How I Met Your Mother: 10 Episodes Proving It's Past Its Best

4. Something New

This episode was a rocky one. Aside from the big reveal that Ted would be moving to Chicago the day after Barney and Robin's wedding so the bride's ex wouldn't interfere with the happy couple's life together, it was a rather unimpressive finale. The idea of Marshall being a judge (specifically one with a Southern accent) was entertaining enough but gave way to the single most rash-inducing storyline on television this year with the cross-country road trip. It was definitely an important episode that set up the entire premise of the upcoming final season, except for the Barney and Robin storyline which was absolutely useless to the plot. The show was granted a last minute stay of execution this season, and was actually intended to end here. If this were in fact a series finale, it would have been greatly disappointing. The appearance of the mother in the last few seconds made up for the episode's shortcomings, and when season 9 came along we realized that despite its own shortcomings, the mother was absolutely perfect for Ted. She's funny, she's a bookworm, she's got an awkward sense of humor equal to that of the gang, and a lot of fans have noted that she looks like a mix of Robin and Lily. Thus ends How I Met Your Mother as we once knew it, and the final season begins.