney's", Ted decides he's done with dating and just wants to settle down in a committed relationship. No more fooling around. The following episode sees him hooking up with a girl who thought he was gay and British.
104* ImagineSpot: The entirety of [[spoiler:"The Time Travelers".]]
105* IronicNurseryTune: PlayedForLaughs in "Twelve Horny Women." A flashback to Lily's FormerTeenRebel days shows her whistling the tune to "Farmer In The Dell" to warn the neighborhood children that she was coming.
106* IrrationalHatred: What harm has poor Patrice ever done to Robin to deserve her hysterical antipathy? Well, in this season at least, it's pretending to date Barney to make her jealous.
107* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: [[spoiler: Ted's primary motivation for telling Robin that Barney was getting engaged.]]
108* IWantYouToMeetAnOldFriendOfMine: Seth Green, who played Lily and Marshall's LoonyFan Daryl also worked with Alyson Hannigan on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
109** And, way back with Alyson in ''Film/MyStepmotherIsAnAlien''.
110* JadeColoredGlasses: [[ScrewDestiny Enough is enough.]] [[Film/SnakesOnAPlane Ted has had it with these motherfucking signs from the motherfucking universe. Everyone strap in. He's gonna make some fuckin' decisions on his own.]]
111* KarmaHoudini: You think Lily's bad? Meet Jeanette. Even in-universe, the gang (except Ted, of course) sees that this woman has absolutely no redeeming value whatsoever as a human being, and that it is Ted's sheer stupidity that keeps him under her rein. Despite the sheer property damage she has caused, not once has anyone ever called her out. It could be explained by her job [[spoiler: as a Lieutenant in New York Police Department]], but she's had prior disciplinary problems there as well, so it's not as if they'd cover for her.
112* LaserGuidedKarma:
113** After being jinxed (And tortured by the entire group over it) thoughout "The Final Page Part 1," Barney gets to watch Lily & Marshall [[spoiler:inadvertantedly throw away $100,000]] before jinxing the two of them & promising to torture the two of them on the car ride home.
114** When Barney discovers that [[spoiler:his half-sister Carly slept with Ted]], Ted then frames it as karmic retribution for Barney's previous behavior towards women, especially since Barney claims to have hooked up with Ted's mom.[[note]]This allegedly happened following the season 2 episode ''Brunch'', but Barney doesn't tell the story until "Home Wreckers" in season 5. Barney's story is clearly embellished, but was there a kernel of truth?[[/note]]
115** [[spoiler: The Barney]] is the perfect payback against Barney for pulling off [[spoiler:The Robin]].
116* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: In "The Pre-Nup", Ted describes a TV show thusly: "It's big comedy, but you also really care about these characters."
117** In "Who Wants to Be a Godparent?", after Marshall (who just announced the titular game) turns to the camera to announce the commercial break, Ted, Robin, and Barney follow his gaze... and wonder why he's ''talking to the wall''.
118* LonelyAtTheTop: A variation occurs. [[spoiler: Ted manages to make an impressive accomplishment at a young age: the creation of the GNB building BUT he still doesn't have a long-term partner, not because he abandoned the person he loves, [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy but he actually gave her the choice to pick either himself or Barney.]]]]
119* LoonyFan: Daryl to Lily and Marshall in The Final Page Part 1.
120* LoveHurts: Ted in Band or DJ [[spoiler: finding out that Robin and Barney are engaged causes Ted more emotional pain than some of the most painful parts in his life. Including: getting his tattoo removed, spilling hot food on himself, getting beaten up by a goat, getting punched in the nuts, Robin telling him that she doesn't love him etc A thousand times.]]
121* ManipulativeBastard: [[spoiler:Brad. And, as per usual, Barney.]]
122* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Robin and Nick. Nick isn't overtly feminine, but he is much more sensitive from the "raised as a boy until she was 16" Robin, and hosts a cooking show.
123* MayDecemberRomance: In "Ring Up!", Ted (who is in his mid 30s) dates Carly, who is 20. In one scene, they go to a club and the other people in the club were represented as young children.
124* MoodSwing: In "Twelve Horny Women," Marshall is going before the judical review board, implied that he is about to be disbarred due to conduct in the court room. It turns out [[spoiler:he wants to apply to be a judge because he had actually won the case but was dissatisfied by that judge's ruling.]]
125* MotorMouth: How Barney tells Quinn the whole story of the Ted-Robin-Barney LoveTriangle in 52 seconds.
126* MrFanservice: Nick in-universe.
