I get that life is about the journey and not the destination, but when you give your show a title that specifically references said destination and then you keep prolonging the journey and prolonging the journey and prolonging the journey, eventually, the destination becomes a threat, rather than a promise. And every time Future Ted Moseby says, "That's a story for later..." the threat becomes more ominous. The show has become a parody of itself in recent years, a morass of structurally ambitious episodes that appear to have been show before anybody could go in and add punchlines to justify the jumbled narratives or flashbacks or fantasy sequences. It's an endless shell game, but most fans have realized that The Mother isn't under any of the shells. Ted ceased to be likable a long time ago. Barney ceased to be likable when the writers decided to undercut his personal growth whenever a cheap, misogynistic joke was required. Robin's been sacrificing her dignity on a weekly basis this season and Marshall and Lily have become such one joke characters that when the writers try to take either character out of their domestic cocoon and integrate them back into the real world, you get series nadir episodes like the arc involving Marshall's Big Case. The show's most interesting recent trick has been making me pity Patrice, who I hope finds real friends, better friends. And CBS is on the verge of ordering a ninth season, giving the showrunners license to drag this story out FOREVER.