"How I Met Your Mother" Season 8 comes back with a new episode Monday. It could be the calm between the storm, so to speak, if "storm" means the flurry of story developments leading to the season finale. The most recent episode, "Time Travelers," surprised HIMYM fans with big revelations about Ted Mosby's love story. Hail, Craig Thomas and Carter Bays, these guys are masters of great distraction. This same episode sparked or re-sparked some persistent fan speculations related to divorce, death, and destiny.

HIMYM Season 9 Speculations: Robin-Barney Divorce

Show runners Thomas and Bays have always employed the more-on-that-later storytelling style in "How I Met Your Mother." Fans have grown accustomed to expecting the unexpected from the sitcom's writers. In the case of Robin and Barney, many are expecting an "unexpected" divorce sometime in the show's future.

Avid HIMYM viewers noted a couple of future-set scenes in which neither Robin nor Barney is wearing a wedding band. In another line of speculation, the wedding will be cancelled midway. But there will be a reception, anyway, for friends and family.

HIMYM Season 9 Speculations: The Mother's Death Theory

Some fans believe the titular mother had been dead for a while before Ted started telling his kids about their mom.

Then in the "Time Travelers" episode, Ted's pronouncements (loving the 'mother until the end of his days) were seen as hints that he has died. And the story is being told in a video recording. The kids' reaction to Ted's intro in the series pilot, however, does not seem to indicate melancholy for an either-one dead scenario.

HIMYM Season 9 Speculations: The Ted-Robin Destiny

Ted's long-lasting feelings for Robin have carried out through "How I Met Your Mother" since the pilot episode. Many fans are convinced the two are destined for each other.

In relation to the Robin-Barney no-wedding/divorce speculations, some fans are expecting a Robin-Ted scenario years or decades down the line. This also fits to the theory that the "mother" will die young.

What's a "How I Met Your Mother" episode without elements that ignite the best and the weirdest fan theories? This week's episode, "Romeward Bound," brings the viewers attention to Lily and Marshall. Lily has to make a career decision as a family woman. Meanwhile, Barney and Ted try out their sleuthing skills on a mystery woman. Watch out for more clues for Season 9 storylines.

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