Wow, I'm speechless. This episode was absolutely amazing. I liked every single part of it. I know that some of the episodes this season were a little off, but there is no other show that can still have a great episode like this after more than 8 years of airing. Cristin Milioti was an excellent choice for the mother. She makes every episode better. I also liked all the call-backs and flashback from previous seasons. How Your Mother Met Me was tragic, funny, sweet and heartwarming all at the same time. Quite possibly the best episode of How I Met Your Mother ever. Congrats to Carter Bays, Craig Thomas and especially Cristin Milioti.
29 Reviews
How I Wanted HIMYM To Be
sameerpathan000728 January 2014
The sheer perfection of the writers and the director was showcased in this episode.The way they joint the scenes shot 7-8 years ago with the present one was brilliant.The whole disappointment of the Season 9 so far was washed away by this one episode. The Mother played by Cristin Milioti is a lovable and so charming character. Cristin Milioti is portraying what the Mother needs to be in the exact way and her performance in this particular episode was excellent. This was one of the few episodes of HIMYM that can be re-watched again and again and you'll still love it every time. I wish the rest of the episodes of Season 9 to be as good as this one, so we can wish HIMYM a goodbye on a happy note.
Ingenious
readjacksonporter27 January 2014
I've been excited for this episode ever since it was announced. We'd finally get some insight on the Mother's life, and find out who she truly is.
This episode, I felt, lacked in comedy, but not in a bad way at all. It was so focused on the story and the character of the Mother that they forgot they were writing for a comedy. This is how I also felt about the majority of the last season of The Office.
I've been unsure about the Mother this entire season, but this episode depleted all doubts about her. She's beautiful and hilarious and so down-to-earth. I love how for once they didn't portray love as this easy-to-come-by thing, how they showed that when you truly fall in love, it's not an easy thing to get over.
This episode did well in tying together Ted and the Mother's lives, how, in a sense, they both affected one another, but yet never even knew of each other's existence.
Season 9 has had some negative reviews and received some doubts, but I knew that if I waited it out patiently, it'd be worth it, and look at these past two episodes, both are filled with raw emotion and incredible story-telling.
I've heard rumors about a spin-off called How I Met Your Father. Despite the fact that they kind of just summarized what the whole series would be, I wouldn't mind watching a series focusing around the Mother.
I wouldn't mind it at all.
Well done, HIMYM. Keep it up.
-Jackson
This episode, I felt, lacked in comedy, but not in a bad way at all. It was so focused on the story and the character of the Mother that they forgot they were writing for a comedy. This is how I also felt about the majority of the last season of The Office.
I've been unsure about the Mother this entire season, but this episode depleted all doubts about her. She's beautiful and hilarious and so down-to-earth. I love how for once they didn't portray love as this easy-to-come-by thing, how they showed that when you truly fall in love, it's not an easy thing to get over.
This episode did well in tying together Ted and the Mother's lives, how, in a sense, they both affected one another, but yet never even knew of each other's existence.
Season 9 has had some negative reviews and received some doubts, but I knew that if I waited it out patiently, it'd be worth it, and look at these past two episodes, both are filled with raw emotion and incredible story-telling.
I've heard rumors about a spin-off called How I Met Your Father. Despite the fact that they kind of just summarized what the whole series would be, I wouldn't mind watching a series focusing around the Mother.
I wouldn't mind it at all.
Well done, HIMYM. Keep it up.
-Jackson
Bittersweet
deathcoaster201131 January 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Jaw dropping good. (Like literally, my mouth hung open a little when I found out Max was dead, and her monologue with his memory solidified my love for her.)
I was a bit skeptical when Milioti was introduced, but I'm so glad they chose her.
The creators were able to, somehow, in this drawn-out as f**k season, tell a tragic, beautiful, funny, and, most impressive of all, concise story of The Mother's life.
(Also, HUGE props to whoever had the idea to make the receptionist the one who indirectly introduced them. That one put a sh*t eating grin on my face that lasted until the end of her song.)
That being said, it peaked at the end of La Vie en Rose, directly after she finished.
When the camera panned to Ted, I was hoping that they would finally let them meet.
But they didn't. This isn't the episode where the two of them meet. I was about to write a 9 star review just because they didn't meet.. But I decided to give it a ten.
I hate this cliffhanger... But I'll be damned if I don't have the utmost respect for its beauty.
