Reasons Why Robin is Barney's Bride (Part 5)
Part 1 (Reasons 1 - 39)
Part 2 (Reasons 40 - 63)
Part 3 (Reasons 64 - 79)
Part 4 (Reasons 80 - 91). This entry also contains a few theories in support of Robin being Barney’s bride from other HIMYM fans.
*Warning*: Contains a few spoilers (hidden behind spoiler cuts) and my own theories/speculations on what may happen on HIMYM. Some of my speculations may be proven wrong in upcoming episodes.
My reasons and speculations cover episodes from S1.01 - S7.22.
Reasons Why Robin is Barney’s Bride (Part 5)
92. In S7’s "Trilogy Time," the guys picture their selves three years in the future, but every time they end up being wrong. Towards the end of the episode, Barney tells Quinn that he wants to be with her for the rest of his life; he thinks he will still be with Quinn three years from now. However, I think Barney will be proven wrong b/c he will be married to Robin instead. His life in 2015 will be different than what he imagined it to be in 2012 (just like the other guys' predictions were proven wrong each time in this episode). I don't think it would be very shocking to the audience to reveal the bride as Quinn at the end of the season b/c she is Barney’s current girlfriend. The writers are just trying to fool the audience right now into thinking Quinn is the bride, but, in reality, I think she is just a bride red herring.
93. In S7’s “Trilogy Time,” Barney’s left ring finger is hidden in the real 2015 flash forward. I think the writers did this b/c they want to make the audience wonder whether or not Barney will go through with his wedding (since some fans believe Barney won't go through with it in the end). Not all fans of the show read every interview the writers give; they are unaware that Craig Thomas has stated that Barney does go through with his wedding. He does get married that day (Source). Hopefully, if Robin is the bride, Barney and Robin will still be together in 2015. If they are divorced or something, I think that would be a pretty lame move on the writers' part b/c of all the build-up there has been for the past two seasons (and next season) leading up to Barney's wedding. However, the S7 finale might put an end to this question. The press release for[Spoiler (click to open)]“The Magician’s Code Part 2” says, “Barney’s wife is finally revealed.” Not his bride, but his wife. This makes me think that Barney’s bride/wife is Robin, especially if the gang does reminisce about the time they encouraged Ted to go after the one that got away during the wedding flash forwards (Source). This just seems like a gang moment/scene to me without any outside guest stars included in it. Also, Cobie Smulders confirmed to E! Online that in the finale: "A big thing is revealed at the end. We get to meet Barney's wife” (Source). She says wife and not bride, which means we will know for sure that Barney goes through with his future wedding.
94. In S7’s “Now We’re Even,” Robin finally gets some career success, which hopefully will help her feel like less of a mess. Maybe getting some career success will lead Robin to want to find happiness in other parts of her life as well, like her love life. She might finally try to fix things with Barney. I think there was a subtle hint of Robin’s feelings for Barney in this episode. I noticed that Robin’s tone and facial expression changed when she was on the phone with Barney compared to when she was on the phone with Marshall and Lily. She seemed happy to hear from him, but, at the same time, I detected a bit of tension there b/c I think things haven’t gone back to normal between them yet. In a way, they are avoiding each other after what happened between them in November. It is this big elephant in the room that hasn’t been addressed yet. I think by the season finale it will finally be addressed, and hopefully Barney and Robin will get back together. Also in this episode, when Barney was watching Robin’s fight to survive on the TV, I think his facial expression revealed just how much he loves her. He looked truly horrified and concerned (I think even more so than the rest of the gang). Later on in the episode, Barney tells Ted that he is in love with Quinn, but I think his previous concern for Robin contradicts his later statement about Quinn. I think Barney is still in love with Robin, regardless of what he tells Ted about Quinn. I really think Quinn is just a bride red-herring and that the writers are trying really hard to make viewers think that Quinn has to be the bride, and that Barney and Robin are over forever. I could see a short/failed engagement between Barney and Quinn in the season finale; Barney doesn’t like Quinn stripping and thinks the only way to get her to quit is to ask her to marry him. I’m hoping, however, that they don’t get engaged. I’d prefer Barney to only briefly contemplate marrying Quinn and ultimately decide they are wrong for each other or that things are moving too fast. Maybe the point of Quinn is to help humanize strippers for Barney. After his break-up (hopefully) with Quinn, Barney may never want to go to strip clubs again. Dating Quinn might have turned him off of them b/c he will think of strippers as people who have outside lives (boyfriends, husbands, babies, etc.). He also might not want to go to The Lusty Leopard anymore b/c Quinn works there and he doesn’t want to run into his ex-girlfriend. This might all be done in order to solve one of the major problems that Barney and Robin were shown to have while they were dating in S5. Robin didn’t like that Barney went to the strip club so frequently in S5’s “Double Date.” If Barney no longer goes to strip clubs all the time (or at all), Robin’s dislike of Barney going to these establishments would no longer be an issue.
