How I Met Your Mother Finale & Series Discussion

[RobDeer 45]

Maybe there aren't enough people on here that are fans of the show to give this its own thread but wanted to see if people watched, and what their thoughts were.

 

This show took me awhile to really start enjoying it, but once I bought in, I became addicted. I'm really going to miss it. It's been a great ride with many peaks, and a few valleys.

 

As for the finale, I have mixed emotions on it. At first, I disliked it. It started to bother me. As I thought about it more, I decided I like the way everything ended up....I think. I believe there were many issues, but for me, it was more with execution, not the outcome. There should have been a more emotional scene with Ted and his wife, saying goodbye, or something like that. Give us a chance to really "feel" what he felt. I also think the final scene should have actually showed Ted and Robin having more of a connection. Even if it was as music played and it faded away. I just think it was too quick and didn't let us feel what they were feeling. That all said, as I think about the final episode, my mind has filled in the gaps and let me do a little more interpretation of how everything went. I kind of like that. But I'm an optimist, so that works. For the pessimist, that may not work. Overall I'm happy, but also surprised how much I'm still thinking of this show and how it ended. I guess that's good.

 

I always thought that Ted and Robin would end up together, I just wasn't sure how, until about half way through the finale. I'm looking forward to watching the series again from the beginning and soaking it all in. I'll probably give it a few years.

 

Thanks for all the laughs and even the emotional times HIMYM. You will be missed.

[brwrsfan]

HIMYM was one of the first shows I really watched start to finish as it happened. I mean, I've seen every Seinfeld and King of Queens and a few others, but usually in syndication and not in the moment. This show started my first year out of college and I latched on to it as it was more or less my lifestyle at the time. That being said...I have some serious issues with the entire last season and the last episode.

 

To me, it felt like they wanted the show to end after season 8 but got talked into one more year. The fact that we had one final season (what 20+ episodes) that spanned all of 3-5 days at Barney/Robins wedding only to find out 15 minutes into the last episode that they got divorced really irked me. Why waste our time with all of that (even though that's where the mother ultimately was), only to have them divorce right away? On top of that, I felt like the last episode had no flow and covered like 20 years of their lives in minutes, after spending 9 seasons going through it in detail. I thought this was very poorly done. Why not stretch that 20 years over the entire season? Let us feel the events and then ultimately just end with "And that kids is how I met your mother". The show isn't "how I met your step mother or your Aunt Robin". It feels like they settled on an ending 8 years ago and were going to use it no matter what.

 

They also just let stuff hanging in the last episode that I didn't like. We never get to meet the mother of Barney's kid? We never really hear about what happened to Marshall/Lilly in Italy or really how Lilly's life goes at all. I also think we either should have never ever met the mom or seen her at all until the very last moment, that was the perfect end to the show. But since they didn't do that, I agree, let us connect with her a little, let us see her and Ted, don't just kill her off in an unemotional 2 minute way. Throughout the show they always talked about how they drifted apart here and there but that they were always friends and came back for robots vs wrestling and all that - but in the finale, it's pretty clear that Robin is gone and essentially out of the group for a long stretch of time.

 

I loved the first 8 years of the series (though they did some things I didn't like along the way), was rather disappointed with the last season and felt cheated with the finale. Just my take.

[logan82]

I think they should have had Ted meeting the mother a lot closer to the start of the episode. You know that Barney and Robin are already divorced by the time Ted and the mother meet.

 

I never really felt much attachment to the mother. I think the jumping around in time didn't allow for much connection with her. At least in the last episode.

 

I hate how they basically undid most of the character development of the last few years. After the whole season spent on the weekend leading up to Barney and Robin's wedding it was really aggravating to have it all undone within a few minutes.

 

Ted and Robin ended up together, maybe. I don't remember if she stopped moving around for her job enough to have a real relationship. It showed when didn't when she and Barney split. For Ted to try with her again just seems idiotic. Again, undoing the character growth. The characters were in the end basically the same as they were at the start. Except for Barney.

[jerichoholicninja]

I watched the pilot and second episode at a friend's house when the show first started and never watched again so my opinion means pretty much nothing but I've been reading a lot about the finale because I like series finales. That said, it seemed to me that the whole point of the show was about finding the mother and for them to just go, "here's mom, now she's dead, but Ted still likes Robin" to be pretty crappy.

[paul253]

To me the whole thing made zero sense. The name of the show is "How I met your Mother" and while I guess it technically did focus on that it ends up killing the mother off the same episode in which they meet? Then they devote the entire last season to Robin and Barney's wedding, and have them make it through all sorts of difficult situations, only to have them get divorced half way through the finale because their work schedules don't match? I don't know, it just seemed like they were trying too hard to come up with twists and it essentially defeated the entire purpose of the show. I think if they really wanted Ted and Robin be together they should have made Robin "the mother" and tried to hide that all the way up to the finale.

[PrinceEatMeat]

http://www.suitesports.com/2014/04/requiem-for-how-i-met-your-mother.html

 

This perfectly sums up my thoughts, and the thoughts of mostly everyone, on the finale.

