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- [00:01]
A
Greg, you know what I like best about our jobs?
- [00:04]
B
Working with me?
- [00:05]
A
No, no, that's like seventh or eighth. I'd say one or two is that we've talked about this on the podcast. We don't have to wear a suit and tie to work.
- [00:15]
B
Oh, never, never, never.
- [00:17]
A
Working in tv, working in theater, working in podcasting. I mean, you barely wear pants.
- [00:22]
B
I'm not even sure I'm wearing pants now. And I'm writing books and stuff. I don't have to. I see nobody.
- [00:28]
A
Yeah, you've given up. You've fully given up. It's true. We don't. We, we can wear the comfiest clothes that we can, we can grab. And I know that some of our favorites are Viori.
- [00:41]
B
Here's the thing, because you, you also want to look good. You want to be comfortable, but you want to look good because you can't actually give up. That's the thing.
- [00:47]
A
Don't give up comfortable, but look good. That's the sweet spot.
- [00:50]
B
That's the dream.
- [00:51]
A
Well, Viori is an investment in your happiness for our listeners. They are offering 20% off your first purchase. Get yourself some of the most comfortable and versatile clothing on the planet@vuori.com mother that's V-U-O-R-I.com mother exclusions apply. Visit the website for full terms and conditions.
- [01:16]
B
Not only will you receive 20% off your first purchase, but enjoy free shipping on any US orders over $75 and free returns. Go to vuori.com mother and discover the versatility of Vuori. Clothing exclusions apply. Visit the website for full terms and conditions.
- [01:36]
A
You're listening to this podcast, so I know you've got a curious mind.
- [01:39]
B
Here's a helpful fact you might not know yet.
- [01:41]
A
Drivers who switch and save with Progressive save over $900 on average. Pop over to progressive.com, answer some questions and you'll get a quick quote with
- [01:50]
B
discounts that are easy to come by.
- [01:52]
A
In fact, 99% of their auto customers
- [01:54]
B
earn at least one discount.
- [01:56]
A
Visit progressive.com and see if you can enjoy a little cash back. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. National average 12 month savings of $946 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2024 and May 2025. Potential savings will vary. Hey, this is Alec Lev, the producer of How We Made youe Mother. We began our 14th episode this season with a voice note from Mikayla. That note ended with this very important question she had for her girlfriend.
- [02:26]
B
Yeah, and I wanted to say to Carmina, you're good looking, you're funny, you're smart. Now would you frickin marry me already?
- [02:35]
A
A few weeks later, I got a follow up note from Mikayla, which I surprised Josh and Craig with just the other day.
- [02:42]
B
Hi guys, it's Mikayla and Carmina here. We just wanted to fill you in about our proposal. Oh my God.
- [02:50]
A
Oh my God.
- [02:52]
B
Yes. There it is.
- [02:53]
A
Thank you so much for making this such a a legendary experience. Himyim has helped me throughout all of
- [02:59]
B
my chapters of my young adulthood, navigating my career, friendship, heartaches, and my love life. One of my favorite quotes from himyim was, shouldn't we hold out for the person who doesn't just tolerate our little
- [03:14]
A
quirks, but actually kind of likes them?
- [03:17]
B
And I am so lucky to have a person who loves all of my little quirks.
- [03:22]
A
I am forever grateful for Mikayla, my
- [03:24]
B
chosen family, and all of you who
- [03:26]
A
created this wonderful show.
- [03:28]
B
Oh man. Thank you guys for being such an amazing part of my big grand Ted Mosby gesture. It's been amazing to be able to propose like this. And I'm forever grateful that we'll have this recording and we can look back on this and feel the love all over again. I really appreciate you guys and thank you so much. We'll see you at the wedding. Wow. That's the best. Oh my.
- [03:59]
A
Congratulations to both of you.
- [04:01]
B
That's amazing. Ted Mosby would be so proud of you. And thank you for letting us be part of your grand gesture.
- [04:07]
A
Yeah.
- [04:07]
B
We did not know Alec was gonna play that for us. That was our first time hearing it and it was a total. It's a wonderful surprise.
- [04:13]
A
And if you hadn't heard a follow up, one can assume it just didn't go well. Yeah, it went disastrous.
- [04:20]
B
We were getting worried because we weren't hearing.
- [04:22]
A
Yeah. And you know, the truth be said, like Mosby wasn't batting a thousand.
- [04:26]
B
No, no. Really low batting average. Not hall of Fame numbers, but he
- [04:31]
A
landed on his feet. But you guys definitely did too. And we're thrilled to have played a small part in your. In your story. So thank you so much for including us.
- [04:40]
B
The invitation's binding. We're coming, right?
- [04:41]
A
Josh?
- [04:42]
B
We're going to this wedding.
- [04:43]
A
We're the wedding day. I'm alone. What a pity I won't be soon. You New York City When I see you. Please permit me to tell you everything in New York City. Craig. Can you believe it?
- [05:07]
B
I can't believe it.
- [05:09]
A
Can you believe it?
- [05:09]
B
I can't believe it. It's gone by too fast.
- [05:12]
A
Come to the end of season two of How We Made youe Mother, which is also the end of season two of How I Met yout Mother, which is the show that we're re watching that we all those many years ago and today. Yeah, we're Talking about episode 22, Something Blue, a fantastic season finale written by, I believe you and Carter Bayes.
- [05:38]
B
That is correct. It was our episode. I really love this finale. This is one of my favorite season finales that we've done. I also love the season one finale a lot. These two might be on my top five, top ten kind of list of the whole series. I love these two. But today we'll talk about this one not.
- [05:54]
A
Okay, Alec, tell us when this episode aired. This episode aired one week after the last one, which gets us to May 14, 2007. Wow.
- [06:05]
B
Wow. May sweeps. It's weird. Usually we'd go a little deeper into May than that. I wonder. I'm trying to recreate my mind why we didn't get to late May with our finale. May. When we started having 24 episode seasons which started in season three, we got a little deeper into May. Anyway, did we get a se.
- [06:20]
A
Did we get a two season pickup in episode season two or was that episode season three? We got a two season pickup.
- [06:26]
B
I think that was it. I think at the end of season three. I think I would remember that because that was a big deal. I think it was the. Because we were. Yeah, I think it was that. Because we really started to grow then. I think we got onto the show, got onto Netflix. The numbers started going. So maybe somewhere around there anyway.
- [06:41]
A
Yeah, that's a good feeling for, for a young actor. The two season pickup.
- [06:45]
B
Yeah, you can go buy a car or whatever you can, you can do. You can do something. Go a little big when you get that. That's a good.
- [06:51]
A
That is a good. You got some. Well, it's also just nice to know I know what the next two years are going to generally look like. I even generally look like I know when I'll have some time off. I can either travel or do another job. So things started to get, you know, we were getting, I suppose a little more out of the woods. Like it felt, it felt like we, I, at the very least there was a steady growth of numbers.
- [07:19]
B
We're.
- [07:20]
A
We're not going down. They were.
- [07:21]
B
No, no, they were, they were doing. We were doing well at this point. It wasn't huge. It got bigger. We sort of grew past this. But I remember feeling I Felt very. I felt like we were in a good place. I even rewatching this episode, like to last night, I felt calm. I felt this sense of calm. Like I remembered the feeling like, we're in good shape here. This is creatively good and people are watching.
- [07:41]
A
But isn't it weird, like back in the day, if all your friends were telling you you got to watch this show, How I Met yout Mother, well into season two.
- [07:48]
B
Yeah.
- [07:48]
A
You could just jump in and start watching it. And I suppose you would, but you're like, how would you go? You'd have to wait until reruns to catch up. Right.
- [07:56]
B
There was. Makes us sound very old. But yes, you had.
- [07:59]
A
There was no way to catch up.
- [08:01]
B
You went to someone's house who TiVo'd them all.
- [08:03]
A
Yeah.
- [08:04]
B
Or maybe you could. I guess you could buy. Could you buy them on itunes yet? Like you could buy episodes in 2007? No, I don't think you could. I don't think you could.
- [08:12]
A
DVDs.
- [08:13]
B
You could buy DVDs. You just buy the DVD. If you bought the DVD, you could catch up. But yeah, we were not. Yeah, we were not a big hit.
