Whether you’re a Barney/Robin, Marshall/Lily, or Ted/Mother fan, last night’s How I Met Your Mother hour-long Season 7 finale was full of surprises. Read a special reaction piece from Anna Bowling on last night’s memorable episode(s), (7.23 and 7.24) “The Magician’s Code, parts 1 and 2":
Kids, ah, readers, there are three parts to this season finale, and each part brings somebody to a point of no return. We’ve got a birth, an engagement, a wedding and a half, a vacation that never gets off the ground, the magical contents of a mysterious box, and that’s only scratching the surface, so get comfy. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.
*****SPOILERS*****
The Marshall and Lily Part
Marshall and Barney face the daunting task of getting from Atlantic City to New York in time for the arrival of Baby Eriksen. Not an insurmountable distance, but neither are fit to drive, there’s not a cab to be had, Barney does not win a motorcycle, and their only hope is to board a bus full of senior citizens. Said bus is headed for NY, but Buffalo rather than the city, and the bus driver will only stop in case of emergency. Our lesson here is to never underestimate seniors who believe in the power of love. In a Spartacus moment, all the passengers insist they are having heart attacks and Marshall makes it to his son’s arrival on time.
Lily’s route to the hospital isn’t any easier. She may not have Marshall with her, but she does have Ted and Robin, though Ted may fall from favor, due to his “Lily is in Labor” video that he’s mailed to all and sundry, including Lily’s father, Mickey, whose bedside manner is the stuff of legend, and not in the good way. Robin is ready to stand in for Doctor Sonya in case Lily can’t make it to the hospital, and has brought along everything she’ll need to attend a foaling. While many of Robin’s preparations are played for laughs, the carrot does make a good snack for a hungry Lily and having one’s hair brushed with a currycomb looks admittedly comforting. Lily demands that Ted and Robin distract her by telling stories, resulting in a handful of amusing anecdotes, though it’s Mickey’s unintentionally helpful story of one of his own past failures that gives Lily the confidence that she can get through labor, even if Marshall doesn’t show.
Soon enough, it’s time for Baby Ericksen’ grand entrance, and Marshall reveals Barney’s price for getting him back to New York; Barney has chosen young Marvin’s middle name, Wait For It. Welcome to the world, Marvin Wait For It Eriksen. For those Barney/Robin fans hoping for a hospital scene, there is one here, but it’s only a quick glimpse of Barney’s hand on the small of Robin’s back as the group admires their newest addition.
The Ted and Victoria Part
Ted and Robin share a tender (platonic) moment as they reflect on the miracle of birth. Ted isn’t anywhere ready to be a dad, but he still wants marriage and a family. Robin calls him on his longstanding self-sabotage. If that’s what he really wants, then why has he been consistently chasing women he knows are never going to want what he wants? She points to herself as example, and they both admit the one woman who could have been Ted’s perfect match is the one he let get away: Victoria. Robin dares Ted to take a chance. He needs to call Victoria and see her one more time.
As it turns out, that chance is a big one. In a scene reminiscent of Friends, when Victoria shows for her rendezvous with Ted at MacLaren’s, she’s dressed in a wedding gown, having gone AWOL from her planned wedding to fiancé Klaus. She’d been tempted to leave Klaus for Ted on their last encounter, and now wants Ted to whisk her away and drive off into the sunset. Ted is torn. The wounds from being left at the altar by former fiancée Stella still ache, but off into the sunset they go…or do they? Sympathizing with Klaus, Ted vows to take Victoria back to her wedding because that’s the right thing to do. So why does Ted drive right past the church?
The Barney, Quinn, and Robin Part
Throughout the episode, Barney frets about having ruined things with Quinn, and not knowing what he’ll find when he comes home. He sure didn’t expect Quinn to redecorate their pad in bright pink, but he doesn’t care, as long as Quinn is still there. The two plan a vacation to Hawaii, complete with a mysterious box Barney is loath to explain, as it’s for a magic convention and magicians only tell their secrets to other magicians. Handily, a security officer is a fellow magician, so Barney must spill. Before the contents can be revealed, another officer starts questioning Quinn, who reveals she has quit her stripping job to please Barney. This prompts Barney to reveal the contents of the box, an elaborate magic trick revealing a sparkling diamond ring as he proposes to Quinn, who delightedly accepts.
Returning to Marshall and Lily’s apartment to share their news, Barney finds Robin is far less than delighted, though she assures him she’s happy he’s happy. Barney half-jokingly suggests this is his and Robin’s last chance to run off together. It’s an awkward moment, with much left unsaid, but when we flash forward to the long awaited reveal of Barney’s bride, it’s Robin. Now for the big question; how do we get there from here?
Anna C. Bowling considers writing historical romance the best way to travel through time and make the voices in her head pay rent. She welcomes visitors to her blog, Typing with Wet Nails and to follow her at Twitter.
