By Warning: This article contains spoilers that some readers may prefer to avoid.
How I Met Your Mother is now just two episodes away from completion - its finale airs in the US next Monday (March 31) with a bumper double bill.
Since launching in 2005, it has aired 205 episodes over nine seasons, including countless high-fives, several slaps and one very important yellow umbrella.
Ahead of next week's finale, Digital Spy has picked our ten personal favourite episodes throughout its run in chronological order.
1. 'Okay Awesome' (season 1, episode 5)
After a stuttering start that many shows suffer at the very beginning, this was the first episode that got me hooked. Not much happens in terms of overall plot, but it focuses on Ted and Barney trying (and failing) to pick up girls at a club, and speaks to all those (including me) who find themselves somewhat out of touch with youths at such venues.
Marshall and Lily escape a boring wine and cheese night, Robin struggles with fame and Barney grinds with what turns out to be his cousin (and doesn't wear a suit!).
2. 'Drumroll, Please' (season 1, episode 13)
Ted had already attempted to find love with several girls as early as midway through the first season, but in this episode he first meets Victoria, probably the third most important woman in his life after Robin and The Mother.
It's a classic episode involving Ted taking ages telling a story to Marshall, Lily and Barney, while Robin has her own secret of falling for Ted. Heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once, it began one of the show's most important story arcs.
3. 'Swarley' (season 2, episode 7)
Marshall and Lily actually broke up for several episodes between season one and two, as ridiculous as that may seem now. But this episode saw one of TV's best couples reunite in extremely sweet circumstances after Marshall took Homeland's Morena Baccarin out on a date, despite Ted and Barney's warnings of the 'crazy eyes'.
Meanwhile, after Barney is named Swarley, the gang proceed to ruin his life by coming up with ingenious ways of rehashing his name.
4. 'Slap Bet' (season 2, episode 9)
Not only did this kick off the ongoing slap war between Marshall and Barney that still lives on, it was the first episode to introduce the amazingness that is Robin Sparkles.
After Barney and the gang pondered whether Robin was hiding a porn past, it turns out that she was actually a teen pop idol in Canada. 'Let's Go To The Mall' is actually pretty damn good.
5. 'Something Blue' (season 2, episode 22)
The episode after Marshall and Lily's awesome wedding, this took place at the reception, with Ted and Robin teasing Barney about some huge announcement.
The whole episode kept fans guessing as to whether they were getting married or having a baby, but it turns out that they had broken up weeks previously, and were keeping a brave face for Marshall and Lily.
6. 'How I Met Everyone Else' (season 3, episode 5)
A classic Friends-style flashback episode, in which Ted revealed how he first met the other members of the group all for the purposes of Ted's weird World of Warcraft girlfriend Blah-Blah, named purely because Future Ted couldn't remember her name.
One personal favourite moment was Ted trying to jog Lily's memory about how they first met.
7. 'Spoiler Alert' (season 3, episode 8)
A hilarious episode in which the group spoil things with Ted's latest girlfriend Cathy when they reveal that she talks too much. This leads to each of them picking out personality traits and habits that some had not realised before, such as Lily chewing loudly and Robin saying "literally" too much.
The episode culminates in Marshall finding out he had passed the bar exam (using his annoying habit of singing his password), allowing the gang to forget about their quarrels in classic HIMYM-style.
8. 'Three Days of Snow' (season 4, episode 13)
An episode which has two different storylines that are both equally brilliant in their own way.
One sees Marshall and Lily attempting to keep up their tradition of Lily bringing him beer at the airport when she returns from a trip, while Ted and Barney find themselves running MacLaren's during a blizzard, leading to the opening of their awesome bar Puzzles.
9. 'Bad News' (Season 6, Episode 13)
Definitely the most heartbreaking episode of the entire series. As numbers in the background of scenes countdown from 50 to 1, Marshall learns that his father has died on the day that he and Lily are about to start a family.
It's made even more incredible when you hear that Jason Segel did not know about this plot twist until the scene itself was filmed in one take.
10. 'How Your Mother Met Me' (Season 9, Episode 16)
The final season has been about 50/50 in terms of quality, with amazing episodes mixed with downright silly ones. This was one of the all-time best, in which we learn about The Mother's backstory from the day of episode one onwards.
Featuring many moments that crossed over with classic HIMYM scenes, it proved that Cristin Milioti's casting was perfect, and gave us hope of an awesome finale.
What are your favourite How I Met Your Mother episodes? Let us know in the comments section below.
