Marshall vs The Machine

Marshall finally returns to the wedding party in the most amazing way possible! Darren the Devil tries breaking up friendships right and left—arguably intentionally—and destroying wedding bands. And one more person gets to meet The Mother.

So, who was most responsible for Ted and The Mother meeting? Marshall? Lily? Barney and Robin? Will the whole cast end up playing a key role?

Determined to walk from his five-mile bus stop, The Mother picks up Marshall and Marvin for the last, final, leg of their long journey. They both inspire one another to stand up to their problems and face confrontation.

(For the record, Marvin’s first word was “mommy.”)

Today in paradise, Ted, Barney, Robin, and Lily bemoan their missing Scotch (and Marshall) and Lily’s Italy dilemma. Then, along comes a spider. A mysterious invitee arrives hell-bent on destroying friendships via the Disney method, luring you in and conniving your problems.  The devil of which I speak is named Darren: lead singer of the wedding band. Yes, the Mother’s wedding band.

I have to say, this episode made my wintertime cold just a bit more bearable. Yes, Darren almost wrecked Lily and Robin’s friendship—and ousted Ted’s move to Chicago to Barney—yet all he accomplished happened to be making their friendships (and broships) stronger, more resolved. I mean, these are the friends they would go to jail for. That’s the dream. Lily even paused her anger toward Marshall; if there’s any theme for this season, it happens to be to trust in your marriages.

We didn’t get a sneak peek this premiere, but it doesn’t take a Darren to remind us our beloved series is swiftly coming to a close. Now, everyone is in place for the finale. The question is: what will it entail? And how can we ever say goodbye?