95. Carter Bays gave an interview where he talked about the Ted/Robin/Barney love triangle. He said, “It’s a love triangle. As long as they’re all in each other’s worlds, there’s always going to be that tension between these three characters. It’ll take something big happening for that to go away” (Source). I think the “something big happening” to put an end to this love triangle is Barney and Robin getting engaged b/c then Ted will have to truly move on. Most love triangles end with one side ending up together and one person left out. We know that Ted and Robin don’t end up together and that Robin doesn’t love Ted (S7’s “No Pressure”), so I think Ted will be the one left out while Barney and Robin will get back together and eventually get married.
96. In a recent interview Carter Bays said that Robin “wants the best for [Barney],” but there’s still a “lingering question” of her feelings for him (Source). If there is still a lingering question of Robin’s feelings for Barney, I would assume that Robin still loves Barney. It would be silly to say there is a lingering question of Robin’s feelings for Barney if she really has moved on from Barney. The show just doesn’t want to answer this question until the finale when (hopefully) Robin will tell Barney how she feels about him. I think the reason Robin isn’t saying anything right now is b/c she wants Barney to be happy and she thinks that he is happy with Quinn. Hopefully Barney and Quinn will break up in the finale so that Robin can finally make a play for Barney, or Quinn is revealed to have been bad news the whole time so it won’t matter if Robin makes a play for Barney while he’s still dating Quinn.
97. In a recent interview Carter Bays talked about the fast pace of the Barney/Quinn relationship. He said, “At a certain age, you stop worrying about the pacing so much and you sort of realize you’re only on this planet a short time so you might as well be with the person you care about the most. And I think that’s Quinn right now for Barney” (Source). I’m hoping Carter’s use of the words “right now” means Quinn won’t be around forever. She is not Barney’s bride b/c in the long-run it is Robin who Barney actually cares the most about. I think Barney cares more about Robin than Quinn, but he thinks he has no choice but to move on from Robin; he thinks Robin doesn’t feel the same way about him as he feels about her (S7’s “No Pressure”). I think that “no one and nothing else can compare” to Robin for Barney (S7’s “Tick, Tick, Tick”); therefore, Quinn is just a poor Robin substitute for Barney right now. Plus, the writers are not going to reveal in an interview now that Robin is the person Barney cares about most b/c right now on the show they are trying really hard to convince the audience that Quinn will be Barney’s bride and that Barney and Robin are over.
98. In a recent interview Carter Bays compared HIMYM’s current season to Breaking Bad’s past season. He said, “What I like about this [Breaking Bad’s] [past] season especially was that you didn’t really realize the journey you were watching until the last episode. And I feel like this season, we [also] aimed for that. Who knows if we hit that mark, but there’s a journey that’s been going on, especially for Ted. And I think it’s been a little subtle this season, but it resolves nicely at the end of the finale” (Source). I think the subtle story that is going on for Ted this season is him finally realizing that Robin is meant to be with Barney. I think this season is Ted’s journey to becoming Robin’s best man at her wedding. He needs to be completely over her by the time her wedding to Barney takes place. I think the reason the show is focusing on the Ted and Robin drama is b/c they want the wedding flash forward to be even more poignant and meaningful when Robin is revealed as Barney’s bride when Ted goes to talk to her. They want the audience to see Ted and Robin as close friends again. Also, I’m curious if there is another story going on under the surface right now; one that has to do with Barney and Robin b/c they haven’t really had much screen time together after all that went down between them during November sweeps. Carter doesn’t want to mention this at the moment though b/c it would give away the fact that Robin is Barney’s bride.
