Guess what? Every question you have about How I Met Your Mother will be answered in the season premiere of season eight!

Wait, that’s the wrong word. We meant “some questions” will be answered. Which is better than nothing, right? Before How I Met Your Mother returns with new episodes on Sept. 24, we thought we’d recap what went down in the game-changing season-seven finale, and go over every spoiler we have on season eight. Ready? Of course you are.

WHAT WE LEARNED:

Barney and Robin Prepared to Get Hitched: The mystery bride was revealed to be no other than Barney’s (in our humble opinion) soul mate, Robin! Ted is the best man, and Robin calls him in to her dressing room to talk about her walk down the aisle toward the Barnacle. Of course there is more to that story, since Ted (Josh Radnor) called it the “wedding day that went terribly wrong.”

Ted Stole a Bride: Robin told Ted that he hasn’t found the one because he may have already found her in Victoria (Ashley Williams), but she’s engaged and about to get married! Until she pulled a runaway bride and went back to Ted, who in turn became crippled with guilt and decided to bring her back to her fiancé. And then he changed his mind again and totally stole her away, and last time we saw those two crazy kids, they were driving off into the sunset together.

Barney Proposed to Quinn: Even though the episode ended with a flash forward reveal that Robin and Barney are about to get married, in present time, Barney proposes to Quinn (Becky Newton), and she accepts.

Lily and Marshall Made a Baby: A drunk Marshall (Jason Segel) and Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) was stuck in Atlantic City when Lily (Alyson Hannigan) went into labor. Marshall promised to let Barney choose the baby’s middle name if he can get them to the hospital in time. After lots o’ shenanigans, the boys make it and the latest addition to the gang gets the most awesome name ever: Marvin Wait For It Eriksen!

WHAT LIES AHEAD: Read the rest of this entry »

The Hollywood Reporter was on set for the last two episodes of HIMYM‘s seventh season, where Alyson Hannigan‘s character goes into labor and Neil Patrick Harris and Josh Radnor navigate two very different car scenes.

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[019] The Show > Season Seven > Behind the scenes > On the Set: [7.23/24 - The Magician's Code]

Q: I am counting down the minutes until How I Met Your Mother returns in the fall — any scoop on big plot points for season 8? Thanks! — Whitney

With roughly 136,500 minutes to go, I’m excited, too, Whitney. After what I felt was one of their best seasons yet, my expectations are sky high. And executive producer Craig Thomas, who was nice enough to break down the season 7 finale for me as part of EW’s Emmy Watch, promises we won’t be disappointed.

Now, while I couldn’t squeeze too much info out of him on next season (the writers’ room is in the thick of it now!), here’s what he did share. “One little tidbit: The season premiere picks up right where we left off in May, with Ted and Victoria — a runaway bride — driving off into the sunset. Suddenly, Ted is struck by horrible guilt over the fact that he was left at the altar back in season 4 and now finds himself on the other end of that dubious equation,” he says. “So the entire premiere takes place on that day in May — a first for us, starting a season that way — and then episode two jumps us through the summer and into September.”

So will we get to see Marshall and Lily’s first day as parents? Will Ted drive Victoria BACK to her wedding? What about Barney? What about Robin? WHY ISN’T IT SEPTEMBER YET? Anyway, discuss… (Note: My countdown was based on a “start time” 1 p.m. ET on June 22 and a premiere date of Sept. 25, which is simply a guess. And if you figured that out before reading this sentence, you’re crazy.)

How I Met Your Mother closed its seventh season on the top of its ratings game, ending the broadcast season with a 3.4 rating in the all-important 18-49 demographic, its best stat since the ’08-’09 season. But can ratings success translate into Emmy success? Executive producer Craig Thomas isn’t so sure. “It’s always tricky to speculate on Emmy chances,” he tells EW via e-mail. “We’ve only been nominated for Outstanding Comedy once, for Season 4.  Season seven — this past season — was our highest-rated so far and while I have no idea if that helps our Emmy chances, I’m pretty excited about that fact just by itself!”

Meanwhile, as Mother cruises toward its final years (no word on exactly how many remain), Thomas is also unsure of how the show’s age factors into the Emmy process. “I don’t know if our show’s age helps or hurts.  All I can do is hope that Emmy voters go, ‘Oh crap, HIMYM ain’t gonna be on forever — let’s throw those poor bastards a bone!’” he jokes. “Hey, I never claimed we were above a pity vote.”

Some fans would argue no such consideration is necessary. Creatively, this was a banner year for the show, which in one season revealed Robin’s infertility, showed Lily and Marshall’s journey toward parenthood, saw Barney in two serious relationships (with Nazanin Boniadi and Becki Newton), and reunited Ted with fan favorite Victoria.

But if you ask Thomas, the season’s high note was their first-ever hour-long finale, titled “The Magician’s Code, Part One and Two.” Read on as Thomas takes us behind the scenes of the episode.

Read the rest of this entry »

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[002] Season Seven > Episode Stills > 7.23/24 – The Magician’s Code

Here we are:  screencaps from the last two episodes of season seven are up in the gallery. Hope you have enjoyed the episodes and the season! Were you surprised by Barney’s bride reveal? What about Ted? Let me know in the comments what you think

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[827] Season Seven > Screencaps > 7.23 – The Magician’s Code Part One

[842] Season Seven > Screencaps > 7.24 – The Magician’s Code Part Two

[SPOILER ALERT: The following story contains major spoilers from How I Met Your Mother's Season 7 finale. Read at your own risk.]

Read the rest of this entry »

[SPOILER ALERT: The following story contains major spoilers from How I Met Your Mother's Season 7 finale. Read at your own risk.]

Read the rest of this entry »