How I Met Your Mother Review: Chug and Choke
Chris O'Hara
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For fans invested in shows like How I Met Your Mother, with storied runs lasting years, the title of each episode sometimes becomes an afterthought.
So when looking at the name of How I Met Your Mother Season 9 Episode 19, I didn't really give it a second thought.
It wasn't until the very end of the half hour that I realized, just how amazing a choice the title was.
As Ted and the mother cemented their "Old Married Couple" status, we were treated to some great flashbacks. Ted recounted his list of worst winters and the mother introduced us to the legend of Dong Nose.
There was some concern, though, mixed in with the laughter, as the mother expressed her fear that Ted would become one of those men who lives in his stories. She emphasized the importance of continuing to move forward and live on.
Her words may have caught the attention of some, but the focus quickly switched to the story of broken lamps on the morning of Barney and Robin's wedding. A second set of memorable moments was referenced in The Wedding Bride Too.
Then Ted walked into Susan Tup's room. Susan Tup, Sue Tup, suit up! What a great way to start what would be Barney's, OMG-I'm-getting-married moment. He struggled to accept one last time that all his wild nights as a bachelor were behind him. Those conquests represented by all his suits.
Barney resisted the new suit he had custom made and even went as far as to say it would look better on Ted. The suit, of course, was a metaphor for Robin.
Ted: She walks down the aisle. You say your vows, you go to the reception, you have your first dance. Before you know it, just like magic, you realize, it's a perfect fit.
Barney: You're right Ted, this is the one.
Robin's wedding day wake up came when she ran into her mother while going to get some ice. Her appearance surely surprised most viewers, but not the mother.
When Ted challenged her claim, she asked Ted what kind of mother would ever miss the wedding of her daughter. And as Ted choked up, so did I. It was at that moment I realized the mother was sick and is most likely dead when Ted sets in on his tale of how they met.
Ted collected himself better than I did and changed subjects back to something light. The quick shift in subject matter echoed the realization they made together earlier.
Ted: It's funny. In a moment like that, when what's really happening is too intense to deal with, sometimes it's best...
The Mother: To leave it unspoken and just enjoy each others company instead.
Like the victims of Mt. Vesuvius, I was caught off guard by the scene. There I sat, mouth agape, frozen in time, as the realization hit me in the heart with the force of an erupting volcano.
This will be an episode I go back to watch a few times because so much of what was said early on echoes much louder now. If there was still any doubt in my mind about what I had just seen, it faded as I listened to the lyrics of Bob Dylan's song "If You See Her Say Hello," which closed out the episode.
In the end, it was one of my favorite episodes of How I Met Your Mother Season 9, as I chugged back some memories and choked back some tears.