99. In a recent interview Carter Bays talked about the season finale. He said that “some things will be irrevocably changed on the show” (Source). I think he is referring not only to baby Eriksen being born, but also to the audience learning the identity of Barney’s bride. It is a game-changing episode b/c it will make or break the Barney/Robin relationship forever. If Robin is revealed as Barney’s bride, it will irrevocably change the show b/c the audience won’t have to wonder if Barney and Robin end up together; we will know they work out.
100. The S7 finale title,[Spoiler (click to open)]"The Magician’s Code,” (Source) might have a hidden meaning. I think this whole season has been one big magic trick leading up to the big reveal of Barney’s bride.Right now we are being distracted with the Ted/Robin drama and with Quinn (she is a distraction for Barney) in order to keep our focus away from the Barney/Robin relationship (Robin’s feelings seemed to disappear in the second-half of the season and there has barely been any interaction between she and Barney). In S7’s “Good Crazy,” Ted told Lily he showed up late to her baby shower in order to avoid Robin, but Robin never told Lily why she showed up three hours early to it. As the audience, we are supposed to assume she is avoiding Ted, but maybe the writers are trying to trick us here. Maybe she is trying to avoid Barney and Quinn. During the few times that Barney and Robin have interacted in the second half of the season, it has been Barney who has approached Robin, not the other way around. Also, Robin has told Ted that she wants them (Ted/Robin) to go back to normal (S7’s “The Broath”); she asked Marshall and Lily how Ted was doing and later on she was happy to see a text from him (S7’s “Now We’re Even”); and Ted pictured Robin telling him that she loves him (as a friend) and he should go get her back (S7’s “Good Crazy”). It seems like Robin wants Ted to be a part of her life, so why would she be avoiding him? I think there is a bigger picture here that we are not seeing yet - a picture that will be revealed in the finale.[Spoiler (click to open)]I think this can all be compared to a sleight-of-hand trick, hence the episode title. The magician misdirects the audience’s attention, getting the spectators to look where he wants (rather than where he does not wish them to look - at his trick). One type of misdirection is timing. The magician lets a little time go by after an action, which distorts events in spectators’ minds and wows them with the effect. Our attention is being misdirected right now. Our attention is being kept away from the bigger picture. Once we get to the finale, I think the big reveal will be Robin as Barney’s bride. This would be a shock or twist to the general audience who fell for the writers’ misdirection or “magic trick.” Since the November sweeps events between Barney and Robin came to pass, we’ve seen very little between or about them. The writers (magicians) have been misdirecting our attention and letting some time go by before directing our attention back to Barney and Robin and blowing our minds with their “magic trick.”This might not happen, but maybe Quinn’s true colors will be revealed in the finale as well. They want us to think Quinn is a good person now, but maybe this is all an act to play Barney for some reason. Then at least Barney will get the lesson in karma that we were promised would happen.
101. Cobie Smulders has always supported the Barney/Robin relationship. She has been very vocal throughout the years about her desire for Barney and Robin to end up together. After the Barney and Robin break-up in S5, Cobie said, “I always sort of envisioned, if they got together, it would be, 'Alright, the show is done and they ended up together and… done!' Because I think it's really interesting… the consummate bachelor and the ever-single girl finally settling down, with someone who they're so alike” (Source). She said a similar thing in a later interview that was conducted on the set of the S6 finale “Challenge Accepted.” She said, “I always envisioned or always hoped that they [Barney and Robin] would end up together, you know, when the series came to a wrap; that they would be together” (Source). In a recent interview Cobie said that she thinks the finale was “a very perfect way to end it [season 7]” (Source). If Cobie always envisioned Barney and Robin ending up together, then I think if Robin is revealed as Barney’s bride in the season finale, Cobie would think that was the perfect way to end the season.
102. Recently Cobie Smulders and Alyson Hannigan did an interview together for USA Today. USA Today wrote that Cobie told them that viewers will find out more about Robin and Barney before the end of the season. Cobie was quoted as saying, "Robin has had a rough year. There's been a lot of mostly downs, so I feel like the ending (of the season) is a beginning” (Source). I take what Cobie said in this interview as a good sign for Barney and Robin ending up together. Right now there has been barely any Barney/Robin interaction on the show, so it makes me hopeful that something will happen between Barney and Robin in the finale, even if it is only Robin being revealed as Barney’s bride during the wedding flash forward. I also think Cobie saying the ending is a beginning for Robin might be a clue that Robin is Barney’s bride or that Barney and Robin do in fact get back together in the present (by the end of the episode) as well as her being revealed as his bride.
