The Ending of How I Met Your Mother: 10 Years Later
Summary
TLDRThe video script is a retrospective analysis of the popular TV show 'How I Met Your Mother,' focusing on the controversial series finale that aired a decade ago. The creator discusses the show's journey from its inception to its conclusion, highlighting the cultural impact and the narrative missteps that led to widespread disappointment among fans. The script also delves into the alternate ending provided on the DVD release, which is now favored by many fans, and ponders the creative decisions that turned a beloved sitcom into a cautionary tale of a finale gone wrong.
Takeaways
- 📺 The show 'How I Met Your Mother' ended a decade ago, still maintaining its relevance and cultural impact.
- 🎉 Initially a hit with its unique storytelling and relatable characters, the show's finale became notorious for its controversial ending.
- 🚀 The series used a non-linear timeline, creating tension and humor through time jumps, which was a significant part of its artistic identity.
- 🌟 'How I Met Your Mother' was seen as a successor to 'Friends', filling the void left by its end and becoming a pop culture phenomenon.
- 💔 The finale's backlash was due to its unexpected twist, which felt out of place and betrayed the audience's investment in the characters' development.
- 🎭 The character arcs of Ted, Robin, and Barney were significantly impacted by the finale, with some feeling that their growth and story progression was undermined.
- 🤔 The creators' decision to stick to the original ending despite the season's narrative direction led to a finale that left viewers feeling unsatisfied.
- 🎬 An alternate ending was released on DVD, which was more literal and focused on Ted meeting Tracy, the mother, and is considered superior by fans.
- 📌 The finale's reception was so negative that it remains one of the most criticized TV finales of all time.
- 🔄 Despite the controversy, the show's legacy continues with fans still engaging in discussions about its characters and storylines a decade after its conclusion.
Q & A
How long has it been since the end of 'How I Met Your Mother'?
-It has been a decade since the end of 'How I Met Your Mother'.
What was the general consensus around the series finale of 'How I Met Your Mother'?
-The series finale of 'How I Met Your Mother' was widely criticized and is often mentioned in lists of the worst series finales of all time.
How did the show 'How I Met Your Mother' use time jumps in its storytelling?
-The show used time jumps as a significant part of its artistic identity, often jumping back and forth in different points in time to build tension, twists, and comedic timing.
What was the main criticism of the final season of 'How I Met Your Mother'?
-The final season was criticized for stretching out over a single weekend, feeling disconnected from the previous seasons, and ultimately leading to a disappointing conclusion.
What was the significance of the name 'Tracy' revealed in the first season of 'How I Met Your Mother'?
-The name 'Tracy' was revealed as the mother's name in the first season, serving as a major clue to her identity that was largely overlooked by the audience.
How did the creators of 'How I Met Your Mother' handle the reveal of the mother's identity?
-The creators initially planned to introduce the mother with a famous actress as a surprise, but ultimately revealed her as Tracy McConnell, played by relatively unknown actress Cristin Milioti.
What was the audience's reaction to the series finale of 'How I Met Your Mother'?
-The audience's reaction was overwhelmingly negative, with many feeling betrayed and disappointed by the conclusion of the series.
What was the alternate ending included in the DVD release of the final season of 'How I Met Your Mother'?
-The alternate ending re-edited the original finale to remove any mention of the mother's death and Ted ending up with Robin, instead focusing on Ted's journey to meet Tracy and ending right after their first meeting.
Why did the creators of 'How I Met Your Mother' decide to include an alternate ending?
-The creators included an alternate ending due to the massive backlash against the original finale, as a way to provide fans with a different, more satisfying conclusion.
What is the general opinion on the alternate ending of 'How I Met Your Mother'?
-The alternate ending is largely considered superior by fans and is preferred over the original canon ending.
Outlines
🎉 Reflecting on 'How I Met Your Mother' - A Decade Later
The paragraph discusses the author's revisit to the popular TV show 'How I Met Your Mother' a decade after its conclusion. It highlights the show's cultural impact, the controversy surrounding its finale, and the author's personal connection to the series. The author, a teenage fan of the show, explores the lasting online presence of the show and the collective decision to avoid discussing its ending. The paragraph also introduces a sponsored content about a photography class on Skillshare, a platform for learning various skills.