[fondybrewfan]

The ending was basically a Cop Out. The entire series was basically pointless and the Final Season was devoted entirely to Robin & Barney's wedding and how much they love each other only to find out they got divorced. LAME.

[RobDeer 45]

Right now, I'm feeling like I'd like to debate some of the people that say it was a cop out. I won't debate good vs bad, that's in the hands of each viewer. While I do agree everything felt rushed, I think the stories were done well. I too wanted more information, but decided to let my imagination fill in the gaps.

 

OK, to say the series was pointless because they killed the mother right away. I think the entire series was really about Ted and Robin, not the mother. He was telling that story in his mind, but the kids said at the end, you basically kept telling stories about Robin. So I think you have to look beyond the title, and look more at how the series really went. I can't wait to go back and watch it for that reason.

 

Last season was bad because Robin and Barney got divorced right away in the finale. I think it took the whole season to really make us believe that Robin and Barney were supposed to get married. That they really did love each other, at that time. They both had trust issues and both needed each other to break those down. We also needed that last season to show that Ted could really let go of Robin. Which, I do think he did, at that point in time.

 

Ted really fell in love and then they killed his wife dislikes. I actually think that was good and I felt like I saw enough of her and them together to see they really loved each other. I think they had a great love, but in the end, Robin and Ted were soul mates. Their timing was never right. Robin wanted to be famous and travel, and not have kids. She got to do that. Ted wanted to fall in love and get married and have a family. He got to do that. Years down the road, and 6 years after Ted's wife died (not too soon), they finally were perfect for each other.

 

I do like the idea of the final season covering all the years of the final episode. That would have been great! I did feel everything was too rushed. That said, I actually really enjoyed the final season and I think it actually did set everything up.

 

A few points of debate for the other side of the coin. Again, I'm optimistic, so I usually look at stuff in a positive light. Can't help it.

[brwrsfan]

I actually like the mother dying at the end...I think that would have been quite the plot twist if they hadn't already hinted at it. Somehow tied that in, explains how he meets her, like it was her birthday or something and the kids don't remember her, so he sat down to tell the story. I think if they had hidden it, that would have been a pretty shocking and decent end - at least it would have made sense.

 

The thing that really irks me the most is that the title of the show gave them the PERFECT end to the series - to me, the last line should have been "and that kids is how I met your mother". The end. To do anything but that I think was failing to utilize the title they created. The had it perfect with them meeting at the train station. Do that scene, then tell the kids that's how they met. The end.

 

I'm now seeing in places that they only had one ending filmed with the kids. How could you possible be that short sighted 8 years ago? You trapped yourself into one ending because it's the only one you filmed in the second season with the kids? How is that possible? I think anyone could have suggested filming 5+ endings just in case you change your mind. Or, if you want to change it, simply show the kids but not have them have a line at the end - there were plenty of times during the show the kids were on screen but said nothing.

 

Agreed on the article linked above - says pretty much everything well, especially point #2.

[adamb100]

I hated the ending of the finale at first but I grew more to it. The writers played a risky move by killing the mother when mostly everyone was expecting a happily ever after ending. I think the move backfired a bit just because of how quick they killed her off. There was no mourning, we don't even know her cause of death. I think all the story lines in the finale could have been spread out to make a fantastic season 9. Have the wedding occur (that is where Ted meets the mother after all) but don't have it be the focal point of the season. They could have dedicated the first half of the season to the wedding and the second half to the stuff in the finale.

[patrickgpe]

the finale was packed and rushed. The complete opposite of the final season. Instead of devoting the entire season to 1 weekend, I wish they would have spread out the last episode over atleast a month.

 

I don't get the point of rushing ted meeting tracy, barney and robin getting divorced, lily and marshall having a 3rd child, tracy dying, and robin and ted getting together in a hour.

[logan82]

I don't get the point of rushing ted meeting tracy, barney and robin getting divorced, lily and marshall having a 3rd child, tracy dying, and robin and ted getting together in a hour.

One show on each of those would have probably been the best way to go. I would have liked to see how the whole group with Tracy interacted. Ted and Tracy hanging out with Lilly and Marshall.

[giffted1]

The thing that irked me the most about the finale was the kids in the end essentially saying "forget about mom, we know you've always loved Robin." Really? I could maybe understand that if they'd never known their mother, but she would have been a part of their lives for a while.

[RobDeer 45]

The thing that irked me the most about the finale was the kids in the end essentially saying "forget about mom, we know you've always loved Robin." Really? I could maybe understand that if they'd never known their mother, but she would have been a part of their lives for a while.

 

I agree that was poorly written. They were too excited about it. Could have been done a lot better.

[Baldkin]

"You know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna go date my best friends ex wife with the blessing of my kids"

[GAME05]

i've always enjoyed the show but i have the same "meh" feelings about the finale. so much of it was centered around Robin, yet Robin was the least important main character on the show. Marshall and Lilly were important as Ted's "marriage can be this good" side, and Barney played the antagonist. but Robin was always just that filler to drive the storyline. and so i don't think the last episode should have been so focused on her.