- [08:19]
A
You know, one of the things that I. We've talked about this a little bit, but I kind of wanted to bring it up again. There's a scene, I think it's in Showdown or there's. I mean, there's scenes throughout this, but when Barney bursts in, you know, with his entrance, practicing his entrances to Price is Right. Robin and Ted are sitting on the couch and they're reading the newspaper. The actual newspaper.
- [08:41]
B
A hard copy of the newspaper.
- [08:43]
A
Yeah. Now if you were doing a show now, like at least one of them would be on their phones. Right. Like that, inarguably. Like someone would be on the phone, if not both of them on the phone. Yeah.
- [08:53]
B
Especially if they're in their 20s, right?
- [08:54]
A
Yeah. Yeah.
- [08:55]
B
Or you would talk about it like, look at this guy, he still gets a newspaper. It's 2026. Why the fuck does he have a newspaper?
- [09:01]
A
Or you'd be sharing, you know, videos or whatever. But I think some of the Gen Z and teenage kind of discovery of this show, there is a longing for like analog. Like they realize that like 90s childhoods, 80s childhoods, pre 2007, life was not so digitally bound. And I really think people hunger for it. And there's something calming about seeing a non digital world. And I just heard James Talarico, who's a state senator from Texas, who's running for Senate in Texas. I really admire this guy. I think he's really smart, very thoughtful. He was on Ezra Klein, and he said the biggest competition to the tech platforms and AI is human connection. It's actual in person.
- [09:51]
B
Right. That's the enemy. That's what they're fighting against.
- [09:53]
A
Yeah, yeah, yeah. They're trying to get. Keep us on the screens, and the revolution is to be off them and to be in the world and to be face to face with people.
- [10:02]
B
Doesn't Netflix say our biggest competitor is sleep?
- [10:06]
A
Yes.
- [10:07]
B
Which is also disturbing.
- [10:08]
A
Yes. Yeah. So I think there's something. Part of the magic is some of these older shows is like a longing for a time where there wasn't that battle, that, like, epic battle between the screen and real life.
- [10:21]
B
Yeah, yeah, I. I absolutely think that. And it. I mean, it. It makes us sound a little old. But look to this. This episode from 2007, it's. It's 19 years ago there. It's part of it. It's part of the journey. I feel calmer. I said that sort of jokingly, like, remembering my sense of, like, calm about the show was good, but I think watching the show makes me feel a little calmer because I remember a version of myself before, I was constantly inundating myself. Right. I'm choosing to look at my phone. I'm choosing to doomsday.
- [10:50]
A
Well, you could argue you're not. It's. You can't wait.
- [10:53]
B
I'm being assaulted all the time the way that every single person is. But I'm not very. I'm not as disciplined as I should be at, like. All right, no, I'm putting this away now. I'm getting overloaded and overwhelmed. I'm not great at limiting that. It's like a New Year's resolution to do more of that for me. But. But, yeah, watching our show makes me feel like I can remember myself. Not only see the characters doing that, I remember the version of myself that wasn't as glued as I am.
- [11:16]
A
Jordana and I started doing a Sabbath. Like a tech Sabbath.
- [11:19]
B
That's a great idea.
- [11:20]
A
Saturday, we do not look at or pick up our phones, except for music and emergency logistics until 4pm That's a great idea. So, yeah, we just, like, we're storing the Sabbath, but just having it be about that.
- [11:32]
B
And I bet it changes your entire mood and, like, brain chemistry by doing even that little bit, I bet helped.
- [11:39]
A
Well, you also, like, you get more book reading done.
- [11:41]
B
Yeah.
- [11:42]
A
You're like, I can't grab that. Why don't I grab the book that I'm actually enjoying.
- [11:46]
B
Yeah. You know, although we do recommend listening to this podcast seven days a week.
- [11:50]
A
Yeah, that's right.
- [11:51]
B
Stay glued to your phone.
- [11:52]
A
The biggest enemy of this podcast is the Sabbath. And I wrote you this little ditty to sing to you in New York City. We'll be right back. So if you've been following the news, you've probably heard quite a bit about GLP1s. This is weight loss medication that is having a profound effect on society. Two things, Craig, that I have heard that I thought were astonishing. One, and we have, we have fact checked this, that airplanes going from New York to LA and LA to New York are needing less jet fuel because the passengers weigh less.
- [12:40]
B
That's crazy.
- [12:41]
A
How about that?
- [12:42]
B
That's amazing. That's a fun fact. That's a legit fun fact.
- [12:45]
A
Probably good for the environment. And also, jewelers are being besieged with people needing their. Their wedding rings resized.
- [12:53]
B
Oh, my God.
- [12:54]
A
Because fingers are shrinking.
- [12:55]
B
I hope people aren't rethinking the whole marriage part. They're like, well, the ring doesn't know it's for you. They stay married. They just fix the ring.
- [13:01]
A
No, they're just retooling. They're not thinking it has anything to
- [13:04]
B
do with their rigs.
- [13:04]
A
They're just getting a ring resize.
- [13:06]
B
I was scared.
- [13:06]
A
So if people are looking for a good, fast, safe shipment of GLP1s, where can they go? Craig, tell us.
- [13:13]
B
They can go to roe, Josh. That's where they can go. Even though I didn't know those fun facts, I know this fun fact. Go to ro. If I needed this product, it's what I'd use. These medications are not just about weight loss, though. People are seeing better lab numbers, more energy, fewer cravings, and new levels of confidence. And now there's a new option. A pill that delivers the same ingredient as the GLP1 shots. No needles, right?
- [13:35]
A
You just take a pill if you don't like needles.
- [13:37]
B
They got the pills, but in a more convenient, approachable way. Just one daily pill can help patients feel fuller and curb cravings. With results comparable to those injections, people can lose about 14% of their body weight in a year. See aforementioned plans. Josh, that's amazing. Roe offers the first FDA approved approved GLP1 pill for weight loss at the lowest cost, along with a full suite of brand name GLP1s with a robody membership. You get unlimited provider messaging, side effect management, and dosing support, all for just $45 for your first month. And $145 every month thereafter starting as fast after your first online visit, you could be on medication in less than a week, paying cash or around two weeks with insurance.
- [14:17]
A
Go to RO Co your mother to see if you're eligible for the new GLP1 pill on RO. That's RO CompanyOurMother. To get started on RO, go to RO CO Safety for boxed warning and full safety information about GLP1 medications based on study in non diabetics with obesity or overweight plus a weight related condition with diet and exercise.
- [14:45]
B
Have you ever felt like you were living just a B or B plus life? It's so dangerous to live that. More dangerous than a B or a C life. Because when you're living a B or B plus life, you don't change it. You think it's good enough. Is it? I'm Susie Welch. I host a podcast called Becoming youg People think okay, an A life is not available to me. But there is a way. We are all in the process of becoming ourselves. Listen to Becoming youg wherever you get your podcasts. Kraft Mac and Cheese is better than 90s hip hop. We'll remind you of your childhood without making you feel incredibly old. Kraft Mac and Cheese. Best thing ever.
- [15:37]
A
And now back to the show. I really loved this episode. I mean, I talked about it in the last one about how that kind of the Victor Garber, Sweeney Todd thing of like, I can't believe I was in this.
- [15:48]
B
It has that. Yeah, I felt lucky to be a part of this one. Like, I had that same feeling watching it. I was like, this is a good one. This is a good. Pays off the entirety of season two. It moves things forward. Something huge. Two huge things happen for this group, but two huge things that also serve as kind of a reset to the condition of the pilot. In a way, it puts you back into married couple. And Ted and Barney are out there being single, which has not been the condition for season two. We do this pilot reset, but it's not a go back because it's still leveling up into they're that much older. They're two years older. And their best friends just got married. Marshall and Lily are now in a whole new chapter. It was the best possible reset. Cause it didn't feel like going in reverse. It felt like, I'm excited to go see Ted and Barney be single again. But the stakes have changed. Marshall and Lilly are married.
- [16:38]
A
It's a little like musical chairs. Like at the end of each season, someone's left standing. Or someone's like a little. Yeah, right.
- [16:43]
B
And Ted and Barney get married at the end, which is fantastic. They get married as wingman again. They remarried.