📺 The Story and Legacy of 'How I Met Your Mother'
This paragraph delves into the storyline of 'How I Met Your Mother', focusing on the main characters and the unique narrative structure that involves time jumps. It discusses the show's exploration of adult life, relationships, and the relatable human experiences of the characters. The paragraph also touches on the cultural phenomenon of the show, its comparison to 'Friends', and the fan theories surrounding the identity of the mother. The author shares their perspective on the final season and the anticipation leading up to the series finale.
🕵️♂️ The Mystery and Revelation of the Mother's Identity
The paragraph focuses on the central mystery of 'How I Met Your Mother' - the identity of the mother. It details the various fan theories and speculations that arose over the years, including the potential involvement of high-profile actresses. The author reveals that the true identity of the mother, Tracy McConnell, was subtly hinted at in an early episode, which most viewers missed. The paragraph also discusses the reveal of the mother's name and the subsequent disappointment when the character was eventually introduced.
💔 The Controversial Series Finale and Its Aftermath
This paragraph critiques the series finale of 'How I Met Your Mother', describing it as clumsy and unsatisfying. The author discusses the finale's plot, including the revelation of the mother's death and Ted's pursuit of Robin after the mother's passing. The paragraph highlights the backlash from fans and critics, and the author's personal feelings of betrayal and dissatisfaction with the ending. It also mentions the alternate ending provided on the DVD release, which is considered superior by fans and concludes the series on a more positive note.
🤔 Revisiting the Ending - A Critique on Character Arcs and Storytelling
The paragraph provides a critical analysis of the show's ending, questioning the narrative choices and character development. The author argues that the ending feels like a betrayal of the characters' arcs, particularly Robin and Barney, and criticizes the show for undermining their growth and story progression. The paragraph also discusses the show's initial focus on Ted and Robin's relationship and how the ending contradicts this by reverting to their romance. The author expresses frustration over the final season's focus on Robin and Barney's wedding, which seems to contradict the final twist.
🎶 The Emotional Journey and the Show's Impact
This paragraph reflects on the emotional journey of the characters and the impact of the show on its audience. It talks about the love story between Ted and Tracy, the hardships Ted faced, and how they led him to the mother. The paragraph concludes with the final words of the series, reinforcing the central theme of the show - the story of how Ted met his children's mother.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡How I Met Your Mother
💡Series Finale
💡Cultural Phenomenon
💡Character Development
💡Narrative Structure
💡Pop Culture
💡Viewer Backlash
💡Alternate Ending
💡Time Jumps
💡Character Arc
Highlights
The end of 'How I Met Your Mother' marked a decade, showcasing the passage of time and the show's impact on pop culture.
The show was a hit by every definition, captivating audiences with its unique blend of humor and life experiences.
Despite its popularity, the series finale was widely criticized, often appearing on lists of the worst TV finales.
The finale's controversy was unprecedented, with a level of public outrage not commonly seen in response to TV endings.
The show's storytelling was characterized by clever use of time jumps, contributing to its artistic identity and narrative structure.
The series was seen as a successor to 'Friends', filling the void left by that iconic show and becoming an internet darling.
The final season was unusual, taking place over a single weekend and stretching the timeline in a way that felt unnatural.
The identity of the mother was a major source of speculation and theorizing among fans, with many expecting a surprise reveal.
The reveal of the mother's name, Tracy McConnell, was a significant plot point, despite being hinted at in an early episode.
The finale's twist, where Ted ends up with Robin after the mother's death, felt out of place and betrayed the story that had been told.
The conclusion of Ted and Robin's romance was well-executed throughout the series, making the finale's return to their relationship feel jarring.
The finale's decision to undermine Robin's character and her life choices was seen as a betrayal of her established values and growth.
Barney's character arc was largely undone in the finale, reverting him back to his earlier womanizing ways and disregarding his development.
The creators included an alternate ending on the DVD release, which was more literal and focused on Ted meeting Tracy, the mother.
The alternate ending is considered superior by fans and provides a more coherent and emotionally satisfying conclusion.
The finale's controversial decisions and lack of groundwork in the final season led to it being regarded as one of the worst TV finales.
The finale's narrative choices made the entire story of the show feel redundant and undermined the character development of the past seasons.
The creators' decision to stick to the original ending despite audience backlash highlights the challenges of concluding a long-running series.
The finale's reception underscores the importance of consistent storytelling and the risks of subverting audience expectations in a long-term narrative.
