How This Became The Worst Episode Of How I Met Your Mother

How I Met Your Mother had one of the more successful runs on television compared to a lot of other sitcoms at the time. Though the show will be remembered for its hilarious cast, witty jokes, and disappointing finale. One joke established early on in How I Met Your Mother seems to be a perfect analogy for the shows downfall after 9 seasons. This is by far the worst episode of How I Met Your Mother,

#howimetyourmother #barneystinson #nerdstalgic

Written by Brian Long
Edited by Dan Smiley

[mycollegeshirt]

They spent the first 5 seasons convincing us that ted and robin don't work. Spent four seasons convincing us why Barney and Robin work. They spent one episode telling us to forget all that, Ted and Robin.

[talancorwell]

I didn't like this episode, but the final slap being used as Barney was getting cold feet at the altar was the perfect end to the slap bet.

[taylorgayhart]

I respectfully agree to disagree. This episode doesn’t bother me at all, the finale DOES. Nothing is worse.

[pyguy]

Idk, I think the final actual last slap being anticlimactic and used as utility to calm Barney's nerves after such a big dramatic buildup of the previous slap episode feels oddlly cathartic and satisfying this way. In weird way I'd almost find it unsatisfying if they *tried* to go big and dramatic on the last one.
I like the conclusion to the final slap. The.. slapsclusion slapnale

[ShakotanZero]

That’s one of my favorite episodes. The exaggerated story, the plot point of did Barney plan it from the get go or not, I loved it. I loved seeing how Barney is willing to go through what he did to get what he wants. I love the homage to kung fu movies as well.

[GabMacedoo]

The finale is the worst. Not even close. They literally created a whole season just focused in the relationship of Barney and Robin, and a whole series based on Ted searching the mother, then threw everything in 30 minutes. Just because the writers were not brave enough to change the original plan.

That ending would be perfect for the season 1 and 2 characters, but by the time it reached the finale, the characters had revolved much beyond what they portrait in the last episode. It felt incredibly out of place for all the characters. Awful writing.

[rachelconsoli]

The fact that HIMYM did the impossible of sticking the landing with revealing the perfect mother and spent 9 seasons of character development and laying out why Ted/Robin do not work at all and Barney/Robin are perfect together to unravel that all in the span of one episode is one of the most baffling decisions I’ve ever seen. I genuinely can’t go back to the show because of that finale, just tainted everything else for me. Like s9 was bad, but if they ended the finale how they should’ve it would’ve been like “not great, but as good of an ending as we could expect” but instead they gave us one of the worst, least satisfying finales I’ve ever witnessed. I’ll never understand.

[imdirtyu]

Slap bet related episodes are some of the best. Being a fan of kung fu movies, i loved this episode.

[justinthemovienerd]

The show should have only lasted 5 seasons with a clear goal of where it was going. Too many failed relationships with Ted. It started to become monotonous, but I loved the characters and wanted to spend time with them regardless. In the end they were our friends too.

[Escorducarla]

I also disagree. The slap bet is a good time, and that episode genuinely made me laugh in a season that was too jumbled with stuff and cringe. I'm just going to point at Robin being hoisted upward set to a Bangles song that I can't listen to anymore, and I'm going o walk away.

[Ethan-Entah]

The final slap being used in the hope to benefit Barney is both natural & sweet. Also the 2nd to last being so extravagante is great, especially when Marshall reminds Barney (& the viewer) there's still another 1 to come. All with the goal of causing anxiety within Barney, cause it could only mean the final one will be even more painful. & then it being used as a good deed hit's even harder...honestly that pun wasn't intended.

[YasmeenCheM]

Yes, the Slapsgiving 3 episode is absolutely ridiculous nonsense but I LOVED it. Despite how "out there" the episode may be, it still feels very in-character for Barney to be obsessed with the next slap while Marshall and Co. mess with him the whole time. The finale though? Now, THAT is an episode that just upends everything the show has built up towards to and thus, deserves the title "Worst Episode of HIMYM" ):

[TrevorCopter]

Ironically, Slap Bet is probably the BEST episode of HIMYM

[noobclass]

Truthfully, I absolutely loved that episode, and it’s for the exact same reason others might not, it’s just comedy, no story, no advancement, no character development, just pure comedy, and it was incredibly funny, because up until that point the show’s really gotten grounded, the choice of relatable drama(unlike friends for example) was imo really appreciated, and it was more appreciated when the writers decide to give the viewers a break from it,

I loved it, Marshal spends a year learning to harness the power of the slap of a thousand exploding suns, why not, they just doubled down on the joke so hard that it’s not funny anymore, to the point it’s gotten way too ridiculous it’s actually funny again, everything needs to take a break from time to time, establishing something so meaningless it actually become meaningful.

[hl]

I actually liked this episode. It felt pretty cartoonish, shows Marshall's creative side, and I think the writers were just giving us a wacky episode before addressing Marshall and Lily, a calm before the storm.

[rasimons]

Yes, the slap bet (one of the iconic storylines of the show) is what kicked off the downfall of the show, and not the finale that complete undid 8 or so seasons of storytelling, the sudden death of the kids real mother (a beloved character), or the inconsistent relationship characterization.

[kevin]

The last season didn’t need to be set as one wedding weekend extended out for 24 episodes the could’ve done what friends did do a regular season and have the wedding be closer to the end of the season and then do the final and have preparations for it mixed in throughout the season cause the seasons where lily is pregnant they didn’t halt the show to make pregnant lily the centerpiece of the season they just went on with the showin the finale season they pretty much halted the show to do and unnecessary extend look at robin and Barney’s wedding weekend then tell us in the 2 part finale the marriage didn’t work out anyway making the whole season pointless

[KaiSchSp]

I watched this show like 40 times. I really like the first 4 or 5 seasons!

[onyxangel]

I have to disagree, the worst one is where Lily admitted to sabotaging Ted's relationships. 😑 She used to be so likable before that. That's why Marshall was the best character imo he's a bro.

[robmack]

The over-the-top nature of the episode is the best part. Also, I don't hate the finale like I did when I was younger. As mentioned here, the absurdity of telling your kids a story across nine seasons makes more sense when it's not about the mom at all. But also, the absurdity is also the funny part