Reasons Why Robin is Barney's Bride (Part 1)
*Warning*: Slight spoilers are mentioned in reasons 15 & 35, so skip them if you don’t want to be spoiled. I wrote ***contains a slight spoiler*** when those two reasons come up, and ***end of slight spoiler*** at their conclusions. Only the second half of #15 contains a slight spoiler; you can read the first half without being spoiled. Also, don’t click on the source links if you don’t want to be spoiled.
My reasons and speculations cover episodes from S1.01 - S7.12.
UPDATE (1/3/2012): I added some things to numbers 16 and 29. I also modified number 35 to hide only the spoiler bit rather than much of my argument.
Reasons Why Robin is Barney’s Bride
1.”To Everything there is a Season,” which was written on the sign outside the church in S6’s “Big Days,” could easily be a reference to Barney and Robin because of the whole theme of timing on the show and in their relationship (Robin telling Ted that “if you have chemistry you only need one other thing - timing, but timing’s a bitch” in S7’s “The Best Man;” in the S7 episode “Tick Tick Tick” when Barney is rejected by Robin, Ted tells his kids that Barney said that that moment was the second that would never end for him). Barney and Robin’s timing is just not right at the moment, but, in the end, it will be right and it will finally be their season. It is not a question of will they ever get back together, but when. Also, the writers said Season 5 wasn’t B/R’s time to be together because they weren’t ready for a serious relationship, but, maybe in the future, if they grew up a bit, they could be ready, thus finally making Season 8 the season for a B/R relationship. (Source)
2. Robin asked Ted to be her best man in S6’s “False Positive.” In S7’s “The Best Man,” when Lily comes into the room where Ted and Barney are, she tells Ted that the bride needs to see him -- this to me was a direct response to Robin saying that when she gets married she'll need Ted to calm her down when she freaks out b/c no matter who she is marrying, she will freak out.
3. Robin's sundress is white (like a wedding dress) in S6’s “Big Days” when Barney talks about the season of sundresses being over.
4. Robin is not shown in the wedding flash forward.
5. Lily looks like she is wearing a bridesmaid’s dress in the wedding flash forward. She is Robin’s best female friend (prime bridesmaid material).
6. In S6’s “Big Days,” Narrator Ted says there are two big days in any love story: the day you meet the woman of your dreams and the day you marry her. Ted chose the day he and Barney met Robin as the point at which to begin his “how I met your mother” story to his kids. We know Ted meets his wife the day of Barney’s wedding, which I think will be the last episode of the show. With Robin as Barney’s bride, the show would come full circle, thereby explaining why Ted started the story with Barney and him meeting Robin. (Barney meets the woman of his dreams - Robin - on the first episode of the show and marries her on the final episode, the same episode on which Ted meets the woman of his dreams.) Also, in S4’s “Benefits,” Barney referred to Robin as the girl of his dreams.
7. In S6’s “Challenge Accepted,” the street Barney and Robin are walking as the episode reaches its end had set decorations that point to them being endgame: the cigar store (they smoke cigars together throughout the series) and the bus stop with the bus in the background (Barney was hit by a bus in S3’s “Miracles” when he saw Robin as everything he loved). During this scene, Nora wears a sundress like Robin did in S6’s “Big Days,” but, unlike Robin, her dress isn’t white; and Nora says to Barney that “It’s never too late,” which applies to B/R because they decided not to get back together in order to not run back to the past; this statement also goes with the whole theme of timing with B/R. Also, Robin’s facial expression at the end reveals that she still has feelings for Barney, which I think was meant to be a parallel to Barney’s facial expression in S3’s “Miracles” when we realized that Barney was in love with Robin. I think all of these things indicate Robin as the bride b/c this show talks a lot about the universe giving out signs to tell someone what to do. In that scene, I think the universe was trying to tell Barney and Robin that they belong together and should get back together.