103. Michael Ausiello from TVLine reported that Carter Bays told him this about what is coming up for Robin in S8:[Spoiler (click to open)]“There will be a new romance for her next year, definitely. We already have some ideas for that” (Source). I find it interesting that Carter chose the words “new romance” instead of “new love interest.” I think he is deliberately being vague here b/c he doesn’t want to give away if Barney and Robin are back together next year. He wants to fool fans into thinking that Robin will be dating someone other than Barney next year. This way the spoiled fans will be surprised if Barney and Robin do get back together in the season finale. Carter wouldn’t be lying that Robin would have a “new romance” next year if he is referring to Barney b/c technically it would be a “new romance” since their second relationship will be different/better than their old romance/relationship. However, if Carter is really referring to a new love interest for Robin next season, I think Robin could still be Barney's bride b/c the wedding takes place in the future. There would still be time for Robin to date this new guy, break-up with him, and start dating Barney, all leading up to their future wedding. So whether this "new romance" refers to Barney or someone else, I still think Robin could be revealed as Barney's future bride at the end of this season. Also, why would Carter tell Ausiello this now before S7 is even over, especially considering that Robin is one of the few possible bride candidates for Barney? I think he did this now b/c he wants to trick fans into thinking Barney and Robin are over and that she can’t be the bride. That way fans who read spoilers will be surprised that he was referring to Barney when they read Robin will have a “new romance” for next year. If Barney is Robin’s “new romance” for next year, then of course the writers would already have some ideas for that, as Carter said. The writers said they came up with the idea of Ted meeting the Mother at Barney’s wedding by the end of S5. If Robin is Barney’s bride, they probably already decided she was going to be so by the time they conceived of the idea of Barney getting married. I think Barney was always meant to marry Robin ever since the writers came up with Ted meeting the Mother at Barney’s (and Robin’s) wedding.
104. Carter Bays told Michael Ausiello from TVLine that “In the finale, we pay off something we set up in the episode ‘Disaster Averted’” (Source). S7’s “Disaster Averted” was a very Barney/Robin-heavy episode, especially in the last few minutes. Maybe whatever is paid off is Barney/Robin related. Maybe Barney and Robin finally get their timing right and get back together in the finale b/c they almost got back together in “Disaster Averted”. If they weren’t interrupted by the phone call from Robin’s dad in the hurricane flashback, then they would have kissed. Barney and Robin haven’t talked much after what happened between them during the November sweeps episodes, and Barney did tell Robin in the flashback in the rain that if he lets a day go by without talking to her, that day is just no good. Maybe it will be revealed in the finale that Barney and Robin are not over each other and they both feel that every day they don’t talk to one another is just no good. It might be revealed that they have missed being around each other every day. The “Disaster Averted” pay off might have nothing to do with Barney and Robin though. It might have something to do with baby Eriksen getting a name from his parents or something to do with the slap bet. Maybe in the wedding flash forward Marshall slaps Barney. However, I don’t know if this will end up being the case b/c the Slap Bet Countdown is counting down to sometime in May 2013, which is when I think we will actually see Barney’s wedding take place in the present time.
105. Neil Patrick Harris and Cobie Smulders recently went to Florence, Italy to do a photo shoot for CBS Watch! magazine (David Burtka’s picture). A couple on their honeymoon in Florence, Italy happened upon Neil and Cobie during this photo shoot. They filmed a few seconds of it and posted it on YouTube (Video). Lauren Feinstein (who may be the photographer) posted on Twitter on April 21st that the photo shoot was for CBS Watch! magazine. She also posted a picture of her w/Cobie and Neil. What we know about this photo shoot comes from people unconnected to this season of HIMYM. Neither Neil nor Cobie posted any pictures online from this photo shoot, nor did they mention what the photo shoot was actually for on their Twitter pages. I think they didn’t mention it was for CBS b/c they don’t want to give anything away about the HIMYM finale (like Robin being revealed as Barney’s bride). If Neil and Cobie are being flown to Italy (without the rest of the cast) to do a photo shoot together for CBS, I think this can be taken as a good sign that Robin will be revealed as Barney's bride in the finale. CBS would already know how the HIMYM season finale ends so they would probably want to talk about who was revealed to be Barney's bride in the next issue (June 2012) of Watch! magazine. This issue comes out the month after the HIMYM finale airs; viewers/readers would already know the identity of Barney’s bride by the time the issue circulates, which is why I'm thinking Robin is Barney's bride. Otherwise, it would be just plain strange to do a Neil/Cobie photo shoot, especially when factoring in all the money CBS had to have spent to do this shoot in Florence, Italy.
