Warning: Fullfrom the episode to follow.

Now that was what I signed on for...To start, How I Met Your Mother has definitely had its highs and lows this season, but I have to say that I was genuinely excited for the series' closing episode "Last Forever." Kicking off "Part One" in 2005, just shortly after Robin joined the group, was an excellent way to begin the series finale, and it certainly set the tone for the rest of the hour-long episode, as it jettisoned through time leading up to 2030.As with the rest of the season, the wedding weekend stuff was sweet, but ultimately needless, since we already knew that Ted wasn't moving to Chicago. Still it was kind of nice to see a "goodbye" moment for all the characters, even if it was a false one. Between the "Haaaave you met Ted" near-miss with the Mother, Ted and Robin's "Major Pleasure," and Ted's callback to licking the Liberty Bell ("I've done a lot of cool stuff, Ted."), there were some great bits packed into these last few moments in Farhamption. (Also, high infinity!)

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Later, in 2015, it was interesting to see Ted and the Mother's relationship grow and develop as Barney and Robin finally began to sort through their differences, once and for all. Admittedly, the divorce aspect of it felt a bit rushed -- especially considering we'd just spent a whole season getting to their wedding -- but honestly, the way Bays and Thomas handled it here was more than enough to get the gist: Barney and Robin just weren't meant to be together, and I think that's always been the case.Some other great moments from "Part One" included Ted learning that Tracy was pregnant, the gang learning that Lily was pregnant (baby number three!), as well as the return of the dreaded "cockamouse" from Season 1! Likewise, the Halloween party was another standout sequence, with Ted as the Hanging Chad (again), but now with the Mother joining him as a Florida voter. The subsequent scene between Robin and Lily was also very strong -- and a solid way to bookend the first half of the finale.

What Made HIMYM Different: The Good and the Bad

Going into "Part Two," events moved at a refreshingly brisk pace, picking back up in 2018, as the gang met up for a reunion at MacLaren's. First, it was good to see that after a few years back in corporate law Marshall eventually got the judgeship position he'd always wanted (and later the "Judge Fudge Supreme!"). Again, it was gratifying to see Ted and the Mother hit their various milestones in their relationship, including the re-proposal, the wedding and the post-ceremony shindig at MacLaren's. (Where else?) I particularly enjoyed Lily's toast, and Marshall turning back to the kids behind him to say, "Do you have any idea what happened in this very bar? Just... all kinds of stuff."Barney's arc in the finale, though, was easily my favorite he's had in years. To have him revert back to the sex hound we once knew was both nostalgic and yet kind of heartbreaking. On the one hand, it was great seeing Barney back to his old tricks -- even creating an all-new Playbook -- and beginning to enter what he referred to as his "Clooney years." Indeed, it's a comforting thought that the suit-wearing mongrel we saw in Season 1 eventually came back around, because, as he himself confessed, "That's me. Can I please just be me?"

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On the other hand, it was also a little depressing to see all of Barney's growth over the years suddenly wiped away -- almost a reset button -- and that's a turn I think some fans will take issue with in the long run. However, I think the strongest aspect of Barney's postscript came in the year 2020, when one of his many conquests resulted in him becoming a father. Earlier in the episode Barney's concern was that if Robin couldn't turn him around, who could? The answer was Ellie, the true love of his life.In the end, though, it was the finale's last three scenes that really brought the series to an all-gratifying close. The first scene, obviously, was the highly anticipated meeting between Ted and the Mother -- actually, make that Tracy McConnell. Building up to that moment in a montage that clearly signaled Tracy's death was a very moving prelude to the events that followed. In just a couple of minutes, Bays and Thomas were able to transition from a moment of profound sadness (near the end of Tracy's life) to the defining moment that started it all. Not only that, but Ted and Tracy's meeting hit on all the points in time that the audience was given clues about the Mother: the roommate connection, the yellow umbrella, the St. Patrick's Day incident -- it all flowed perfectly.

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Then there was the final cutaway to 2030, as Josh Radnor's own Future Ted said the words we'd all been waiting for: "And that, kids, is how I met your mother." But what the kids knew -- and what I think Bays and Thomas knew all along -- was that Ted's story was never about the Mother. As Penny so rightly put it, "This is a story about how you're totally in love with Aunt Robin." Using footage shot years ago of Lyndsy Fonseca (Penny) and David Henrie (Luke) and intercutting it with Radnor's up-to-date reactions, it was almost unbelievable just how neatly their scene was cut together. Definitely an unexpected surprise.Of course, my absolute favorite bit (and the one I've personally dreamed about for years) was Ted making one last grand gesture to Robin, and that was all thanks to the blue French horn of all things. In my mind, it was the quintessential callback and a moment that solidified just how far Ted and Robin had come in their lives. (Hey, better late than never, right?)