8. Barney’s soul mate montage of Robin in S7’s “Tick Tick Tick” shows how no one else can compare to her and how he can’t wait to spend the rest of his life with her. Barney pictures Robin as Nora’s dad says, “When you meet the right person you know it. You can’t stop thinking about them. They’re your best friend and your soul mate. You can’t wait to spend the rest of your life with them. No one and nothing else can compare.” The writers picked very strong words to describe how Barney sees Robin, so I can’t understand why they would do this if they didn’t intend for them to end up together.
9. In S7’s “Tick Tick Tick,” Narrator Ted says that “To this day Barney and Robin swear that this is the song they danced to that night.” I think this indicates that they still tell this story together and quite frequently, even 20 years later. Why would they be telling this story if they ended up with different people? I think this is supposed to be taken as a hint that they end up together.
10. In S7’s “Tick Tick Tick,” Barney says to Robin “What if this whole thing isn't the story of how we both made a horrible mistake and ruined our relationships? What if it's actually the story of . . . how we got back together?" I think the writers phrased Barney’s line that way for a reason and it was intentional on their parts that it paralleled how Ted tells his story to his children in the future. I think that Barney is right and that future Ted is telling his kids the story of how Barney and Robin got back together, of which this episode is a part.
11. In S7’s “Tick Tick Tick,” Narrator Ted says this about Barney when Robin rejects him: “Sometimes hours can feel like minutes; and sometimes a single second can last a lifetime. For Barney the second that would never end was this one.” I think it is important to note that Future Ted knows about this moment in Barney’s life and how Barney felt about it, whereas Present Ted has no idea yet that Barney and Robin cheated with each other. Obviously, Ted will find out about the cheating at some point in order for him to include it in his story. And, Barney will have to be the one to describe to Ted how he felt about it. I think the way Future Ted describes how Barney feels in that second is very romanticized. I can only see Barney one day telling Ted about how he felt during that second if he and Robin end up together. Barney, Robin, Ted, and others, would consider it proof as to why B/R belong together if Barney felt that heartbroken. Otherwise, I think Barney would have kept the events surrounding him cheating with Robin and how he felt to himself, especially if he and Robin are to remain friends in the future. I think it would be too awkward for Barney, Robin, and their significant others to ever bring up this cheating episode and how it affected them again. It would be something they would rather forget about and never mention again to anyone, not even Ted.
12. Robin tells an oblivious Barney that she “can’t shake this feeling that” they “belong together” in the S7 premiere episode “The Best Man.” Again, I think this is pretty strong wording if they don’t end up together. Why make Robin voice her belief that she and Barney belong together if it doesn’t eventually lead somewhere?
13. In the S7 episode “The Best Man,” Lily tells Robin that B/R have the type of chemistry that just doesn’t go away. If Barney and Robin lose this chemistry and marry other people, why would the writers have Lily say this to Robin? I think this is a hint that Barney and Robin end up together and that they will still be married in the year 2030 when Ted is telling his kids the story of how he met their mother. Since Barney and Robin have the type of chemistry that doesn’t go away, it’s just a matter of time until they get back together.
14. There has to be a reason Ted saw Barney sadly picking up the flowers and blowing out the candles in Robin’s bedroom in S7’s “Tick Tick Tick,” even if Ted doesn’t remember it right now or thinks that it was just a drug-induced hallucination. When he does eventually remember what he saw, I think it will convince him that Barney is still in love with Robin and thus, in S7’s “The Best Man,” he would believe Barney “nailed it” in picking the “right tie” (i.e., Robin).
15. In S7’s “The Best Man,” when Barney and Ted are discussing if Barney picked the right tie Ted says to Barney that “at least it’s not the ducky tie” and Barney agrees. I think the ducky tie is a metaphor for women who Barney dated that are not Robin. Barney wore the ducky tie the whole time he dated Nora and the night he took it off in S7’s “Disaster Averted” he made out and slept with Robin. In the Atlantic City flash forward seen in S7’s “The Naked Truth” Barney is wearing the ducky tie again and I think that will correspond to him dating a new bride candidate.
