…not Stella! At least that’s what I’m hoping for and what I’m inclined to believe. When I saw Sarah Chalke at the end of “Right Place Right Time,” it took me by surprise since I was never really fond of the Ted-and-Stella pairing. Sure, Ted (Josh Radnor) and Stella have good chemistry and I adore Chalke, but I kind of lost interest in the couple seeing that the How I Met Your Mother has continuously tried to keep them apart by showing us how much incompatible they are. (The last straw was when Stella dumped Ted on their wedding day and reunited with her ex-husband, eventually giving Ted some sort of closure.)
But as the title of the episode suggests, the universe has a different plan for Ted. To quickly recap: Ted feels like the universe is conspiring against him because his first big client as independent contractor wants him to create a restaurant shaped like a cowboy hat but later realizes that the universe has something else lined up for him as he steps out of the house. Basically, the whole installment sheds light on how being in the right place at the right time can impact a person’s life, building up to Ted accidentally running into Stella by the end of episode. Meanwhile, Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) celebrates his 200th female conquest.
“Right Place Right Time” proves it’s the little things that make up life. That even the slightest decisions you make – like choosing which direction to go to or where to eat – can affect and change your life forever. Stella may be the mystery woman at the right place at the right time but I don’t think she’s the mother of Ted’s children nor will she rekindle a relationship with Ted. I don’t even think the show will try to go down that path again. But How I Met Your Mother is getting back to its primary roots and will seemingly wrap up some things that have been left dangling by the end of the season, leading me to think that Ted bumping into Stella again will eventually lead him to the future mother of his children. Perhaps Stella introduces Ted to a friend whom she went out with on the same St. Patrick’s Day night when Ted got the yellow umbrella?
We still have two more episodes to enjoy before the fourth season of How I Met Your Mother comes to a close. Hopefully, the show will give us more hints about the mother. And if Stella’s not the one, then I hope there won’t be anymore continued clues that she may be.
-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of CBS)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
