'How I Met Your Mother' Season 9, Episode 22 'The End of the Aisle' Recap

Aside from wrapping up a lot of running jokes, the final season of "How I Met Your Mother" had to accomplish two things. It had to get Barney and Robin married, and it had to get Ted together with the Mother. This week, in the series' next-to-last episode, one of those goals was met.

"The End of the Aisle" didn't depend on any clever premises or any significant flash-forwards or flash-backs. All it concerned was the marriage of Barney and Robin, with a side order of Robin-and-Ted closure and Marshall-and-Lily adorableness. With both Robin and Barney experiencing pre-ceremony jitters, it's up to the rest of the gang to make sure the show goes on. Ted's job is to convince Robin that Barney, not Ted, is the one she should marry, and Marshall and Lily need to persuade Barney, by setting a quirkily cute example, that lasting happiness and marriage are not incompatible. Spoiler: they succeed, and the wedding happens (Ring Bear and all).

Now that that's out of the way, it's on to the series finale next week. Robin met the Mother this week, leaving Ted as the only one of the gang who hasn't bumped into her yet. The only question that really remains is whether or not the writers have any surprises up their sleeves, or if the fans have already figured out the ultimate fate of Ted and his future wife.