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***Contains a slight spoiler*** (highlight to read) Barney is going to get a new serious love interest later this season named Quinn (played by “Ugly Betty” star Becki Newton). (Source) I think once Barney starts dating Quinn, he will have to wear the ducky tie again for some reason. He’ll start wearing it when he and Quinn start getting serious and he’ll stop wearing it when it’s clear that Quinn isn’t Barney’s “the One.” ***End of slight spoiler***
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16. Robin wore a yellow raincoat in S7’s “Disaster Averted,” which could symbolize Barney’s “the One” b/c it would parallel how the mother is symbolized by a yellow umbrella and we know that she is Ted’s “the One.” We’ve long been made to equate a yellow umbrella with Ted’s wife. It seems like it’s more than a coincidence that Robin is dressed in a raincoat (that, like an umbrella, keeps one dry on a rainy day) that is the same shade of bright yellow as the mother’s umbrella. Yellow rainy day items = a bride/wife, and here’s Robin in a yellow raincoat in the season where one of the big questions is “who is Barney’s bride?” We also know that it’s raining on Barney’s wedding day, the day Ted meets his future wife with her yellow umbrella. So, a yellow rainy day item is related to Barney’s wedding day as well. roxy_1991 also pointed out in the comments that while Robin wears a bright yellow raincoat in that “Disaster Averted” scene, everyone else is decked out in drab colors, making Robin stand out. I also agree with what spikesaa had to say: “They have associated the Mother (Ted's one) with the yellow umbrella, so having Robin in a yellow raincoat (not a typical look for her) during the scene that helped start the events leading to Barney's ‘Robin is the One’ epiphany [in S7’s “Tick Tick Tick”] could very well be a subtle hint.” Keep in mind that the writers have used costumes and props as hints before. For example, Barney wore a boutonnière in S6’s “Glitter,” which is something a groom often wears on his wedding day; then in S6’s “Challenge Accepted” he was revealed to be the mystery groom. I wouldn’t put it past this show to go this same route and give a hint about who the bride is through her clothing. It would be interesting to see the script for S7’s “Disaster Averted” b/c I suspect the script might instruct that Robin wear a yellow raincoat, not a black one or a pink one, but a yellow one. manda600 said that “Robin is also wearing yellow, the symbolic color of "The One," in [S4’s] “The Leap,” the episode where Barney and Robin finally get together.” I don’t know if Robin wearing yellow in that scene was supposed to have significance at the time, but I think if Robin is Barney’s bride (aka his “the one”) that color choice has plenty of retroactive significance when looking back at it.
17. In S7’s “Disaster Averted,” Barney tells Robin that if he lets a day go by without talking to her, that day is just no good. Again, the writers chose to have Barney tell Robin how he feels about her with very strong wording. I think Barney’s statement shows that if he was to marry anyone it would be Robin b/c he doesn’t like to go a day without talking to her. If he married her, he wouldn’t have to and all his days would be good days.
18. In S6’s “Hopeless,” Jerry tells Barney that getting married is a challenge, but Barney needs to meet the right girl and, who knows, maybe he will meet her tomorrow. Barney says, “Maybe I met her already.” This could have been a reference to either Robin or Nora, but now that Nora is out of the picture and Barney saw Robin as his soul mate, I think the writers were referring to Robin. In the end, viewers can look back on that episode and think Barney was right, and, best of all, he had met Robin on the very first episode where Ted started his story. Anyone Barney meets now would contradict his statement that maybe he met the right girl already, unless he gets a new love interest who is established as somebody Barney knew before saying that line.
19. In S6’s "Big Days" when Ted is worried about his best man toast, he seems really nervous and stressed out. He tells Marshall that he wants the speech to be perfect and he wants the whole day to be perfect too. I don't think he'd be feeling like that if it weren't two of his best friends getting married. We know Ted cries during his best man toasts b/c either the wedding falls on the worst times of Ted’s life or b/c he is genuinely happy. I think for a B/R wedding he would cry both types of tears because he would be happy for his friends, but also sad that he 1) is the only single one left in the group, and 2) he is losing his back-up wife, Robin.
20. In S7’s “The Best Man,” Ted mentions their age-40 marriage pact to Robin, which was first established in S4’s “The Front Porch.” Why would the writers bring this up again after 3 years have gone by if Robin is not Barney’s bride and Ted would not be losing his back-up wife?
