Rebuilding Rob

I’m a little surprised to realize that I’ve never written much about what is perhaps my favorite sitcom with the last 30 years, How I Met your mother.

I bring this up now because I’ve been listening since earlier this winter to the podcast How We Made Your Mother. The show is cohosted by Josh Radner, (Ted) and series co-creator Craig Thomas.

For those of you who don’t know, HIMYM begins in the year 2030 as our lead character Ted tell his teenage children the story of, we… how he met their mother. Most of the series is set in the present day with future Ted narrating the story. book ending both individual episodes and the entire series.

besides it’s poignant storytelling – the laughs, the tears, and everything in between- would always struck me about HIMYM was this remarkable sense of continuity. The show runners essentially gave the show a shelf life from it its inception. The show,also gives us flashbacks, flash-forwards, and in some cases, even some alternate realities.

“Pilot” season 1, episode 1

The one that started it all. This episode sets the table perfectly. In 2030, older Ted begins telling his teenage children the story of how he met their mother.

“drumroll, please” season 1, episode 13

At a wedding, Ted meets Victoria. To this day, many. HIMYM fans think that Victoria should’ve been the mother.

“Slap bet” season 2, episode 9

This episode introduces two plot threads that will run throughout the series: the titular slap bet and a shameful secret from Robin‘s past… 

“Showdown” season 2, episode 20

Barney believes that Bob Barker is his father, and becomes a contestant on the price is right to meet him

“Sand castles in the sand” season3, episode 16

An old boyfriend from Robert’s teenagers comes to New York. We also get an unexpected hook up that will have ramifications for the rest of the series.

“Girls vs suits” season 5, episode 12

in the series 100 episode, Bernie tries to hook up with the latest “bartender babe”. The problem is, she hates suits…

“The perfect week” season 5, episode 14

in order to get his mind off of his work troubles, Barney pursues “the perfect week”. If you know, you know.

“Bad news” season 6, episode 13

Lily and Marshall receive some good news and some bad news. This episode is notable for the “countdown” that appears on screen culminating in the episode’s heartbreaking conclusion.

“The time travelers” season 8, episode 20

At McLaren’s Ted meets future Ted and future Barney. In what starts as a ridiculous premise ends with a tear jerking final scene.

“How your mother met me” season 9, episode 16

The Mother takes center stage as we learned what she has been up to for the past nine years

This was actually a lot more difficult than I anticipated – narrowing the series down on my personal top 10 favorite episodes. Needless to say, they were quite several episodes that I wanted to include, that just didn’t make the cut.

How I Met Your Mother is currently streaming on Hulu

The podcast How We Made Your Mother is available to work for you stream audio, and on YouTube

Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like, 👍 comment and subscribe to my blog below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts as well as some earlier, related (and perhaps, not-so-related) posts:

• Rob’s Retro Movie Review: This is Spinal Tap (1984) – The Movie That Scaled to Eleven
• A Death in the Family (And My Disposable Income): My Life in Comics
• The Supporting Cast: Navigating the Eras of Male Friendship
• Life is What Happens: A Look Back at My Non-Existent 2025 Vision
• The Moment I Walked Inside a Hallmark Movie

The article “Rob’s Top 10 How I Met Your Mother episodes” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.