106. In a recent interview with The Insider Cobie Smulders said this about Barney’s bride reveal: “I think fans will really like it. Of course there will be division among fans because they want Barney to end up with a few different people, but I hope the majority of them are happy with who he ends up with -- I know I am” (Source). If Cobie says she is happy with whom Barney’s bride is revealed to be, then I think it has to be Robin b/c Cobie is a huge Barney/Robin supporter. She has stated in multiple interviews throughout the years that she wants Barney and Robin to end up together. Also, Cobie said she hopes the majority of fans will be happy with whom Barney ends up. I think that comment points to Robin being Barney’s bride too. Cobie is aware of the pairing’s popularity with viewers. She stated in another interview that "The fans love Robin and Barney together” (Source). So, if she knows a lot of fans love Barney and Robin together, then I think she would come to the conclusion that “fans will really like” who Barney’s bride is revealed to be if the bride is Robin. The majority of HIMYM viewers would be happy if Robin is revealed as Barney’s future bride. Barney and Robin are the biggest “ship” from HIMYM (besides maybe Marshall and Lily, although I don’t see as many fans who actively/passionately “ship” M/L, but I know most of the audience generally likes them). Yes, there are some fans that don’t like Barney and Robin together, but there are even more fans out there who are more invested in the Barney/Robin relationship than in any other relationship on the whole show. During the hiatus between seasons 3 and 4, Craig Thomas even commented about how a lot of fans are more invested in the Barney/Robin relationship than in Ted and The Mother’s relationship. He said, “I think fans have been watching Robin and Barney for two years, so until we say someone's the mom, the fans aren't going to freak as much about that as they are about Barney with Robin. And that's fine with me” (Source). After the S6 finale, Craig talked about the Barney/Robin relationship in an interview where he said, “If you’ve been watching the show all these years, you love the chemistry between the two of them and you care so much” (Source). So even the creators realize how much some of the fans are invested in the Barney/Robin relationship. They know there are more fans out there that like Barney and Robin together than those who don’t. Therefore, I think if Robin is Barney’s bride, the majority of the audience will be happy with whom Barney ends up with.
107. In a recent interview with The Insider Cobie Smulders said this about next season for Robin: “I'm excited to see her in a relationship and finally settle down … into something [laughs]. Committing to somebody is a huge step for her. She tried with Kevin earlier this year and it didn't work out. But our creators have actually thought about everything and that relationship was very much needed in order to get Robin to where she's headed” (Source). I think everything Cobie said here points to Robin being Barney’s bride. In her first sentence she stops herself after saying she is excited to see Robin settle down; after a pause she says, “Into something” (which is followed by her laughing). I think she realized she was giving too much away here b/c she pretty much confirmed that Robin (like Barney) is going to be in a relationship next year, a relationship that leads to her finally settling down. I think it is very interesting that both Barney and Robin will be in committed relationships next year, which makes me think that they will be settling down with each other and not with outside love interests (therefore Robin is Barney’s bride). I think Robin’s relationship with Kevin was needed in order to show the audience that Robin is now open to marriage and willing to be in a lifetime commitment. All she needs now is to find the right man (Barney) to settle down with. I think the right man for Robin won’t care that she is unable to have kids and that she never wants them. Barney already knew Robin’s stance on not wanting to have kids and still wanted/wants to be with her b/c he truly loves her. It’s like what Marshall said to Robin in S7’s “The Drunk Train": “If it's meant to be, then it won't matter" to the right man that she [Robin] can’t have kids. I don’t think Barney views Robin’s infertility or the fact that she doesn’t want kids as a deal-breaker. It won’t matter to Barney that Robin is unable to physically have kids - he already loves her despite knowing that she never wants to have kids period; therefore, I think Barney and Robin are meant to be b/c it won’t matter to Barney (unlike it did to Kevin).