21. In S7’s “The Ducky Tie,” Victoria tells Ted that “There is a reason it didn’t work out between you and me. But it’s not Germany. It’s Robin. She is so much bigger in your world than you realize and this thing that you’re all doing- you and Barney and Robin- where the three of you hang out at the bar, night in, night out, like you’re all just buddies, that doesn’t work. Trust me. I’m right about this.” (Notice that Victoria mentions Barney, not just Robin and Ted.) Then Future Ted says, “And sure enough, she was right. It didn’t work. We just didn’t realize it yet.” While Victoria may think it’s Ted and Robin that don’t work, Future Ted knows she’s wrong; his friendship with Robin works just fine in the present and in the future. Nonetheless, Future Ted can still agree with her statement because she included Barney in it. Future Ted knows that it was the Barney and Robin being only “buddies” that didn’t work because their feelings went deeper than friendship. If it doesn’t work, then either this means Barney and Robin are no longer friends in 2030 (since we know both are still friends with Narrator Ted in 2030, so he’s obviously not the issue) or Barney and Robin are more than friends by 2030. Narrator Ted would also think Robin played a big part in his world b/c it was at her wedding where he met “The Mother.” Robin getting engaged to Barney will probably make Ted realize that he has been subconsciously holding back in his search to find his “the one” b/c Robin is his back-up wife. He needs to let Robin go in order to be open to finding his “the one” aka “The Mother.”
22. In S7’s “Symphony of Illumination,” Robin pictures a future with Barney as the father of her two imaginary teenage children. I think it is a crucial clue to Barney and Robin’s future together because, like Barney’s soul mate montage in S7’s “Tick Tick Tick,” I think Robin’s fantasy shows that she wants to spend the rest of her life with Barney. She imagined Barney - and only Barney - as the father of any hypothetical children she may have had. She didn’t picture Kevin, Crush guy, Ted, Don, etc., she pictured Barney. I think this shows that Robin is still in love with Barney and wants a future with him. They don’t need to have children to be together. Plus, future Ted never said that Barney goes on to have kids. So, Barney and Robin can marry and be child-free without contradicting anything done or said before on the show.
23. In S5’s “Last Cigarette Ever,” Narrator Ted states that Robin quits smoking in June of 2013. I think this will be around the time of the series finale and, most likely, Barney’s wedding. I think her quitting smoking then is connected to Robin being the bride.
24. The writers said that they never intended Barney to get married when they started the show. I think seeing the chemistry between the characters of Barney and Robin made them change their minds, and the only reason they decided for him to get hitched was so he could end up with Robin and not just some random chick. (Source)
25. Craig Thomas stated back in S3 that “there will never be a more perfect woman for Barney than Robin.” I don’t think he would have Barney marry anyone other than Robin if this is what he thinks. (Source)
26. For all seven seasons we have never seen a real flash forward of Barney or Robin like we have of the other characters. We have no idea who they end up with in the future, so the writers could have them end up together without contradicting anything said or shown already within the show. I don’t think the flash forward that showed the gang ten years later in S6’s “The Exploding Meatball Sub” is real. I think it is just one of those fake scenes that is a joke rather than serious, such as Barney beating up his Canadian self in S7’s “The Slutty Pumpkin Returns,” Lily on the roof of Marshall’s rental car after drinking all of that Tantrum in S5’s “Duel Citizenship,” and Marshall cutting the turkey with a lightsaber 3 to 5 Thanksgiving’s after S4’s “The Fight.”
27. The writers have said that this season they’re “going to get into why Ted decided to start the series telling his kids about how he met Robin” and why she is so important to his story. Craig Thomas said in an interview that “The way [Ted] started this entire story was: ‘I met a girl at a bar.’ And it was Robin. She's very important in his life and to the series. In many ways, I view this season as a Robin season. We're going to remember as a series how important she is and that there's a reason he's telling this story.” I think that points to Robin being Barney’s bride b/c Ted meets the mother at her wedding, explaining why Ted started the story on the day he and Barney met Robin. The bride reveal will happen this season. If it is Robin, it would explain why she is so important to Ted’s story. (Source) & (Source)
28. The show has had trouble in the past with guest stars leaving the show before the writers intended, resulting in them needing to make changes. For instance, Robin’s Crush could not come back for S7, so the writers came up with a whole new love interest for her: Kevin. Another example is Robin’s dad being recast later in the series. Situations like these have happened multiple times, so I can’t see the show making Barney’s bride a guest star due to the fear she might not want to continue on the show. Therefore, I see Barney’s bride being a regular, which would only work if the bride is Robin.