- [16:48]
A
You know what I thought was funny is, remember we talked about, like, as an actor, you'll have these episodes where you're like. Like, oh, my God, this is such a good episode for me. And you're so grateful and you're so happy, and you think you must be doing something right because you're. You're really getting some good stuff. And then the next episode, you're like, the C story. You're like, yeah, just have one stupid comedic goal, which in hindsight, you know, looking back, like, I. I ended up loving. You know, Ted's just attracted to Robin in this bikini T shirt like that.
- [17:18]
B
That was the best part of that whole episode.
- [17:19]
A
That's the whole thing, you know, And. And you don't realize. But it's funny that in Something Borrowed, it's such a. Like, Marshall and Lily, like, heart forward. It's their wedding. It's got big laughs, but it's also got this beautiful ceremony and, like, resolution. And then cut to something blue. Their entire storyline is, we're hungry, right?
- [17:42]
B
Yeah. And it's a very simple drive, and it's great. They did a lot of heavy lifting in the preceding episode, and in this one, they just want to eat food.
- [17:50]
A
Yeah. I was also like, what? Caterers just, like, are stealing food from the bride and groom, by the way,
- [17:57]
B
that I may have pitched that storyline.
- [17:59]
A
That happened to you.
- [18:00]
B
Certainly. I would have been one of the voices of like, yes, because I did not eat a fucking bite at my wedding. And I couldn't even get drinks either. I feel like I did not eat or drink at my wedding.
- [18:08]
A
It is the advice people tell you, like, eat at your wedding because eat at your wedding.
- [18:13]
B
Dedicate. Assign somebody the role of feeding you. Yeah, that's like a best man role or somebody role. Somebody's job has to be, like, getting food in your mouth. And we didn't know that we were the first of our friends to get married. We were very young. My wife and I was, like, 26. She was, like, 25, 24 and a half, whatever she was. And, like, we did not know that we didn't eat at our wedding. We were starving at the end of it.
- [18:33]
A
It's also dangerous if you are downing cocktails and you have nothing in your stomach.
- [18:36]
B
But we weren't. We weren't even doing that. My memory is I had hardly anything to drink or eat at our wedding. So you kids out there Today in your 20s who may be getting married. Assign somebody that job. Someone has to be feeding you and hooking you up to cocktails. So, yeah, that's just a little bit of advice, but that is a real thing. Well, we did.
- [18:54]
A
My favorite thing vis a vis the food was. We went to the venue and did like a food tasting and got to pick the. That was fantastic.
- [19:00]
B
We did do that. So that's how I know what the food. That's how I know the food was good, but not. Cause I ate it at my own fucking wedding. Yeah.
- [19:06]
A
Yeah. But the stuff, the Ted and Robin kind of like sequential kind of. When you. Those scenes. I was so proud of those.
- [19:18]
B
You and Kobi were a. In that whole.
- [19:22]
A
I really. I was like, these are great. They're great scenes. Like, if you were doing a play, these would be great scenes. You know, they're just. They're so playable. There's so much history behind them. There's so many. There's so many twists and turns, like slaloming down the hill.
- [19:34]
B
Energy shifts and Wade, what's happening now. And the way it's driving Barney crazy in the present that the story keeps getting interrupted and it becomes these little bits and pieces. It's a breadcrumb trail.
- [19:45]
A
You think they've broken up? No. You think they're getting married? No. You think she's pregnant now she. You know, there's so many.
- [19:51]
B
It's really good structure. And. Yeah, it's another mini mystery. We talk about this. Some of the best hymnums are just mini mysteries, like the DNA of the larger mystery. There's something about that that just resonates and works on this show. And this is good one. And I love also that the thing you. Barney thinks you broke up. Barney guesses that you broke up very early, but then that's kind of dismissed. And you have six other theories. And then the first theory was the right theory. That's the journey of the whole story. They are indeed broken up. I love that. It's just a big circle back to the first guess in a way, which is. It's a good twist. It's almost like a murder mystery where the guy you made the audience think didn't do it is in fact the most obvious guy did it.
- [20:31]
A
Wait, just a couple things before we get to that. But how many of the kids watching today think you understand a Hasselhoff joke?
- [20:39]
B
Oh, boy. I think it's probably pretty low at this point, all due respect to David Hasselhoff.
- [20:45]
A
Unless they watch the great Pamela Anderson documentary, which is fantastic.
- [20:48]
B
Oh, I gotta watch that. And Baywatch. You know, there's reruns of Baywatch. I think Knight Rider has maybe faded a bit. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's a house.
- [20:56]
A
I watched a lot of Knight Rider.
- [20:58]
B
Knight Rider. It was a very exciting show. I love that show.
- [21:01]
A
It's kind of in the Quantum Leap zone. Yeah.
- [21:05]
B
Yeah, I bet. Has David Hasselhoff, a popular 80s actor who had a couple of big hits. Anyway, November Rain, Big Song by Guns N Roses. There's a few. There's a few references in here where I, too, was like, do the kids today know what we're talking about?
- [21:17]
A
It's the Shakespearean footnotes we keep talking about.
- [21:18]
B
Yeah, we need that.
- [21:19]
A
Yeah. Do you know what I really loved? This is where, kind of like that letter we read at the end of last episode. A serious show disguised as a comedy.
- [21:30]
B
Yeah.
- [21:31]
A
They're trying to create a wedding with. Was it no cliches. They wanted no cliches at the wedding.
- [21:36]
B
Yeah, no cliches.
- [21:37]
A
So. Oh, you could read that First Corinthians. Right. And then Marshall does a beautiful, sincere off book.
- [21:45]
B
He just has it off book.
- [21:48]
A
It's as fluid and fluent as Ted's. Dante's Inferno in Italian. Reading that he just had at the ready.
- [21:55]
B
Yes.
- [21:56]
A
And it's incredibly beautiful the way he does it. And the words are really land.
- [22:00]
B
Haunting.
- [22:01]
A
Haunting. And then. Is it Kobe who says lame?
- [22:04]
B
Yes.
- [22:05]
A
Yeah.
- [22:05]
B
Robin just punches. Robin says lame.
- [22:07]
A
So it's a great treacle cutter.
- [22:09]
B
Yeah.
- [22:09]
A
But also, like, it's really beautiful that you guys have a show that's about love, and you got to, like. It's still in the show.
- [22:17]
B
It was having your cake and eating it, too. Right. You got to do First Corinthians. We got to do the wedding thing without while shitting on the wedding thing.
- [22:24]
A
Yeah.
- [22:25]
B
It had the power. You got the power of it happening, though. Yeah, it's great. Yeah. I love so many things about this episode. I love that the title. Hang on one second. Let me just make sure this isn't letting my mom in, you guys. Nope. This is Will Forte calling me. I don't know why, but that's a delightful Will Forte cameo in the. Pick it up now. I love that the title Something Blue has three meanings. Kind of. It has the wedding cliche of something blue. It has the sadness that the episode is bittersweet. There is something blue and melancholy about this episode. And it has the blue French horn. The blue French horn, which careful viewers will have noted was missing over Robin's mantle. When we had a little flash forward to that I think, in an earlier episode. And also this is where we finally see why Robin and Ted were covered in pasta sauce, which was also set up, I think, in showdown.
- [23:18]
A
Wait, is that. Now is that something that you track? Does Dave Baker track that? Does set dressing track that?
- [23:24]
B
We track it, we write it, and we say, like, we're gonna. For astute viewers, we're gonna plant these little things. And this is. That's two episodes before the showdown is the third. You know, the. The 20th. What is it? 20th episode. And then two episodes later here we finally learn. Oh, that's why. And careful viewers do. I mean, viewers are the best. They catch stuff. And people were like, I. Even at the time, I think people were like, why wasn't that blue French horn on there? We would get some comments online and like. And it's great. People caught that stuff. And it's so great to finally learn why were they covered in sauce like that? By the way, great physical comedy, Josh Radner. The first run out was funny, but the second attempt to run out, the second attempt to run away that led to falling down was hilarious. That was the hardest laugh for Rebecca and I watching it. And I think I rewound and watched that again. That was a great, ridiculous run and fall. Bravo.
- [24:16]
A
Sometimes Mosby is so mature and just a guiding light of, like, ethics and resilience. And other times he is just such a buffoon.
- [24:27]
B
And I love it. He runs for it again and falls again, again.
