The Mysterious Girl With The Yellow Umbrella

When How I Met Your Mother first aired on September 2005, everyone expected a light-hearted comedy about how a man met his wife. I don’t think anyone thought that now, eight years later, we would just begin our introduction to “the mother”. The show is based around a middle-aged man, Ted Mosby, telling his two teenage children the story of how, exactly, he me their mother. The last eight years have consisted of hilarious stories that stress Ted’s need for a successful relationship. We have watched as Ted whined about being single, dated countless women, applied for an online dating website, was left at the alter and many other failed attempts to meet the impossible vision he had for the love of his life. As we watched Ted fail over and over again, we began to loose hope that, despite the show’s name, we would ever find out how he met his children’s mother, and more importantly, who the mother actually is.  Finally, during the season eight finale, over nine million viewers received the answer they’ve desperately waited for.

Within the many stories Ted has told his children, we have discovered that his future wife owns an iconic yellow umbrella. In the last few minutes of the finale when all of the other characters were preparing to meet their friends in Farhampton, the woman with a yellow umbrella, Broadway actress Cristin Miloti, steps up to the ticket booth and says, “Hi. One ticket to Farhampton, please.” And in that instant, the question that nine million viewers were asking shifted from “Who the heck is the mother” to “Who the heck is that lady?”

We had endlessly paired Ted up with people in his friend group, have imagined him getting back together with his ex’s and even more. But very few of us figured that he would meet someone completely new to the show. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly Josh Radner, the actor who plays Ted Mosby, said, “I think it would be more interesting to have this fresh, exciting face that Ted has never seen before and neither have people who watch the show.”

Moreover, the actress herself is one I haven’t heard of. But maybe that’s for the best.  After eight years of trying to figure out the hopeless puzzle of who Ted’s wife would be, a quick snapshot of her face in the eighth finale was not enough for me. I instantly wanted to know all I could about her. But, Cristin Miloti is not a famous name. She is not Sarah Chalke, actress on Scrubs, or Rachel Bilson, star of The O.C. or even Jennifer Morrison, from television series House and Once Upon A Time or any of the other possible “mothers” the show has teased us with in the past. We have not spent months watching Cristin Miloti on other shows, we have not watched how she acted in the public eye and we have not questioned her morals playing other television characters. Basically, we have no idea who the heck she is, and this clean slate is rather refreshing.

This past Monday, September 23, How I Met Your Mother Season 9 premiered on CBS and  viewers tuned in with the hope that more of their questions would be answered. However, they were quickly disappointed. The season premiere started with a very basic title screen that read “56 hours before the wedding”. The two-part premiere covered only two of those hours. That leaves viewers to believe, as they have been complaining about on Facebook and Twitter, that the rest of the final season will consist of the hours leading up to the wedding. It is even possible that we may have to wait until the finale to finally watch Ted and “the mother” meet. The producers are dangling yet another mystery right there, in front of our faces.

So has this mystery been dragged out too long for the shows own good?  In the past, the show has lost a lot of viewers and has gained negative press for holding the answer to such an important question. I mean, I’m all for a good plot twist but eight years? Although it’s refreshing to know that executive producers Carter Bays and Craig Thomas are done playing games with who the Mother is, it’s still overwhelming to have to question how long it will be until “the mother” and Ted cross paths.

Overall the premiere’s nonstop comedy, quirky characteristics and the lighthearted drama met my exceedingly high expectations. Although the episode was not shot at the gang's iconic bar, I liked the use of locations and the way each new setting was designed. Also, I enjoyed the lighting and took notice that when Ted goes to the airport against Lilly's wishes he is lit in a dark manner while scenes in the the fancy hotel meant for wedding guests are lit very bright, in fact almost, at times, overexposed. The episode itself follows the five main characters as they travel to Barney and Robin’s wedding. Marshal’s trip includes an airplane ride where he worries about how he will tell his wife about his newest job offer. Barney and Robin contemplate their wedding guests and realize there is a slight possibility that they may or may not be related. Ted and Lilly’s road trip to the wedding is filled with bickering that causes Lilly to get out of the car and board a train. On the train, Lilly begins to have a nervous breakdown and one of the passengers turn around and takes notice. Ted narrates this scene, “And that’s how Lilly met your mother”. Maybe it's little hints like these that are enough for the show to capture our attention. And, hopefully the show will soon end without any unanswered questions so we can live the next eight years in peace.