Ladies and gentlemen, that is how it is done.

FRIENDSHIP: Barney can womanize, gamble, cheat and manipulate all he wants and will always remain a sympathetic character because the audience has always known (and he proved in this week’s episode) that he would scale mountains for his friends.

and

LOVE: Neil Patrick Harris didn’t say a word but HIMYM fans everywhere didn’t need him too, his gaze said it all. Since they first bonded as bros in season 1, Robin has been the only person who made sense for Barney to fall for. She, and only she, has the power to melt him and his controlled “awesome”-ness. And with that one look from the incomparable NPH it’s become clear to fans that she has.