By the time the ninth and final season of How I Met Your Mother rolled around, fans were stoked. The season where the mystery that had been unraveling for years would finally be solved had finally arrived. Ted Mosby was finally going to tell the audience how he met his wife, the mother of his children, the love of his life. Barney and Robin had finally made their way back to each other and were about to commit to each other for life. Lily and Marshall were walking towards their perfect life.
Of course, it's no secret that the season finale sparked outrage on a tremendous scale. To this very day, fans are still unbelievably angry at the writers about what they did with their beloved characters. But not all was bad. The season had very solid moments and it finally gave audiences a glimpse into Tracy, the mother. Barney and Robin were happy for a second there. So let us celebrate what was good and take a look at the strongest episodes of How I Met Your Mother's season 9!
The Locket (7.8)
"The Locket" marked the season premiere of the show's last season, and set up the events that would unravel. Marshall finds himself in a pickle when making his way to Farhampton with little Marvin, Robin and Barney all of a sudden find out that they might be related, and Lily finally meets the mother, Tracy.
Ted is on a quest to find a very special Robin he knows she wants to have with her. This gave audiences a glimpse into the fact that maybe Ted wasn't as over Robin as everyone thought.
Rally (8.0)
It's only a few hours before Robin and Barney are supposed to get married, and the gang can't seem to get a hold of him. When they do find him, they discover Barney has the hangover of a lifetime and is barely conscious.
Since Barney had always been the best at heçping each member of the group to cure their hangovers, Lily, Robin, Marshall, and Ted go on a hilarious quest to attempt every single trick in Barney's book to get him up and running.
Sunrise (8.2)
Before "Rally" took place, there was "Sunrise", which saw Robin and Ted frantically looking for Barney, who was roaming around the streets completely smashed.
Ted and Robin find themselves thinking back to past relationships and wondering when it's the right time to let go of what you loved. This seems to be the moment everyone waited for - the moment when Ted finally decides to let go of Robin.
Bass Player Wanted (8.3)
Back at the Farhampton Inn, a charming young man befriends each individual member of the gang and everyone instantly falls in love with him. However, he seems hellbent on making their lives miserable in order to get revenge on Ted - but why?
Meanwhile, Marshall is almost at the venue. Only one final stretch that demands a ride with a mysterious man...a man that seems to know just a little bit too much about his life.
Platonish (8.3)
In "Platonish", Robin is left devastated when she finds out her own mother can't attend the wedding. Somewhere along the way, the gang recalls a night six months ago, before Robin and Barney were engaged when Ted was re-evaluating whether or not he had a future with Robin.
Gary Blauman (8.3)
The episode opens when Ted and Tracy, the mother, are going on a first date and are looking for a place to eat. A discussion about whether or not they can just walk in and sit down wherever they want leads Ted to recall what happened at Robin and Barney's wedding.
Gary Blauman arrives without notice, and Robin panics about where to sit him. Marshall takes the lead in solving the problem, but the story ends out being a lesson about those who come and go in your life.
Unpause (8.4)
During "Unpause", Lily and Marshall are on a literal pause from their fight due to Marshall accepting the judge position without telling her. He thus embarks on a journey to do everything he can to prevent being along with Lily for fear of causing the argument to unpause.
Meantime, Barney is so drunk he can't help but tell the truth about everything he is asked. Of course, Ted and Robin take advantage of the fact by asking everything they always wanted to know - including a certain "ring bear".
Daisy (8.5)
Robin's mother manages to arrive at the wedding, much to the bride's surprise. When her mother starts talking about her own marriage, Robin worries that marrying Barney will end up on a similar note - and it's not a good one.
Meantime Marshall goes on a journey to find out what made Lily change her mind about moving to Italy, which leads him to the Captain's house and an interesting discovery.
The End of the Aisle (8.9)
Considering the entirety of season nine took place over the course of a single weekend, the moments when Robin and Barney finally tied the know was bound to be an emotional and satisfying one.
Even though it all begins with Robin panicking and Barney being unable to write his wedding vows, at the end of the day, the two love birds got married - and it was wonderful.
How Your Mother Met Me (9.5)
Nine long years ed until audiences finally got to meet the mother. Having an episode that showcased her perspective on all of those years was not guaranteed, but the showrunners delivered.
Everyone instantly fell in love with Tracy and getting to witness what her life looked like before she finally met Ted and the gang was absolutely wonderful.