108. In S7’s “Good Crazy,” Barney sets Ted up on palate-cleansing dates in order for him to get over Robin. Later on in the episode Barney says to Ted, “If anyone knows what that feels like, it’s me” in response to Ted telling him how hard it is to get Robin out of his head. I think this might be a clue that Barney is not over Robin and that he was/is using Quinn as a palate cleanser in order to move on from Robin. I think Barney is having a hard time getting over Robin b/c the first online date Barney sets Ted up on is with a woman who is very similar to Robin and whose name is “Robyn.” I think Barney unconsciously did that. He just thought this woman’s profile sounded really great b/c it reminded him of his perfect woman - Robin - without him even realizing it.
109. Craig Thomas talked with TV Guide recently about the HIMYM finale and Neil Patrick Harris’ strong reaction to Barney’s storyline. Craig told the magazine, “Neil said that while reading the finale script, he teared up and it gave him a little chill” (Source). On May 6, 2012, Neil answered (via Twitter) a fan’s question asking him if he liked the HIMYM finale and if he was happy with it. He tweeted back: “It’s gonna be rad, yeah. Shouldn’t disappoint” (Source). I think the fact that Neil got so emotional while reading the finale script, and the fact that he claims the finale won’t disappoint are both good signs that Barney and Robin will end up together and that Robin will be revealed as Barney’s bride. Neil has always been very vocal about his support of the Barney/Robin relationship. In an interview conducted while Neil was filming the S6 finale “Challenge Accepted,” Neil said, “I’m for Team Barney and Robin too. I get no say in the matter, but I think she’s great. Cobie’s hilarious and smells like the ocean” (Source). Neil even likes to take credit for the Barney/Robin relationship. In S5, Neil said, “I was a huge angler toward that relationship happening in the first place. I just thought that Cobie [Smulders] was sexy and therefore thought that Barney would think that Robin was sexy. So I gave lots of long staring at her boobs and longingly looking at her butt and stuff. It wasn’t written in the script I just thought that was appropriate. And so it turned into kind of a relationship” (Source). Even more recently Neil has tried to push the writers in the direction of letting Barney and Robin end up together. He said, “I always throw in little longing glances at [Smulders] because I think she’s great. And I always hope that they use those shots” (Source). I think Neil was so moved by what happens in the finale b/c he finally got his way - Barney and Robin end up together. Hopefully, this means there will be some emotional scenes between Barney and Robin in the finale that might lead to them getting back together in the present time, and/or some great scenes of the two of them being married to each other in the wedding flash forwards. I think as long as Robin is revealed as Barney’s bride in the finale, Neil would think the finale will not disappoint the fans, especially considering that most HIMYM fans want Barney and Robin to end up together (just as Neil does). If Robin is not Barney’s bride, I don’t think Neil would have said the finale “shouldn’t disappoint” b/c I think he is well aware of the fan support for the Barney/Robin pairing and the disappointment these fans would feel if Robin isn’t the bride. I know Neil would never say anything negative about the finale in answer to a question b/c he wants people to watch it; however, I don’t think he would have gone as far as saying that the finale “shouldn’t disappoint” if Robin is not revealed as Barney’s bride.
110. I find it interesting that Ted had a falling out with Barney over Barney and Robin sleeping together in S3. Ted told Barney he didn’t want to be friends with him anymore in S3’s “The Goat.” After that, they pretty much avoided each other for the rest of the season. By the S3 finale “Miracles,” they’d finally made up and became friends again. I think it is interesting b/c if Ted had not become friends with Barney again, then he wouldn’t have met the Mother since it’s at Barney’s wedding where he eventually meets her. Now in S7, Ted has had a falling out with Robin. Ted has been avoiding Robin ever since she told him she wasn’t in love with him in S7’s “No Pressure.” In S7’s “Good Crazy” Ted realizes that even though Robin may not love him the way he loves her, she’s worth hanging on to, so he decides to go get her back. He wants to repair their friendship. If Robin and Ted didn’t become friends again, then Ted wouldn’t have met the Mother at Robin and Barney’s wedding (assuming Robin is Barney’s bride). It is just interesting that the two friends with whom Ted has had a falling out in the past might be the two people who will lead him (on their wedding day) to meeting the Mother. It is a good thing that Ted made up with both of them since it is their relationship that leads to Ted’s happy ending.