Transcripts
but if you know you
[Music]
know but if you know you
[Music]
know it's crazy to think that it's been
an entire decade since the end of How I
Met Your Mother 10 years to conclude a
show that started almost 20 years ago it
honestly doesn't feel like it's been
that long time really does fly or I'm
just getting old I don't know man I was
a big fan of How I Met Your Mother when
I was a teenager as were a lot of people
it was a hit show by every definition of
the term the hype around this series was
no joke from its very first season to
its last How I Met Your Mother had pop
culture in a choke hold even if you
weren't watching it you just could not
Escape it it was everywhere as we all
know though this show
kind of dropped the ball they kind of
messed up at the end if you go around
the internet and encounter any top 10
list of the worst series finales of all
time I'm willing to bet that every
single one of them will mention the
series finale of How I Met Your Mother
very few shows have managed to rival the
absolute Scandal caused by that finale
it was kind of crazy and I can say as
someone who was watching the show week
to week for years experiencing the
ending along with the rest of the world
was just wild like we all love to talk
about bad TV endings like Game of
Thrones Dexter or Pretty Little Liars
which are all terrible don't get me
wrong but I don't think people truly
remember just how loud the anger was
when How I Met Your Mother ended cuz at
the time it did in 2014 we had never
really seen something like that happen
but now it's been a decade and I haven't
taken a look at the show's final season
in years and while How I Met Your Mother
has remained extremely relevant online
over the years I feel like most people
avoid talking about the ending it's kind
of an unspoken rule of the internet we
just collectively chose to forget about
it so recently I started getting really
curious to see how the ending of the
show has aged like I started to wonder
how I would feel about the ending now
with a completely different lens I mean
who knows maybe it wasn't as bad as we
thought it was back then maybe the
outrage wasn't entirely Justified or
maybe it was maybe in retrospect we were
too hard on it I don't know it picked my
curiosity 10 years is a long enough time
and that was starting to take over my
brain so I finally decided to sit down
and rewatch the ending of the show it
had been a pretty long time so there are
a lot of details I didn't remember
clearly which made it very interesting
to re explore so today friends we're
going to take a look back at how I met
your mother's ending 10 years later but
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the best and let's get back to the video
so for the uninitiated How I Met Your
Mother is the story of Ted Mosby a young
and ambitious architect living in New
York City with his two best friends from
college and newly engaged couple
Marshall and Lily the story is actually
told from the perspective of Ted 25
years in the future the show is framed
around the scenario of him sitting his
future children down to tell them the
story of how he met their mother and so
he narrates the story of his life and
experiences tracing all the major and
minor events that led him to meeting the
love of his life throughout an entire
decade we witnessed the craziest stories
Ted lived alongside Marshall and Lily
but also with his strange friend Barney
a methodical and unethical womanizer who
leads him to meet Robin a Canadian
journalist who drastically changes the
course of Ted's life on the surface How
I Met Your Mother is sort of framed as a
serialized romantic comedy but the
reality is this is a show about life
we're following a group of friends as
they experience life the joys the
Sorrows the extraordinary and the
mundane the realities of being an adult
we see them fall in love we see them
heartbroken we watch them as they are
faced with the fear of starting a new
job having issues when getting a new
apartment being nervous on a first date
struggling with your career path the
pain of losing a parent the difficulties
of becoming a parent the Epic highs and
lows of high school football nope wrong
show it's a huge Melting Pot of
relatable human experiences through the
lens of a charismatic group of friends
you can't help but get attached to it's
not Reinventing the Wheel by any means
but How I Met Your Mother truly managed
to tell its story in an incredibly
Charming way that made it very unique
the show shapes its storytelling and
even its sense of humor through an
extremely clever use of time jumps which
which is a massive part of its artistic
identity the episodes are almost never
taking place in a linear timeline
instead they build tension twists and
comedic timing by constantly jumping
back and forth in different points in
time this unusual storytelling model is
not only ambitious but also allows for
the writers to get creative with how the
stories play out and it also paves the
way for a good amount of recurring gags
that in time became iconic inside jokes
for audiences true story how Met Your
Mother was a massive pop culture
phenomenon often referred to as the
successor of friends mainly because it
started airing in 2005 just about a year
after friends ended its 10-year run
leaving television and audiences with a
gigantic void to fill with a new super
popular sitcom about fun attractive
white 20s something it was perfect
timing and the show became an internet
darling that led to legend wait for it