Bravo, HIMYM.
I was a bit skeptical when Milioti was introduced, but I'm so glad they chose her.
The creators were able to, somehow, in this drawn-out as f**k season, tell a tragic, beautiful, funny, and, most impressive of all, concise story of The Mother's life.
(Also, HUGE props to whoever had the idea to make the receptionist the one who indirectly introduced them. That one put a sh*t eating grin on my face that lasted until the end of her song.)
That being said, it peaked at the end of La Vie en Rose, directly after she finished.
When the camera panned to Ted, I was hoping that they would finally let them meet.
But they didn't. This isn't the episode where the two of them meet. I was about to write a 9 star review just because they didn't meet.. But I decided to give it a ten.
I hate this cliffhanger... But I'll be damned if I don't have the utmost respect for its beauty.
Bravo, HIMYM.
Absolute perfection.
whifferrack27 January 2014
Warning: Spoilers
That was a beautiful episode. That was the one I was waiting for. The near misses were fun, the callbacks were great, the jokes landed, and Cristin Milioti gave an endearing and heart- wrenching performance; the story itself was, understandably, a bit contrived, but I have to say that this felt more earned than anything else prior and that her brilliance overshadowed the rest. The part where she was talking to her dead boyfriend could've easily blown up in the hands of a lesser actress, but she really made me feel for her, and when she sang "La Vie En Rose", oh man, I was definitely tearing up. That was a gorgeous sequence and a gorgeous episode, and it's a shame they waited until now to give it to us. I'm glad we got it, though.
This episode shows us exactly why she's great for Ted: 1) her personality, and 2) their similar states of mind. They feel as if they've already found the most happiness they could possibly obtain, when in reality, a little push brings them together. The Mother's speech to Max was that cathartic moment.
A episode all around.
A more extensive analysis at: http://polarbearstv.com/2014/01/27/how-i-met-your- mother-how-your-mother-met-me-review-9x16/
This episode shows us exactly why she's great for Ted: 1) her personality, and 2) their similar states of mind. They feel as if they've already found the most happiness they could possibly obtain, when in reality, a little push brings them together. The Mother's speech to Max was that cathartic moment.
A episode all around.
A more extensive analysis at: http://polarbearstv.com/2014/01/27/how-i-met-your- mother-how-your-mother-met-me-review-9x16/
This is the one we were waiting for , this is the one we deserve .
MaxHills28 January 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Carter and Grieg have a way to make something more out of something less , remember the episode with marshals father ? The whole episode there was a clock ticking . And now this .
This is what I was waiting for since we saw the mother the last episode of season 8 .
They brought so much depth to the character that made me and us say yes she deserves him and he deserves her . Just the fact that she lost her true love made the story way deep and sad than it should've been , which was amazing .
And the fact that they tied in every gap there was since episode 1 was amazing .
humor , heart , funny , sad that's why we love this show that's why we were tuning in since we first got hooked .
All and all we have 8 episodes left I hope they continue with this pase it would be a heck of a fenale , and I hope they finish the wedding early so we can see the life after Ted and the mother get married to the year 2036 were ted started telling the story .
This is what I was waiting for since we saw the mother the last episode of season 8 .
They brought so much depth to the character that made me and us say yes she deserves him and he deserves her . Just the fact that she lost her true love made the story way deep and sad than it should've been , which was amazing .
And the fact that they tied in every gap there was since episode 1 was amazing .
humor , heart , funny , sad that's why we love this show that's why we were tuning in since we first got hooked .
All and all we have 8 episodes left I hope they continue with this pase it would be a heck of a fenale , and I hope they finish the wedding early so we can see the life after Ted and the mother get married to the year 2036 were ted started telling the story .
This was perfection.
acdcman9827 January 2014
Warning: Spoilers
How Your Mother Met Me was probably the best episode not of the season, but of the entire series! I loved how they incorporated the close calls from the pilot to taking the plot even further! I can't wait until next weeks episode because the last two episodes have brought this season in a new better light. I can not wait until I can re-watch this episode later on.
The way Carter and Craig brought depth into the mother makes me fall in love with her more and more each moment I watched her. I can't wait for this to wrap up. Ted and the mother finally meet and deserve the love they both deserve.