127* MySisterIsOffLimits: Done with a delicious layer of irony. [[spoiler: Ted ended up sleeping with Barney's half-sister Carly, only both Ted and Barney learning who she was when showing her picture ''to'' Barney. The complicated part is Ted wasn't really connecting with her, but gave it a shot under Barney's request in order to help wean off his one-night-stand lifestyle. Barney is caught between typical "high-five for scoring" behavior and disgust for his role in Carly getting some action. His only solution was to try and arrange a ShotgunWedding to make it right.]]
128* OhCrap:
129** The moment in "The Over-Correction" when Robin realizes the Intervention isn't for Barney, but for her.
130-->'''Robin:''' Please tell me this is about my drinking. (''Lily hands her a drink'') Dammit.
131** Marshall in "Something New", when [[spoiler:he learns that his application for becoming a judge has been accepted, just one week before moving to Rome with Lily and Marvin]].
132* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Barney [[spoiler: burning The Playbook]] is accepted as proof by most of the gang that he's serious about Patrice. [[spoiler: It's later revealed he burned it as part of his "Robin" play... but it's no less shocking because and he ''did'' mean it "Because [he doesn't] need it anymore."]]
133** [[spoiler: Subverted later in that it wasn't the real Playbook, due to Barney's fear of destroying his legacy. Then double subverted when he encourages [[{{Yandere}} Jeanette]] to blow up the real one.]]
134* OnceMoreWithClarity: In "The Final Page," we see many of Barney's actions throughout the season from his perspective, revealing his plans.
135* OnlySaneMan: Arthur of all people diffuses the arguments in the second episode.
136* PerspectiveReversal: In "Something Old," Robin's looking for signs from the universe [[spoiler: because she's having doubts about marrying Barney,]] and Ted says [[ScrewDestiny "the universe probably has better things to do"]] (full speech on the show's [[Awesome/HowIMetYourMother Awesome]] page).
137* PyrrhicVictory:
138** Marshall wins a class action lawsuit against a pharmaceutical company, but the judge was unwilling to hurt the company by fining them the intended 25 million dollars and so reduced it to 25 ''thousand'' (.1% of the original, and in fact only ''$500'' more than the company had already offered out-of-court). Marshall is very upset, as more was probably spent on court fees and lawyer paychecks for each side. [[spoiler: This inspires him to apply to be a judge so he had more influence on the system]]. It gets taken up to eleven later in the season when we found out that [[spoiler:the judge's refusal to award costs ended up financially wrecking Marshall's law firm, who are eventually left with just Marshall and one other employee, have had virtually no cases since the lawsuit, and almost certainly go bust after Marshall leaves to join Lily on her trip to Italy]].
139** Ted also experiences this in [[spoiler: "The Final Page". He insured that Robin would go after Barney (and unintentionally helped Barney pull off "The Robin") at the expense of being alone at the party for the opening of his building. The last scene shows him looking out a window depressed.]]
140* RashomonStyle: In "The Ashtray", the story of the last time they saw The Captain is told from the point of view of Ted, Robin and finally Lily. Ted's story seems normal, until Robin reveals [[spoiler: he was high the entire time]], and Robin's version seems normal until Lily reveals [[spoiler: Robin was drunk the entire time]].
141* {{Retcon}}: When it was first revealed that Robin had been teenaged pop star Robin Sparkles, she claimed she had only one minor hit, "Let's Go To the Mall". Later, when it was revealed she had a second song, "Sandcastles in the Sand", she claimed it "kinda tanked." But according to the Canadian music documentary in this season, both songs were huge hits at the time, although "Let's Go To the Mall" was twice as big a hit as "Sandcastles in the Sand". And while everyone in the documentary ([[InvokedTrope except]] [[LesYay k. d. lang]]) laments her public meltdown with her third song, "P.S. I Love You", it's still seen as a major music milestone: The Day Grunge Was Born (in Canada). All of this suggests that Robin Sparkles had been a much bigger hit than Robin had ever let on. Could be Justified, as Robin Sparkles is still an OldShame for Robin, who's fully aware that Robin Sparkles has neither aged well nor translates well South of the Canadian border. Robin might have deliberately downplayed her early success because she didn't want to expose herself and Canada to [[WithFriendsLikeThese even more ridicule from her friends.]]
142* TheReveal: In "Lobster Crawl", [[spoiler: that Barney did not, in fact, hook up with Brandi at the news station. Instead he spent all night talking to Patrice and, apparently, they're dating.]]
143** Sort of DoubleSubverted in "The Final Page", where it turns out [[spoiler: Barney wasn't actually going out with Patrice, but instead it was all a part of a complicated play to ask Robin to marry him.]]
