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How I Met Your Mother

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The Mother

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Future Ted, The Kids, and other things from 2030

The last of the final season will give us a twist ending regarding Ted and/or Robin's relationship. Over the course of the final Season the show keeps bringing up certain plot points about how Barney and Robin's wedding is so going to happen and flat out states on how Ted does find the Mother and will meet with her soon. The show keeps on implying that all 3 of them will be having such a harmoniously perfect happy ending in the future. But call me a cynic but there is a chance that one or both of these plots will come to an end in a Over the course of the final Season the show keeps bringing up certain plot points about how Barney and Robin's wedding is so going to happen and flat out states on how Ted does find the Mother and will meet with her soon. The show keeps on implying that all 3 of them will be having such a harmoniously perfect happy ending in the future. But call me a cynic but there is a chance that one or both of these plots will come to an end in a BitterSweet or Downer Ending . This can go in one of 3 ways... A. The Mother dies and Barney and Robin's Marriage doesn't last.This is going by the theory that the Mother is dead when Future!Ted tells his kids about the story about their mother. But Ted is not alone in which he and Robin got back together and stayed that way this time as Robin is their step-mom. You might be asking "Then why does Ted keep referring to Robin as their Aunt"? Simple Ted and Robin got back together recently at this point but the kids are not quite comfortable with the idea of referring Robin as their mother yet. Besides it would explain why Ted's severely "off and on" relationship with Robin became such a recurring plot point despite on how the story is supposed to be about how he finds their mother. B. The Mother dies but Barney and Robin do stay Married.The Mother died recently but Ted is a widower and a single dad and like other widowers plans to stay single. Ted will openly claim that he is perfectly fine with staying single (but is secretly quite depressed about it and how all of his relationships ended over the years.) C. The Mother lives but Barney and Robin's marriage doesn't last.Conversely the Mother does live and everything stays fine between her and Ted. However Barney and Robin's marriage ends and sadly this time they decided to stay away from each other. The show will then end with Robin and/or Barney being incredibly depressed about their severe relationship issues over the course of the series. A is the right answer as the mother has been dead for a few years in the Future!Ted timeline and Barney and Robin divorce after 3 years of marriage. Instead of being uncomfortable about the idea, his kids encourage him to go after Robin, which he does. The kids aren't real Ted is doing the same thing that Robin did in Symphony of Illumination , talking to imaginary figures to work through his problems. He ends up with Robin by compromising his desire to have kids, and years later starts to regret it. So he starts to create a world inside his head where they didn't end up together, and instead he marries the roommate of a girl he dated once who seemed perfect just through the few tangential items he came in contact with. The series ends with the kids fading out, and Robin sitting down on the couch oblivious to the thought process going through Ted's head. Drunk Train foreshadows this with Robin's speech to Kevin about really, really, REALLY being sure of what he wants. Alternatively, Ted's kids could be his version of the Front Porch Test or imagining his 20-years-in-the-Future self telling him what to do ( yes, The Time Travellers was an Imagine Spot , but that doesn't mean that Barney doesn't really do that Imagine Spot that happens later on and not all of the episodes are part of the same one - some are a different story altogether. The two endings? Ted is imagining two possible endings, we only get to see one of them on the show. If the Imagine Spot happens after the first date, then maybe Tracy mentioned something to Ted about an illness that seems to run in her family . Same troper here, I've now realised that my idea only makes sense in the last case: the Imagine Spot is happening some time after Ted's first date with Tracy and is his way of coming to terms with the fact that the love of his life may have inherited a terminal illness . The official ending is how Ted imagines himself telling the story if Tracy does get sick and the alternate ending is if she does not. If he knows about Max then the part of the Imagine Spot where he ends up asking Robin out is Ted wondering if he'll ever be able to get over Tracy the way she got over Max divorce is because Ted is also worried that his friends' relationship will not work out. A lot of the episodes that seem to have nothing to do with Ted meeting Tracy could actually actually be him processing his fears of his best friends splitting up and the love of his life dying . It explains why the characters don't look as old as they should in "flashbacks" from the 2020s, but another option makes more sense: The series takes place after Ted learns that Tracy is sick . The official ending is what he would do if she dies , and the alternate ending is what he would do if she doesn't. That means that the kids are real, but much younger than Ted imagines them, Barney and Robin really are divorced , Barney's daughter is real, and only the ending of the last episode is imaginary.

Imagine Spot that happens later on and not all of the episodes are part of the same one - some are a different story altogether. The two endings? Ted is imagining two possible endings, we only get to see one of them on the show. If the Imagine Spot happens after the first date, then maybe . In the last episode, Ted could be doing what Marshall would: imagine his wife dead so he can imagine himself with another woman . Anyway, this whole thing probably happens after Penny is born, as Ted knows her name isn't Leia, or at least after Ted knows the Mother and knows she wants to name her first daughter Penny. Ted is doing the same thing that, talking to imaginary figures to work through his problems. He ends up with Robin by compromising his desire to have kids, and years later starts to regret it. So he starts to create a world inside his head where they didn't end up together, and instead he marries the roommate of a girl he dated once who seemed perfect just through the few tangential items he came in contact with. The series ends with the kids fading out, and Robin sitting down on the couch oblivious to the thought process going through Ted's head. Drunk Train foreshadows this with Robin's speech to Kevin about really, really, REALLY being sure of what he wants. Future Ted died after the pilot episode and is telling this all via video Why else wouldn't the kids start discussing whats happening with there dad or call him out on telling them inappropriate stuff (him telling them about the threesome comes to mind come on who else whats to hear that from there parents) but instead he died and is telling them all this as some sort of video last will and testament.This is also why the kids keep on watching even though he's been talking for so long out of a sign of respect. Why else wouldn't the kids start discussing whats happening with there dad or call him out on telling them inappropriate stuff (him telling them about the threesome comes to mind come on who else whats to hear that from there parents) but instead he died and is telling them all this as some sort of video last will and testament.This is also why the kids keep on watching even though he's been talking for so long out of a sign of respect. No matter who the mother is, at the end of the series Future Ted will get a major calling out for how inconsistent and drawn out the story was. This will most likely be done by the children, but certain other characters such as the Mother will probably participate in this as well. Barney, Robin, Lily, and Marshall will all be there and reveal that Ted made up a lot of the story to be dramatic. There was no GNB, Marshall went back to the same company he originally worked for with Arthur as his boss. The company is either Altrucell or was bought by Altrucell. Barney didn`t sleep with over 200 women and always kinda wanted to get married but didn't think it would happen so he hid behind his womanising personality. Ted didn't have a crush on Robin when he first met her and they did not live together for more than a year (are we really supposed to believe that they couldn't live together peacefully while they were dating, but after the breakup they lived together for years?). Future Ted doesn't want to talk about her moving out because it was too painful. Lily and Marshall broke up for a longer time than depicted and it was much more tramuatic (notice how they frequently ignore that it happened and say they`ve been together since first week of college) and they were trying to have a baby since the beginning of season 4 but kept having fertility problems. The story of how Ted met the mother is actually very simplistic and would've happened with or without the yellow umbrella or her being in the economics class he stumbled into. We all know Ted wouldn`t let the truth get in the way of a good story. This will most likely be done by the children, but certain other characters such as the Mother will probably participate in this as well. Ted's kids' names are.... Luke and Leia. Or Leah. Either way, it would be an homage to Ted's love for Star Wars (Marshall: "Ted loves Star Wars. He watches it in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, etc...) and when told to "swear on his unborn kids", he says "I swear on Luke and Leia". Given how Ted's ideal woman is practically himself, the mother would probably be fine with naming the kids Luke and Leia. Of course, the kids would never forgive them. And this point has been brought up before with Barney (or was it Marshall? Sorry, memory slipping) wanting to name the Eriksen baby "Hurricane" and Lily objecting. Even Ted wouldn't be insensitive enough to actually give his kids Star Wars character names for their first names. Much like Lily and Marshall, he and the Mother will give them Luke and Leia as middle names. The daughter's name will be Cynthia, after Cindy, because of the important role she played in getting Ted and the Mother together, and because Ted wouldn't name the kids after his friends, and neither would the Mother.

