HIMYM: Cold Feet

It’s the penultimate episode, the last one before we say goodbye to this wacky group of friends forever. The one where everything was still a mystery and people weren’t…well, I’m getting ahead of myself. It’s time for Barney and Robin’s wedding, y’all!

Except the bride and the groom are both having pre-wedding panic attacks. Barney’s is over the color of his tie. He says he has the perfect cornflower blue one back in his apartment. He tries to climb out of the window to escape. Lily and Marshall hold him back, fully aware of pre-wedding panic attacks. (Marshall’s hair cut, anyone?)


Ted, meanwhile, is trying to calm the bride. Robin asks him how easy was it for him and Victoria to shimmy down the drain pipe. Ted doesn’t suggest she do it. Robin explains that she thinks her jitters stem from the fact she had never found her missing locket. She confides that she had hoped that somehow Barney would’ve found it and given it to her. That it would be a sign they were meant to be.

So Ted goes to visit Barney. He’s a lot calmer, though still convinced the cornflower blue tie would be better. Ted gives the locket to Barney and tells him to give it to Robin. Looks like Ted jumped off the bridge after Jeanette tossed the locket into the water. Anyway, Barney wants to tell Robin the truth but Ted convinces him otherwise.

Robin, though, figures it out. He tries to deny it, spinning a yarn about how Barney found it in a nest and took care of abandoned baby birds. She reveals that Barney claimed to find it in Lily and Marshall’s place. Ted realizes he’s busted. After all, it’s a grand sweeping romantic gesture that’s right up his alley. Robin says that this only proves that she can’t Barney and that she shouldn’t marry him. Ted says he’s not running away with her. Robin understands, so she locks him in her room and runs away herself.

Meanwhile, Barney has moved on from his tie to his vows. Lily and Marshall offer to help him as they had crazy awesome vows. Barney scoffs at that. He recalls their vows—the ones at the wedding performed in front of their family and friends, not the one outside presided by Barney. And he points out that they have broken every one of their vows. Marshall and Lily realize it is true.

So they decide to renew their vows. At the altar where Barney and Robin are supposed to be getting married soon. They make more realistic promises to each other, including the promise to review and update their vows as needed. It’s actually really sweet. Even Barney thinks so and he runs off, inspired to write his vows.

Robin runs into the area where the reception is to be held and ends up colliding with someone. “And that kids, is how your Aunt Robin met your mother,” Future!Ted said. Yes, Robin nearly ran over the Mother. They talk for a bit and the Mother convinces Robin that running away isn’t the answer. Just then, Barney appears. He tells Robin everything—that it was Ted who got the locket and convinced him to lie. But he’s sorry and he vows only one thing to her—to never lie to her again. Robin’s touched and she forgives him. Ted runs into the tent—I guess he had to suck it up and call Roger Bart to let him out, who no doubt made a lot of snarky comments about it—but backs away when he sees the happy couple.

It’s time for the wedding! Thank goodness, I thought we’d never get here! Barney still thinks the cornflower blue would be better, but his groomsmen (Ted, Marshall and James) hold him back as Robin’s bridesmaid (Patrice) and matron of honor (Lily) head down the aisle. Then comes Robin and Barney stops worrying about his tie. And can I say how amazing it is that they got Ben Vereen to come back to officiate (since he plays James’ bio dad)? Nice touch, HIMYM. Nice touch. Robin gets to the altar and Patrice tells her she looks lovely. “Shut up, Patrice,” Robin snaps. At the altar, Barney finally comes clean: he did get a ring bear. It’s a baby cub who is adorable. Robin’s impressed. Barney says she’ll love the flower gorilla even more! Robin doesn’t think so and Barney says he was joking. Then he gives the kill sign to some guy at the back of the chapel. Aww, no flower gorilla.

We don’t hear the service. Nice music plays as Future!Ted blathers on about getting to the end of the aisle. Well, maybe not blathers. It had to do with the ending of the series but to be honest, I was focusing on the images rather than the words. As Future!Ted speaks, the camera pans across those in attendance at the wedding. From Tracey Ullman to Robin’s dad to Barney’s mom to John Lithgow and whoever plays Jerry’s wife. I kept waiting to see Blauman. Last week, he told Robin he would be sitting there, looking a certain way at the wedding. And the Continuity Fairy strikes again—there he is! We also see Billy Zapka and Tim Gunn as well as Ranjit. I guess they couldn’t get Lucy Hale to film one last cameo as Robin’s sister. Oh well.

As Barney and Robin walk back down the aisle, our episode ends. And we are now that much closer to the end of the show. Get your tissues, choose your numbing agent, call a friend, punch a pillow, whatever it takes. We’re at the finale.