~ When Robin uses her truth voice to reveal she wishes Barney was her boyfriend again, afterwards she says “No thanks” - the exact words, spoken in the same exact tone that Barney uses in “Hopeless” when trying to deny what he’s just said about how he should marry Robin and he was never happier than when he was with her.
~It’s also interesting that here in 7.01 when Ted’s so depressed and has given up hope that he’s ever going to find someone, he immediately turns to the 40 pact with Robin. I feel like Robin never really took that seriously. It was just a thing friends say. Even here she laughs it off and makes a joke about his income and ability to support her. I don’t think she literally believes that come her 40th birthday she automatically marries Ted and becomes his wife. But Ted, I think, does literally believe this and expects this to happen and holds to it as his safety net, which is why he’s so devastated now that Robin is marrying Barney.
~It’s significant in the scene where Robin is giving Barney the right words to say (and it never fails to strike me what a devastating moment and situation this is for poor Robin), Robin says the words with such sincerity and meaning and clearly holding back tears. It stands as such a great contrast to the fakeness and insincerity with which Barney repeats those words to Nora. In that moment two things are crystal clear: (1) Robin is undeniably in love with Barney and that’s not going to ever go away, and (2) Barney doesn’t actual care about Nora at all. It’s all about the challenge and proving something and to a lesser degree at this point not ending up single and alone.
~In the flashforward to the wedding, with the whole “other tie” conversation, I understand they wanted people to think at the time that he might be marrying Nora but still in love with Robin and so he’s going to run out on the wedding (because, really, I feel like that could be the only assumption; after “Challenge Accepted” I can’t understand how anyone in their right mind wouldn’t know that B/R are the endgame couple who will be together when all is said and done). But when asking “Did I pick the right tie?”, I actually don’t think Barney was literally talking about another woman at all. It’s not like he’s saying “Should I have picked Robin or would I have been better off with Quinn or Nora or some other woman?”. I think what he’s saying is “Am I doing the right thing getting married?”. It’s basically like ‘the other tie’ is his single life and did he make the right choice in giving that up and trying for marriage, or even more so will he/they be able to make marriage work.
It’s interesting that he says “What if this whole thing is a disaster? What if it’s the worst wedding ever?”, but I don’t think he means the actual wedding itself (like Ted implies by telling the story of another wedding gone wrong). I think he’s having the same fears as Robin, wondering if their marriage will be a disaster and the worst marriage ever. In other words, will they be able to do this or end up divorced (which is why it’s so important that they’re making James go through a divorce to further play on Barney’s - and Robin’s - fears).
And actually, upon rewatch, it’s obvious that Barney emotions aren't settled after his conversation with Ted. It helped him in that moment but he’s right back to panicking after Ted leaves, which explains why he tries to climb out the window in 8.01.
I like your theories on both the "other tie" conversation and Barney's concern that their marriage will be a disaster. Makes perfect sense with Robin's freakout in Something Old and everything else that has been written about S9 so far.
But Ted, I think, does literally believe this and expects this to happen and holds to it as his safety net, which is why he’s so devastated now that Robin is marrying Barney.
Yup. Robin was totally Ted's "safety net," ever since The Front Porch; which is why Ted gets so messed up about Robin when she gets engaged. Even though he knows he's not really in love with her. I think a lot of this is going to be addressed in S9.
~It’s also interesting that here in 7.01 when Ted’s so depressed and has given up hope that he’s ever going to find someone, he immediately turns to the 40 pact with Robin. I feel like Robin never really took that seriously. It was just a thing friends say. Even here she laughs it off and makes a joke about his income and ability to support her. I don’t think she literally believes that come her 40th birthday she automatically marries Ted and becomes his wife. But Ted, I think, does literally believe this and expects this to happen and holds to it as his safety net, which is why he’s so devastated now that Robin is marrying Barney.
~It’s significant in the scene where Robin is giving Barney the right words to say (and it never fails to strike me what a devastating moment and situation this is for poor Robin), Robin says the words with such sincerity and meaning and clearly holding back tears. It stands as such a great contrast to the fakeness and insincerity with which Barney repeats those words to Nora. In that moment two things are crystal clear: (1) Robin is undeniably in love with Barney and that’s not going to ever go away, and (2) Barney doesn’t actual care about Nora at all. It’s all about the challenge and proving something and to a lesser degree at this point not ending up single and alone.
~In the flashforward to the wedding, with the whole “other tie” conversation, I understand they wanted people to think at the time that he might be marrying Nora but still in love with Robin and so he’s going to run out on the wedding (because, really, I feel like that could be the only assumption; after “Challenge Accepted” I can’t understand how anyone in their right mind wouldn’t know that B/R are the endgame couple who will be together when all is said and done). But when asking “Did I pick the right tie?”, I actually don’t think Barney was literally talking about another woman at all. It’s not like he’s saying “Should I have picked Robin or would I have been better off with Quinn or Nora or some other woman?”. I think what he’s saying is “Am I doing the right thing getting married?”. It’s basically like ‘the other tie’ is his single life and did he make the right choice in giving that up and trying for marriage, or even more so will he/they be able to make marriage work.
It’s interesting that he says “What if this whole thing is a disaster? What if it’s the worst wedding ever?”, but I don’t think he means the actual wedding itself (like Ted implies by telling the story of another wedding gone wrong). I think he’s having the same fears as Robin, wondering if their marriage will be a disaster and the worst marriage ever. In other words, will they be able to do this or end up divorced (which is why it’s so important that they’re making James go through a divorce to further play on Barney’s - and Robin’s - fears).
And actually, upon rewatch, it’s obvious that Barney emotions aren't settled after his conversation with Ted. It helped him in that moment but he’s right back to panicking after Ted leaves, which explains why he tries to climb out the window in 8.01.
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But Ted, I think, does literally believe this and expects this to happen and holds to it as his safety net, which is why he’s so devastated now that Robin is marrying Barney.
Yup. Robin was totally Ted's "safety net," ever since The Front Porch; which is why Ted gets so messed up about Robin when she gets engaged. Even though he knows he's not really in love with her. I think a lot of this is going to be addressed in S9.
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