The way Carter and Craig brought depth into the mother makes me fall in love with her more and more each moment I watched her. I can't wait for this to wrap up. Ted and the mother finally meet and deserve the love they both deserve.
Most Perfect Episode Ever
dr-adawy28 January 2014
I have to stop myself from claiming this is the best episode in television, though it may be. But I am sure is, is that this is the best HIMYM ever. Beautiful crossover of events! Beautiful storytelling! Beautiful how they show us the perfect wife for Ted!
She is really the lovable cute life partner, most suitable for our favorite history-loving kind-hearted geek character in the series. I love the flow of the episode and how it re-tells the story from her perspective.
Perfect work! Awesomely written!
Summarizing, the episode is LEGEN--
***Wait for it!***
--DARY!!!
She is really the lovable cute life partner, most suitable for our favorite history-loving kind-hearted geek character in the series. I love the flow of the episode and how it re-tells the story from her perspective.
Perfect work! Awesomely written!
Summarizing, the episode is LEGEN--
***Wait for it!***
--DARY!!!
Mother > Father
abbykam6127 January 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Before this week the mother was merely a flat character, a humanization of a fantasy list of Ted's but this week she really came to life. I really grew to love her over the course of this episode, she's such a earnest and kind woman. Maybe it's unrealistic that in 8 years she only dated one other guy, but as an audience we must remember that it's also only twenty minutes. If we showed Ted's whole story in twenty minutes he'd be a real man-slut. She gave just the right impression upon me. This episode tied in all of our favourite crossovers from the series in such a concise and fitting way. And that second-to-last scene of hers, talking to Max out on the porch; I really forgot Ted existed, I just wanted her to be happy. I can't wait to see Ted and the mother together now, but not for Ted's sake, despite the fact that I've been following his story for nine years, I really want to see the mother find someone she'll be happy with.
Best episode in a long time.
Best episode in a long time.
You Thought Ted Had It Bad, Wait till you see the story of The Mother.
conor-williams25 February 2014
How i met your mother doesn't get better than this. This episode of how i met your mother shows the traumatic life of the mother from when the man she loved died on her 21st Birthday. It just shows how this show works. Throughout the episode you see Ted being so close to meeting the mother due to being in the right place just a few seconds from he right time. We also meet the Mothers friendship circle which contains a female version of barney, just less well... Barney. There is no wonder this episode makes it's way into my favorite How I Met Your Mother episodes of all time since it shows all the moments we love from most series from a different angle. Final Word to sum it up: Perfect. 10/10
For me, HIMYM ends here -- on a high note
lauradi-8078610 April 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I don't cry very often. And usually the idea of crying during a sitcom episode is one of the worst things that could happen. But when I listen to Cristin Milotti sing "La Vie en Rose" at the end of this episode, the tears are streaming down my face. Every time. And I *still* believe that this is the show's finest episode.
For me, this is when Ted met the mother. The rest of the show's final episodes (especially that ghastly finale) do not exist. If you're watching HIMYM on a binge-watch, consider this the finale and stop here. All you will miss is a heaping helping of disappointment. Save yourself. End on this sweet, funny, poignant, romantic, and generally awesome high note.
For me, this is when Ted met the mother. The rest of the show's final episodes (especially that ghastly finale) do not exist. If you're watching HIMYM on a binge-watch, consider this the finale and stop here. All you will miss is a heaping helping of disappointment. Save yourself. End on this sweet, funny, poignant, romantic, and generally awesome high note.
Best episode ever!
peppej28 January 2014
Warning: Spoilers
The mother is just perfect...wow! Every episode the mother appears in has been great! HIMYM is almost always good and has always been, but this season haven't been the best...except for the episodes including the mother.
Every second of this episode was perfect. I always enjoy watching HIMYM, but this time it was more than that, I loved every second of this episode!
The writers did a greater job than I could ever imagine with all the "almost met" parts, very impressive how they tied it all together.
This was the best episode for the entire series, can't wait to see when the finale will meet. Cristin Milioti is lovely in this character. Will watch this episode again, for sure...
---now I have watched this episode for 10+ times...and the last part from 18.48 100+ times...sure it sounds a little too much, but for me this is just a perfect 10...<3
Every second of this episode was perfect. I always enjoy watching HIMYM, but this time it was more than that, I loved every second of this episode!
The writers did a greater job than I could ever imagine with all the "almost met" parts, very impressive how they tied it all together.