29. In S4’s “Mosbius Designs,” Marshall tells Barney that he and Lily think Barney and Robin are perfect for each other. Earlier in the episode, Barney says that Robin is “the greatest woman on the planet.” Later on in the episode, Robin tells Ted that her ideal man can be described as “smart, funny, passionate, and challenging,” which I think describes Barney perfectly. In S5’s “Twin Beds,” Barney reads a letter he wrote to Future Barney. In the letter, Barney tells his future self to get back together with Robin. These examples, among many other things said and done on the show throughout the entire series, makes me think Robin has to be Barney’s bride, especially if the writers never intended Barney to get married when they originally conceived of the show.
30. In the S6 episode “Subway Wars,” Narrator Ted says that “To this day, Barney won’t admit” that he helped Robin win the race. Why does future Ted want Barney to admit to Robin that he helped her win the race? I think this moment for Ted is evidence that Robin is Barney’s “the one.” Ted has witnessed many instances where Barney showed how much he selflessly and truly loves Robin, even without Robin realizing the things he does for her.
31. In the S6 episode “Baby Talk,” Barney says that he didn’t feel needed when he and Robin dated, but that is a compliment b/c she is “the most amazing, strong, independent woman he has ever banged.” This is in contrast to Ted who disliked that Robin didn’t make him feel needed when they were dating. I think this shows that Barney loves Robin unconditionally and for whom she truly is; he doesn’t feel the need to change her or wish that she was less independent in order to make himself feel needed in the relationship. This shows that a relationship between Barney and Robin could work out long-term b/c Barney actually likes things about her that her other love interests didn’t seem to like about her. Barney’s acceptance of Robin’s independence would go well with what we know future Robin to be: a world traveler (S2’s “Something Blue” and S7’s “Symphony of Illumination”). He would feel comfortable with Robin traveling the world alone if her career required it, but who is to say he doesn’t go with her? We don’t know what Barney is doing in the future, other than the fact that he does get married, which could be to Robin. And Narrator Ted did say that Robin was never alone in S7’s “Symphony of Illumination.” Maybe Barney travels with her.
32. In S1’s “Slutty Pumpkin,” Ted tells Robin that she hasn’t met the right Hansel yet and someday she is going to meet a guy that is going to make her want to look like a complete idiot. Then in S7’s “The Slutty Pumpkin Returns,” Robin decides to dress up for Halloween for the first time. She wears a Canadian-themed costume (hockey player) which goes with the costume she picked out for Barney to wear (Canadian Mounty). She was willing to dress up as a couple and look like a complete idiot for Barney.
33. Barney finds out he is a quarter Canadian in S7’s “The Slutty Pumpkin Returns.” Back in S3’s “Little Boys,” he thought Robin’s only “but” was that she was Canadian. Now that he knows he’s also part Canadian, that kind of cancels out what he thinks is Robin’s one “but.”
34. In S7’s “The Slutty Pumpkin Returns,” Ted and the Slutty Pumpkin discover they have zero chemistry even though they finally got the timing right, finding each other after all these years. This is the opposite of Barney and Robin who can’t seem to get the timing right, but have a lot of chemistry (which Lily commented on in S7’s “The Best Man”). I think it is only a matter of time until they finally do get their timing right, thus revealing Robin as the bride.
35. The writers said they didn’t break for summer hiatus after S6 so they could write and plan S7’s premiere and four November sweeps episodes that had to do with Barney and Robin and would be directly connected to the finale. ***Contains a slight spoiler*** (highlight to read) They also said they planned the last two minutes of the finale, which involves a birth and the future wedding day, which must be the bride reveal. (Source) & (Source) ***End of slight spoiler*** This makes me think Barney’s bride has to be Robin. If anyone else is the bride, I think they would have spent more time writing episodes involving her and not episodes involving Robin.
