How I Met Your Mother - Season 8 - EPs share 6 plans

It's the beginning of the end: "I think I can say that the premiere is the first episode of the last season of How I Met Your Mother," says Thomas. "I don't feel like we altered it because of not knowing if it's the end. We're writing this season like it's the end. We'll have to have a Plan A and a Plan B going, and we're approaching the moment where those plans diverge." The duo also think they'll know relatively soon which course they need to take. "It gets more and more difficult as it goes on," added Bays. "We'd like to know as soon as possible, but it's a lot of big machinery moving around."

Sweeps is the breakup month: The season picks up with several happy unions -- Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) and Quinn (Becki Newton), Ted (Josh Radnor) and Victoria (Ashley Williams), Robin (Cobie Smulders) and Nick (Michael Trucco) -- but none of them will stay that way. "We've shown you the end of these relationships," Thomas says. "We know that Ted doesn't marry Victoria, and we know that Barney doesn't marry Quinn. We're just sort of having to show you the path of carnage that ends these relationships. All three of these breakups will be different. That's the goal of breakup month, to show you three different dissolution of relationships.

Read more at the Hollywood Reporter.