Turns out during their summer hiatus, it was Barney who flew to San Francisco and asked Lily to return to New York. With a plane ticket in hand, Barney showed up at Lily’s door and told her what we as an audience already knew — that they belong together.
It was a nice moment, a very SCRUBSesque (read: emotional J.D.) scene for Barney. Yet in this TV Addict’s opinion — completely out of character for the legen—DARY Barnicle.
The great thing about Barney (or so I thought) was that he has little or no emotional depth. Beneath the strippers, poker, pick-up lines and brilliant one-liners, there’s well, more pick-up lines, one night stands and a few genuine cuban cigars. With Barney, what you see is what you get, and frankly that what makes him so brilliant.
Barney is the equivalent of the foursome from SEINFELD or Dr. House. Through nine seasons, did Jerry, Elaine, George or Kramer ever exhibit any personal growth? Has Dr. House improved his bedside manner? Certainly not. For if those characters evolved, SEINFELD and HOUSE wouldn’t be the same show.
Simply put, Barney should remain Barney. If we need emotion moments and ‘personal growth’ — there’s more than enough Ted and Marshall to go around. 