111. In a recent interview, Cobie Smulders talked about the bride reveal in the season finale. She said, “I don't know if it'll be a shocker. But our writers are so good at what they do. They've just figured out a great ending to tie it all together. I think people will be pretty happy” (Source). I think her statement points to Robin being Barney’s bride b/c there are a lot of fans (me included) who believe that Robin is going to be Barney’s bride. The bride reveal won’t necessarily be a shocker to those members of the audience who think that Robin is the bride. I think Robin being Barney’s bride is the only way to tie the whole show together - after all, Ted and Barney met Robin on the very first episode of the series. There has to be a reason why Future Ted started his How I Met Your Mother story with the day he met Robin. I think Ted and Barney meeting Robin has to have a direct connection to Ted meeting the Mother, which we know will take place on Barney’s future wedding day. I think that points to Robin being Barney’s bride. Cobie said she thinks “people will be pretty happy.” A lot of HIMYM fans are supporters of the Barney/Robin relationship, so I think the majority of viewers will be pretty happy if Robin ends up being Barney’s bride (and with how this revelation ties to the series’ Mother mystery/story). While there will certainly be some fans who don’t like the outcome, I think these people are just a vocal minority.
112. In an interview, Cobie Smulders talked about the possibility of Barney and Robin getting back together: "The fans love Robin and Barney together but I don't know. I can't quite say because they don't tell us much. But I can say it is a definite possibility. It'll be very hard (when the show finishes) but I know that the writers will end it in a way that is beautiful and that the fans will really love” (Source). I think Cobie is feigning ignorance here b/c she has already said in multiple interviews that she knows who Barney’s bride is - she already knows whether or not Barney and Robin get back together. She just doesn’t want to reveal too much in this interview. If she says that Barney and Robin get back together, then she pretty much will have revealed who Barney’s bride is and that there will be a reunion between the two of them. In another interview, Cobie makes it clear she knows who Barney’s bride is: “I hope the majority of them [fans] are happy with who he ends up with -- I know I am” (Source). In the first interview, Cobie acknowledges that “fans love Robin and Barney together” and then she goes on to say that she thinks “fans will really love” the way the series ends. Now if she knows fans love Barney and Robin together, then I think the only way these same fans could be happy with the ending of the series is if Barney and Robin end up together; otherwise, they will be left disappointed. In the second interview, Cobie says she hopes the majority of fans will be happy with who Barney’s bride is. Taking into account that in the first interview Cobie said the “fans love Robin and Barney together,” I think she would believe the majority of fans would be happy if Robin ends up with Barney. Given Cobie’s statements, I think Robin will be revealed as Barney’s bride in the season finale.
113. Craig Thomas talked to Entertainment Weekly about the season finale; he said, "We're going to find out who the bride is. We're going to show you some huge reveals about Barney's future wedding day, and then the beginning of Season 8 will be, how did we get there?” (Source). I think Craig’s comments point to Robin being Barney’s bride b/c the pair is not currently dating (in the present time) on the show; Barney is dating Quinn. Barney might even propose to Quinn in the finale, but, hopefully, they will break up in the finale too. Barney and Robin might not reunite in this season’s finale, so maybe next season will show us (the audience) how they get back together, which is the first step in getting to their wedding day. I think next season will focus on Barney and Robin’s journey to their wedding day (how they get there). It wouldn’t make sense for Quinn to be revealed as Barney’s bride since she is his current girlfriend. I don’t think there would be much to the story for next season in terms of “how did we get there?” if Barney’s bride is revealed to be Quinn. Robin makes more sense b/c she is not currently dating Barney and they haven’t talked much since the happenings between them during November sweeps. I think the writers would find it a much more interesting story if Robin is Barney’s bride b/c this would make the audience wonder how the two of them get back together, especially after Robin’s rejection of Barney in S7’s “Tick, Tick, Tick” and Barney’s attempt to move on from Robin by dating (and possibly proposing to) Quinn.
Thanks for taking the time to read my list. I appreciate it!
I’ll add a few more reasons if there is anything of significance (related to why Robin is Barney’s bride) in any new interviews that might come out before the finale.
If you want to read theories and/or reasons that other HIMYM fans came up with as to why Robin is Barney’s bride, read the comment sections for all 5 parts of my list. They’re pretty interesting.
Thanks again for reading!