This was the best episode for the entire series, can't wait to see when the finale will meet. Cristin Milioti is lovely in this character. Will watch this episode again, for sure...
---now I have watched this episode for 10+ times...and the last part from 18.48 100+ times...sure it sounds a little too much, but for me this is just a perfect 10...<3
Over hyped episode .
bigt_7863 October 2019
2014, The Year We All Met The Mother
s-szasmt27 January 2014
Warning: Spoilers
2014, The Year We All Met The Mother
What! A surreal ride that executives previewed as a "pilot to a totally different show" has lived up to the expectations of all deserving fans. It has really paid homage of sorts to the heart of the series from the start.
Why did they always hang out at that pub MacLarens, was it just to be like Cheers? -SHE always hung out at the MacLarens at the other side of The Big Apple.
Why did Ted break up with fiancé Cupcake-Maker-Blonde-Girl? -She has a boyfriend. A serious one. Who dies. Before she met Ted, and just like Ted she has a past love..
We were scared we weren't gonna love the girl we saw last season's finale.. Boy were we all wrong!
Why was Ted always kinda mopey and down on his luck career wise sometimes? -She falls into a slump in her personal and work life after. She calls her art (hobbies) out as work! Just like Ted used to do with Caligraphy, etc!
Why did we wait so long for Ted to meet her? -Well turns out their lives were quite intertwined, NY is really not that big! So they had a lot of opportunities to meet which were lost. Because they weren't ready to meet.
Why was Ted so obsessed with the city itself? -Because both of them had made realisations and learned lessons about the city.
This is a formidable episode. It is a cinematic realisation of a coupe de foudre (Love at First sight).
But there are too many revelations to type and too much to process. And I'll leave the biggest revelations of the night a secret and tell you these ones instead.
*The yellow umbrella is quite a teeny part of the story! *This episode will, nay should, make you tear up.. *The failure of The Mentalist forgotten. And that this HIYM episode is what 2014 will be remembered for. The year we all met the mother.
Now go watch it! X
What! A surreal ride that executives previewed as a "pilot to a totally different show" has lived up to the expectations of all deserving fans. It has really paid homage of sorts to the heart of the series from the start.
Why did they always hang out at that pub MacLarens, was it just to be like Cheers? -SHE always hung out at the MacLarens at the other side of The Big Apple.
Why did Ted break up with fiancé Cupcake-Maker-Blonde-Girl? -She has a boyfriend. A serious one. Who dies. Before she met Ted, and just like Ted she has a past love..
We were scared we weren't gonna love the girl we saw last season's finale.. Boy were we all wrong!
Why was Ted always kinda mopey and down on his luck career wise sometimes? -She falls into a slump in her personal and work life after. She calls her art (hobbies) out as work! Just like Ted used to do with Caligraphy, etc!
Why did we wait so long for Ted to meet her? -Well turns out their lives were quite intertwined, NY is really not that big! So they had a lot of opportunities to meet which were lost. Because they weren't ready to meet.
Why was Ted so obsessed with the city itself? -Because both of them had made realisations and learned lessons about the city.
This is a formidable episode. It is a cinematic realisation of a coupe de foudre (Love at First sight).
But there are too many revelations to type and too much to process. And I'll leave the biggest revelations of the night a secret and tell you these ones instead.
*The yellow umbrella is quite a teeny part of the story! *This episode will, nay should, make you tear up.. *The failure of The Mentalist forgotten. And that this HIYM episode is what 2014 will be remembered for. The year we all met the mother.
Now go watch it! X
Absolutely mesmerizing. It does not get any better than this.
miladimovska31 October 2020
This episode is without a doubt the greatest episode of the entire show. An emotional roller coaster which holds the essence of the story that is portrayed throughout the whole series. The poignancy, the beauty, the tragedy and the sheer brilliance all mixed in one is what makes this episode a milestone, and a very unique one at that. I absolutely loved the tiny details so impeccably scattered all around, taking the viewer on an instant ride all the way back to the beginning of this story, using refreshing flashbacks and recollections. The magnificent summary of this episode directly points to a job very well done by the writers, the cast, and especially Cristin Milioti (the mother) whose performance is outstanding and unquestionably what makes this episode so special. She is undeniably the perfect fit for the role. If it were up to me, I would end the show with this episode, because it is exactly the ending this show deserves and nothing else.
