How I Met Your Mother: Now we know

NEW YORK - So now we know how he met their mother.

In its 208th and final episode on Monday, the CBS comedy "How I Met Your Mother" finally revealed the mystery contained in its title and then ended with a twist designed to reward longtime fans.

No more spoilers here.

Suffice it to say that the show follows Ted and the mother, Robin and Barney (played by Cobie Smulders and Neil Patrick Harris) and Marshall and Lily (played by Jason Segel and Alyson Hannigan) as they enter their 40s. A lot of things change. A lot of things don't.

But in the end, Ted finally wraps up the long, very involved story he has spent nine long seasons telling his children.

Smulders said that after the screening, she planned to go home and watch the finale with friends. She said many of the emotions felt by the characters in the last episode mirrored what the actors were feeling.

"I am personally really thrilled," she said. "The show comes full circle."

So what do you think? Did anything surprise you?