Dairy meme and an insane amount of fan
theories about various plot points in
the show namely the very secretive and
highly anticipated reveal of the
mother's identity for eight seasons we
watch the friend group go through life
in a lot of different ways some of which
became massive plot points pertaining to
the title of the show Ted falls in love
with Robin they have an intense romance
but they don't work out eventually Robin
falls in love with someone else so does
Ted despite lingering feelings he gets
engaged he is then left at the altar he
falls in love again years and years of
failed romances occur as he relentlessly
looks for his one true love the mother
we were all waiting to meet Robin
eventually finds her true love in Barney
while Marshall and Lily get married
become parents and build a life as
adequately as they can audiences were in
love with these characters they were
incredibly invested in this story the
show was written in a very engaging way
with great twist and genuinely
jaw-dropping Cliffhangers and with all
of the little Mysteries making the show
talk there was a lot of Buzz and
excitement about its eventual ending all
was well the world was
happy and then came the final season
season 9 of How I Met Your Mother is
really weird and bad it's it's weird and
bad the season has a grand total of 24
episodes and takes place over one
weekend 24 episodes of TV that take
place in three days it is probably the
biggest stretching of time ever put on
television and it's just a weird
decision the season does have its
moments here and there but
overall from the first couple of
episodes you can just tell that
something about the show feels off the
vibe is different it's odd it doesn't
hit the same the dynamic between the
characters also feels a bit different
which is probably not held by the fact
that Marshall is not even with the rest
of the gang for half of the season it's
something that always felt weird to me
but recently I found out that Jason
seagull who played Marshall was
apparently very unhappy on the show
during its last few years and he
allegedly intended to leave the show
after season 8 he was not supposed to
come back for the final season but after
long discussions with CBS the production
managed to convince him to come back to
the show for the final season although
in a somewhat reduced role that would
allow him to focus on other projects and
not have as hectic of a shooting
schedule that and they probably offered
him a fuckload of money too so yeah uh
if you've ever wondered why season 9
makes this really weird decision to have
Marshall separated from the rest of the
cast as he goes on a weird side quest to
get to the wedding uh that's why but
anyways like I said the entirety of
season 9 all 24 episodes of it take
place during the weekend of Robin and
Barney's wedding at that point through
various storylines that happened
throughout the seasons we already knew
that this wedding is where Ted was going
to meet the mother so naturally the
writers used this entire season to build
up to that moment again a very strange
decision timeline wise but it is what it
is this is also the season that is all
about the mother and that is where all
of the fan theories about the show's
ending came to a head like I said
earlier the internet was obsessing over
the identity of the mother and over the
years got really crazy some fans firmly
believe that the mother was a character
we already knew and others were
convinced the mother had yet to be
introduced and was going to be played by
a super famous actress in a big surprise
reveal and everyone was theorizing about
who was going to be playing her Michelle
tractenberg was a huge rumor that last
it for years a lot of fans were
convinced she was going to appear in the
show as the mother Jessica Alba was
another name that floated for a very
long time I even remember a Facebook
group that was heavily supporting the
theory that the mother was going to be
played by Angelina Jolie like it was a
wild time on the internet then at some
point rumors started to emerge that
Rachel Bilson of the OC Fame was going
to appear on the show something that
apparently had been secretly in the
works for a very long time and fans were
convinced she was going to play the
mother Rachel Bilson eventually did
appear in the show but it was a red
hering because she was eventually
revealed to be not the mother but the
mother's roommate who briefly dated Ted
years before he met the mother some
people were also convinced the mother
was going to be Victoria one of Ted's
most important love interests in the
entire show she was a fan favorite and
no she did not end up being the mother
but it was later confirmed by the
creators that Victoria was actually
their backup plan to wrap up the show
with nolu sens in case it was cancelled
before they could end it the way they
wanted so the fans were half right with
this one these were just a few theories
among many of them but ultimately every
theory about the mother's identity ended
up being wrong and it turns out that the
writers had secretly told us that a very
a very long time ago more specifically
in episode 9 of season 1 it's the first
Thanksgiving episode of the show and it
ends with Ted Barney and Robin finding
themselves in a strip club Ted is
approached by one of the strippers who
introduces herself as Ember before
switching up and revealing to him her
real name Tracy and once we hear her
name this happens I'm Amber I'm Ted