- [24:32]
A
And no one bother. No one chases him. It's just so pathetic.
- [24:34]
B
They just watch him. It's so sad. And then later. But what's amazing and what's great about the show and great about you guys, like, this cast, is that can happen in the episode. And also you and Koby can make me cry on that couch when you both realize you're all talk. We were all talk. And the way you are, you guys are laughing and joking and you hit. But a fundamental truth is hit upon. We didn't do that thing. We didn't move in together. Why didn't we? And that moment and that dying out laugh that leads into one of my favorite dramatic scenes in the show. You stole me a blue French horn. I would have stolen you a whole orchestra literally talking about it right now. I almost feel like I choked up. Just gorgeous, you guys. Gorgeous acting in that scene. That's a writer's dream to write something and watch it be elevated in that way. It's unbelievable.
- [25:27]
A
Well, if you do a play or a movie, you can do a lot of work. To kind of create backstory and blah, blah, blah. But we lived the backstory for 40 some episodes.
- [25:38]
B
Right.
- [25:39]
A
So, yes, I think we were doing a really good job. I think there was a high level of skill and craft and heart all at play. But we were also, you know, know, Kobe and I didn't have an actual relationship, but Robin and Ted had a really intense, long, committed, beautiful, complicated relationship that we were embodying. Right.
- [26:02]
B
Yeah.
- [26:02]
A
So the breakup feels like there's a lot fueling it for an actor. Like, we didn't have to imagine a lot of stuff or kind of say, oh, what was this relationship? Like? We'd already lived the relationship, so the stakes of it feel very high.
- [26:18]
B
Yeah. I remember the feeling on set that day, and Carter and I both came down. Cause it was the finale, but also because it was important. Something huge and seismic in our little universe we were all creating together was happening. And the electricity on stage 22 in that scene and the scenes leading up to that, the entire crew. You could hear a pin drop because the entire crew is watching this couple that they love break up. And it was. I remember this energy of, like, tension and investment and sadness. And I was like, if anyone watching this on TV seems as invested as, like, the boom mic operators here today, we will have done something right. Because everyone was on the edge of their seat when you guys were acting that.
- [27:02]
A
It's always. I mean, the greatest thing was feeling like the crew was a fan of the show.
- [27:07]
B
Oh, yeah.
- [27:08]
A
And they were invested in the unfolding of this story.
- [27:10]
B
People would cry. Yeah, no, people were so invested. Like, great theater. When you're watching, you guys were putting on a great theater performance on that couch. And I just remember that you had an audience. You had a wrapped Broadway audience who happened to also be recording it and lighting it. And. Yeah.
- [27:26]
A
Before you move on from there, I just want to take us pretty way behind the scenes here. It is rare that you get to actually see the moment of creation. And I have audio of the moment of creation of that line. I would have stolen you a whole orchestra. I'm going to play this for you right now.
- [27:45]
B
I would have stolen you a lot more than that. I would have stolen you a whole orchestra. I would have stolen you a whole orchestra. Right? Yeah, that's right. We had scripted. Yeah, you stole me a blue French horn moment. And then I think that was. That was an add on. It's so. Yeah, it's great. I guess we were filming in the writers room that day. It's amazing. Like, it has to Be Stephen Lloyd pitched.
- [28:04]
A
I would have murdered a man for you.
- [28:08]
B
Yeah, that scene kills me. That scene just absolutely kills me. That is one of those moments you talk about, Josh, where watching you guys act that I'm like, I can't believe I'm part of this show. I can't believe this is, like, our show.
- [28:20]
A
It's great writing, and it's a gift, you know, for an actor to play that. Just backing up a tiny bit. I love when Ted mentions, like, stealing the blue French horn and Barney's like, what? What French horn? You did what?
- [28:35]
B
Anything having to do with stuff Barney doesn't like, he just deletes. It's just in the trash.
- [28:39]
A
Or it was just like. It was a. It was just another whatever night.
- [28:42]
B
He wasn't really listening.
- [28:43]
A
But to Ted, it is like the defining iconic moment of all of their lives.
- [28:47]
B
Yeah, exactly.
- [28:49]
A
It's really how everyone. It's just main character syndromes. Like, Ted's got main character syndrome. Barney's got main character syndrome.
- [28:54]
B
Character syndrome.
- [28:55]
A
Yeah. But I love when he says he's a defining moment of our life. Maybe your life. I got a lot of stuff going on.
- [29:00]
B
I got a lot of stuff going on.
- [29:03]
A
There were a bunch of lines on how I made rather, like, just little throwaway. I got a lot of stuff going on.
- [29:07]
B
I got a lot of stuff going on. Yeah, that really got me.
- [29:09]
A
It really made me laugh.
- [29:11]
B
That really made me laugh. Yeah. What else?
- [29:13]
A
So. So we're in this cafe. We're in the famous, you know, cafe where you. He had stolen the horn for her, where their first date was. And I really. 1. We look, you know, two years older, but also just a little more. I thought Ted and Robin both looked like more at home in their skins than they did on that first date. I mean, they looked comfortable with each other. Ted had a kind of relaxed ease about him that he certainly didn't have on that first date.
- [29:41]
B
Yes.
- [29:42]
A
And even when shit goes down with the ring and the champagne, he still seemed like he didn't lose himself.
- [29:49]
B
He's confident. He's not in a panic. He's noting that this was a very strange response. And he's not.
- [29:54]
A
Yeah, he's not jumping to conclusions. But he's also like, this is strange, and we should probably unpack this.
- [29:59]
B
Right. Rather than skipping over it. Cause I just want to hold onto this at all costs. He's like, no, this is worth. We have to investigate this. And he's right. We should hit pause.
- [30:08]
A
We should hit pause and talk about
- [30:09]
B
something special that happened in this scene.
- [30:10]
A
Yeah, take it away, Craig.
- [30:12]
B
Alec also documented. So Alec just played that little clip that was from documentary footage he was shooting about the end of season two for the incorporation at that point on the season two dvd. But as part of documenting all of that, Alec also documented another really cool thing that happened in this scene. This really happened. Matt Kuhn, our writer's assistant at the time, went on to become a writer for the show. He was friends with a guy who said to Matt, can I be an extra in the background on how I met your mother and actually propose in one take to my girlfriend? I'll bring my girlfriend. All I'll tell her is that, hey, my friend Matt, let us be. Got us in to be extras in the background in a scene, and she will know nothing more than that. And then at the right moment, and we all orchestrated this with him, the cast orchestrated this. We all did this at the right moment. In one take, he will actually propose to his girlfriend. And this really happened. And they really got engaged in that scene.
- [31:07]
A
And that's what you see. Yeah. So we can hear all of this in their own words right now. It's about a month ago, looking to get engaged.
- [31:16]
B
My brother told me that a friend of his had a show that was going to be on. It's How I Met yout Mother. And he was a writer on the show. And I said, well, we're huge fans
- [31:24]
A
of the show, so if we came
- [31:25]
B
out there on vacation, would you be
- [31:27]
A
able to get us into the show? Would you be able to, like, maybe
- [31:29]
B
we can watch it being taped? And my brother calls me a little later that night, and he asked me if I would want to do it on the show. There's a scene in which. Which ramen, a champagne glass arrives with a ring in it.
- [31:43]
A
I'm so freaking excited.
- [31:44]
B
I'm just worried.
- [31:45]
A
Just going to say no.
- [31:46]
B
I'm just worried that it's going to be holy.
- [31:49]
A
Yes, I do.
- [31:52]
B
The first. The first few takes, what's going to happen is a champagne glass arrives with a diamond ring in it.
- [31:58]
A
What is this doing in my champagne?
- [32:00]
B
Ted's going to say, that's not mine. He's going to say, who is it?
- [32:04]
A
And you hold up the ring.
- [32:05]
B
And the first three times, two of our actors, who we should meet, Mark and Scarlet. Mark's gonna stand up and say, it's mine. The fourth take, she's gonna hold up the ring and say, who's is it?
- [32:19]
A
Who is it?
- [32:21]
B
But they're not gonna move suddenly from over at that table.
- [32:24]
A
It's mine.
- [32:28]
B
Janet, who are you marrying? Say yes.
- [32:45]
A
Yes.