Semi-Jossed. The son's name is Luke, the daughter's name is Penny. Luke and Leia. Or Leah. Either way, it would be an homage to Ted's love for Star Wars (Marshall: "Ted loves Star Wars. He watches it in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, etc...) and when told to "swear on his unborn kids", he says "I swear on Luke and Leia". Given how Ted's ideal woman is practically himself, the mother would probably be fine with naming the kids Luke and Leia. Of course, the kids would never forgive them. And this point has been brought up before with Barney (or was it Marshall? Sorry, memory slipping) wanting to name the Eriksen baby "Hurricane" and Lily objecting. Bob Saget is how Ted hears himself People hear themselves differently then others do and the future portions are from Teds POV therefore the deeper voice is how Ted hears himself The kids from the future are androids. Ted doesn't really want kids. He just loves the idea of the perfect romantic fantasy, where he marries a beautiful woman and has two beautiful kids and a beautiful dog who all live in a beautiful house that he designed. At some point in the future, he gives up on the whole "perfect" thing and decides that having real kids would be a lot of work, since he doesn't have a bride to share the raising of two kids with. So, he has a pair of robot kids created. It's not considered unusual, since having androids is the 2030 equivalent of playing The Sims. Ted doesn't really want kids. He just loves the idea of the perfect romantic fantasy, where he marries a beautiful woman and has two beautiful kids and a beautiful dog who all live in a beautiful house that he designed. At some point in the future, he gives up on the whole "perfect" thing and decides that having real kids would be a lot of work, since he doesn't have a bride to share the raising of two kids with. So, he has a pair of robot kids created. It's not considered unusual, since having androids is the 2030 equivalent of playing The Sims. He then fills in their memory so that they have more than just the basic programming of human behaviour. He has to input the data the old fashioned way so that they will "learn" from it the same way as a human child would. They will pick up behavioral patterns based on their "father" and his friends. He lives with Robin, Marshal and Lily as well as the woman who built his kids. She is now a close friend, having joined the group the same way as Robin did. Barney still has an anti-relationship apartment somewhere else but close-by. The story of how Ted met their mother is really the story of how he met and got to know the woman who would build them, so we have at least two decades left to go. Well, the mother does like to paint robots playing volleyball... oh my God... Ted isn't really the father. Ted isn't really the father of the two children. After he meets their mother, they become really close, and he becomes their Ted doesn't even say that he's married to their Mom. Could be that Robin is their step-mom and they just call her 'Aunt' Robin because she's so uncomfortable with the idea of having kids. He does mention their wedding at one point. It is also stated that Robin eventually made her peace with children. As well, the kids seemed shocked and appalled that Ted and Robin had ever been a couple.

They call him "Dad" in the second season opening when they complain that it feels like he's been telling the story for a year and ask him to skip ahead. Given modern (and postmodern) family dynamics, though, that doesn't discredit this theory at all. Ted isn't really the father of the two children. After he meets their mother, they become really close, and he becomes their Honourary Uncle . Ted could technically marry to anyone on the show. The Children are adopted. In a surprise twist, Ted isn't the children's biological father; he adopted them from a woman he meets very briefly. Alternately, Ted and their mother were never even involved. He just babysits because he is the only person in the group who has no life (aside from Barney, who dies, see below), and the Honorary Uncle titles were from their mother's friendship with the group. Alternately, they're Lily's and Marshall's kids, who's parents died in a car crash between the end of the series and the "present" in the framing sequence. "Met" is a metaphor for "came to know and understand", and How I Met Your Parents would give away that he's not their dad. Ted and Robin take care of the kids, with the occasional help of Barney, who settles down somewhat (but not entirely). They couldn't be Lily and Marshall's kids. Ted told the kids how Marshall opened Lily's letter that was supposed to be opened after her death "last year," as in a year before Ted tells the kids the story, so why couldn't he just call them "your mom and dad"? They would know who their parents were in that case... But even then it's a dead end for this theory because Lily turns out to be just fine, not dead. They are called aunt Lily and uncle Marshall many times in the stories, so Jossed. Not necessarily. Looking at the simple structure of the title only tells how Ted met the mother of the kids. That would like me saying to you, "Did I tell you how I met your mother?" This is not "How I met your mother, fell in love with her, married her and had you two little bastards." Which leads me to... They call Future Ted "dad" at least once. Like in the second episode, where Ted tells Robin he loves her, and his daughter goes "oh, Dad..." And in the Perfect Week episode, he asks them in the end if he's a "bad Dad", so Ted's definitely the father. We have proof!

The biological mother of the children and the woman Ted marries may not necessarily be the same person. As mentioned earlier, this is a story about how Ted met the mother of the two kids in the opening scene. This is not "How I Met My Wife." This leads to several possible scenarios: (The Most Obvious) Ted's wife is the mother of the children Ted and his wife are unable to have children and this is how they met the biological mother of the kids Ted's kids are not biologically his, but this is how he met their mother, which could be His current wife His ex-wife The woman they view as a mother figure This seems Jossed as of "Girls vs. Suits." Future Ted says Cindy's roommate was both the kids' mother and the woman he married.

Ted has been dead for years. The man telling the story to the children is obviously not Ted - their voices are completely different. But he's representing himself as Ted in the story and pretending to be the children's biological father. The easiest explanation is that Ted died when the children were very young, long enough ago that they have no real memory of him. Their mother married the story-telling man soon afterwards and convinced them that he was their father, either to spare them trauma or for some more sinister purpose. Robin, Marshall, and Lily are in on the deception too, as the children have met them without the secret being revealed. In the fifth episode of season 3, we see Ted alive and well during the mid 2020s, when the children would have been about ten; and the photo in the den which is described in the 3rd episode of season 2 has the Ted we know and love. If Story-Telling Man isn't Ted, then they should have noticed. ( Oh my gosh, "5th episode of season 3"? I feel like such a nerd for saying that...! ) This theory has been Jossed. Word of God says they'll never pull something like that and the person telling the story in 2030 really is Ted. "Ted Mosby...architect." Hey, there's precedent Oh, Ted is not dead but he is dying, which is one of the reason why he's telling the story to his kids, he what's not only to spend some time with them, but also to tell them the story of he met their their mother before he goes.