144** In "Time Travelers," [[spoiler: all the events being shown happened a few years ago, and Ted is actually sitting in the bar alone with a Robots vs. Wrestlers ticket because everyone else was too busy to come.]]
145** In "The Bro Mitzvah", [[spoiler: the whole "Barney's worst night ever" was planned by Robin and his friends. And the clown is [[RootingForTheEmpire Barney's favorite]] [[InvokedTrope actor]] in ''Film/{{The Karate Kid|1984}}'', William Zabka.]]
146** The biggest one so far in "Something New", [[spoiler: Finally seeing The Mother for the first time. We don't yet know her name, we don't know the exact conditions of her and Ted's meeting, but we have seen her face. That's enough for some.]]
147* RunningGag: "How ''dare'' you?! And what ''is'' that?!"
148* ScoobyStack: The entire gang are trapped in Barney's apartment and don't wish to be spotted by him, but they peek at him and his date through a door and their stacked heads form the stock pose.
149* ScrewDestiny: Ted has a speech about taking matters into your own hands in ''Something Old.''
150* SecretTestOfCharacter: "The Robin" was one [[spoiler: For both Ted and Robin. Barney had to know that he had Ted's implicit blessing to date Robin, and he had to know that Robin still cared for him.]]
151* SentimentalSacrifice: Barney [[spoiler: burns the playbook as part of "The Robin," the ultimate play to get Robin back and marry her]]. "Step 11: Decide to burn [[spoiler: the playbook]]. Step 12: ''Actually burn it.'' You don't need it anymore."
152* ShareTheMalePain: Every guy in the room once they realized where Quinn wanted to put the shock collar on Barney in "The Pre-Nup".
153* ShipSinking: [[spoiler: According to Ted, Klaus would eventually be right regarding [[LoveAtFirstSight Lebenslangerschicksalsschatz]]. This seems to not only decisively sink the Ted/Victoria ship, but any likelihood of The Mother being one of the girls introduced during the last seven seasons.]]
154** The fan-favourite Ted/Carly ship, which was ''the'' front-runner for the "who is the mother?" question in the fandom, is very throroughly sunk ''by having them hook up''. And then Barney, out of spite, [[FandomNod throws together a makeshift wedding scenario for them]] and tries to marry them to each other ([[ContinuityNod since he's legally able to]]) on the spot.
155* ShoutOut:
156** When the gang flashes back to their "badass" teen years, Badass!Teen!Lily bore a striking resemblance to everyone's favorite [[Series/TheWire BadassLongcoat stick up man]]
157** Robin Daggers is a CaptainErsatz of Music/AlanisMorissette - including the speculation of just who her dark and edgy single is about.
158** The episode name "Twelve Horny Women" is explicitly a reference to ''Film/TwelveAngryMen''.
159* ShownTheirWork: Although some fans have expressed disbelief that the New York State Judiciary Committee would require an immediate response from Marshall without even giving him a chance to discuss it with his wife, this sort of thing actually ''does'' happen. Becoming a judge is a highly-coveted profession in the legal world, and many vacancies only up when somebody dies (a lot of judges never retire and cling to the job for as long as they can). In Marshall's case, he was number one on a list for an immediate vacancy in an understaffed office. If Marshall had hung up without taking the job, they simply would have called the next person on the list and the position would likely be filled before Marshall had a chance to call back.
160* [[TrailersAlwaysSpoil Social Networks Always Spoil]]: Right after the SeasonFinale, the Website/{{Facebook}} page of the show put a picture of [[spoiler:Cristin Milioti as the Mother, with her face in full display]]. That spoiled the hell out of the people who hadn't watched the episode yet. Specially the audience from outside the US (which is pretty big).
161* {{Spexico}}: In "Something Old", when Ted recalls his trip throughout Spain with a fanny pack, at first things go more or less well: the map shows the correct country, (although the cities are all misplaced and some of them are misspelled) and Ted is seen in some places that are actually in Spain (and not all of it is TorosYFlamenco)... and then, a group of Mexican mariachi show up...
162* SpitTake: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] by Lily when Ted reveals [[EverybodyKnewAlready that he was Doctor X in college]]. More specifically, as Ted is getting ready to finally admit it, Lily looks at Barney and Robin and whispers, "Take a sip and follow my lead."
163* SnowMeansLove: The second Barney and Robin [[spoiler: kiss after becoming engaged on the WWN rooftop, it begins to snow. And continues to snow while they bask in the moment, and while Marshall and Lily reunite with Baby Marvin]]
164* StalkerWithACrush: Robin becomes this to Barney after he's given up on her. [[spoiler: As Barney planned with his "Robin" play.]]
