How I Met Your Mother Series Finale Post-Episode Discussion Thread

There we have it, folks. That's it.

This is the place to discuss your thoughts!


Live Chat:

Click this link, log in with your reddit nick and we will discuss live!

Click here for an alternate chat method

Type #himym into the channel and select Freenode under Featured Networks on the right.


CLICK HERE to view the newest comments in this thread.

3,752 comments · 92% upvoted · other discussions

comments

[deleted]
jadeoracle

Last words:

  • Robin: Oh for pete's sake
  • Ted: Or..
  • The Mother: Hi!
  • Lily: Thank god we finally got here.
  • Marshall: ...Just all kinds of stuff.
  • Barney: Daddy's Home
Alkeyholic

Soo...Lily owes Marshall 20 bucks right?

ryseing

There's a scene of Marshall paying Lily at Ted's wedding. I'm assuming that it gets paid back.

Edit: before the wedding. Y'all know what I mean.

SiQuieroQueso

Technically, she owes Marshall 40 bucks. Lily owes Marshall the 20 he paid her when Ted and Tracy got married, and another 20 for being right.

load 12 more replies →

francis96

i dont like how they down played her death so much :( should have been more emotional. but i likehow they had a nice flashback to what started it all

[deleted]

Seriously, this is supposed to be the love of Ted's life and she gets less than a minute of Ted talking about her death.

[deleted]

[deleted]

HiddenKING

I'm gonna say hiccups.

*thanks for the gold

ProTheMan

They were so close to a cure

HiddenKING

Just realized they showed us the ending all those years ago.

load 6 more replies →

load 6 more replies →

load 61 more replies →

load 107 more replies →

GamingScot95

Yeah, whenever he said "Then your mother got sick"...that was probably the part I actually cried hardest at. Then there was a new scene, I was like, Oh that's it..ok

venustas

I've been sure the mother was dead for years now, and in my head I had imagined how the finale would go.

In my head, Ted meets Tracy, then says "And that, kids, is how I met your mother."

The camera cuts to the kids, who are in tears. Ted rushes to the couch to console them, putting an arm around them both as they say that they just miss their mom so much.

Ted starts tearing up too, and says "I know, kids, I miss her too. But the point of the story is that, even though we only got a little bit of time with your mother, it truly was meant to be."

The camera zooms out on Ted and his kids on the couch, and pans to a yellow umbrella, sitting by the door with a thin layer of dust on it.

End.

load 49 more replies →

lonerDIVISION

I think it's a testament to New York's love of dining out that the restaurant with the blue french horn is still open.

[deleted]

In a missing scene in my head, he goes there and says "Hey, remember me? Well, I stole it once, and then I gave it back, but rather than steal it again, listen to my interesting heavily shortened version of my story, and because of the story, can I just have it? There's this thing I want to do."

Then they just give it to him because of the story, no grudges or old hard feelings.

load 8 more replies →

rex_dart_eskimo_spy

Did anyone else remember that the stripper's name a few years back was also Tracy?

lonerDIVISION

Yep! Which is why the kids said "WHAT!?"

kagemucha
ibkiwi

I'm so embarrassed to admit that it never occurred to me that the kids knew their mom's real name. :-(

my_Favorite_post

Yes! I have been hoping her name was Tracy for years now. I feel so vindicated, my friends were all positive I'd be wrong.

load 23 more replies →

Chaoss780

The only thing I liked was that Marshall is a judge.

JUDGE FUDGE

sentimentalpenguin

Loved the bit about Fudge Supreme!

unforgiven91

load 10 more replies →

Poppapie

2005-2014 in 8.9 seasons.

2014-2020 in 44 minutes.

rijuvenator

And 72 hours in 21 episodes.

load 38 more replies →

Capt_Troy_Handsome

On a side-note from Ted-Tracy-Robin, I thought Barney's scene with his daughter was great. It was a short scene but NPH totally nailed it.

