simbrab

Halfway through the final season Bays and Thomas somehow managed to pull HIMYM back on the right track, and with the exception of "Slapsgiving 3", they have been producing quality episodes ever since. "Daisy" is especially noteworthy, as it is full of laugh-out-loud moments while also handling outstanding emotional parts.

Plot in a paragraph: The Mosby Boys (Detective Mosby AKA Ted, Barney, Marshall, Ranjit and William Zabka) backtrack Lily's getaway of the previous night to her employer, the Captain, decide to teach him some manners and wind up discovering a way bigger secret Lily has been keeping from all of them the whole weekend. Meanwhile, Robin's mother is not exactly helpful when it comes to keeping the bride from freaking out.

All the scenes at the Captain's house are flat-out hilarious. His house-keeping crew, his over-the-top obsession with boats, the fact that he actually ended up getting engaged with Becky (better known as "Boats, Boats, Boats!"), just like Ted had imagined it during his "sandwich"-fueled delusion in "The Ashtray". Not to mention Detective Mosby's cocky gloating over finally cracking a case.

Only for the actual revelation to completely change the mood. The HIMYM writers are so good at this. When they pull a trick like this, it makes you remember why you stuck with this series for 9 seasons, through all the sub-par episodes of season 5, season 8 or early season 9. This time, the emotional roller-coaster leads to the conclusion of the best Marshall-and-Lily-storyline in a long time.

What remains for the last four episodes is the Barney-Robin-Ted-triangle. The ending of "Daisy" indicates that we might not be done with that. We know from flash-forwards in previous episodes (especially "Farhampton") that Robin will freak out and have second thoughts about marrying Barney as the wedding approaches. Her dialogue with her mother in this episode probably plays a big role in getting her to that point, as she learns that Barney actually has a lot in common with her emotionally unavailable father. It makes sense within the series. This has been hinted at near the end of season 8 ("Something Old"). Winding up with someone resembling one of your parents has already been the theme of an episode of season 7 ("Noretta"). And if you think all the way back to season 1 ("Zip Zip Zip"), Robin's unresolved father issues was one of the first things about her to really grab Barney's attention.

Still, some of the similarities between Barney and Robin Scherbatsky Sr. presented here seemed a bit far-fetched and came out of nowhere. But this is my only criticism about this otherwise brilliant episode.

How I Met Your Mother has always had great season finales, culminating in live-changing events for the main characters full of all kinds of emotions. This one is no exception in being generally brilliant and hitting all the right emotions, and yet it is different. This time, the season finale is not the place and time to tie all the loose ends together and resolve them. Which explains the lackluster nature of the last couple of episodes and their shortage of plot development. Usually they build up to the plot resolution in the season finale. But what season 8 ultimately culminates in is not plot resolution, but one massive build-up. To the 9th and final season that will take all it's time for the ultimate plot resolution, tying up the loose ends that define the entire series. And those have been laid out overwhelmingly well in the final minutes of "Something New".

Let's talk about the episode title for a moment. There's a connection to the last episode but also the final two episodes of season 2 - Something Borrowed / Something Blue / Something Old / Something New. Obviously, they're all wedding-themed. It was Marshall and Lily's wedding at the end of season 2, and now the build-up to Barney and Robin's wedding at the end of season 8. But the meaning of the respective episode title goes beyond that. Lily borrowed a hat to cover up Marshall's ruined hair at their wedding. "Something Blue" refers to the blue french horn, the symbol of Ted and Robin's relationship, the end of which has been revealed in the season 2 finale. And while the Marshall-Lily-wedding coincided with Ted and Robin ending their relationship, the Barney-Robin-wedding will ultimately close the door on them. "Something Old" recalls their history in the scene at the Central Park carousel, with Robin wearing a blue blazer (coincidence or symbolism?). And besides the obvious reference to the locket, the episode title could also be interpreted as a nod to those old feelings between Ted and Robin that seem to be resurging. And now for "Something New". This episode title is even more ambiguous, there's so much it could refer to. There is a new twist to the story of Robin's lost locket. New future plans for Ted. Big news for Marshall. And the closing seconds have something new in store for the viewers, something they've been looking forward to for eight years...