Finally, Ted tells him to try on a special wedding-day suit Tim Gunn made for him, but Barney dislikes it, claiming it looks and feels terrible.
The men go get some food while Robin goes out for some ice – and chances upon her mother, whom she happily embraces and finally realizes she is about to get married.
Noting the sudden appearance of Robin's mom, she asks, "What mother is going to miss her daughter's wedding?"
She quickly changes the subject to how Barney got the Scuba Suit for one of his earlier scams; Ted having forgotten that he had stolen it when he first told the story.
In December 2013, Cobie Smulders stated that the show was looking to cast Robin's mother, and said that Annette Bening was one of the actresses she pitched to producers.
[2] Bill Kuchman of Popculturology noted that the episode supports the theory that Ted is telling his children this story because The Mother is dead in the year 2030, drawing parallels between "Vesuvius" and "The Time Travelers".
If I’m sticking to Occam’s Razor still, it's now a lot harder to debunk 'The Mother is dead' theory.
[4] Max Nicholson of IGN gave the episode 8.3/10, saying it finished strong thanks to a compelling and emotional frame story featuring Ted and the Mother.