[deleted]

Maybe this was why Jason Segel didnt want to do this season

[deleted]

If that's true I don't blame him one bit.

load 4 more replies →

TotallyNotMasterLink

They did the old 9-year-long con for April fool's this year.

LittleWall

Apart from everything that happened, did anyone else notice...

...TED DIDN'T CRY AS THE BEST MAN!

WIENS21

Mosbious designs has failed...

load 2 more replies →

estemshorn

The best part though was how Barney's last line of the entire show was "Daddy's home"

Apology_Panda

I think Barney's entire character development would have been the best on the show if they cut out him with Robin! Seriously, the past 2 seasons have been nothing but trying to make them work, only for them to divorce, and for him to backslide into being a bro again. If he had just continued doing his own thing for 2 seasons, gotten a kid in the finale, and then changed, that would have been much more enjoyable.

load 3 more replies →

dibidi

The biggest problem with the ending, for me, is that it was five years too late.

The reason being, this was an ending that completely disregarded and betrayed the last five years of the characters' growth. This was an ending that would have been perfect, had the show ended five years ago, just after Ted was left at the altar by Stella. Ted would have met the mother (which, invoking artistic license, we wouldn't have ever met, because she was never the point of THAT show to begin with), married her, had kids, mourned her, moved on, and returned to Robin. That alternate universe version of How I Met Your Mother would have worked, and would have been okay.

It would have worked because that would have been a show where Ted and the gang never developed personalities beyond their initial descriptions -- Ted the hopeless romantic, Barney the hopeless lothario, Robin the hopeless careerist, and Marshall and Lily as their anchors. It would have worked because that ending was made for those characters. Ted in the end was still a hopeless romantic, Barney in the end (sans baby) was still a hopeless lothario, Robin in the end was still a hopeless careerist, and Marshall and Lily would still be their anchors.

BUT, with everything that's happened the last five years, with Robin finally learning that career is not the most important thing in the world and that sometimes it's okay to love and trust people, Barney finally learning that you're not truly living life if that life is just a constant parade of meaningless sex, and with Ted finaly learning that real love does not, and should not, be just about grand romantic notions, that ending was disjointed; like it didn't really fit the characters as they were by this point.

What, for me, would have been a better ending, would be this:

Marshall and Lily's story would still be the same, because, they're the anchors upon which we compare the rest of the characters with.

Barney and Robin still get married, and still get divorced. Barney still knocks up girl no. 31, has the baby, and finally (FINALLY) sees his redemption by being a father. (Because what better way to end his character arc as a man who was screwed up by an absentee father than by being, not just a father, but a father to a baby girl)

Meanwhile, Robin, post-divorce, still goes on all her adventures, and a few years down the line, realizes how meaningless it all is (because Barney:girls::Robin:career), goes back to New York, catches up with the gang, gets to know Barney the father, and they get back together, and this time it works because Robin has finally achieved / proven what she set out to achieve / prove, and the only adventure left to do is the one that she's been trying to avoid her entire life.

And Ted and the mother? I think it would have been perfect, and also the better twist, had the reason for Ted telling the whole story to begin with be not because of the mother being dead and this was Ted making a case to his kids why he should be with Robin, but instead be because it was the night before Ted's wedding to the mother, and he wanted to tell his kids the story of how, and why.

Think about it. What better way for Ted's story to end, than with Ted, the ultimate romantic, after everything he's been through (Victoria, Stella, Karen, Zoe, Jeannette, Robin), after meeting the love of his life, realize that he does not need romantic gestures anymore and most especially that they, do not need the ultimate romantic gesture, a wedding, to be together?

Why? Because he finally realizes, that love is not a grand gesture, love is not stealing a blue french horn, it is not dancing a native american rain dance, it is not searching for a lost locket -- love is just something that happens when you meet someone, and you can't imagine not being with them ever again.

The grand gestures are just meaningless, and the kids (and the audience) are hearing this story now, twenty or so years later, the night before their wedding, because this wedding is not a promise (as weddings and marriages usually are) of the future, but a celebration of that love, of that story, of that past.