Future Ted is hallucinating. Ted never fully got over his feelings that he and Robin were soulmates, and as time passed he purposefully sabotaged every relationship he was in (cheating on Victoria, inviting Stella's ex to their wedding, etc.) because he knew he was meant to be with Robin. As the years went on he developed severe emotional problems because of this and became a reclusive architect designing grand tributes to Robin secretly in his buildings. Finally as he succumbs to his long untreated mental illness(es), he creates what he believes him and Robin's children would look like, and as a coping mechanism meticulously explains everything he could have, or should have, done to keep Robin instead of pushing her away from him. The series will end with his children revealing to him that they are figments of his imagination and that he has to face reality, and the camera pans to see Future Ted putting a shotgun in his mouth and then whispering "reality..." before a cut to black and the end credits roll. Wouldn't that make Robin the (imaginary) Mother, which we already know isn't so (as she's 'Aunt Robin')?

By the time the story is told, Marshall is the President. Marshall's law school buddies include a future senator and an Attorney General, two different people. If two throwaway characters get such good jobs, then a regular has to get something even better. Along with dead Barney, the two most probable theories yet.

Heck, this explains why they got those good jobs - they went to law school with President Eriksen!

Wasn't one of them also Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?

That would also explain how Marshall gets access to Time Travel! Wait, wouldn't that make the pineapple a first attempt at making sure the time machine works?like "let's send something inanimate first"

Future Marshall DID have a snazzy office... ...oh god.

They did go to Columbia Law School after all.

That would explain how he eventually managed to save the planet (as Ted mentions in season 7) Marshall's law school buddies include a future senator and an Attorney General, two different people. If two throwaway characters get such good jobs, then a regular has to get something even better. Barney is dead when Future Ted is telling the story This theory comes from His womanizing also suggests that he's unlikely to hit a ripe old age.

One of Barney's most important character traits is that he always wears a suit. The Livejournal link talks about this suggesting mourning colors and the formality of a funeral, but there's a simpler link. If a man Barney's age died, how would the corpse be dressed in the coffin? Just like Barney is now - in a suit. But from Barney's point of view, suits resemble joy and awesomeness, not death. This is why he never wears his suit in funerals. And anyway, he wants to be buried naked.

Barney is so cool that he is probably Too Cool to Live.

It's still possible, but Ted recently gave a date for when Barney finally quit smoking that was well outside the likely running time of the show. So he may die, but not in the present. When I saw that episode, I thought immediately of this theory - what if the date given for Barney's last cigarette is the date of his death? I'm sure I'm not the only one who imagined Barney with a cigarette in his mouth and a blindfold on with his back against a wall. Pretty sad, but almost plausible.

Especially suspicious is that Barney's life after the series is almost never mentioned. Future ted talks about Robin, Marshall and Lily all the time, but Barney is barely ever mentioned. Chances are the Barney is naught but a distant memory, for one reason or another.

Still, Barney is always referred to as "Uncle Barney" when Future Ted is talking to his kids, implying that Barney was at least alive until some point after the kids were born and were old enough to remember him. If the kids never knew him, why would they call him "Uncle"? And Ted would just refer to him as "my friend Barney" or some such thing, as he does for the other people in his life that his kids presumably never meet. Not necessarily. The reason he's Uncle Barney isn't because he's close to the children, but because he is Ted's brother. As long as Ted considers Barney his brother, he's their uncle. I still no longer think this WMG is true, but for other reasons.

After recently watching season six's 'Subway Wars' again, I've found at one point Future Ted says "To this day Barney denies this is what happened ... " (It's paraphrased, but he definitely says "to this day".) I think it would therefore be fair to say Barney is alive by 2030, because if the writers had been foreshadowing his death all this time, they would have had the line differently, like "Barney always denied this is how it happened, but ... " for example. Also, "Tick, Tick, Tick" has Barney and Robin both swearing "to this day" about the song on the boat.

More than that, Barney seems to be very sure of who might cause his death. While his job is unclear, he seems to be very positive that he only has it because he knows a lot of dirt on the company. When asked if he was worried about being fired, he said "The things I know about this company, I can never be fired. I might find myself ashore with no fingerprints or teeth, but I can never be fired."

It would also explain why Barney's character is so absurdly larger than life. Marshall, Lily, and Robin have all been around to roll their eyes and correct Ted when he gets a little too carried away recounting their exploits. Essentially it would add an extra level of Unreliable Narrator. This theory comes from a highly observant fan . Considering some of this evidence and the vagueness of his job, in which the only evidence known is that he works with North Koreans.... it could be possible. Barney is alive... ...but the kids don't know him well because he's been out of the country for several years. Despite his self-centred persona, it's pretty obvious that Barney actually likes helping people - as Hippy Barney he was going to join the Peace Corps, and even as his suited-up self, he does a lot for others, particularly his friends. Maybe Barney does eventually take over the evil corporation he works for, but as soon as it becomes Barneycorp, he starts some legen-DARY world-saving projects. Because of this, Barney has spent several years travelling between projects to supervise them personally, and to fulfill his dream of hooking up with a girl from every country in the world. ...but the kids don't know him well because he's been out of the country for several years. Despite his self-centred persona, it's pretty obvious that Barney actually likes helping people - as Hippy Barney he was going to join the Peace Corps, and even as his suited-up self, he does a lot for others, particularly his friends. Maybe Barney does eventually take over the evil corporation he works for, but as soon as it becomes Barneycorp, he starts some legen-DARY world-saving projects. Because of this, Barney has spent several years travelling between projects to supervise them personally, and to fulfill his dream of hooking up with a girl from every country in the world. Barney disappeared from Ted's life sometime after The Kids matured and got to know him. The Kids appear to be about 15, so it's entirely plausable that when they were five or six Ted and Barney just kind of drifted apart. Barney continues to be an honorary uncle because that's how the kids know and remember him, even though he hasn't been around for a while. Unlikely, since Ted talks about Barney as if they still talk on ocassion. In Subway Wars, he says "To this day your uncle Barney won't admit it..." and in Tick, Tick, Tick... he says "To this day Robin and Barney both swear this is the song they danced to on that night." They also meet up at least twice a year for Thanksgiving and Robots vs. Wrestlers, so Ted and Barney are presumably still quite close. The Kids appear to be about 15, so it's entirely plausable that when they were five or six Ted and Barney just kind of drifted apart. Barney continues to be an honorary uncle because that's how the kids know and remember him, even though he hasn't been around for a while. Ted is telling this story to his wife's grave. This is how I see the whole series ending. He does get married, but his wife dies prematurely, and he stands there relaying the story of how they met in the way he'd planned to tell their kids. Then Robin comes up, tells him he's been here for hours, and they walk off.

Pretty much confirmed. Ted meets the mother of the children after the children were born But soon enough so that they think he's their biological father. Alternatively, they know he isn't their biological father but in 2030 he's been around long enough for them to call him "Dad". But soon enough so that they think he's their biological father. Alternatively, they know he isn't their biological father but in 2030 he's been around long enough for them to call him "Dad". Future Ted is no longer married to the mother He's telling the kids the story to get them on his side, and the show ends with Future Ted (now Present Ted) making an earnest effort to win her back. Very, very plausible. He's telling the kids the story to get them on his side, and the show ends with Future Ted (now Present Ted) making an earnest effort to win her back. The kids are blind. Future Ted describes a painting to them...a painting that's hanging in their house. He doesn't say it in the same "as you know" tone that he uses for the toy bus, which they've presumably played with. This explains why the kids tend to stare kind of vacantly in the flash-forwards, and a little bit why Ted is rambling on so much: he was told that parents need to talk to blind children a lot, and is oblivious to the fact that they've grown up now and are perfectly capable of seeking out their own stimulation. Wildly guessing further: since both of them are blind, it's genetic, meaning quite possibly the Mother has very poor eyesight herself...she can see things close up, and she's very good at recognizing the color yellow, but she won't recognize Ted from his Econ lecture when next they meet. Jossed as of Say Cheese. Future Ted says the kids have seen Lily's photo albums. Jossed two seasons earlier, with Season 3's Little Boys. We are shown pictures the children drew of themselves with Aunt Robin, something they couldn't have pulled off nearly as well if they were blind.

