How I Met Your Mother tells the story of Ted spending years and years trying to find his soul mate, with the support of his best friends. However, along the way, the fans also became interested in the dynamics between the other characters – especially since some of them began romances with each other (such as Barney and Robin).

They Do Not Have An Immediate Romantic Connection

When Barney and Robin first meet, Barney is actually acting as a wingman for Ted because he is the one who initially takes to her. While Barney and Robin seem to get on and do develop a friendship over time, there does not seem to be any romantic element to their friendship.

They Are Friends First

As Robin and Ted are the pair who are initially interested in each other, Robin and Barney develop a friendship with each other before they become romantically involved. They get to know and learn how to be vulnerable around one another, which can often lead to some sweetest friendship scenes (as How I Met Your Mother fans will contest).

They Break Up And Get Back Together

When Barney and Robin do eventually get together for the first time, their relationship does not last. The pair become extremely dysfunctional and, despite caring for one another, being in a relationship with one another does not make either of them happy. However, with some distance, experience, and space to grow individually the pair reunite and marry.

They Have The Same Friendship Group

How I Met Your Mother begins with Robin joining Ted, Barney, Lily, and Marshall’s group. Most of the scenes in the show are centered on the five friends spending time together and talking to each other. It is therefore unsurprising that relationships between characters form, given how much time they spent together.

They Remain Friends After Breaking Up

When Robin and Barney break up after their first relationship, Robin definitely struggles. Although the decision to break up is mutual and both characters know it is the right thing to do, it does take a while for the two to get back to the friendship stage. However, they do manage to successfully do that as they work hard to make sure that things aren’t awkward between them.

There Is Unrequited Love

Although for some of the series Robin and Barney are happily in a relationship, there are also times when they are not but one of them wants to be. This is true for both characters, although particularly for Barney. When Robin and Ted are living together and begin being intimate with each other again, Barney is devastated. When Robin chooses to stay with Kevin instead of being with Barney, it is one of the saddest moments in How I Met Your Mother.

They Want The Best For Each Other

Whether Barney and Robin are in a relationship or not, it is clear that they want the best for one another. When they break up for the first time, it is both because they want to be happy themselves and they want each other to be happy too. When Robin and Barney agree to break up Nora and Kevin together, Barney desperately hopes that Robin will leave Kevin for him. However, when she does not, he does not intervene because he wants her to be happy.

They Have To Work At Their Relationship

As things do not always go smoothly in Barney and Robin’s relationship, they have to work at their relationship to make it successful. The series sees the two sitting down to discuss their relationship a number of times. Sometimes the pair argue or disagree, and sometimes one of them does not feel valued. The series sees the pair actually having conversations and communicating about any of the problems in their relationship. It also shows them making small sacrifices in order to make their relationship work, with Barney and Robin creating some of HIMYM’s great romantic gestures.

They Are Not Always Sure What They Want

There are times in Barney and Robin’s relationship when they are not sure if they want to be with each other. When Barney and Robin cheat on Nora and Kevin, Robin is unsure if she wants to stay with Kevin or be with Barney instead. When Robin and Barney are getting married, Barney talks about going back to New York because his tie is the wrong color and Robin is concerned that she should have ended up with Ted. Even when they first get together, neither of them are sure they want to be in a relationship.

Their Relationship Does Not Last Forever

Although Robin and Barney do eventually get engaged and married, they reveal to their friends a little while later that they decided to get divorced. This is a shock to their friends, but Barney and Robin explain that they remain friends and that they see their marriage as successful for a short time rather than unsuccessful.