A focal point of the fourth “How I Met Your Mother” season, the build towards a Barney-Robin relationship dates back, at least in a subtle capacity, to the very first season of the show. The two had always been portrayed as being cut from the same scotch-drinking, cigar-smoking, relationship-avoiding mold–their courtship, which began in the show’s fifth and current season, had seemed an absolute inevitability.
The show nonetheless took a surprising turn earlier this month when the characters’ relationship came to an abrupt end. While axing the relationship did allow for last week’s extremely well-reviewed “Playbook” episode, it also left fans wondering why the writers would so hastily end a relationship that had been four years in the making.
“None of us wanted to see Barney wearing a sweater-vest and going to bed-and-breakfasts,” said co-creator and executive producer Carter Bays in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. Bays explained that while many viewers might have longed to see Barney and Robin in a long-term relationship, he believes that the viewers would ultimately much rather see Neil Patrick Harris’ Barney remain in his single, womanizing comfort zone.
“It’s one of those things where you can give people what they think they want, or what they really want,” he added.
Neil Patrick Harris’ turn as Barney Stinson is considered the show’s bright spot; the actor has received several Emmy nominations for his turn as the quirky, confident ladies man.
Bays teased that a reconciliation is certainly possible for the future: “The story is not over, for sure.”