Future Ted describes a painting to them...a painting that's hanging in their house. He doesn't say it in the same "as you know" tone that he uses for the toy bus, which they've presumably played with. This explains why the kids tend to stare kind of vacantly in the flash-forwards, and a little bit why Ted is rambling on so much: he was told that parents need to talk to blind children a lot, and is oblivious to the fact that they've grown up now and are perfectly capable of seeking out their own stimulation. Wildly guessing further: since both of them are blind, it's genetic, meaning quite possibly the Mother has very poor eyesight herself...she can see things close up, and she's very good at recognizing the color yellow, but she won't recognize Ted from his Econ lecture when next they meet. Ted's wife can't get pregnant. Robin will give birth to Ted and his wife's baby. The story is still about how Ted met his wife, but the pilot episode turns out to really be about how Ted met the kid's birth mother. ... surprisingly Jossed by "Symphony of Illumination." Double Jossed by "Unpause."

Robin will give birth to Ted and his wife's baby. The story is still about how Ted met his wife, but the pilot episode turns out to really be about how Ted met the kid's birth mother. The time in which Ted is telling his children this story is After the End The room the story is being told in is revealed to be the living room of the house Ted bought in Season 5 and restored sometime in the future.

With the recent Season 9 Promo, with the kids all grown up talking about how they missed out on their lives, and with Ted's comment about Garrison and Cootes saving the world not being entirely accurate (Marshall was okay with going to Italy with Lily because the firm was doing poorly), it's possible that Ted knows it's After the End and is trying to shield his kids from the reality that they can't leave their home again. There was an apocalypse of some sorts, and Ted is telling this story to pass the time in their atomic bomb shelter. When in the beginning of season two, his daughter say it feels like he's been going on for a year, SHE MEANS IT. She's just not sure because they don't know the exact date. Is there any other real sign for this in the series? One time, Marshall says about the organization he idolizes and wants to join that they are going to fix the environmental issues. Future Ted comments "Well, at least they tried." Note that it couldn't have gone wrong long before 2030, since the kids apparently have been shown Ted's first building while going through New York (or this means that it's just not an Everything Trying to Kill You or everything is radioactive kind of apocalypse). Future Ted is smashed. Consider the facts: Ted is telling a very long, digressive, inconsistent and generally inappropriate story to his children, which doubles as a nostalgic look back at his single years. In his story, Young Ted and friends are almost constantly drinking, and apparently visit the bar every single night through a period of their lives which lasts over five years. Neither of his children seem particularly surprised by Ted's occasionally-scandalous actions in the story, or by the fact that their father is telling them this rambling, sometimes-sexually-explicit tale in the first place — they're just bored and annoyed and want to leave but aren't allowed to. Also, Ted is best friends with Marshall, and who is canonically an extraordinary lawyer. Consider the facts: Ted is telling a very long, digressive, inconsistent and generally inappropriate story to his children, which doubles as a nostalgic look back at his single years. In his story, Young Ted and friends are almost constantly drinking, and apparently visit the bar every single night through a period of their lives which lasts over five years. Neither of his children seem particularly surprised by Ted's occasionally-scandalous actions in the story, or by the fact that their father is telling them this rambling, sometimes-sexually-explicit tale in the first place — they're just bored and annoyed and want to leave but aren't allowed to. Also, Ted is best friends with Marshall, and who is canonically an extraordinary lawyer. Conclusion? The Ted who is narrating had quite a few drinks before starting this story, which is why he's having trouble keeping track of the details, and also why he keeps forgetting that some of this material is not stuff a parent would usually tell their kids. When the kids protest that they've heard this story before, they're telling truth, as this is not an entirely uncommon occurrence in the Mosby household. The mother is not around because Ted is an alcoholic. Ted retained custody of the kids only because he has access to very good legal representation. Or because he's not an alcoholic. He just gets kinda drunk at least once a week. Ted is very unreliable narrator. None of the people exist. The narrator is a psychotic man hallucinating the kids and his former friends. He's made up a perfect couple (Lily & Marshall), a stereotypical womanizing friend with a heart of gold (Barney). And a girlfriend who is beautiful, but represents the side of him that never wanted to commit. None of the people exist. The narrator is a psychotic man hallucinating the kids and his former friends. He's made up a perfect couple (Lily & Marshall), a stereotypical womanizing friend with a heart of gold (Barney). And a girlfriend who is beautiful, but represents the side of him that never wanted to commit. Aunt Robin is, in fact, the kids's actual aunt It's not a term of endearment. Ted, try as he might, is still longing for Robin when her now college agesister Katie enrolls in (his class). One night she and Robin are at the bar, Ted comes in while Robin's in the bathroom and strikes up a conversation, and...well...the rest (as they say) is history. By extension, this means (at least) one of the other Honorary Uncle titles could be legit. This is the first time the kids have been told anything about Ted's life before they were born The story starts in 2005, but in the first episode the kids are confused that Ted just told them to story of how he met Robin rather than the mother. If they knew when their parents were married and how long they dated, they'd be able to work out what year they got together and so could just tell Ted to skip to then. It would also explain why Ted is making the story so long, he feels guilty about not telling them anything and so wants to correct it whether they like it or not. The story starts in 2005, but in the first episode the kids are confused that Ted just told them to story of how he met Robin rather than the mother. If they knew when their parents were married and how long they dated, they'd be able to work out what year they got together and so could just tell Ted to skip to then. It would also explain why Ted is making the story so long, he feels guilty about not telling them anything and so wants to correct it whether they like it or not. Occasionally, the mother is in the room as Future Ted tells the story. Future Ted seems rather inconsistent in how much he wants to censor for his kids. When the mother is nearby, he's a little more conservative than when she's out of the room. Future Ted seems rather inconsistent in how much he wants to censor for his kids. When the mother is nearby, he's a little more conservative than when she's out of the room. Future Ted talking to his kids isn't actually real; it's an Imagine Spot of Present Ted in the series finale. Ted is just imagining what his kids will be like and the story he will tell them. This opens up the possibility that anyone he said was not the mother could actually be the mother, even Robin; he just thought that they weren't at the time of the Imagine Spot. Continuing with this theory, there could not even be a mother: Ted never ends up getting married and having kids. Ted is actually Madonna It makes so much sense! Both have slept with more people than they might admit, and both gave "Weird Al" Yankovic the idea for "Like a Surgeon"! It makes so much sense! Both have slept with more people than they might admit, and both Ted is dying As noted above first. Ted could be dying while telling the stories, which is why he told his kids about everything in his life from meeting Robin to meeting the mother. The reason they're bored and call him out on taking so long is because they don't know he's dying. As noted above first. Ted could be dying while telling the stories, which is why he told his kids about everything in his life from meeting Robin to meeting the mother. The reason they're bored and call him out on taking so long is because they don't know he's dying. The kids are named after Lily, Robin, Marshall and Barney The girl is "Lily Robin" or "Robin Lily", the boy "Marshall Barney" or "Barney Marshall". Alternatively, there are 4 kids, and we only see two of them because the others are two young to sit through the story, or one (or both) aren't born yet. (There might have been something that jossed "more than two kids" thing, but I can't remember anything). How they decided which name came first, I don't know. Maybe they went in order of doppelganger appearance. The girl is "Lily Robin" or "Robin Lily", the boy "Marshall Barney" or "Barney Marshall". Alternatively, there are 4 kids, and we only see two of them because the others are two young to sit through the story, or one (or both) aren't born yet. (There might have been something that jossed "more than two kids" thing, but I can't remember anything). How they decided which name came first, I don't know. Maybe they went in order of doppelganger appearance. The kids are dead. Ted always wanted to tell them the story of how he met their mother, but they died before he could. He decides to tell the story to imaginary versions of his kids, or their graves. Their reactions are just imagined, which explains why they happen more frequently earlier in the grieving process: he remembers them better and he was sadder early on. Ted always wanted to tell them the story of how he met their mother, but they died before he could. He decides to tell the story to imaginary versions of his kids, or their graves. Their reactions are just imagined, which explains why they happen more frequently earlier in the grieving process: he remembers them better and he was sadder early on. Everybody is dead. Blah-Blah and Janette met, and decided to get revenge on Ted, and stated pecking off everyone important to him. Starting with The Mother. Blah-Blah and Janette met, and decided to get revenge on Ted, and stated pecking off everyone important to him. Starting with Future Ted has Alzheimers A handful of episodes have alluded to Ted and the Mother having their time cut short. Instead of the obvious interpretation of the Mother being dead, Ted is rapidly losing his memory. Ted wants his children to know what he was like as a young man and how to avoid some of the pain he went through so he sits them down and tells them about his life prior to meeting their mother before all the stories slip from his memory. The last scene of "Gary Blauman" is actually Ted reliving that memory of their first date. This also adds a coherent reason for the continuity botches and gaffs in the series. A handful of episodes have alluded to Ted and the Mother having their time cut short. Instead of the obvious interpretation of the Mother being dead, Ted is rapidly losing his memory. Ted wants his children to know what he was like as a young man and how to avoid some of the pain he went through so he sits them down and tells them about his life prior to meeting their mother before all the stories slip from his memory. The last scene of "Gary Blauman" is actually Ted reliving that memory of their first date. This also adds a coherent reason for the continuity botches and gaffs in the series. Ted has a reason for telling his kids all about his exes in such detail He wants to make Robin look better compared to the others. He wants to makelook better compared to the others. The kids fell asleep after season 3 They woke up short before the final. They woke up short before the final.

