TVSquad

The ever-reliable TVShowsOnDVD.com brings us the good news that the second season of How I Met Your Mother will come out on DVD on October 2.

It looks like Carter Bays, Craig Thomas and company have put together a pretty good package. Seven episodes will get audio commentary from the creators, as well as various writers and cast members, including fan (and personal) favorites from last year "Swarley," "Robin Sparkles," "Showdown," and "Single Stamina." It will also include the video for "Let's Go to the Mall," performed by Cobie ("Robin Sparkles") Smulders, a video for the show's theme song, "Hey Beautiful" by the Solids, four featurettes and an easter egg.

There are lots of questions that have come up about the last few episodes How I Met Your Mother's second season: Will Robin and Ted stay together or will they break up? Why were the two of them covered in tomato sauce during the "Showdown" episode? Will Ted finally meet the woman who becomes the mother to his kids? And, of course, will HIMYM make it to a third season, given the rumors that the show is very much on the bubble?

Well, who better to go to for answers than Carter Bays? He and Craig Thomas (Craig is on the left in the picture above, and Carter is on the right) are the creators and executive producers of the show, and have been working as a writing team since they met at Wesleyan University. The 31-year-olds worked together on Late Show with David Letterman, Oliver Beene, and American Dad before getting a chance to run the show on HIMYM in 2005.

I spoke to Bays by phone last week (I was supposed to also speak with Thomas, but a family emergency called him away). Be warned that this interview contains MAJOR SPOILERS pertaining to the finale. I will warn you prior to a spoilery portion of the interview (and tell you when it ends) so you can skip it if you wish.

(S02E07) SWARLEY!

Swarles... Swarles Barkley... Swarlos... man, every time I heard the gang give a variation on Barney's new nickname -- given to him because a cute barista could never write his name right on his drink order -- I laughed out loud. And the joke never got old, especially when Ted would place calls to the bartender at MacLaren's so he could call "Swarely" and annoy Barney.

That's good sitcom writing, boys and girls. I mean, it's a joke that's as old as sitcoms themselves... a nickname that a person hates but the rest of his friends love. But it's written so well that it's the funniest thing HIMYM has done all season, and that's saying a lot.