I had a lot of hopes going into the How I Met Your Mother Season 7 finale, and I was unfortunately… fairly disappointed. But as I always tell my friend Joe who wonders why I hate on the show so much, I’m in it till the end. Just as I must know who killed Rosie Larsen, I must meet Ted Mosby’s future wife.
In this year’s finale, Marvin Waitforit Eriksen was born to Lily and Marshall, Ted ran off with Victoria who was running from her wedding and Robin is revealed to be Barney’s wife in the near future, even though in present day, he’s just gotten engaged to Quinn.
So what can we expect in season 8? And what am I hoping for? Let’s dive in.
We’ll see less of the bar. I don’t imagine too many scenes with Marvin in the bar, as even Lily and Marshall realized how quickly that place isn’t good for a baby. The two will likely have their own subplots as they did when they lived on Long Island, or the baby will guide the plots of the entire group and influence the setting. (I have to imagine a funny scene of either Robin being grossed out by a diaper or Ted or even Barney getting weepy-eyed while changing it). Either way, the usual group dynamic in the bar is probably going to happen less and we’ll see more scenes in Marshall and Lily’s apartment or somewhere else.
Victoria and Ted break-up. In the first episode back, according to an interview with the showrunners, we’ll still be on the same day as the finale. But then the episode flashes ahead to September. Will Ted and Victoria still be together? In that interview, Ted is going to feel very guilty right away when he finds out Victoria didn’t leave a note for her jilted fiancé… but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s done with her right away. Maybe he just makes her write one! I have to imagine Ted and Victoria will actually date for awhile, otherwise, why would the producers go there yet again? Any time they’ve given him a girlfriend that wasn’t Robin or Victoria, the audience has hated her. (Even if we liked Stella for awhile.) So I think we’ll see them date for a couple of episodes. What will ultimately drive them apart however? (Since we know she’s not the mother.) Perhaps she still hasn’t forgiven him for cheating. Or, you know, he’s a little weirded out that she RAN OUT ON HER WEDDING for him.
And we’ll also see Quinn and Barney break-up. But how quickly that happens is up for debate. Will the creators just create some massive fight in the season premiere and have it happen right away? Quinn will be back, but we’re not sure for how long yet. She’ll definitely be in the first episode. But Robin, according to that interview, will also be getting a significant love interest right away. Perhaps that day maybe? If that’s the case, then likely Quinn and Barney DO break up in the first episode, and then when episode 2 fast forwards to September, he’s just starting to get back to normal again, but then Robin is serious with her boyfriend. How she breaks up with him and how quickly? Again… unknown. (I hope she doesn’t cheat on yet another one.) But odds are we won’t see Robin and Barney’s wedding until the season finale and even that seems like accelerated time. What I’m still curious about is how the show resolves the idea that Barney really wants to have children, and we know Robin can’t… and doesn’t in the future. (Unless Future Ted obscured the language enough that she could, and they’re just adopted.)
Season 8 should be a huge season for the show—especially if it turns out to be the final one. I can’t remember a previous season having so many huge balls in the air going into the new season. As someone who hasn’t “enjoyed” the show in two to three years, I’m hopeful for the new season, but I’m also nervous. To pull off one of these storylines is going to be hard—pulling them all off will certainly be a challenge. If they can do it, it’ll be leg – Marvin WaitForIt – endary.