Barney's Wedding and Related Relationships

Robin would eventually let go of her feelings for Barney and hook up with that guy in Hopeless. ...and then Barney realized that he still loves Robin. ...and then Barney realized that he still loves Robin. The woman Barney is marrying is Quinn Think about it. When Barney first meets her, she plays him like a violin, leading to him not being able to think about anything but her. This totally proves that she can keep up with him, at least in terms of what would cause her to give up her job as a stripper, and Quinn replying with 'when she gets married'. Jossed: It's actually Robin. Though, Barney did ask Quinn to marry him. Think about it. When Barney first meets her, she plays him like a violin, leading to him not being able to think about anything but her. This totally proves that she can keep up with him, at least in terms of magnificent bastardry . Not to mention, at the end of 'The Broath', there is the exchange with Barney askingreplying with 'when she gets married'. Barney doesn't marry Robin I know. It's sad. I was hoping otherwise.But Robin would definitely have Lily as her maid of honour, right? So, as much of The bride needed Ted, i think it's a very big hint that Robin is the bride, why would Nora wants to see Ted before her wedding? After all they (so far) barely ever talked with each other, heck did they ever talk with each other? So unless Nora and Ted formed a friendship with each other before the wedding, i think Robin has the bigger chance to be Barney's bride.

And Robin also asked Ted to be her best man if she ever got married. So Ted's probably pulling double duty.

If it's not Robin, I think it's Victoria. Why else would they bring her back? To provide closure for her character?

Jossed: It is Robin. I know. It's sad. I was hoping otherwise.But Robin would definitely have Lily as her maid of honour, right? So, as much of The Lad-ette Robin is, she'd probably have an enormously stressful wedding day and Lily wouldn't be running around informing Ted that the groom needed him.Also, since when is it like Robin and Barney to get married traditionally, in a church and all that? Barney marries Robin. From what we've seen in the final episode of season 6, Barney finally decided to enter a steady relationship with Nora. Robin on the other hand seems saddened by this fact. My take on this: Barney's relationship with Nora ends badly, Robin is there for him when the time comes, they get together again and decide to get married. Hence uncle Barney and aunt Robin. Ted's nervousness at the wedding is also good support for this; if one of his best friends is marrying his ex-girlfriend, he'd be rightly nervous. If Barney is just marrying Nora or some other girl, it seems more far-fetched. Future Ted hasn't yet said Nora's name, however, so it's unclear whether she's "Aunt Nora" or "that girl Nora".

Confirmed at the end of season 7. Nailed it!

From what we've seen in the final episode of season 6, Barney finally decided to enter a steady relationship with Nora. Robin on the other hand seems saddened by this fact. My take on this: Barney's relationship with Nora ends badly, Robin is there for him when the time comes, they get together again and decide to get married. Hence uncle Barney and aunt Robin. Barney does not marry Robin. But they end up together. We all know that Barney has big issues on commitment and that he is far, very far from husband material, but how could anyone convince him to settle for only 1 girl when he has never kept a promise, except for stupid bets, has never burned his playbook and always invents some far fetched story which justifies why he broke his own rules? My guess is that Ted will have a flash of inspiration at the last minute and save the wedding by challenging Barney to do the one thing that Barney has never, ever abandoned; an impossible bet. We all know that Barney has big issues on commitment and that he is far, very far from husband material, but how could anyone convince him to settle for only 1 girl when he has never kept a promise, except for stupid bets, has never burned his playbook and always invents some far fetched story which justifies why he broke his own rules? My guess is that Ted will have a flash of inspiration at the last minute and save the wedding by challenging Barney to do the one thing that Barney has never, ever abandoned; an impossible bet. My theory is that Barney will have the jitters before the wedding and will have nightmares about growing old and fat so she does not love him anymore and to never be able feel the same kind of love that they had when they were dating and thus will never be able to properly marry Robin. But at the last minute, Ted will have a flash of inspiration and will say something like this:Ted: " Yeah, it would be impossible to conquer the same girl every day. I mean, imagine inventing a new play every day for the rest of your life, conquering the same person over and over again even if she gets old and fat... No one would ever be able to do that."And Barney would say: "Challenge accepted" Barney marries Natalya from "The Limo" This ties into the "Barney moves out of the country" theory. Natalya comes back into his life and the two fall in love. They get married, but after a few years, Natalya has to go back to her home country, and Barney ultimately decides to go with her. Officially jossed. This ties into the "Barney moves out of the country" theory. Natalya comes back into his life and the two fall in love. They get married, but after a few years, Natalya has to go back to her home country, and Barney ultimately decides to go with her. Barney is bisexual. And in love with Ted. Subconsciously, he doesn't want to admit his feelings for Ted, and so he urges Ted not to pursue long-term relationships, or any relationships at all. Similarly, his own philandering comes from his desire not to commit to anyone who isn't Ted. He and Barney get married (in the future, when gay marriage is legalized), or not (have Ted and the kids' mom ever been confirmed as being married?), and the kids' biological mother is Robin. Or Lily. Or even a random woman who gave her eggs to the fertility clinic. But this theory is partly Jossed because Barney is against long-term relationships in general, he's also extremely happy when Marshall is single again, and is devastated when his brother gets into a long-term relationship and even married. Barney happy when Marshall is single again? Do you even watch the show? Barney is the frickin' president of the Marshall/Lily fanclub. First episode of Season Three? Barney is amazingly pumped when he thinks all three of them are single simultaneously. He spends the next two episodes taking Marshall out to bars to hook up with other chicks - who weren't Lily. Admittedly, he hooked up with them himself instead (why is this even a spoiler?), but he did try. Kinda. He even forgot Lily's name for a bit! Pretty sure Barney, while he may ship 'em later, is perfectly capable of getting excited about acquiring a newly-unattached wingman. I can't remember what episode it was in, but it was revealed that Barney paid for Lily's ticket back to New York, and hooked up with Marshall's dates to keep him single. Taking Marshall out was just to keep him busy. And also so Barney could get laid.