actually I'm Tracy still Tad and that
kids is the true story of How I Met Your
Mother what I'm kidding that's how the
episode ends and what seemed like a
random joke at the end of an episode was
actually a gigantic piece of the puzzle
given to us by the writers but pretty
much everybody missed it on their first
watch me included it's by far the
biggest clue they ever gave us the kids
reaction to Ted meeting this stripper is
there because the kids recogniz I their
mother's name the show actually reveals
to us in season 1 that the mother's name
is Tracy therefore any theory that
didn't involve a woman named Tracy was
going to be automatically wrong and yes
as we now know from the end of the show
the mother's name was Tracy McConnell
and she wasn't played by Angelina Jolie
she was played by Kristen Mady who was
relatively unknown at the time she was
officially introduced in the final scene
of the season 8 finale and then appeared
regularly in season 9 as this mysterious
woman who meets Ted's friends in
different situations around the wedding
long story short the final season is
messy and after season 8 having already
been criticized for being largely
uneventful there was a lot of scrutiny
over how season 9 was going to play out
and for most of its run it was sort of
confusing and disappointing and it just
felt like it dragged for way too long
and audience could feel that as they
waited for the answers to all of their
questions 9 years is a long time to be
invested into a show and its story so
despite the season feeling tired there
was still a global sense of enthusiasm
about the upcoming
finale so how does it end how does the
show conclude well that's a pretty
well-known story but let's go over it
quickly the series finale of How I Met
Your Mother does fulfill the promise of
the title although it does it in a very
very clumsy way after a lot of
convoluted time hopping that shows
different points in the lives of the
main characters between the years 2014
and 2030 including Ted's wedding we
finally get to see the moment Ted met
the mother and for all the criticism I
have of the finale and of season 9 as a
whole I got to be honest the actual
scene where Ted and the mother meet is
really good it's so sweet it's a very
cheesy but Charming sequin that truly
delivers on the promise of this meeting
being so incredibly memorable to Ted
you're Cindy's ex- roommate right yeah
and you are the professor econ 305 Eon
305 I don't
teach oh no yeah excuse me I'm going to
jump onto the tracks now no no no no
don't it's so cute like on paper that
scene is perfectly executed there's
absolutely nothing wrong with
it the problem is what came right before
the scene and what came right after
right before the show cuts the scene of
the first meeting TED talks about what
Tracy means to him how getting to
experience life by her side was the
greatest gift he was ever given and how
he cherished every moment with
her even after she got sick yeah that's
when the show revealed that the mother
was hit with an unidentified disease
that brought on some dark times after
that we go back into time and you get to
see the scene where they first meet
closing the loop of the show and
catching us up to 2030 with future Ted
telling the story to his children we
finally get to see them react to the
entire tale their father told them and
it is in this scene that they officially
confirmed to the audience that the
mother is dead she was dead this whole
time she got sick at some point with
some disease and she passed away off
screen sometime in the year 2024 and
basically the whole point of this very
long story is that 6 years after Tracy's
death Ted wants to ask for his
children's blessing because it turns out
that he is still in love with Robin and
he wants to try and give their
relationship another
chance that's it that's it that's it
that is the end of How I Met Your Mother
that is how the show concludes now it's
been 10 years I just re-watched the
ending with a completely new lens and no
matter how I try to look at it it just
doesn't work it's like itchy it gives me
the same icky feeling of dissatisfaction
and irritation that it gave me and
millions of people 10 years ago every
time I watch this finale it feels like
I'm being Bamboozled but not in the
right way it's like a bad trick it's not
impressive The Twist comes out of
nowhere and feels weirdly out of place
and the reason for that is simple and
believe it or not it's not because of
the show's bad writing it's actually
because of the show's good writing let
me explain the reason why the series
finale of How I Met Your Mother doesn't
work is simply because unfortunately for
itself How I Met Your Mother did a
fantastic job at ending Ted and Robin's
Romance Rance it's as stupid as that a
very well-written resolution to their
romantic relationship is the reason why
the ending feels like a betrayal the
conclusion feels jarring and out of left
field because it doesn't feel faithful
to the story that was being told and as
a result it's a story that serves as a
fantastic vehicle for character
assassination basically the ending of
the show had been determined back in
2006 the reason why they had to lock it
in so early is because they needed to
shoot the part of the ending that
involved Ted's children they had to
shoot it then because they didn't want
to take the risk to have the show run
for too long say for example nine
seasons and have to shoot the ending
with the kids that would no longer look
like kids so basically since 2006 the