That, I think, would have been a better ending.

EDIT: thanks for the gold! Glad you guys like my alternate ending!

DoeRayEgon

This is the darkest timeline.

secondcitysaint

everyone break out the black felt beards, it's time.

load 10 more replies →

blackstoner

classic schmosby

TaikongXiongmao

really tedded up this ending

load 2 more replies →

onish

"How I got permission from my kids to date Aunt Robin"

sws86

"How I Settled for your Mother"

[deleted]

The Mother settled for Ted, let's not forget this. Her love of her life Max died.

Mini-Marine

To be fair, Ted and Tracy were perfect for each other.

Tracy found the love of her life, and then he died before they could tie the knot. Then she was lucky enough to meet the love of her life again, and got 10 years with him before she passed away herself.

Ted found who he thought was the love of her life, and lost her. Ended up spending years not being able to let go, and right after he was finally able to he met the real love of his life. Then after only 10 years, she passed away, and after 6 years of being alone, he fell back to the girl that was great, but not quite perfect. Robin.

How I settled for your Stepmother.

load 4 more replies →

load 4 more replies →

load 128 more replies →

Tunisandwich

Aside from the whole Ted-Robin thing, when Barney was in the maternity ward I thought that the mother of his child was going to be some character from earlier in the show. But no, they didn't even show her. That was also disappointing.

Shawn5961

I was half expecting it to be Patrice.

load 15 more replies →

[deleted]

[deleted]

NotBrandon

Ugh, maybe the ending would have been better if I never joined the subreddit and the thought of her death never occurred to me. idk.

100percentkneegrow

You probably would have thought that when Ted started crying in Vesuvius

[deleted]

After everyone said it and I watched that part a couple times more I totally saw it, but the first time I was oblivious and thought it was about his mom.

Those were the good times.

load 7 more replies →

load 11 more replies →

load 166 more replies →

Loopernator

I was originally one of the people who wanted Ted and Robin together but this season changed my mind.

Now I'm sitting here heartbroken......

[deleted]

THEY SPENT ALL SEASON LITERALLY SHOWING WHY TED AND ROBIN WAS NOT A GOOD IDEA. AND HOW THE MOTHER WAS PERFECT.

WHAT THE FUCK.

JwA624

FUCKING EXACTLY. I was so content with Barney and Robin together, and Ted and Tracy together, but then they went and fucked it all up. I think it was an interesting ending, but i would have been happier if the mother didn't die and everyone lived happily ever after.

HeY_U

I thought that Tracy was cast perfectly. Maybe too perfectly for Ted. Then they go and sort of skimmed out over her on this last episode.

I have a feeling that this ending was what they prepared for 5 years ago.

load 9 more replies →

load 28 more replies →

load 13 more replies →

[deleted]

"Hey kids. You know what happened in this bar?"

"No, what?"

"Just... all kinds of stuff."

Damn good writing.

RecklessBacon

The mods are gonna have their hands full tonight.

naiiiia

I obviously watched the show for the wrong reasons. I watched it because I was most interested in watching Ted grow as a person, move on from Robin and meet the love of his life. I would have been sad, but I could have gotten over it if it just ended with Tracy dying. Apparently the show was about the love story between Ted and Robin, and that's why I'm upset.

I watched season 2. They were terrible together. It always felt like Ted was forcing her on a pedestal and be someone she wasn't. I never really felt like Robin loved Ted either. She was comfortable with him, depended on him, and frankly took advantage of his feelings for her. I also thought Josh's chemistry with Cristin Millioti was light years away from his chemistry with Cobie.

So assuming she's still traveling all the time, how would that make a relationship with Ted even later on work? Did people forget the hypothetical flash forward with them all old on the porch and Ted and Robin are fighting? I know this didn't ACTUALLY happen, but I guarantee you it would.