- [32:47]
B
Oh, God, look at me. So we're seeing video of this, everybody and the crew. She's. She's crying and she's saying yes. And the crew has gone crazy. Everybody, I remember everybody was crying. That was just an amazing, amazing thing that happened. That was. I forgot how special that was. That's like a goosebump inducing to rewatch that.
- [33:07]
A
Remind me, Craig, did we. I mean, we obviously knew. You told us at the table read. But like, did the crew know? I mean, the crew. The props guys knew, but like, did the camera people know? Everybody knew. Everybody knew.
- [33:17]
B
Yeah. Everybody had to know. Yeah. And again, not quite as magical as Jason perfectly shaving the landing ship, but almost that magical. The idea that it went. Went right. And he really got to do that. Nothing fucked up. Nothing. Like. And she. I. She really just started crying. It was gorgeous. It was gorgeous.
- [33:35]
A
I'm curious if she thought anything. I don't know. I mean, it was a pretty good fake out with the other guys.
- [33:41]
B
Yeah, really good. And she, when he got up, she has a look on her face. You can kind of only see her in profile, but she looks like, what the fuck are you doing? Like, why is, why is he getting up? Is he lost his mind? They're just. They're not supposed to be featured in the scene and. Right. It went so well. That. That is what is in the episode, right, Alec? That is. We thought that we would. We shot it the other way a bunch of times in case it didn' go right or it didn't get shot right or we didn't catch. But it worked so well. That. That is actually in the episode, which is amazing. So Matt Kuhn, who helped arrange that whole thing, he wrote, he texted about this things I remember says Matt Kuhn. The setup was Tim and Jana were visiting the set through Tim's brother Keith, who did improv with me. And that we were like, hey, why don't you be extras? But we were all by Video Village kind of holding each other by the arm high fucking drama. Because this is real life. And I remember thinking, Tim is the bravest human on the planet. But also. Don't f. But I'm so relieved. And they are still together. I'm very happy to report they have three daughters, two teens and a nine year old. And Jana, I hope I'm saying that name right. Jana, I guess, is a big fan of the podcast. Tim, I don't know why the fuck you're not listening. Come on, get on board Buddy, we bro us out here. We came through for you. And yeah, Matt says another huge victory for him. And he's right. That's a really cool thing. That is forever part of their story. That is part of their How I Met yout Mother story as a couple. And it happened on our show.
- [35:02]
A
It's funn. They say. People say, oh, do you know that show How I Met your Mother? And said, no, it. We got engaged on it.
- [35:08]
B
It's fucking crazy. It's. Their kids get to see that. So we have been trying to track down Tim Russo who, who did the on set proposal we just talked about. And literally as we're recording this podcast episode in real time, we found him. And while we were recording, we're chatting with him over email and said, can you record a voice memo really fast before we're done recording this episode? And the guy fucking did it. And we got it in real time during the record. So we haven't even heard it yet. So will you please listen to it with us and enjoy? Tim, 19 years later remembering what it was like to propose to his girlfriend on how much mother in this episode. Go ahead. There are so many vivid memories and so much excitement. Remember feeling so welcomed by the entire cast and crew of How I Met yout Mother.
- [36:05]
A
You could just tell the, the environment on set was just a.
- [36:11]
B
A casual and welcoming environment and a family that was just as how it
- [36:18]
A
was represented on the show.
- [36:20]
B
I think about the lines of that episode, right. You know, if you're really honest with. You want. With what you want out of life, life gives it to you. What an epic line for a couple about to embark journey of marriage that is almost 20, you know, almost 20 years ago now. But I felt like in our marriage, in our relationship, how I met your
- [36:44]
A
mother was a character within it, right? We, we lived in New York City
- [36:49]
B
and, and we were.
- [36:50]
A
We were part of the very fabric
- [36:52]
B
that they were talking about. A year after our proposal, we.
- [36:56]
A
We got married in this.
- [36:57]
B
In this little town on out east in Long Island. And how funny is it that years
- [37:02]
A
later that was the same town that was used in for their wedding.
- [37:07]
B
Now that we have three children together, you know, there's. It's a. It's an important part of who we are. And it was just a great time. And now that our children are able to watch the episode and they're watching the show, it's. It's pretty amazing, pretty special and love that we were able to play just a small part in this beautiful episode.
- [37:31]
A
I'm. I'M glad to hear another native New Yorker and Midwesterner found happiness together.
- [37:36]
B
Yes, that's very. But flipped, right? The reverse. Yeah. From you and Jordana. That's amazing. Thank you, Tim, for sharing those memories. Thank you for turning that around in the past half hour for us while we're recording. Amazing. And Matt Kuhn, thank you for arranging this whole thing to begin with 19 years ago and then also putting us back in touch with Tim today. Very cool. So that's amazing to hear. Three children have come into the world from that scene on. Amateur mother there. It's. It's just unbelievable.
- [38:06]
A
And this old man, he must admit he fell in love with you.
- [38:13]
B
New York City and now commercials. Protein is now at Starbucks and it's never tasted so good.
- [38:23]
A
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- [38:25]
B
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- [38:26]
A
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- [38:29]
B
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- [38:36]
A
Refreshing Wild cherry cola meets smooth cream. The treat you deserve. Pepsi Wild Cherry and cream. Treat yourself.
- [38:55]
B
End of commercial. Back to show.
- [38:59]
A
Moving on, though. So after that fantastic proposal.
- [39:02]
B
Unbelievable.
- [39:04]
A
I really. It's her thing of like, no, no, no, no. What is it? Like, ted, don't do this. You can't do this to me. No, no, no, no, no. Right?
- [39:11]
B
Yeah. Yeah.
- [39:12]
A
One of the most amusing parts of it was Ted's recreation of the nuggets.
- [39:19]
B
You nailed that. The completely dry, deadpan, but verbatim.
- [39:23]
A
Verbatim, that's what's funny to me, is that, like, did you ever see. Did I mention this? But Caleb Heron, who's a really great comic, has a show called Model Comedian on hbo. It's an hour of standup. Fantastic. Really good. And he said sometimes people will swoop in, like his fans, and try to defend him. And someone said, I don't know what it is about why this guy's so popular. Like, I find him something like disgusting to look at or something. And a friend wrote in and said, he's a comedian, not a model. And he was just like, doc, bro,
- [40:00]
B
come see me in my office.
- [40:02]
A
Come see me in my office. Like, do not say that. And he said those words like, he. He thinks of them falling asleep like, he's a comedian, not a model. He said, they're the six saddest words since baby shoes never worn for sale.
- [40:17]
B
The heming. The Hemingway short story.
- [40:19]
A
And there's something about her saying that for some reason gets so lodged in Ted's brain immediately that he can create. He can recreate it back to her, down to each. No he count. He knows intuitively how many nos she said yes.
- [40:33]
B
The exact rhythm. I think we referenced this later, too, when Barney has to count some no's from Robin. Robin is definitely someone in series who says when she freaks, she says 35 noes. But it's great. It feels like. I mean, the feeling of this episode is like a fuse is lit and it's burning. And it's burning. It's burning. And it finally goes off in this breakup. And that's the moment that it's lit those nodes, light that fuse. And the episode has a real kind of like, really fun, careening forward momentum from that moment on where it's like, okay, there are cracks forming. Is this whole thing gonna crumble? And that's sort of the structure of the episode.
- [41:15]
A
And it's also, you know, how the. They got in that huge fight and they ended up saying, let's move in together.
- [41:20]
B
Yes.
- [41:21]
A
And then they get in this huge. It's not quite a fight, but it's definitely like an unpacking and a. Yeah. You know, they're really trying to feel their way around in the dark in this. In this thing, and they end up broken up. But I thought there was something really honest about their attempts to salvage it, you know, like, I always wanted to live in Argentina. I can go to Argentina. Yeah, let's go to Argentina.
- [41:43]
B
Yeah. Because they really do love each other. They really are trying to save something. They're not full of shit, but it's just not quite going to work. That's why that moment kills me when the air comes out of the balloon, when they realize they didn't move in together. Wait a second. Why did.
- [41:56]
A
It also felt very true that they would have sex? Like, there's so much confusion in the air of, like, I never want to be without this person. And also, I'm scared this person is slipping away. And, like, how do we hold on? Well. Well, let's just do the thing that is, like, the easiest to do in the moment, which is, like, ride the wave of the passion. So we don't. We can stop talking for a little bit, you know, and then. You're right. The revelation of, like, we didn't move in together. And then. I don't know, there's something about. It's a little bit like. I don't know if we're still allowed to reference Annie hall, but it's a little bit like a shark has to move.