writers had an ending prepared that they
were unable to change and David Henry
and lindsy fona who played the kids had
to keep the secret of the ending for
almost a decade but the thing thing is
shooting it in 2006 was like signing a
contract this was now the only outcome
the show could have no matter what no
matter what road they took along the way
the Finish Line would have to be that
the mother died and that this was really
all about Robin and the fundamental
issue with that is simply that by the
time How I Met Your Mother actually
reached its end 8 years later in 2014
the ident
of the show had completely changed this
was no longer the story of Ted and Robin
it hadn't been in a really long time we
had been past that point for years this
was no longer the story of Ted and Robin
therefore this was no longer the story
that this ending was designed for and
that is why it made people so angry
after all this time after all of this
the show confirms in its last couple of
minutes that yes indeed this entire
series was about the love story of Ted
and Robin even though by this point
these two characters had not been
romantically involved for the majority
of the show and like I said
unfortunately for itself the show did
too good of a job at making people okay
with that there are several episodes at
different points of the show that are
dedicated to wrapping Ted and Robin's
romance up with a perfect little bow and
solidifying to the audience that they
didn't work out that they are now best
friends that Robin is going to be with
Barney and it makes perfect sense they
did an incredible job at concluding Ted
and Robin's romance and leaving it
behind and it's not something they tried
to like move away from episode 17 of
season 9 has one final storyline
dedicated to this very purpose again the
episode takes place on the morning of
Robin and Barney's wedding and Ted tells
Robin he still has feelings for her
which by the way is a real dick move Ted
is a petty [ __ ] a [ __ ] terrible
friend and a selfish [ __ ] but that's
another conversation in this episode the
show hammers in once again that Ted's
feelings are not reciprocated Robin
moved on years ago and this final look
at their romantic story ends with this
symbolic shot of Ted finally letting
Robin go this was the show's ultimate
reiteration of the reality that Ted and
Robin did not work together something
the show had been drilling into the
audience's heads for several seasons and
again audiences accepted this the show
made it make sense it wrapped it up
perfectly Ted and Robin did not make
sense together Ted had a very specific
vision of what he wanted out of love and
out of life and absolutely nothing about
that Vision was Robin Ted wanted to find
a wife have children settle down and
live in a beautiful home and carry the
perfect sedentary family lifestyle he
had always pictured for himself Robin
wanted to travel the world and pursue
her professional Endeavors she did not
want to have children ever and
eventually found out she was unable to
have children anyway and said Sing Down
living a quiet family life in a Suburban
home is the opposite of what she
pictures her ideal future to be those
positions were absolute Ted was always
going to pursue his family lifestyle
vision and he was not willing to budge
on that and Robin was always going to
put her career first and she was not
willing to budge on that the show made
it very clear Ted and Robin were not
compatible Ted had a hard time accepting
it but Robin had accepted it years ago
and she moved on and fell in love with
someone else this was no longer their
story it hadn't been since the end of
season 2 so when the show suddenly pulls
a 180 essentially negating the entire
story it's been telling for the last 7
years people rightfully felt betrayed
especially because some of their
favorite characters got ruined as a
result in the two-part finale Robin
suddenly switches up on everything she
believes in and tells Lily that Ted is
the man she probably should have ended
up with and she even expresses that it
hurts to watch him be with his perfect
wife and the mother of his beautiful
children essentially saying that she
regrets letting him go and would want to
be in Tracy's place and I'm
sorry that is a fundamental betrayal of
Robin's character it's quite literally
spitting in her face it goes against
everything she stands for like you have
to understand Robin is a career driven
individual whose personal goals are very
much anchored in her achievements her
work is everything to her since day one
her career always comes first through
all of her romantic plot lines from Ted
to random guys and even Barney the show
has always made it very clear that at
the end of the day Robin will always
choose her ambition she will always
choose her career it will always be her
number one priority that is what defines
her as a woman and she will never allow
even her deepest romantic relationships
to stand in the way of that hell the
show cowardly tells you in the finale
that she and Barney divorced a couple
years after their wedding because her
work was taking too much space and it
made them very unhappy in their marriage
but she had no intention of slowing down
I I'm sorry but Robin suddenly flicking
a switch and saying she regrets all of
that and wish she had ended up with Ted
and lived the life he wanted is
character assassination this is taking a
character that had a very coherent
characterization and Arc throughout the
entire show and throwing her off a cliff
