Television’s most awkwardly inappropriate – yet hilarious - reminiscence of finding true love, How I Met Your Mother, will finally be coming to an end this year in season 9. But before the answer to the question that the series has posed from the beginning is revealed, audiences are going to have to make it through one of the longest weddings in television history.  Luckily, there appears to be more in the cards than just 24 episodes of marital angst.

Co-creator Carter Bays hints at the tales they intend to tell throughout Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) and Robin’s (Cobie Smulders) season-long wedding weekend, which might better help sell this season’s format to longtime fans wary of what’s to come.

Now that viewers have seen the Mother (Cristin Millioti), it’s time to find out what, exactly, her name is. While speaking to TV Guide about the upcoming final season (that almost didn’t happen), Bays would only confirm that we will learn her name at some point during the season: "I'm not going to say how soon we're going to learn that, but we are going to learn that." Fortunately, Bays does go on to provide some clues about when the name of the mother may be revealed:

[The Mother] will meet [Ted's friends] in a somewhat surprising order. That sounds much more cryptic than it actually is.

The order they meet doesn't matter so much, but the context [in which they meet] is the right context for each character. ... It will vary in reactions, but ultimately everyone will love this woman because she's very lovable.

how-i-met-your-mother-season-9-mother

As we already know, Ted (Josh Radnor) will be the last person who actually meets the Mother, as all of his friends – including Robin – will have met her already. And with Bays revealing that, though the reactions to her will vary, everyone will ultimately love her, and it’s logical that her name will have to be provided at some point during these interactions. Of course, since How I Met Your Mother is the best at sidestepping revelations, there’s always a chance that the name of the Mother might be replaced with a nickname of sorts, which will allow all of the friends to identify her without having to name her.

Still, knowing the Mother’s name and getting the Mother and Ted together are two entirely different things. After all, Ted revealed in the How I Met Your Mother season 8 finale that he may still have feelings for Robin – or at least he’s concerned that he’s letting the love of his life go. According to Cobie Smulders, Ted’s feelings for the Robin will first be touched upon in the third episode of the season, titled “The Broken Code”:

Ted is such a great dude. He is so kind and he is so sweet, and that's a guy who you're like, 'That is a solid guy. Father of my children. Yes.’

But Robin just doesn't love him, and that's what it comes down to. She lets her emotions drive her, and she loves Barney. I think there are probably parts of her that wants her to feel about Ted the way she feels about Barney. He's a safer option. In terms of roadblocks [at the wedding], Ted is a big one. And we'll see how that plays out.

Something New

Despite Smudlers identifying Ted as a possible roadblock at the wedding, Bays has promised that, in terms of Ted and the Mother, “we're going to see much more to them than just their meeting," which likely hints at the fact that there may be more to this season than just an extended wedding celebration. After all, Ted doesn’t actually meet the Mother until after Barney and Robin’s wedding is over, on the train platform in Farhampton.

Additionally, Bays says that viewers will "definitely" see the entirety of How I Met Your Mother’s storyline from the perspective of the Mother, which will include all of the many times she and Ted almost crossed paths. So while there’s still a wedding to be had at some point this season, the focus is still very much on Ted and the Mother, and there should be more than enough tales provided to help satisfy longtime fans who want the series – and Ted – to justify the reason for having a 9-season tale about finding a wife.

For those curious about the Barney and Robin’s actual wedding: Cater has revealed that Robin’s mother and stepmother will both be in attendance, and that it will be Robin’s stepmother who will perform at the wedding. Though nobody has yet to mention the return of Robin Sparkles, a singing Scherbatsky should be enough to coax the former Canadian pop sensation to take the stage one last time (perhaps at the reception?).

The cast of 'How I Met Your Mother'

All in all, it appears that How I Met You Mother is attempting to make the most out of the extend wedding weekend they have planned, and though many fans were rightfully wary of what a limited tale make do to the show’s final season, it’s clear that everyone involved in the show is pushing to make our last adventure with Ted, Robin, Lilly (Alyson Hannigan) and Marshall (Jason Segel) as fulfilling as it can possibly be. And why wouldn’t it, really?

Throughout How I Met Your Mother’s many years on the air, fans have at times criticized the show for unnecessarily dragging things out and, at times, almost repeating storylines from past years. But that was then, when there really wasn't much going on. How I Met Your Mother has always been at its best when it’s progressing the overall storyline for it’s characters, and it appears that this entire season is structured to do just that. So while numerous sequels of The Hangover may have sullied extended tales of weddings for many, this is moment that How I Met Your Mother has been working for and, from the sounds of it, may very well be the best – and most fulfilling – season yet. Of course, like most things, we’ll just have to wait and see.

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How I Met Your Mother season 9 premieres September 23 on CBS.

Source: TV Guide