10 Most Paused TV Moments

10. The Mother Is FINALLY Revealed - How I Met Your Mother

How I Met Your Mother finally put fans out of their misery - temporarily, at least - by revealing the identity of Ted Mosby's (Josh Radnor) future wife, aka The Mother, in the season eight finale "Something New."

The closing seconds of the episode showed the mother, played by Cristin Milioti, buying a ticket to Farhampton where she will eventually meet Ted, bringing eight years of speculation to a sudden end.

Given that Milioti was a little-known actress at the time the episode aired, viewers understandably smashed the pause button to get a better look at the woman around which the entire series effectively revolves.

It's of course a shame that the payoff to this reveal was ultimately so unsatisfying - unless you accept the cobbled-together alternate ending as canon, that is - but the moment this episode ended, the world could talk about nothing else.