at the last second it makes no sense and
the same can be said for Barney saying
Barney Stinson was ruined by the finale
is like the biggest understatement in
the world they essentially took what was
a long and very meticulously crafted
character Arc and completely butchered
it at the finish line and in a matter of
minutes too essentially over the seasons
Barney comes to understand through his
relationship with Robin and Quinn that
his womanizer lifestyle is not
fulfilling because see he did all these
things because he felt empty insecure
unloved and lonely it's established on
numerous occasions that due to his
father leaving him as a baby and not
ever being fully sure of who his father
even was and due to an exgirlfriend who
broke his heart in a very abrupt way
Barney's life is basically being
controlled by his fear of Abandonment
everything he is as a person all of the
very obnoxious toxicity he identifies
himself self with has stemmed from
people he genuinely loved leaving him or
neglecting him the way he dresses the
way he carries himself his need to sleep
with as many women as he can it's a
smoke screen it's a facade and I feel
like that's something a lot of people
don't get about him from Men Who
venerate his Antics like the ones of a
God to people who complain about how the
show glorifies his behavior they are all
missing the point here Barney is not
cool he's hilarious and memorable but
he's not cool he's pathetic that's
always been the point of his character
he's pathetic he's a lonely emotionally
closed off insecure boy with daddy
issues who thinks tricking women into
liking him for a period of time short
enough that he doesn't have time to get
attached to them will somehow protect
him from being abandoned again his
entire facade as this Suave dude in a
perfect suit is a direct result of his
abandonment issues Everyone is always
telling him how lame he is he's always
tricking women by doing these crazy
things because he can't actually get a
woman to like him if he's being himself
and every time characters like Ted or
Marshall follow him in his weird
escapades it's when they are mentally
and emotionally at their lowest they
have to go down to his level because
he's pathetic that's always been the
point of Barney his Arc has always been
about him growing out of this coping
mechanism of a facad that anyone who has
taken a second to care about him can see
right through but because he gets laid a
whole bunch a lot of men watching this
show completely missed the point of the
character and think he's like the
ultimate Chad and like an inspiration or
whatever completely oblivious to the
fact that what the show is getting at is
that Barney might get laate a lot but he
still feels empty and insecure his
lifestyle is not helping it is only
feeding his insecurities the show
doesn't glorify his behavior everyone
around Barney only ever tells him he's
disgusting and creepy and the show sets
a very long path to lead Barney himself
to realize it too it's only when he
falls in love with someone who convinces
him he can be loved for who he is deep
down insecurities and all that he
understands he was wrong this whole time
it's actually a pretty incredible
character Arc he gets to have a very
slow but impactful evolution the man
Barney is in season 9 is very far
removed from the man he was in season 1
he's still eccentric and bougie as hell
but he's a way more respectable man than
before he has grown significantly he
learned to to love someone and he
learned to be loved and leted go of his
obsessive need to hide any form of
weakness of vulnerability he allows
himself to open up to be vulnerable and
in Robin he finds someone who truly
accepts him for who he is and he learns
to give into that and then the finale
decides that nope we're going to bring
Barney back to one and we find out that
after his divorce with Robin he
learned nothing he just goes back to
being the obnoxious womanizer with no
moral compass who gets a kick out of
manipulating women and literally does
not live for any other reason than to
find the next woman he's going to get to
bang they just erase all of his
character development and bring him back
to the pathetic creep he was in season 1
it's literally character assassination
by time travel [ __ ] his Arc [ __ ] his
growth nothing that happened to him in
the last decade mattered he has learned
nothing the finale completely ruined him
and the fact that all of that all of
that came with the audience being made
to fall in love with Tracy the mother
only for the show to go into the finale
like oh yeah the mother the mother um
sure yeah uh she's dead she's dead um
she doesn't really met her anyway this
is this is not about her this was never
about
her like yeah obviously people are going
to be angry it's ending the show after 9
years with a giant middle finger to the
audience you made the show evolve into
something completely different from its
early days and then tried to pull an
ending expecting people to have the same
feelings about Ted and Robin as they did
back in season 2 when you decided what
the ending was going to be that's a
stupid decision now as you probably know
even if you've never watched the show
the ending of How I Met Your Mother
created an absolute pop culture [ __ ]
storm when it aired it was an insane
thing to witness the internet was in
flam some actors had to do interviews to
defend the ending the Press was [ __ ]
blasting the show it was it was really
bad and understandably so coming at the
