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I apologize for posting so late — it’s a sleepy day and I didn’t want to under-represent this excellent episode.  This was HIMYM in its classic style — well-told circuitous stories, flashback surprises, major over-arching story development.

I’ve complained previously that Stella hasn’t shown enough personality (we’re to love her because she’s nice and she’s pretty, and that’s all) to really get the audience behind her, but she had a glimmer or two last night.  Faking out Ted about the end of her sister’s relationship just so she could hear Ted’s real opinion on her sister’s new fiance was fun, and she showed some spunk by telling him where to go after learning that he’d broken up with her for such a ridiculous reason (and thankfully did not do what I worried she’d do and flip out because Ted had shared information about their fight with Lily and the gang).  I’m not completely on board with her yet, but there’s progress.

I loved the slo-mo phone call reactions when the gang heard about Ted’s car accident, if only because I knew HIMYM was not about to actually stoop to such “very special episode” sitcom cliches, so it was very satisfying that they ran in and Ted was happily slurping Jello.

Trying to prove to a skeptical Robin that miracles really do happen, Marshall is “in charge” of the bulk of the episode’s flashbacks.  One miracle, a pencil dropping from the ceiling and catapulting itself up Barney’s nose (Barney: “Am I dead?  Am I dead?”).  Another, years ago Marshall successfully smuggled some pot back from a trip to Amsterdam because of a lucky shift-change at JFK complete with a mid-munchies security officer.    Another, after spending a day trying on hats and doing a comedy routine with Lily’s kindergarteners, Marshall went to plead for his job back at the law firm only to realize he’d caught lice from the hats, leading his former boss to stay former.  The miracle?  A few days later, the folks from Securities and Exchange busted that law firm for god knows what, and Marshall was luckily not caught in the crossfire (though to be fair, I don’t think someone as low-level as he was would’ve had much culpability in such a bust).

Later, Ted gets a call from elsewhere in the hospital because — and I love this — he is still Barney’s “in case of emergency” contact (though that did throw me into a mini-anxiety tailspin worrying about who exactly my emergency contact is on various forms).  Barney had been hit by a bus while running all the way uptown to see his “ex-bro” Ted at the hospital.  The gang visits and finds him in traction and virtually a full-body cast but, as Barney characteristically explains, there’s still “one bone downstairs that ain’t broken.”

After a little posturing, the bros weep and apologize and make up, and I love it.  I’m glad they took care of that before the summer off (and it’s just the summer, they got renewed!).  Ted then takes off to try to patch things up with Stella.

Meanwhile, Marshall continues to pursue his miracle argument (despite learning of the ultimate tragedy — they had to cut Barney’s suit off) and Robin tells a childhood story of why she refuses to believe in miracles.  This one was kind of a throwaway, but apparently her dog Sir Scratchewan (that name was definitely the best part of the story) died and her parents pretended there was a miracle and he was still alive, but was now a turtle.  More importantly, she then leaves the room. 

Marshall and Lily talk about how everything he loved flashed before Ted’s eyes just as he was about to be hit by the car, and assumed that the same must’ve happened to Barney.  When musing about “what Barney loves,” they come up some good stuff about boob suits made of money when Robin re-enters the room right on cue.  Hooray!  He does love her!  (And at this point I’m dying because they’re playing the Replacements’ “Here Comes a Regular” which has an awful lot of adolescent heartbreak connotations for me.)

The excellent mood music shifts us over to the arcade, where Ted has caught up with Stella and they crowd into a video game while ignoring the kid and Ted proposes.  And then the show ends really abruptly and awkwardly.

Maybe the ignoring of the kid is just typical TV-artistic-license, but it does make me wonder if there’ll be a scare about her at the beginning of next season, causing Stella to reject the proposal out of concern that her priorities are not straight when Ted’s around.  I have no idea.  Practically thinking, if Ted is actually engaged one would hope his fiance would have a fairly significant role on this show, which would be tough for an actress already in a lead role on another renewed sitcom (on another network, no less).  Who knows.  I know I care way more about Barney and Robin.  It’s a tough one, though, because I don’t want Barney to lose his “Barney,” but I think this is such a logical plot point.

Highlights:

Robin: “Oh man, I love Springsteen, he’s like the American Bryan Adams!”

Lily: “Uhh… ‘Suit up!’  Heehee, he’s always saying stuff like that.” (while trying to pretend she still had Barney on the phone)

Marshall: “This morning he dumped her and now she’s dry-humping him on a hospital bed.  Miracle.”

 I know I’m a bit pathetic when I say I feel like I won’t see my really close group of friends for three months, but it’s how I feel.  It’ll be a long summer.

 What do you think?  Will Robin and Barney get together, and will that cause another rift between Barney and Ted, or will Barney spend much of the season trying to resist?  Will Stella accept the proposal?  Is she Mother?

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