How I Met Your Mother: 10 Worst Breakups

While not "together" in the traditional sense, the possibility of a relationship between Barney and Robin was completely decimated immediately following Barney's confession to Nora.

Barney arrives at MacLarens Pub visibly conflicted; upset at hurting Nora but excited for the future he has envisioned with Robin.

You see, the two friends had come to the conclusion that, while initially believing their tryst was a mistake due to their respective relationships, perhaps it was meant as the beginning of their second attempt at being together. The two agree to confess to their partners and meet at MacLarens at midnight. However, when Robin arrives, she's brought her boyfriend Kevin along.

The next moments of the episode are among the series most memorable. The background music cuts out. The audible tick of a clock is amplified. Barney wordlessly indicates his confusion to Robin when they lock eyes. And Robin shakes her head no.

Barney's development up to this point, his guilt over ending his stable and loving relationship with Nora, and the rejection from the love of his life make for a terrible triple whammy that is highlighted by the absence of the laugh track. In fact, once this scene plays out, the last four minutes of the broadcast are completely devoid of laughs, leaving the audience to digest what they have just witnessed in deafening silence.