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Plot

In 2017, Ted and his wife were at the Farhampton Inn for a babymoon when she went into labor. Ted expressed hope the baby would arrive quickly, citing his mother's belief that nothing good happens after 2 a.m. His wife disagreed with that rule, and they got ready to head to the hospital. Four years earlier, at 2:01 a.m. on the night before the wedding, the group ordered one final round of drinks. Marshall kept buying more rounds to delay the inevitable argument with Lily about his new job and their abandoned Italy plans.

He also used the drinks to annoy Ted by showing off childhood items Ted's mother had given him, including a stuffed turtle with a voice recording. Lily pushed for them to leave, but when she revealed she wanted to have the fight after sex, Marshall tried to make their lovemaking last as long as possible. As Ted, Robin, and Barney were about to call it a night, Barney let slip something embarrassing. The group previously thought Barney's drunk limit was "Jabba drunk," where he spoke like Jabba the Hutt.

But Ted and Robin realized the drinks had pushed him into a state where he would answer any question truthfully, so they seized the chance to ask whatever they wanted. Barney admitted to kissing Ted's mother (though nothing more), spending a huge amount on suits each year, and that Robin's family was extremely wealthy. This last revelation angered Ted, who had paid for everything during their relationship, while Robin argued that the money belonged to her family, not her.

Robin repeatedly tried to get Barney to explain why he kept saying "ring bear" instead of "ring bearer" and whether a real bear would appear at the wedding. After several attempts, Barney told her the ring-bearer was a boy named Trevor Hudson, whose mother Barney had worked with. Unbeknownst to Robin, an animal handler was later seen walking with an unseen Trevor Hudson on a chain, leaving it ambiguous whether Trevor was actually a bear or just a very aggressive man.

Critical reception

Bill Kuchman from Popculturology highlighted the episode's three compelling plots, calling the Marshall and Lily argument one of the series' most heartbreaking scenes. He also pointed out that Ted's daughter Penny might be named after the Season 2 episode "Lucky Penny," where a found penny caused Ted to miss a flight for a job interview. Kuchman noted that if Ted had moved away then, he would never have met The Mother, as the penny kept him in the right place at the right time. Donna Bowman of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B+. Max Nicholson of IGN rated it 8.5 out of 10, praising it for delivering on two major mysteries.