This is the kind of episode you always gravitate back to, no matter how many times you've watched it. And you enjoy it every single time.
From Worst to Best
digi297118 January 2016
Warning: Spoilers
The episode 14 of the current season is the WORST rated episode of HIMYM and the 16th episode is the BEST rated episode...speaks much of this season and the series in general... But come what may, this remains my favorite American romantic comedy TV series... It's just that I feel like Ted all the time ....my story resonates with him so much...in so many aspects....hope i find the "mother" before i am 30. :P
Also, the "mother's" version of la vie en rose at the end....simply fantastic....
Shows how Ted had to move on from Robin and the mother had to move on from her own loss...and also how Lily and Marshall need to move on from the incident that happened in the very 1st season (lily leaving him for her job in San Fransico)...
Brilliantly connected with the previous seasons!
Also, the "mother's" version of la vie en rose at the end....simply fantastic....
Shows how Ted had to move on from Robin and the mother had to move on from her own loss...and also how Lily and Marshall need to move on from the incident that happened in the very 1st season (lily leaving him for her job in San Fransico)...
Brilliantly connected with the previous seasons!
For me this was the high point of a low season
cristiadu16 November 2019
Warning: Spoilers
It was an adorable episode that helps us love Tracy's character even more. Everything about this episode doesn't seem forced and tells a genuinely heartfelt story.
She is indeed the best love pair for Ted, and I fell like a lot of people felt she was perfect for them either. I know I did, she was just so warm, happy but sad. In the scene she looks to the sky and starts talking to Max and the music scene are just two of the best scenes of the show.
This makes the 9th season a lot more bittersweet because it has so many low points with just a few actively good episodes. But this episode definitely proves the writers still had it, I wish they weren't so strict on how they wanted the ending to be.
She is indeed the best love pair for Ted, and I fell like a lot of people felt she was perfect for them either. I know I did, she was just so warm, happy but sad. In the scene she looks to the sky and starts talking to Max and the music scene are just two of the best scenes of the show.
This makes the 9th season a lot more bittersweet because it has so many low points with just a few actively good episodes. But this episode definitely proves the writers still had it, I wish they weren't so strict on how they wanted the ending to be.
Captivating
contato-4685329 June 2019
Best episode ever!
z-0580916 March 2019
Favorite episode!
nilosid7 December 2019
Chills
sehyezelic11 June 2020
Pathetics all around
puzgolac12 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
It is pretty well established that the writers of HIMYM have no skill to do serious drama and this episode is another proof of that. Whenever they want to do "serious" we get "pathetic" instead. Everything must be overemotional and tragic. So, of course, someone has to die again in order to get a "serious" story, and this time it is the mother's boyfriend. And now she is scarred for life and we should be so touched.
I am sorry, though not surprised, that every time the writers pull the same cheap pathetic trick people seem to eat it up and we get all of the all too similar rave reviews. In reality, this episode has nothing of note. We get some retconning, but, of course, not enough to account for all of the "this is the crucial moment for meeting your mother" scenes over the seasons that amounted to nothing, because they were never part of the writers' planning, but were just thrown in at random so that they could stretch the whole mother plotline beyond any reasonable amount. (Remember, for instance, season 4 episode 22 that supposedly had all those moments crucial to Ted meeting his future wife? Yeah, none of that matters.) And we get loads and loads of pathetics in the mother's backstory that really have no meaning and could have comfortably been left out.
I am sorry, though not surprised, that every time the writers pull the same cheap pathetic trick people seem to eat it up and we get all of the all too similar rave reviews. In reality, this episode has nothing of note. We get some retconning, but, of course, not enough to account for all of the "this is the crucial moment for meeting your mother" scenes over the seasons that amounted to nothing, because they were never part of the writers' planning, but were just thrown in at random so that they could stretch the whole mother plotline beyond any reasonable amount. (Remember, for instance, season 4 episode 22 that supposedly had all those moments crucial to Ted meeting his future wife? Yeah, none of that matters.) And we get loads and loads of pathetics in the mother's backstory that really have no meaning and could have comfortably been left out.
Ding
bevo-1367815 June 2020
A MASTERPIECE ❤❤
chnounio30 March 2021
Beautiful
misskatelacky15 January 2021
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