Top 10 Times You Missed Foreshadowing Details on HIMYM
#10: The Ending at James’ Wedding “Single Stamina”
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In this episode, Barney is shocked to learn that his brother is monogamous, but then he discovers that he’s going to be an uncle. Fast forward a year and we see Barney hanging out with his new nephew and chatting about their future uncle-nephew bro-ship. However, that isn’t the only future prediction in this scene either. The camera pans out to show Barney lovingly playing with the baby while Ted and Robin dance together in the background. This image seems to mirror the events of the series finale. Could it be that the writers were hinting at the ending and we simply missed all the signs?
#9: Did Barney Predict the Future? “Twin Beds”
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With things getting serious between Robin and Don, Barney and Ted are forced to confront some unresolved feelings. As they drunkenly argue over who deserves to be with her, Barney offers up this rather crass compromise. Now, if we do the math, Barney and Robin are in their 30s when they get married in 2014. But despite building up to the wedding for an entire season, it doesn’t last. Ted’s telling his teenage kids this story in 2030, 16 years later. Meaning when he and Robin ultimately get back together, she must be over 40. So, we guess Barney called it back in season five?
#8: The Headstone “Tailgate”
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In hindsight, there were lots of clues revealing the mom’s fate since day one. Admittedly some were more subtle than others, but more on that later. In this season seven episode, Marshall visits his father’s grave a year after his passing to continue their old tailgating tradition. We’d recommend pausing to take a closer look at the headstone on Marvin Senior’s left. While most of the writing is unclear, the word “Mother” can be easily made out. They were practically spelling it out for us, and yet so many of us missed this huge foreshadowing detail that was hiding in plain sight.
#7: Where’s the Blue French Horn? “Showdown”
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Any fan of the show knows the story of the Blue French Horn, and how it became a symbol of Ted and Robin’s relationship. After Ted steals it, it resides in Robin’s apartment. However, some eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed that in this season two episode, it’s nowhere to be seen. Two episodes later, at Marshall and Lily’s wedding, Ted and Robin tell Barney a long story revealing that they broke up. They also explain that the restaurant forced them to return the iconic blue instrument. But could the horn’s absence just two episodes earlier also have been hinting at their breakup as well?
#6: The Mother’s Name “Belly Full of Turkey”
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If you cast your mind back to season one, one of the very first details we learn about the titular mother is her name. After getting kicked out of a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving, Ted, Robin, and Barney end up at the Lusty Leopard much to Ted’s dismay. But while they’re there, he starts chatting to a stripper who tells him her real name. Ted may have just been messing with his kids but their shocked response tells us all we need to know. Their mom’s called Tracy and we just got the very first piece of the nine-year-long puzzle that uncovers her identity.
#5: Ted & Robin Get Their Single Stamina Back “Single Stamina”
When Barney’s brother James comes to visit, he successfully persuades the gang to break out of their “couple’s hibernation” and go to a bar. Voiceover Ted then explains the signs that differentiate the couples from the singles on a night out. Cut to the following year when they’re all at James’ wedding. Newlyweds, Lily and Marshall duck out early while Ted and Robin decide to stay a little longer. In fact, they both seem to be exhibiting single stamina behavior and that can only mean one thing. If like many of us, you missed these clues, you’d eventually learn about their break-up 12 episodes later.
#4: “Love in the Time of Cholera” “Milk” & “Farhampton”
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If you’ve read Gabriel García Márquez's novel then you might notice a few parallels between the book’s plot and this series. In the book, Florentino and Fermina, who parallel Robin and Ted, fall in love but the stars just don’t align. She eventually moves on and marries Dr. Urbino instead, mirroring Tracy, or arguably even Barney. After Urbino passes away and several decades pass, Fermina and Florentino finally get together. Not only is this Ted’s favorite book but also what he happens to be reading when he first meets Tracy. For those familiar with the novel, the ending was a dead giveaway the whole time.
#3: Marshall Saved the Last Slap for a Rainy Day “The End of the Aisle”
The slap bet is one of the best running gags throughout the entire series and has provided plenty of hilarity along the way. Still, we can’t quite understand why Barney would choose to extend it rather than just wear the Ducky Tie for a year. Nevertheless, Marshall uses two of his four additional slaps immediately and vows to save the last one for a rainy day. And would you believe it, Barney and Robin’s wedding day fit the bill perfectly. Marshall uses the final slap to knock the wedding jitters out of Barney, bringing the slap bet to its very satisfying conclusion.
#2: “La Vie en rose” “The Limo” & “How Your Mother Met Me”
You’re probably familiar with Tracy’s rendition of this Édith Piaf song from season nine. But did you know that it’s not the only time it's featured in the show? We first hear it in season one’s “The Limo”, when Ted and Robin share a New Year’s midnight kiss. It appears again at Punchy’s wedding in season seven, during a poignant moment between Robin and Ted. The song is about seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses, which describes Ted to a tee. It also connects him to his two greatest loves. Were they trying to tell us that this was Ted and Robin’s song all along?
#1: The Mother’s Fate “The Time Travelers”
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As we’ve already seen, the show was full of hints pointing at the tragic fate of the titular mother. But this one from season eight is especially heart-wrenching. Future Ted imagines his past self racing to the mother’s apartment to confess his love. He tells her that he would do anything to have more time together. Now, we all know that Ted’s a hopeless romantic so we might have dismissed it as classic Schmosby. However, it was actually foreshadowing the gut-wrenching fact that their time together is limited. As we later discover, when Ted is recounting his story, Tracy is no longer around.