- [42:30]
B
Yeah, exactly. A relationship.
- [42:31]
A
And their sharks stopped moving. They tried to, like, stop it or reroute it, and then it's that Feeling of like, oh, we're not gonna do this. We're not gonna do this.
- [42:41]
B
Yeah. And the way that that go. Turned. The turn you guys played from comedy to this really hard, dawning realization was so great. That gets me every time. That's the type of thing that elevates this episode for me, I think. Elevates the whole series. I think those moments where we really. That was a sucker punch in the best possible way. Like, that was really surprising in that scene that it gets that serious that fast. And that's how we learned that they really did break up. I will call bullshit that. Why is Robin drinking that water other than to fake out towards a pregnancy? That was very convenient. Watching it again, I wish we had done a joke at the very end where Barney had said, why were you drinking this giant bottle of water in this whole wedding? And she just goes, ah, that's vodka. That was one of those where you're like, ah, that would have been funny.
- [43:26]
A
Or she's trying not to get a hangover.
- [43:29]
B
Yeah, right. They drank too heavily after the breakup or something. Y. I feel like we could have explained that the water is just complete. It's schmuck bait. You've ever heard that phrase? It's schmuck bait. It's something that's just there to throw people off the scent of the thing. It's just.
- [43:42]
A
But, you know, I also thought this was a great. Again, serious drama disguised as comedy.
- [43:48]
B
Yeah.
- [43:49]
A
There's something about. In your 20s, it's all about chemistry, equals compatibility. Like, if you have chemistry with someone, like, you can. You can. You can figure anything out. You can start a life together. You can build a life together as long as the connection is there.
- [44:04]
B
Yeah.
- [44:05]
A
And I think I'd mentioned this before, but Jordana had. You know, we were talking last night, and her dad, who's a wonderful psychiatrist, John Jacobs, he wrote this book called all you need is love and seven other lies about marriage.
- [44:18]
B
Great title.
- [44:18]
A
And one of the things is this. I. This idea that, like, love is all. You know, Robin and Ted, I have no doubt they loved each other.
- [44:27]
B
Yeah.
- [44:28]
A
Love, Capital L. Big, big love.
- [44:30]
B
There's no doubt.
- [44:31]
A
But their visions of the future and what they want are incompatible at this
- [44:37]
B
stage of their life, at that moment in their lives, they are. They.
- [44:40]
A
Right.
- [44:40]
B
You can't. You cannot build. To use the architect metaphor, you cannot build a building on that foundation at that time. You can't in that time.
- [44:46]
A
And it's. It's quite a mature pivot for them to go, yeah, we can't actually do this.
- [44:52]
B
It's very mature. They handle it great. Actually. They handle it great. And they friends in the end and you believe that they are. It's sad.
- [45:00]
A
And the gang is still cohesive and still the gang.
- [45:03]
B
Yeah. And Barney and Ted's recommitment ceremony at the very end is really quite beautiful for some reason. That scene really, really gets me too. Ending mid word like that. That feeling of hope, that feeling of like this hard thing happened. But we're gonna get back out there. Our friends still got married today and we're gonna get back out there and the world is our oyster. I love Barney in that moment. I love Barney's vulnerability of wanting to know Ted still wants him as his wingman and that they're gonna have this future together. And that Ted needs Barney too. He says I do. And he knows he wants to get back out there with Barney. And that's what you're gonna see in season three. And I remember just this feeling, even when we were shooting it and then we're editing it, of just this surge of hopefulness for me as like a TV showrunner and Carter too. Like this feeling of like, we get to keep doing this. We get to keep doing this. And it's expansive and it's not ending anytime soon. And I just. I remember feeling so full of hope and gratitude and really this love for the show. I feel this great surge when you cut to Black off of in the middle of that sentence, which. What a great cliffhanger. It's a season long cliffhanger in the middle of a sentence. That was how we pitched it to the end.
- [46:10]
A
It's like the popcorn. Three minutes, but for a whole summer.
- [46:12]
B
For a whole summer. And I don't know how many other shows ever ended in the middle of a sentence. In the middle of kind of a word, really. And I just. That feeling, Even rewatching it two nights ago in 2026, I felt that feeling in my body, in my heart, and just feeling, feeling like, God damn it, we were lucky to tear it up.
- [46:29]
A
Well, there's also a kind of spiritual law at work, which is like every death is followed by a resurrection or a rebirth. There's something about the ending is very sad of something, but something new. New vistas open up. One little funny thing that I did remember from that scene whenever we had to smoke cigars on How I Met yout Mother, which was probably five or six times, you know, you're puffing on a cigar always first thing up in the morning, 9am Smoking a cigar, which. I don't love cigars. I don't. They're never been. That's never been my thing. But a 9am cigar, that's rough.
- [47:03]
B
Yeah. It's disgusting. Yeah.
- [47:05]
A
Yeah. But I remember that scene with Neil Felt. I do remember very acutely filming that scene. And it felt good.
- [47:12]
B
It felt like it just has good energy. That's it.
- [47:15]
A
It just had good energy. And it felt like, you know, Barney gets his deepest wish, which is to have Ted back as his wing. Or to be Ted's wingman.
- [47:22]
B
Yeah. It felt like a pilot for another show in a way. Like, hey, then, whole other show's gonna happen.
- [47:27]
A
Yeah. Yeah. And even though it's all almost like Barney reveals he had to steal all of Marshall's women because he needed Marshall to be with Lily, you get the feeling he would not steal Ted's. Like, if Ted had a great woman, he would support that. I think he would support that.
- [47:44]
B
I think that's true. Yeah. He seems genuinely sad for Ted when he says, you know, I talk a lot of shit, but you guys really were good together. It's one of the most real and generous things Barney says in season.
- [47:56]
A
Yeah.
- [47:58]
B
And that brings them back together as wingman.
- [48:00]
A
When Barney is not being, like, criminally, psychotically sexually pursuing of women. He's a pretty good dude.
- [48:08]
B
He's a pretty good dude. And he's right about a lot of things. He does care about his friends. And Ted needs him again. He needs his bro. They're gonna get back out there. And I love the reset. I love the reset. It's a reset and a move forward at the same time. And it's just great.
- [48:24]
A
And it's also not just to tune back in for the. The dairy, which we want to hear.
- [48:29]
B
Yeah, got to hear that dairy.
- [48:30]
A
But really, like, what are these crazy kids going to get up to next?
- [48:34]
B
What are they up to next? And that's what season three feels like. Season three feels very fun. Like, it's a bit of chaotic. It's a bit. It's A whole new circus is coming to town. And that is what the beginning of season three feels like. And I just feel like it's so shot out of a canon. I remember feeling the momentum. I remember feeling like season three is going to be fine. First of all, we know what the first two syllables of derry. So you're off. Those are two fewer syllables you have to come up with in season three. And you. It just felt like fuel. It felt like rocket fuel. And we had a new condition to tell Just like this was the season where Marshall and Lily had to get married and Ted and Robin had to be together and break up. That's what two was. Three is, you know, this whole new. This whole new adventure.
- [49:18]
A
It's literally. It's the mirror. It's the flip of season one.
- [49:21]
B
Yeah.
- [49:22]
A
A couple of things that I just wanted to shout out that. That really amused me.
- [49:26]
B
Yeah.
- [49:26]
A
Jason. After, after the cake and Lily is. And he's just wants the cake in his mouth and then he's going to take her away. And he says to the gang, another Mike Shea shout out. Did you hear him go, guys, guys? I know there was a guys, guys,
- [49:39]
B
guys, guys in there.
- [49:40]
A
Very much caught that shout out to our first ad, Mike Michael, who would
- [49:43]
B
always say guys, guys, guys, to get the cast attention and then the cast. Whenever. For the next eight years, whenever we
- [49:49]
A
say guys, we would say guys, guys, guys. You can track it throughout the show. There's a lot of guys, guys, guys in there.
- [49:55]
B
There's a lot. Yeah.