And yet, it is rumored that Barney and Robin will hook up this season. The only question is, for how long? They have. And it was short.

Barney and Ted eventually get together, get married/civil partnership'd, and decide to have kids. When they finally meet the perfect surrogate who has all the traits Ted wants his children to have and will play the right music for the fetus... it's Cindy's roommate! Ted is definitely married as of the year 2021 — in "How I Met Everyone Else", he wonders where his wife has got to, and in "Garbage Island" he tells Wendy he's married to a "wonderful woman" and has two kids.

And in love with Ted. Subconsciously, he doesn't want to admit his feelings for Ted, and so he urges Ted not to pursue long-term relationships, or any relationships at all. Similarly, his own philandering comes from his desire not to commit to anyone who isn't Ted. He and Barney get married (in the future, when gay marriage is legalized), or not (have Ted and the kids' mom ever been confirmed as being married?), and the kids' biological mother is Robin. Robin ends up with Don. Or at least, the writers planned it this way before the audience hated him. When Future!Ted originally mentions Don, it was that "ironically," after choosing to forgo dating for her career, that was the day she met him, and he says his first name with no other explanation, as if the kids should know already. If Robin does end up with Don, why doesn't he refer to him as "Uncle Don", like he does with Lily, Marshall, Barney and Robin? Wow, serious Fridge Brilliance. The irony in their meeting at their time isn't because she wound up with Don, but because in the end she was faced with the same choice, and chose dating... and he chose the opposite.

Don was either an Aborted Arc or will lead Robin to actually try to settle down in a long-term relationship. His introduction by Future!Ted bestowed on him much more importance than the maybe-half-a-season relationship he turned out to be. Either Don was originally intended by the writers to last much longer than he did (as in, he'd still be around in 2030 as Uncle Don to Ted's kids), or Robin's finally realized she's willing to find a life-long partner and maybe husband. Granted, they broke up last season and there hasn't been that much follow through besides Robin getting emotional a couple of times, but if they bring back the concept, 2030's Aunt Robin and Uncle Mr. Robin will be a direct result of the Don relationship. Alternate theory: Don comes back, begs to get back together, and everything works out. The wedding Ted is at in the first episode of the sixth season. Obviously, it's not his wedding, but he is "Best Man" for it. This means that's it's someone really close to Ted. While it's possible that it is his father's wedding, I'm going to say that the wedding is actually for Barney. To Robin. Almost certainly true. It's hinted at with Barney's reaction to Robin in that episode. The writers realised how terrible a mistake they made tossing the relationship aside and are giving it another shot.

Perhaps further support for this, or at least part of it: Barney imagines himself as Best Man at Ted's wedding. Maybe this is a reverse-hint, of sorts.

Another popular guess is Cindy and the blonde , since why else would the mother ( Cindy's roommate ) be at the wedding? Furthermore, Ted is nervous about his speech because he doesn't know the couple that well, but Cindy insisted he be the best men because Ted played a vital role in her deciding she's a lesbian and leading her to find her future wife . Maybe not, if this (confirmed here to be about HIMYM) is anything to go by. Possible spoilers.

, since why else would the mother ( ) be at the wedding? Furthermore, Ted is nervous about his speech because he doesn't know the couple that well, but insisted he be the best men because Ted played a vital role in her . And now, in episode 6.12 ("False Positive"), Robin asked Ted to be her Best Man if she ever gets married.

asked Ted to be her Best Man if she ever gets married. My personal theory is that it's Barney's wedding. The woman who calls for the best man never says a name, and Ted and Marshall get up at the same time. And it would be just like Barney to ask them both to be his best man. Alternatively, if it turns out that this is Robin and Barney's wedding, then Ted is Robin's "best man" (as per "False Positive") and Marshall is Barney's.

This doesn't really prove anything, but in the latest episode ("The Exploding Meatball Sub") it shows a flashforward to 2021 at the very end. Neither Barney nor Robin are wearing wedding rings. However they could just not be wearing them at the time or not like wearing them...

Also, that particular flashfoward could be a product of Barney's imagination—everybody looks pretty much the same (unlike Ted/Marshall/Lily's "real" flashfowards), and it seems unlikely that Barney could feign illness for that long that much in the future. He's grown up a little.

The Barney's wedding part has been verified. Now we just need to know if it's to either Nora or Robin. Since Ted is Best Man to Barney, this favors Nora as the one Barney marries. Which could be a Red Herring Doubtful, since she's never referred to as "Aunt Nora" in the voiceover. And they've broken up now.

Barney and Robin's marriage will not last. In the Exploding meatball sub, ten years later, neither is wearing a wedding ring. It is possible the writers did that because that was before it was revealed whose wedding it was and they didn't want to give anything away. It's possible though, as NPH hides his hand in 2015 so we can't see if Barney is still married or not. Considering the fact that the wedding is important in the show's story, however, and that Barney and Robin are still on talking terms in 2030 (it would be even harder for them to remain friends if they split up this time round), well, those are good arguments for them still being married. I also can't imagine why the writers would go to such lengths to make both reveals so big and important if they're only going to divorce the characters later. Confirmed. The two divorce after three years of marriage.

