‘How I Met Your Mother’ season 9, episode 8 review: Did the Mother return in ‘The Lighthouse’?

All week long, “How I Met Your Mother” had promoted the return of “The Mother,” the one character that everyone has been looking forward to seeing. The last time she turned up, it was during the second part of the one-hour premiere.

We admit that for the vast majority of “The Lighthouse,” we were ready to come on here and angrily rip into the show for its false promises … but it did not lie. Not only did the Mother return, but we saw Ted propose to her! The scene was two years in the future, at the top of the same lighthouse where he had went previously with an injured Cassie, otherwise known as the last woman he wanted to be there with.

There is a substantial part of us that wishes this moment came sooner, since most of the rest of the episode didn’t really go anywhere. While Lily and Marshall each knew everything about what was going on when it comes to the judgeship, there was no real addressing it. Instead, we had some sort of manic story about Ted’s stepdad Clint hiding in the Hummer in order to provide some “conflict resolution” for him and Daphne.

The other story was mostly interesting in that for the first time, we really had some sort of significant description of Robin’s mom, coupled with a few references to the time in which she has been mentioned on the show in the past. So who is playing the character?  As it turns out, nobody … at least for now. She was too afraid to get on the plane, and so Robin is going to have a wedding without a parent. We’re still assuming that her dad (Ray Wise) will be present, and we know already that Barney’s father (John Lithgow) will be turning up.

Overall, “The Lighthouse” was hit-and-miss. There were a few moments that were interesting, a few that were shocking, and a few that were funny. We just wish that the surprises were surrounded by better storytelling. Grade: C+.

What did you think about this episode, and how angry are you starting to get over the absence of the Mother so far this season? Share below! Meanwhile, click here if you want to read some more news related to the show.

Photo: CBS