Season synopsis
Contains spoilers for this season and earlier seasons.
In 2005, Ted Mosby is an architect in Manhattan who wants to find the person he will marry. His best friends Marshall Eriksen and Lily Aldrin have been together for nearly nine years when Marshall proposes, prompting Ted to act on his own romantic hopes. Barney Stinson, Ted’s self-appointed wingman, takes him to MacLaren’s, where Ted meets Robin Scherbatsky, a reporter. Ted declares his love on their first date; Robin likes him, but is wary of how quickly he moves.
Ted and Robin become friends while he dates other women, including Victoria, whom he meets at a wedding. They agree not to exchange numbers, but Ted searches for her afterward and they begin a relationship. Victoria leaves for a culinary fellowship in Germany, turning it long-distance. Ted visits Robin late at night before ending the relationship with Victoria. Robin discovers the truth when she answers his phone, leaving both women hurt. Barney’s schemes and the group’s arguments fill the gaps between these turns, while Marshall and Lily plan a wedding and Ted keeps weighing what he wants from Robin.
In the finale, Ted makes one last effort to win Robin over with flowers, candy and musicians playing blue instruments, then tries a rain dance after she cannot give him an answer. The rain arrives, and Robin comes down to him; they begin dating. Across the same night, Marshall learns Lily accepted an art fellowship in San Francisco. Lily admits she wants to go despite their wedding being only weeks away, and she leaves for California, ending their engagement. Ted returns home from Robin’s to find Marshall alone in the rain, holding Lily’s ring.