"The Robin" play was an Indy Ploy Barney's drunk kiss with Robin wasn't planned, but after she turned him down, he told her they were never going to get together out of respect. When she started acting weird around him, he realized what was going on and started the fake relationship with Patrice. Other steps were played by ear with the security cameras and whatever Patrice found out. Once he decided to propose to Robin, he wrote everything down like he planned it the whole time. "The Robin" actually had started earlier than "Splitsville" episode The way that Barney and Quinn broke up made me think that he was intentionally sabotaging his relationship with Quinn. I think that after he saw Robin was sad about Barney supposedly throwing away all the mementos from their relationship, Barney realized that Robin really was still in love with him deep down. The only thing was that her pride wouldn't let her admit it. So Barney basically made the most hateful, sexist Pre-Nup possible in order to drive Quinn away. Sure, Robin was dating Nick at the time, but he knew that it wouldn't last. He needed to find the right time to intervene. Robin and Barney won't make it down the aisle Robin and Barney already tried this relationship once and it was destructive and did not work. It was also revealed that Barney wants kids and Robin doesn't want kids and she also can't have any. So they'll either realize they aren't compatible and not even make it down the aisle, or the two of them will mutually break up on good terms. Jossed. Episode 15, Season 9. If you take a closer look at Barney's left hand while he's fixing his tie in front of the mirror just after his boss (who turns out to be the guy who stole his ex, Shannon) is arrested by the FBI, you'll be able to see that he is wearing a ring. This scene happens 2 months or so after his wedding, so yeah, Barney and Robin do get married. Unless Barney gets a girlfriend, proposes and plans a wedding in that short time, which is highly unlikely.

So they'll either realize they aren't compatible and not even make it down the aisle, or the two of them will mutually break up on good terms. Patrice will be Robin's Maid of Honor Eventually, Robin will figure out that Patrice has nothing but her best interest at heart. It could also be a great Throw the Dog a Bone moment. Eventually, Robin will figure out that Patrice has nothing but her best interest at heart. It could also be a great Throw the Dog a Bone moment. Marshall (Judge) Eriksen will perform the ceremony Now that he's a judge he can do that sort of thing, and Barney performed the ceremony of Marshall and Lily. Now that he's a judge he can do that sort of thing, and Barney performed the ceremony of Marshall and Lily. One of Robin's relatives will shoot Barney's Ringbear before or during the ceremony. before or during the ceremony. #31 (the girl Barney got pregnant) will be the main character of "How I Met Your Dad" That series will end with her getting pregnant and Barney showing up. Ted's last attempt to win Robin back she's already dating someone else or she will remind him every single reasons why their relationship failed . will backfire Eitheror Barney didn't really have a perfect month - he hired a surrogate to have his child When Barney did his "Perfect Week" he was bragging to his friends about it every step of the way. But his friends didn't know about his alleged perfect month until it was already over and he subsequently found out that #31 was pregnant. It's possible that after his failed marriage to Robin he decided he was done with relationships, but he still wanted to be a dad so he hired a surrogate to bear his child and just told his friends that it was a random girl he knocked up.

Grand Unifying Guesses, Crossovers, and Alternate Universes

Doppelgangers

Barney's Job

Barney's job is illegal His company won't allow him to tell anyone what his job is because the job isn't supposed to exist (of course, it can't be His company won't allow him to tell anyone what his job is because the job isn't supposed to exist (of course, it can't be too evil.... Barney is a prostitute. Whenever he is asked what his job is, he answers "Please." ... He pleases people for a living. Except we used to see him at work, we just didn't know what he actually did. And he hasn't said that since his company was bought out by GNB. No, we saw him in an office. We never saw that office being used, since we never saw him do anything. For all we know, he was just a good enough prostitute to be able to request an office and a parking space for him to play out his fantasy of being a high-flying executive. Or he could be a private prostitute for GNB employees.

Whenever he is asked what his job is, he answers "Please." ... He pleases people for a living. Barney is a mathematician. He is a high-functioning autistic savant, who is ridiculously good with numbers (he could memorize a metric shitton of prices and add them up for Autistic? He's been mentioned as having ADD, but that's it. I don't know, he was able to memorize the names of ALL of Ted's students....

I don't know about the rest, but "evading taxes" makes sense. There's those shadowy deals he seems to make with North Koreans, and in one episode Barney tells Lily about a secret locked case in his apartment. If he ever dies, she's to take it and burn the contents. Hmm... He is a high-functioning autistic savant, who is ridiculously good with numbers (he could memorize a metric shitton of prices and add them up for The Price Is Right ). His job at the company is finding ways to evade taxes, that's why he can't discuss it. Barney's job is much more benign than he makes it seem. Throughout the run of the show, we're shown that Barney's a MUCH less evil guy than he builds himself up as. His job is likely something very beneficial, likely involving ethics or something similar, but for the sake of his "bad boy" image, he refuses to disclose the details to make himself seem more of an "evil exec". Barney will lose his job soon. Because him giving up on romatic relationships and his father just isn't enough. Barney doesn't know what he does I forget my reasoning but something to do with the episode Doppelgangers Barney said something to the effect of "They actually expect me to work" I forget my reasoning but something to do with the episode Doppelgangers Barney is President of GNB. Altrucell is a gigantic conglomerate that seems to have its fingers in a lot of pies. When the company took over GNB in a hostile takeover, Barney was thrilled about it because the corporation was putting him in charge of their new GNB division. Barney appears to have near-limitless freedom at work and personally arranged for Marshall to get the job in GNB's legal department. Since GNB is now a subsidiary of Altrucell, Barney's position is pretty much just a title, an office, and a fat paycheck. People ask what his job is and he says "Please" because it would be easy for any of them to look it up on GNB's website. This makes the most sense. Altrucell is a gigantic conglomerate that seems to have its fingers in a lot of pies. When the company took over GNB in a hostile takeover, Barney was thrilled about it because the corporation was putting him in charge of their new GNB division. Barney appears to have near-limitless freedom at work and personally arranged for Marshall to get the job in GNB's legal department. Since GNB is now a subsidiary of Altrucell, Barney's position is pretty much just a title, an office, and a fat paycheck. People ask what his job is and he says "Please" because it would be easy for any of them to look it up on GNB's website. Barney is a janitor at Goliath National Bank He "has a lot of keys" according to Marshall. He has on occasion gone to great lengths to preserve his image, and always manages to sit in his office in a clean suit when his friends arrive. He "has a lot of keys" according to Marshall. He has on occasion gone to great lengths to preserve his image, and always manages to sit in his office in a clean suit when his friends arrive. Barney is a liar for hire Barney is a professional courtroom liar. Any time his employer is involved in court proceedings, Barney is given appropriate fake credentials and a temporary job description that makes him a fitting witness. He adopts a new personality for the duration of the court case, lies about the company's culpability and explains away all the evidence against them. This is how he knows all the company's secrets and will therefore never be fired. Barney's "Please..." references that in the past he had spoken with his friends about his strict need not to talk about his job under any circumstances; it's short for "Please, we've been through this. You and I both know that I can't say anything else." He did once directly state that he had committed perjury on the job. His womanizing outside work draws on the same talent pool: wild theories to persuade the gullible, new personalities, explanations for everything, and of course the willingness to throw ridiculous amounts of money at problems. Paying Barney his massive salary is substantially cheaper than paying off all the lawsuits. This is supported by the fact that Barney is frequently seen Chewing the Scenery and Milking the Giant Cow Barney is a professional courtroom liar. Any time his employer is involved in court proceedings, Barney is given appropriate fake credentials and a temporary job description that makes him a fitting witness. He adopts a new personality for the duration of the court case, lies about the company's culpability and explains away all the evidence against them. This is how he knows all the company's secrets and will therefore never be fired. Barney's "Please..." references that in the past he had spoken with his friends about his strict need not to talk about his job under any circumstances; it's short for "Please, we've been through this. You and I both know that I can't say anything else." He did once directly state that he had committed perjury on the job. His womanizing outside work draws on the same talent pool: wild theories to persuade the gullible, new personalities, explanations for everything, and of course the willingness to throw ridiculous amounts of money at problems. Paying Barney his massive salary is substantially cheaper than paying off all the lawsuits. Barney is a head hunter IT's His job to find suitable people to work at GNB, I mean he's personally arranged for Marshall to get the job in GNB's legal department, and got Ted a shot at designing the GNB headquarters. IT's His job to find suitable people to work at GNB, I mean he's personally arranged for Marshall to get the job in GNB's legal department, and got Ted a shot at designing the GNB headquarters. The company Barney works for makes fringe science technology for a government. GNB and everything else is just a front to make the company seem not at all suspicious. It has a weapons manufacturing division so their military contacts don't seem suspiciously out of place.They worked on an Inception technique/machine. The film, which used prototype, was to GNB and everything else is just a front to make the company seem not at all suspicious. It has a weapons manufacturing division so their military contacts don't seem suspiciously out of place.They worked on an Inception technique/machine. The film, which used prototype, was to put the idea that it's fictional technology into people's minds. When Barney says he'd been trying to "Inception [Marshall]'s wife" he was testing to see if Ted and Marshall would pass it off as a joke to make sure the film-prototype worked, which it did. Additionally, they make a working time machine in the future, which Marshall tests out/uses. Barney is a supervillain. Considering all the Actor Allusion in this series, you knew this had to come up sooner or later.