165* StalkingIsLove: "PS: I Love You" explores this and StalkerWithACrush, and basically says the difference between being a stalker and being romantic is whether the stalkee is interested in the stalker.
166* StatusQuoIsGod: Just before Marshall and Lily go to Italy, the former is offered a judge position causing the couple to stay in New york.
167* TagalongKid: Lily and Marshall's baby will probably be this to the gang.
168* TakeThat: In "The Fortress", Barney trashes ''Film/SupermanIII'' as a "complete trainwreck".
169* TalkingWithSigns: In the second act of "The Final Page: Part 1", Barney uses a notebook and pencil as a means of communication (outside of the telepathic conversation RunningGag).
170* TheThingThatWouldNotLeave: Klaus in "The Pre-Nup".
171* ThrowItIn: The tears in Ted and Robin's eyes in "The Final Page" as Ted [[spoiler:urges [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy her to go after Barney]]]] weren't in the script. The scene was just so [[TearJerker emotional that Josh Radnor and Cobie Smulders couldn't help themselves.]]
172* ToiletHumor: While treating a constipated Marvin, Marshall gets sprayed with... [[{{Bowdlerise}} confetti]].
173-->'''Lily:''' Holy confetti!
174* TonightSomeoneDies: "The Pre-Nup" had a "Tonight Someone Breaks Up" variation. [[spoiler: It was Barney and Quinn.]]
175-->'''Future!Ted:''' One of these couples would break up the very next day. ({{Beat}}) [[LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt Okay, it wasn't Lily and Marshall.]]
176* TrueLoveIsBoring: Invoked in "The Pre-Nup":
177-->'''Future!Ted:''' Kids, the Summer of 2012 was the Summer of Love: Barney and Quinn, Me and Victoria, Robin and Nick, Lily, Marshall, and Marvin. Everyone was as happy as could be.
178-->'''All Four Couples:''' (''sighing happily'') Ahhh...
179-->'''Future!Ted:''' Which means there are absolutely no good stories. [[TimeSkip Let's fast-forward a bit...]] to October 2012, the kickoff of what came to be known as: the Autumn of Break-ups.
180* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: Ironically, "The Time Travelers" counts: it takes place on April 10th, 2013... despite airing on ''March 25th''.
181** [[spoiler: One of the Barneys is actually from TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture.]]
182* UngratefulBastard: Robin to Patrice in "The Over-Correction".
183-->'''Patrice:''' You left your purse at the vending machine. Some guy tried to take it, but I fought him off. I may have dislocated my shoulder...
184-->'''Robin:''' You scratched the leather on my purse! Ugh. '''CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING RIGHT, PATRICE?!?'''
185* UnknownRival: Professor Vinnick is this to Ted in "The Final Page Part 1".
186* UnreliableNarrator: "The Ashtray" is made of this trope:
187** Ted narrates his own version of their encounter with the Captain except he was stoned at that time, [[spoiler:which causes him to think that the Captain is much more threatening than he is, and also to think that he only thought various things that he actually said out loud]].
188** Robin also narrates her own version of the encounter which believes that the Captain was coming on to her, [[spoiler:when in fact she was actually drunk at that time.]]
189** Barney [[RunningGag keeps trying]] to insert himself into stories that he wasn't present.
190** Furthermore, Ted commented that even though the Gang eventually moved on and drifted apart, they would still come together to watch Robots v. Wrestlers. [[spoiler: In ''The Time Travelers'' the gang have no time for Ted, and he's stuck in the bar with the two tickets.]]
191* VitriolicBestBuds: Robin thinks she and Patrice is this.
192* WhamEpisode: Just about every episode this season brings in something big. From the season premiere, nothing more whammy than [[spoiler:seeing the yellow umbrella, cluing in that The Mother and Ted are about to meet for the first time]].
193** The second episode had [[spoiler: Barney and Quinn [[ForegoneConclusion break up]].]]
194** "The Autumn of Breakups": [[spoiler: Ted and Victoria break up after he refuses to end his friendship with Robin.]]
195** "Splitsville": [[spoiler: Robin and Nick break up after Barney pours his heart out about his feelings for Robin and then then tries to play it off later.]]
196** "The Final Page": [[spoiler: Part 1 ends with Barney telling Ted he's planning on proposing to Patrice. Part '''2''' reveals how this and a good chunk of his actions this season concerning Robin were all part of "The Robin", a play he devised so that he can ''propose to her''. [[ForegoneConclusion She says yes.]]]]