end of a season that was largely
considered disappointing the series
finale was immediately perceived as an
insulting final bow and to this this day
it is still considered to be one of the
worst TV finales of all time and this
colossal backlash against the show got
so loud and so heavy that a decision was
made by the creators a few months after
the finale aired the final season of How
I Met Your Mother was released on DVD
and in it the creators of the show
included an alternate ending now I'm
sure we've all heard about it I'm sure
we've all seen it the ending is
essentially a re-edit of the one that
aired on television it was reworked to
completely erase every part of the
finale that talked about the mother
being dead and it completely wiped out
any scene that touched on Ted and Robin
including the flash forward with Ted's
kids instead the alternate ending
focuses on the love between all the
characters then reminisces on Ted's
ridiculously eventful love life as he
talks to his kids about how all the
hardships he faced through the years
were worth it because they led him to
their mother it was a long road you
might even say it was really really
really really long but difficult nah it
was life then we get the amazing scene
where Ted meets Tracy that one is left
unchanged and as the emotion crescendos
we hear Ted say the final words of the
series and that kids is How I Met Your
Mother and that's it that's how it ends
this alternate ending takes a way more
literal approach and literally ends
right after Ted and Tracy's very first
conversation which makes so much sense
it hits all the emotional beats and it
overall just makes the conclusion less
messy and more coherent for the
characters the alternate ending is now
largely considered by fans to be the
superior one and most people are still
lowkey upset that it's technically not
the Canon ending and revisiting this 10
years later yeah I can't help but agree
even after all this time the ending of
How I Met Your Mother just doesn't work
no matter how I try to look at it it
doesn't work it's really an unfortunate
display of a show that was trapped by
its own conclusion and didn't know how
to get there after having involved past
it there are some decisions here that I
will just never understand if you knew
the ending was going to reunite Ted and
Robin then why make the entirety of the
final season
about Robin and Barney's wedding why put
so much effort into wrapping Ted and
Robin's romance up with a perfect little
bow why was there no setup for that door
still being open if you knew this whole
time that this was going to be the end
game why did you keep running in the
opposite direction until the very last
episode I just I don't think I'll ever
understand Ed it's like they
categorically refused to commit to the
ending until they literally had no
choice and in approaching it that way
they ruined everything it makes Ted's
love story with Tracy ring kind of
hollow it completely destroys everything
Robin has ever stood for and it
completely erases all of the character
development Barney was awarded over
years and worst of all it makes the
entire story of the show past season 2
kind of useless so yeah 10 years later
this is still one of the worst finales
on television I do think it deserves its
spot on that Podium how I met your
mother's Cannon ending is really bad and
really frustrating and revisiting it
only makes me understand audiences even
more for how pissed off they were about
it it was just a fantastically executed
series of bad decisions and deciding to
stick to this ending while doing zero
groundwork to build up to it in the
final season H what were you thinking to
this day the fact that all of season 9
is about Robin and Barney's wedding and
that the second they finally get married
we are immediately told that they just
divorced 3 years later is mindblowing to
me I don't know in what world the
writers thought this was going to work
out killing of the mother making Robin
the end game everything about this
finale just feels so wrong even after
all this time I enjoy rewatching the
show here and there but the last couple
of times I re-watched the whole series I
stopped at the end of season 8 not that
it's a satisfying ending but it always
kind of pains me to watch this show undo
everything it accomplished and destroy
everything that made people so attached
to it and season 9 is also just really
boring and redundant
ah anyway did you know that Sheldon from
The Big Bang Theory almost played the
role of Barney wait for it
Bazinga no well now you do and you will
never be able to get that image out of
your head you're welcome okay bye
unpopular opinion I like that Ted got
back with
Robin you are sorely mistaken what in
the [ __ ] is wrong with y'all no they
were never good together they were like
middle on when they're dating before
they like really stop and think about
the fact that like Robin doesn't want
kids and that's all Ted wants so there's
literally two seasons worth of their
story where the point of it is they
don't work yeah they it's literally just
driving home to the audience to
themselves that no matter how hard Ted
tries they don't work Robin doesn't want
it to work she's like no it's not you
yeah to just have it be like actually
that's maybe kind of what I wanted the
whole time kids are
teenagers
[Music]
do
do W the story California King You and
Me Do You Remember Me W story California
King you and
me
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