Actually explained quite nicely in this fanfic Barney is actually much less wealthy than he appears to be. All that stuff he has? He borrowed it from different people and never returned it, just like he does with Ted's stuff. Did he borrow a 50-foot TV shipped from Japan? Yes, probably. He stole what he couldn't borrow. We have seen that he has only little respect for other people's property. He's got "a guy" for everything, and it's implied that his guys get him stuff a lot cheaper than it would cost legally. I bet a lot of his toys "fell off a truck".

Barney's job required secret training. Ted mentions at one point that he has no idea where Barney went to college. Barney went to a secret college specifically for his job. Possibly espionage-related. But his college hippie flashbacks seem to point to him going to a normal city college.

Those were all post-college. What better way to throw people off than come back from college seeming like a hippie, hm? Ted mentions at one point that he has no idea where Barney went to college. Barney went to a secret college specifically for his job. Possibly espionage-related. Barney wasn't at risk to get fired in "Perfect week" He was at risk of getting arrested. His job, PLEASE, had landed him in a situation where a deal has gone south, and he had to take the fall for some of the questionable shit AltruCell does. Since he's working with the feds, he got a free pass. Probably because whichever fed he does report to told whoever was coming to bust him that he's their snitch on the inside . He was at risk of getting arrested.

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Slap Bets and the Remaining Slaps

The fifth slap will set off a chain of reactions that leads Ted to the mother. Jossed, the fifth AND sixth slaps happened

lets say the last slap

Jossed. The last slap is used literally right before Barney and R Obin get married in order to calm Barney down when he has one final panic attack Marshall has already used the 5th Slap. In Girls vs. Suits Marshall slaps Barney after he starts fondling Marshall's suit. Barney will Lawyered. It's not Barney's call what counts as a slap, it's Lily's. If Marshall didn't slap him in the face as hard as he could, it's not one of "the slaps." In Girls vs. Suits Marshall slaps Barney after he starts fondling Marshall's suit. Barney will bring this up when Marshall tries to slap him again, pointing out that he has already slapped him previously to this. Barney will declare that Marshall has been... Robin actually was in a porno. At no point has Robin actually explicitly denied being in a porno. Barney will discover this at some point and unleash the most legendary slap ever on Marshall...only to find out it was softcore. If this happens I hope it's an in the future gag. Maybe 'Teenage Pop Star' is Future Ted's Euphemism for 'Teenage Porn Star', similar to how 'sandwich' is his word for marijuana.

At no point has Robin actually explicitly denied being in a porno. Barney will discover this at some point and unleash the most legendary slap ever on Marshall...only to find out it was softcore. Barney has a heart condition, which will be what kills him in the future I'm going along with the WMG that says Barney is dead by the time Ted is telling his kids the story. In 'A change of heart', Barney goes to see a cardiologist who (unlike she did with Ted, Marshall, Lily, or Robin) makes Barney wear a heart monitor. Sometime this season, the cardiologist will reveal that Barney has a heart condition and can no longer maintain his wild lifestyle, possibly forcing him to settle down. A sudden, sharp shock to the face could perhaps send him into ventricular fibrillation. A sudden, sharp shock such as the final sla- No. It's too depressing. Barney will live forever, and if he doesn't, it will have nothing to do with Marshall. I'm going along with the WMG that says Barney is dead by the time Ted is telling his kids the story. In 'A change of heart', Barney goes to see a cardiologist who (unlike she did with Ted, Marshall, Lily, or Robin) makes Barney wear a heart monitor. Sometime this season, the cardiologist will reveal that Barney has a heart condition and can no longer maintain his wild lifestyle, possibly forcing him to settle down. The last slap will happen in the final episode. Because honestly, if the last words of the show aren't "AND THAT'S FIVE!", I'll eat my hat. The fifth slap happened in season 7 but Barney agreed to three more slaps in exchange for not wearing the ducky tie. Slaps 5 and 6 happened one after another but Marshall now has slaps 7 and 8 still available

How about "AND THAT'S EIGHT" instead

Jossed: The last slap is in the second to last episode (or thrid-to-last since the finale is an hour.) There will be a total of 10 slaps 8 is just a random number Unless season 8 is the last season It turns out it isn't.

8 is just a random number Barney trades back the extra slaps in exchange for putting on the ducky tie again. In a flashforward set in a casino where Marshall goes into Beercules-mode again, Barney is seen wearing the ducky tie again. Therefore, we know that sometime in the future, Barney will have to wear the ducky tie again...and it's unlikely he would accept wearing the ducky tie as part of a completely new bet, since it bit him in the ass the last time. Jossed.. Barny agrees to wear the Ducky tie again to get Marshal to turn off his phone, relax and "So drunk (they) need subtitles".

Eventually the total number of slaps will be 83. Over the course of years, more slaps will be added as Marshall earns more. Since 83 is Barney's favorite number, it will ironically be the total number of slaps. Barney gets retribution and earns a chance to slap Marshall back. Eventually, Barney will employ a great usage of Insane Troll Logic to get back at Marshall (and Lily, since she is a biased Slap Bet commissioner). Lily is forced to accept Barney's logic and will have to give out a bigger punishment to Marshall. Marshall will use the final slap on Barney's Wedding Day. Barney will freak out on his wedding day, and Marshall will slap him back into the right mindset. I really like this one. Marshall still has two slaps left so one of them can be used in the wedding episode and the last one in the series finale. Confirmed. On "The End of the Aisle" that's exactly what he does. And that's all of them!

The wind up at the end of "Bass Player Wanted" will culminate in Marshall not slapping Barney Or rather, he'll just lightly tap him on the cheek and count it as a slap. As a gift. Marshall will give the honor of the last slap.... To the Mother. As a gift to welcome her into the "family".

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