- [49:57]
A
Nessie's a C. She. Ted. Come on. I thought that was funny. Where he corrects the yeah. Horn back to the bistro. Not a euphemism. That was nice.
- [50:06]
B
Very solid.
- [50:08]
A
Always delightful to see Ranjeet.
- [50:09]
B
Ranjeet. My only thing there is like, why didn't we see him three more times in season two? It's like he's always solid gold. He always makes you happy. I was like, it had been too long. But arguably not having seen him for that long, I was so delighted, I forgot. I literally forgot that we were going to get to see him in this episode.
- [50:25]
A
Marshall Manesh is like. Is like sunshine on a rainy day. Like, he's just. He's just pure delight.
- [50:31]
B
He just is just beaming light beams out of him. Marshall Manesh.
- [50:36]
A
And in person. Like, whenever you would see him in craft service, you'd be like, oh, Marshall,
- [50:40]
B
he's got good energy too.
- [50:41]
A
I know. I just love that guy. I want to say, say that the guy working in the burger shop is
- [50:50]
B
Scoot McNairy, who's gone on.
- [50:52]
A
Who has gone on to have an incredible career. If you saw Complete Unknown, the Bob Dylan film, he plays Woody Guthrie.
- [50:59]
B
He's Woody Guthrie.
- [51:00]
A
He's so good.
- [51:01]
B
Huntington's disease.
- [51:02]
A
He's incredible. I reached out to him, actually, and I was like, you were incredible in this.
- [51:05]
B
He really was viscerally great in that movie.
- [51:08]
A
But Scoot, I mean, he's. It's so fun to see people who, you know, would come onto How I Met yout Mother for A couple hours. Who end up going on to have.
- [51:17]
B
Yeah, that's a good one. Good call, Josh. That's a good call. He was just in a big movie, playing a big part, and he was the Wienerberger guy in this episode.
- [51:25]
A
And fantastic.
- [51:26]
B
He's always good, even. See, that's just good. A good actor's just. Whatever it is are gonna be good. He was funny and charming in that scene somehow. And essentially all he does is point out that Lily's barfing in the garbage. And I also love that moment that it's Marshall. It's the first time he heard her called his wife. And by the way, another Josh Ratner shout out. Here, here. The JMA song.
- [51:45]
A
Yeah.
- [51:46]
B
Blue Sea Blue.
- [51:47]
A
No, sea Green. Sea Blue.
- [51:48]
B
Sea Green. Sea Blue. Thank you, Rose.
- [51:50]
A
Right.
- [51:50]
B
The first time. Great song by the singer, songwriter, jma, who you're friendly with, and that you brought that song in to the show. You.
- [51:55]
A
I brought that song to you guys. You guys loved it and said, we want to close season two with this. J. May also did, like, I don't know, like, 12 songs for my film. Happy. Thank you. More, please. Did the score.
- [52:05]
B
She's great.
- [52:06]
A
Yeah, she's fantastic songwriter.
- [52:08]
B
That song, I mean, I just. I swear to God, I could, like, cry through the whole, whole last two, three minutes of this episode. Just so that song kicks in and I start to go, yeah.
- [52:17]
A
Well, it's a great. It's a great, like, melancholy breakup song. It's just perfect for that moment.
- [52:21]
B
It's perfect. It captures the feeling, but it also has a little bit of hope to it. And it's about New York City.
- [52:26]
A
And it has the word blue in
- [52:27]
B
it has the word blue. It's about New York City. It's about there's still magic. It's not a sad song. It's not a happy song. It's just. It is a How I Met yout Mother song. So thank you for that, Josh. And thank you, J.
- [52:37]
A
May. Welcome back. We are coming to the end of this episode and also to the end of season two of How We Made youe Mother. I can't believe how fast it's going. I also couldn't believe how fast How I Met yout Mother went. I mean, that also went fast. I guess time just goes fast.
- [52:59]
B
It has the same feeling. Yeah.
- [53:01]
A
But it's a testament to the propulsive nature of the story that you and Carter told. But I'm just having such a delightful time. Craig, it is a delight going through this with you and with Alec.
- [53:14]
B
Great idea. Great idea. You and Jordana. Yeah, it's really fun to do.
- [53:19]
A
Yeah, it's really. It's really meaningful. And I understand why people love the show the way they do in a different way. Like, I've become a fan of the show through this process of doing How We Made youe Mother. It's been very important for me.
- [53:33]
B
Totally different experience, totally different eyes on it. By doing it this way and getting to share with all the fans and hear from fans every week, it's amazing. Thank you guys for listening.
- [53:42]
A
Thank you.
- [53:42]
B
Thank you for sharing what the show means to you. It's unbelievably satisfying, humbling, amazing to hear what the show means to people all around the world.
- [53:50]
A
We are also certain that not every How I Met yout Mother fan is listening to this podcast and we would like them to. So if you love this show, if you love strolling down memory lane with us, please reach out to your network of How I Met yout Mother loving friends and family and let them know. Know that we are doing this and you should join us. They should join us. We're having a great time and we'd love more How I Met yout Mother fans to hop on board. That said, Alec has something to play for us. What do you got, Alec? We've had a lot of great audio already. This episode here, we've got the voice of a new fan of the show, someone whose voice has been missed much of this season. A voice I think you will recognize. Listening to the podcast live with our
- [54:34]
B
son during maternity leave has been such a joy and incredibly meta. Himyim is a show in which Ted tells his kids the story of how he met his wife. And now Whim Yim is a podcast in which Josh gets to tell his actual kid the story of how he played Ted. I realized that in Josh co hosting this podcast, our son is now gifted not only with nine seasons of a show his dad was in, but now also with nine seasons of his actual account of his experience doing the show over those many years. And that I just find to be incredibly cool. I love that. Jordana, who was that? I mean, in so many ways, the whole reason this podcast exists is you marrying that wonderful woman. And the idea that. I hope I can say this, that we have. I mean, she just said it. These past bunch of weeks and episodes, she and your baby have been listening in the other room and watching this.
- [55:36]
A
She's been sending pictures.
- [55:37]
B
We've been getting really, really cute baby pictures. Very distracting, but wonderful during the records. So, like, it's Amazing. Your wife and child are listening to us doing the podcast in real time sometimes, which is. I love how Jordana framed that. That's a beautiful thing. It got me.
- [55:53]
A
And she recorded that in real time. This recording happened just now as we were recording this episode.
- [55:58]
B
As she is listening just now, she's downstairs. I can tell Josh did not know what it was. So that's.
- [56:04]
A
That was wonderful, Jordana. Thanks for surprising us with that. And yeah, I mean, Jordana's getting to watch this show with me for the first time. And it is like a. I don't know, it's like this living photo album that I'll get to show my son one day.
- [56:21]
B
It's really cool.
- [56:22]
A
Yeah.
- [56:23]
B
Who gets that for a 10 year portrait of a time of your life? And now we got now this too. Our memories of it. And yeah, it's special. We're very lucky. We'll keep going. Can't wait for season three. We have one last letter to end on Alec. Is that what's left for season two?
- [56:38]
A
We do. And I think maybe fittingly, we don't have a name attached to it. It just represents all fans who want to write in.
- [56:47]
B
This will be the Cliffhanger. Tune in to season three to hear the name of the person that wrote this letter.
- [56:52]
A
Well, okay. We're delighted you were on this journey with us out there. Please keep sending in your reflections, your thoughts. We'll be back very soon for season three where I'm really looking forward to it. Great cliffhanger. I want to hear Barney say dairy and get back to this story.
- [57:11]
B
Spoilers.
- [57:12]
A
Sorry. And yeah, this is our letter from Anonymous. How I met your mother has meant so much to me over the years, ever since I discovered it as a young teenager. Teenager. I still remember the first episode I saw. Season two, Episode three, Brunch. Someone had left the TV on and it was playing in the background while I was doing homework. And I was hooked by the line, I never told you how I met your mother. Oh, great story. At a bar. I think it was an Irish bar. It quickly became my favorite show and I watched it all throughout high school. The summer before I started college, a Facebook group was created for incoming freshmen to connect. One day, someone posted in it asking if anyone else watched How I Met yout Mother. And I eagerly liked the post post. After actually arriving on campus later that fall, I met someone at a freshman event and immediately developed a crush. I remember thinking, if we're really compatible, she'll be into him. Yum too. That night, I went Back to my dorm and scrolled through months of post in that Facebook group until I found the one about the show and her name was among the likes on it. It sounds silly, but it seemed meaningful at the time. Funny enough, we became great friends, eventually started dating and and now, over 10 years later, we're still together and are married.