197** "Band or DJ?" reveals [[spoiler: Barney and Robin's wedding date is May 25th 2013 (episode aired January 14th, 2013 and the show is contemporary), making it the day Ted met The Mother. Plus The Mother was the bass guitar player at the reception, who was recommended by her roommate Cindy when Ted happened to run into her]].
198** "The Time Travelers" opens with a lot of information about the state both Ted and The Mother were at in the exact same time: [[spoiler: she lived within walking distance of Ted's apartment and [=MacLaren's=], she was an Econ Major at Columbia, she was dating a guy named Lewis and she didn't spend all her time at a bar. It also confirms with no question that after the events of the episode they met 45 days later]].
199** ''Something New'' reveals that [[spoiler: Ted is selling the home he was fixing and moving to Chicago, Marshall is offered a judge position, and The Mother appears in flesh for the first time]].
200* WhamLine:
201** Two in "Twelve Horney Women":
202---> '''Marshall''': "And that's when I realized [[spoiler:I wanted to be a judge.]]"
203---> '''Barney:''' "I'm done [[spoiler:trying to get you.]]"
204*** And the shortest ever in delayed response by [[spoiler: Robin]]: "Huh."
205** In "Lobster Crawl":
206--->'''Barney''': "I do know what I want" ''[[spoiler:opens the door wider to reveal who's in his apartment]]''
207--->[[spoiler: '''Patrice''': "Hi Robin!"]]
208*** Followed by:
209---->'''Robin''': '''NOBODY ASKED YOU HERE, [[spoiler:PATRICE]]!'''
210---->'''Barney''': Actually, [[spoiler:I did. Last night.]]
211** "The Final Page" had a ''bouquet'' of them:
212*** The first WhamLine being: [[spoiler: "The Robin"]]
213*** Soon followed by: "Step 2: Choose the completely wrong moment to make a drunken move after hanging out in a strip club... and get shot down [[spoiler:on purpose.]]"
214*** Which is then followed by:
215--->'''Barney:''' (''voiceover'') Step 5: Find the person who annoys Robin most in the world...
216--->'''Robin:''' (''in flashback'') '''NOBODY ASKED FOR YOUR HELP, PATRICE!!!'''
217--->'''Barney:''' (''voiceover'') ...and [[spoiler:ask for her help.]]
218*** Then comes:
219--->'''Barney:''' (''voiceover'') Step 10: [[spoiler:Prove your loyalty to Patrice by burning The Playbook. And actually burn it. You don't need it anymore.]]
220*** And finally:
221--->'''Step 16''': [[spoiler:Hope she says yes.]]
222** In "The Time Travelers":
223--->'''Barney''': Ted, this moment [[spoiler:is [[ImagineSpot already gone.]]]]
224** In "The Bro Mitzvah": "Ted? Robin. [[spoiler:We're on schedule."]]
225** And perhaps the biggest one, in "Something New":
226--->[[spoiler: '''The Mother''': "Hi! One ticket to Farhampton, please."]]
227* WhamShot: [[spoiler: The Mother's first official appearance]] in "Something New".
228* WhatTheHellHero: The gang spends multiple episodes calling Robin out for wanting Barney back just because she can't have him, culminating in the return of the Intervention banner.
229** [[spoiler: Robin calls out Barney over "The Robin". However, [[ForegoneConclusion this doesn't stick]].]]
230** [[spoiler: Ted calls out Barney on his behavior with other women during his engagement to Robin, and Barney then proceeds to call him out on his feelings for Robin.]]
231* WideEyedIdealist: this trope is supremely deconstructed in "The Stamp Tramp." Marshall, who believes in kindness and people, decides to help his old compatriot Brad to get a job in his law firm. The gang, even Ted, point out that Marshall has been too generous in giving anyone his stamp of approval. But Marshall does not listen. [[spoiler: Turns out that Brad works for rival firms and uses Marshall to get inside Marshall's law firm and plant bugs in their strategic meeting.]] It also does not help that he is a big FanOfUnderdog and is willing to support people merely for trying to improve rather than for actually delivering good work.
232* WillTheyOrWontThey: Barney and Robin. An odd example because [[spoiler: it's revealed in the seventh season finale that Robin is the bride at Barney's wedding. Now it's really just a matter of when and how]].
233%%** [[spoiler: "The Final Page Part 2".]]
234* YouCantFightFate: The somewhat grim conclusion Ted and Lily come to in "Band or DJ" when admitting to each other that [[spoiler:there are times Lily wishes she wasn't a mother and that Ted still wishes Robin was marrying him instead of Barney.]]
235* {{Yandere}}: Ted, Robin, Jeanette and Lily were once.
236

Top