36. Back in S5, Craig Thomas said this about the B/R breakup: “I think these are two people who are not ready to be in a couple. I never look at those two as done, because they're so amazing together. But I don't think it would have been emotionally true to those characters to have them suddenly move in and get engaged. But hopefully we'll have some more seasons to the show.” This quote was before the whole wedding mystery started in S6, so I think when they came up with Ted meeting the mother at Barney’s wedding, they meant for Barney’s bride to be Robin. This quote also makes me think of the sign in S6’s “Big Days,” which says, “To Everything there is a Season,” b/c Barney and Robin were not emotionally ready to be in a couple together in S5, but in a later season they will be, which I think will be S8. (Source)
37. In S4’s “The Leap,” Barney tells Ted about a beautiful Canadian suit that equates to Robin and Ted gives Barney his blessing to reveal his feelings to her. Then in S7’s “The Best Man,” Barney asks Ted if he chose the “right tie” and Ted tells him he “nailed it.” I think this is supposed to be a call-back to that earlier scene in S4; I believe in both scenes they are talking about Robin. It is possible that they are talking about another woman as the “right tie,” but I really don’t think that is the case b/c I can’t see Ted telling Barney he “nailed it” if it was anyone other than Robin. Ted has witnessed many moments throughout the series that make me believe that he knows Barney will never love anyone as much as he loves Robin, leading Ted to think of Robin as Barney’s “right tie.”
38. In S6’s “Hopeless,” Barney said what he thought his dad would say if he knew he had a single female friend: “Why don’t you marry Robin? You two were cute together. Deep down, you know you were never happier than when you were with her.” Barney’s dad had not met Robin nor did he know they dated, so he wouldn’t say this at this point; what Barney said is really what Barney feels and believes. If he was the happiest he had ever been in his life while dating Robin, I can’t see the writers making him marry someone else. I just feel like this and many other statements Barney and the other characters have made throughout the years are too strong of statements for it to be believable that Barney would marry anyone other than Robin.
39. HIMYM’s seasons all have a storyline that needs to be resolved by the end of the season. These storylines are introduced in the premiere episode of a season and are finally resolved by the season finale. In S1, Ted wants to date Robin, but Robin doesn’t want to date him; also, Marshall and Lily get engaged. By the end of the season, Robin and Ted start dating and Lily calls off her engagement to Marshall. In S2, Ted and Robin are dating and Marshall is sad over his failed engagement, but, by the end of the season, Ted and Robin have broken up and Marshall and Lily get married. In S3, Ted gets a butterfly tramp stamp and, by the end of the season, he asks Stella (whom he met when getting the tattoo removed) to marry him. In S4, Barney wants to tell Robin how he feels about her, but doesn’t. By S4’s finale, he does tell her and they get together. S5 is the only season that didn’t have a theme or story arc b/c every episode was pretty much a stand-alone episode. In S6, Marshall and Lily are trying to have a baby, but Marshall’s dad is too involved; we also find out Ted meets the mother at a mystery wedding “a little ways down the road.” By the end of the season, Marshall, who is depressed that his dad died, gets some good news when Lily tells him she is pregnant; we also learn the mystery wedding belongs to Barney, but the bride’s identity is a mystery. Also in the finale, we see Robin’s feelings for Barney have resurfaced despite his sights being set on Nora. In the S7 premiere, Robin still has feelings for Barney and tries to tell him, but is interrupted by Nora’s phone call to Barney. Robin tells Ted “that if you have chemistry, you only need one other thing - timing, but timing’s a bitch” after Narrator Ted stated in the beginning of the episode that the theme of his story is timing and how timing is everything. Also, the bride wants to see Ted in the flash forward. Now, if this is like any other season, then I say that Barney and Robin will finally get their timing right and get back together, and that when Ted goes to see the bride in the flash forward, she’ll be revealed to be Robin.
Click here to read Part 2 for reasons 40 - 63.