1. The locket…Barney is getting cold feet because he doesn’t have the right tie. Robin’s scared it’s a bad sign that she never found her ugly (but we will forgive her because she was essentially a teenage boy when she got it) locket. Ted gives the locket to Barney to give to Robin, which is actually super mature of him. Barney lies about finding it himself, which makes Robin freak out even more about Barney always lying to her.

 

2. Ted and Robin run away together…Just kidding! But for a moment, Robin totally wants to do it. She asks Ted if she should be with the guy who found her locket and steal the blue French horn, which was a pretty selfish way to think about the situation. However, Ted very dramatically declares that he’s not “that guy” anymore, and he would never break up Barney and Robin (glad it took you like four seasons to realize you don’t want to sabotage your best friends’ relationship, Ted!). It’s actually cool to see this level of character development in Ted, and it is nice to know that he is completely over Robin, once and for all. He’s finally ready to meet The Mother.

 

3. “Vow dare you!” Barney is struggling to write vows he can keep. He points out that Lily and Marshall have already broken a lot of theirs from 2007 (cue the MySpace joke). After Marshall gets punny with the word “vow,” he and Lily go into the chapel to update their vows. They talk about how no vow can really encompass a lifetime of growing together, which is sweet until they make some poop and vomit jokes.

 

4. How Robin met your mother…Since Ted won’t run away with her, Robin bolts by herself and crashes into The Mother. The Mother makes a joke about how she used to be a bit of a detective when she was younger––her and Ted are almost too perfect for each other. Now, every other member of the gang has met The Mother. She instructs Robin to close her eyes and breathe (I bet she’s never heard that one before). When Robin opens her eyes, Barney is there to come clean about the locket and to vow to be honest with her for the rest of their lives. Despite the fact that his initials are BS (cue the chorus of Awws).

 

5. At the altar…Barney freaks out about his tie, and Marshall delivers the final slap in the HIMYM slap bet saga. Bridesmaid Patrice gets up there in a hideous hot pink getup (not that Lily’s is much better), proving once again that these people, like Drake, have no new friends. Patrice tells Robin she looks beautiful, and Robin whispers the classic, “no one asked you, Patrice.” Turns out, there really is a ring bear (as in the animal, Robin’s fear that Barney didn’t understand the concept was totally right), and he is pretty cute. Too bad we didn’t get to see the flower gorilla. Seeing Barney and Robin finally tie the knot definitely stirred up those emotions in preparation for next week’s series finale. (Oh my God, is anyone actually ready for that?!)

Check out some of our other HIMYM Season 9 Recaps!

"Gary Blauman" Aired on 03.17.2014

“Vesuvius” Aired on 03.03.2014

“Rally” Aired on 02.24.2014

“Sunrise” Aired on 02.03.2014

“How Your Mother Met Me” Aired on 01.27.2014

“Unpause” Aired on 01.20.2014