- [58:24]
B
Amazing.
- [58:25]
A
I have several great hymn related memories from throughout our relationship. Like in college when we bought banner paper and red paint and made a replica of the Intervention banner which we hung in my dorm. Or how I would look everywhere for a yellow umbrella to buy and could never find one until I finally came across one when we were studying abroad in Amsterdam together. Or how we both became fans of bands we discovered through the show. Like the Weeping Bees. The song Gotta have youe still brings me back to those early days. The series finale aired the same spring I graduated from college. Even though I was significantly younger than the characters throughout the show's run, it still felt like I grew up alongside them. Ironically, as himyim ended, I was just stepping into the stage of life. The characters began in my first real job, my first apartment, and my first taste of adult life, ready to make memories the way I had seen the characters do. That transition wasn't always easy, but one thing had remained constant. My wife has been with me through it all. And in a way, it all started with me up late in a dorm searching for a Facebook post, hoping she loved this show as much as I did. All I can say is thank you.
- [59:29]
B
Wow.
- [59:30]
A
Yeah, wow.
- [59:31]
B
Wow, wow.
- [59:32]
A
It's hearing from a real life Marshall
- [59:34]
B
that is Lillian Marshall, who bonded over a show about themselves that's the snake is eating its own tail.
- [59:40]
A
You know what, you know what's one of the most beautiful things? And we've, we've talked about this, but I just want to stress this again. A show that is people's comfort show, where we said the characters themselves are not comfortable a lot, but there's something comfortable about watching a show of watching people at this very tender, unformed, confusing time of life struggle and stumble and have setback and failure and victory and success and triumph. And all the things and people say when they encounter their own struggle and their own setback. They say, oh, this is just part of a grander design. This is all part of something that these characters went through. It's archetypal. It's a rite of passage to stumble and feel your way around in the dark and be lost and confused and think things are going one way and they go another. But it Turns out to be the right way. I just think we gave people a roadmap for a kind of sane way to live a life. A way. Way to have life have a kind of meaning and a road map that I think is really was a. It kind of makes it sound drier than it is. But it was a good public service, you know?
- [60:46]
B
Yeah, I think it is a public service. It's like it's looking at your life as a story that's unfurling and unfolding and it's a story you're going to tell one day and you'll tell the hard parts too.
- [60:55]
A
Yeah. And the hard parts become a great part of the story. Like, you don't think Marshall loved television. Telling his kids how he did a reverse Mohawk landing strip into his head right minutes before their wedding.
- [61:07]
B
That is a memorable story that passes the 25 years test for sure. Yeah, yeah. These are the stories you tell. These are the stories you tell. This is your life. Your life is happening now and these are the beats of your story and
- [61:18]
A
you're gonna tell them and it's meaningful and everything matters and it's all coalescing and it's leading somewhere. And even we can't see grand design in the moment. We can trust that things are working out on our behalf. And I love that about this show. I love being a part of a show that says that. Hi, I'm Lorenzo from Italy and I
- [61:37]
B
love Home as yous Mother. My name is Briana and I'm from Naples, Florida. Hi, I'm Harrison and I'm from the United Kingdom.
- [61:42]
A
I'm from Brazil and I'm from Colombia.
- [61:44]
B
Hi, I'm Marike from the Netherlands and I'm from Iowa.
- [61:46]
A
Rhode Island.
- [61:46]
B
From Dallas, Texas.
- [61:47]
A
Portland, Oregon.
- [61:48]
B
I am from Bulgaria. India. I'm from Chile. And I'm from. This is Selma from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- [61:54]
A
What does how I met your mother mean to me? What how I met your mother means to me?
- [61:58]
B
I think it truly made me a better person as an adult. I'm now a filmmaker and I capture stories for a living. And it's so clear to me now
- [62:03]
A
how much how I met your mother inspired me to pursue that path.
- [62:06]
B
And the show really helped me to
- [62:09]
A
understand that not only my feelings were valid, but also that I could trust myself. But it definitely taught me how to care about what you love. Love and not be ashamed to nerd out about it. And if you surround yourself with the right people, they'll support it. I grew lacking a father figure. In a weird way. Your writing filled that void, telling me
- [62:27]
B
that you're going to try very hard,
- [62:29]
A
you're going to win a lot, and you're going to lose a lot. In the end, you'll be thankful for all the experiences you've had, both good and bad, because it got you to where you are today. These characters from How Many yout Mother
- [62:39]
B
taught me a lot about emotional intelligence. Her deal with my feelings, how to deal with people, how people feel about themselves as well. And also being disabled, having cerebral palsy and autism, HEMYM taught me how to properly interact with people and how to love thank you all so much for the show.
- [62:58]
A
Thank you for doing this podcast. I love it. It has meant so much to me.
- [63:02]
B
I've never been much of a podcast girl until now.
- [63:05]
A
I wanted to thank you for your
- [63:07]
B
amazing podcasts, which are, I find, just
- [63:10]
A
as comforting as the show has always been to me. Thank you so much for doing this podcast. This is amazing. So thank you and thank you for
- [63:17]
B
changing my life for the better.
- [63:18]
A
Thank you so much for creating a show that has kept me positive and
- [63:21]
B
hopeful even in the worst of times.
- [63:22]
A
It really has in some way shaped
- [63:25]
B
who I am as a person. You've made something really, really beautiful here once again and thank you for making this show.
- [63:30]
A
Thank you again. You have no idea how much you
- [63:32]
B
have inspired my life and the artist that I am.
- [63:34]
A
Actually, seriously, I don't think you can de emphasize just how much it means to people and how much it means to me.
- [63:42]
B
I I don't have to thank you
- [63:44]
A
for that except for this message. Thank you. I am guilty. Please acquit me. All sins are forgiven in New York City. How we made your Mother is hosted and executive produced by Josh Radner and Craig Thomas and is presented and distributed by the Office Ladies Network and Odyssey. This episode is also executive produced by Jenna Fisher and Angela Kinsey. The show is produced and edited by me, Alec Lev and our co producer is Doug Matica. Our audio producer and mixer is Alex Reeves at Point of Blue Studios. Our digital content producer, AKA Gen Z Master is Emily Blumberg. Artwork by John Morrow. Please follow, rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or your podcast player of choice. It really does help the show. Our theme song is New York City by our own Josh Radner with additional music by Craig Thomas and Andrew Majewski. Special thanks to Lola Kennedy and Elliot Connors. Visit how we made your mother.com to learn more and click on the contact page to send us an email or a voice message. Your stories and questions are an important part of the show. Subscribe to Josh Radner's Muse Letters on Substack and check out his music and everything else@joshradner.com order Craig Thomas's debut novel, that's Not How It Happened, wherever books are sold, and check out his other published writings at craig thomas writer.com and you can subscribe to My own Dead Fathers Society, also on Substack to learn more about how you make a difference. This show's ongoing campaign to raise money for congenital pediatric heart disease research. Check out the Make a Difference tab at the top of our website. People will in fact dance
- [65:39]
B
the real
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A
question it just hits me. Am I in love with you or just New York City? Think Verizon is expensive? Think again.
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B
Anyone can bring their AT&T or T mobile bill to a Verizon store today
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and we'll give you a better deal.
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So bring us your bill. Walk in running, Hogo, sticking teleport if you can, ride on the back of
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A
a rollerblading yak or fly in on the wings of a majestic falcon.
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B
Any way you can bring your AT&T or T mobile bill to a Verizon store today and we'll give you a
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A
better deal on the best Network based on RouteMetric's best overall mobile network performance
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bill in the name of the person redeeming the deal. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply.
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What if the Bright side wasn't just
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A
a state of mind?
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B
What if it was a real place
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A
with blue skies, perfect greens, seaside concerts, world famous beaches and the margarita of your dreams?
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B
What if you came here all the
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A
way to the bright side, where optimism is made fresh daily and let San
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B
Diego turn your mood upside up? Plan your trip@sandiego.org funded in part with
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City of San Diego Tourism Marketing District Assessment funds.