 

Barney. i think his conclusion irked me the most. for two seasons we watched as Barney matured and grew out of being the womanizer. then all of a sudden he goes back and says "this is who i really am"?

 

also, it didn't seem like a "Ted" thing to do to wait years to get married. he'd have done it impulsively with the Mother getting pregnant.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Seriously guys, read the article I posted above if you haven't. It's perfect. Especially the part about how big of a jerk Ted is to women. I found that hilarious.

[BrewersSuperCollector]

For the most part I've enjoyed the show which for me was driven by Barney's character. A few years back maybe season 6 or 7 it seemed like every episode was a musical as it seemed to have singing in almost every one. That year really make me question if I was going to continue on.

 

The divorce between Robin and Barney didn't bother me as half of marriages end up in divorce anyway.

 

I liked how Barney connected with his new born child, and would have liked to see the baby's mother.

 

At least we got an hour finale instead of a 1/2 hour.

 

Also, would have liked to see more of Tracy's character. Her time went by too quick on the show.

 

I didn't want Robin and Ted to get together, so that was a bit disappointing. Ted wanted the family and Robin didn't want children.

[paul253]

I think the writers/producers/whoever was in charge of the show mistakenly believed people actually wanted Ted to end up with Robin, kind of like how people wanted Ross and Rachel to end up together on friends. Accept that we didn't.

[RobDeer 45]

I always wanted Ted and Robin together :-/

 

As for Barney, I felt like he just wasn't himself when he was settled down. It was a nice story but it just wasn't him. I do agree that I didn't want him to be the straight womanizer, but Barney just seemed like he needed to be single to be himself. I think they were trying to show that he still had changed once the baby was born. Being more protective of women.

 

Anyway, I really enjoyed this show and will really miss it.

[Point Beer Is Best]

Over the past few years, there were two main theories of how the show would end.

 

1) The mother is dead. The theory behind that being the story was told entirely from Ted's perspective. The mother isn't there to interject, and this theory was really cemented in the penultimate episode when the mother tells Ted that she doesn't want him to be someone who lives in his stories, and to go out and experience life. He also gets choked up after she says, "What kind of mother wouldn't show up for her child's wedding?" hinting at a terminal illness. The finale was no surprise if you picked up on some subtle hints.

 

2) The other theory was that Ted was dead. This would have been explained by the fact that you have a narrator (Bob Saget), instead of Ted's voice. He's already an adult, this isn't "The Wonder Years." The narrator could have been a lawyer, or family friend who was reading this story to his kids shortly after his passing. That was obviously a red herring, and was never explained. Ted's real voice just took over the story over the last few minutes.

 

It's been almost a week, and I'm still not sure how I feel. I knew what was coming, and hated it, but sort of made peace with it when you think about the fact that the mother is also reunited with her first love (Max) who died suddenly. I still find it weird that Ted and the mother waited so many years to get married when that goes 100% against who Ted was the whole series.

[adamb100]

http://i.imgur.com/wdH4IFX.jpg

 

Well aint that interesting.

 

I found this fan made ending too.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8kifHQiw0I

[stalton]

After watching the pilot for the first time since the finale, I think it clarified some things for me and it muddied some things for me as well. I get the concept of bookends for closure and the blue french horn brings the show full circle which is the "proper" way to do things. It happens all the time in book/movies/tv/etc all the time, so I understand and can appreciate the completeness of the series. I like the concept of knowing something (Ted meeting his wife, Anakin becoming Vader, etc) and following the process of how that happens. It is a different way of telling a story, in my opinion.

 

However, when that process gets nullified or that process gets overpowered by GL trying to shoehorn every stinkin' character into the prequel, the point is lost. I thought as a whole the series was great, but it wasn't the story that I wanted. For 9 years they made me invested in knowing more about the mother, not who Ted wants to spend the rest of his life with.

[MJLiverock]

I think the writers/producers/whoever was in charge of the show mistakenly believed people actually wanted Ted to end up with Robin, kind of like how people wanted Ross and Rachel to end up together on friends. Accept that we didn't.

 

So true for me. Two characters I barely tolerated on shows I've watched a lot of episodes of are Ross and Ted. My wife didn't even fall into the Ted and Robin together ending group. The Barney/Robin divorce was fine and actually makes sense given how often it happens and without kids to keep them together.

[MJLiverock]

I think the writers/producers/whoever was in charge of the show mistakenly believed people actually wanted Ted to end up with Robin, kind of like how people wanted Ross and Rachel to end up together on friends. Accept that we didn't.

 

So true for me. Two characters I barely tolerated on shows I've watched a lot of episodes of are Ross and Ted. My wife didn't even fall into the Ted and Robin together ending group. The Barney/Robin divorce was fine and actually makes sense given how often it happens and without kids to keep them together.