The worst part about all of this is that this was C+C's plan ALL ALONG! They made the show seem like about Ted meeting Tracy, but it wasn't. The fact that they took so long introducing her should have been a clue. So, since I have never been a TR shipper and didn't think the show was supposed to be about Ted and Robin, maybe it's my fault. This show really wasn't FOR me.

EDIT: I also want to add that despite her being dead for six years, I wouldn't respond to my dad telling a story of how he met mom with "Are we being punished?" I would still be upset about it. Penny is bad and she should feel bad.

t_Savvy

So I guess Marshall won the long term bet after all.

[deleted]

Glad they spent 21 episodes discussing one shitty weekend and one episode discussing 16 shitty years.

busche916

Yeah, we needed hours of Marshall in a car with a loud, black stereotype but a the divorce of the staring couple of the later seasons and the death of the titular character register all of 8 minutes.

I'm not mad HIMYM, I'm disappointed.

imabigfilly

I'm mad and disappointed.

load 32 more replies →

hinayu

"Let's just spend 21 episodes building up a wedding and marriage that we're just going to tear down in 5 minutes in the next episode"

ClumpOfPubes

3 seasons not 21 episodes

load 18 more replies →

Chaoss780

I don't know if it shows they are lazy or poor planners, but I agree. All of those scenes could have been their own episodes. Why didn't they just do that instead of hastily tacking them on at the end of one episode? Maybe then we could understand the whole love child and Robin+Ted thing.. even though they stressed for 9 years prior how they weren't meant to be.

peterd08

I think I would've handled everything much better if the wedding had been... episodes 1 and 2 maybe? And then the rest of the season was all of these tiny scenes that we got. I could have at least understood then.

But this felt like a punch to the gut.

indigotrip

If Robin and Barney had stayed together maybe the 21 episodes of their wedding wouldn't be so bad. Y'know explaining how Barney was finally the one for him, Ted finally letting go of Robin and meeting the mother. The whole series was perfect and would have made sense if they just cut it at the fucking yellow umbrella scene.

I'm so pissed

MechanicalYeti

This is possibly the worst part for me. It was all "Barney and Robin! They're so perfect for each other! Look how they're growing as people because of one another! Ted learns to let go!" And then they flushed that down the toilet like a dead goldfish.

load 6 more replies →

[deleted]

load 2 more replies →

load 13 more replies →

load 9 more replies →

[deleted]

[deleted]

RomeoZedman

WHY COULDN"T TED JUST GROW HIS BREAKUP BEARD AND BECOME A LUMBERJACK

load 5 more replies →

[deleted]
fictional_pulp

I have really, really mixed emotions right now. That is not the ending I wanted at all. Ted and Tracy were so perfect together. This final episode has messed me up completely.

csl512

Mixed emotions is right.

But I'd rather have the eleven years and the two kids than have moved to Chicago and missed everything.

(Aw man!)

load 7 more replies →

Minkelol

I still can't believe the kids reaction in the pilot episode when they ask if they're being punished or something, if their mother is dead.
The last scene with the kids where Penny says that the mother is gone for 6 years now was filmed very early if I recall correctly. So the writers planned from the freaking beginning that the mother is dead and the kids still have that reaction in the pilot? What the actual fuck man.
Anyway 9 years of emotional struggle I just wanted Ted to be happy with the woman who is perfect for him - the mother.

By the way did I not pay enough attention or was this scene not even in the finale? And where the hell was Robin Sparkles 5?

[deleted]

[deleted]

l1nd5mar13

This is the exact reason that I hated it, too! I feel like it was a bullshit forced "happy ending". It's not reality. In real life sometimes even though you love someone, they just aren't right for you.

load 32 more replies →

madewithrealcheese

NO YOU GUYS THEY WERE JUST KIDDING THIS IS THEIR APRIL FOOL'S JOKE. THEY RELEASE THE REAL ENDING LATER.

ohgodplease

middle-sister

Major Disappointment

yeya93
Rawrhock

I propose we just artificially just cut the end at the umbrella scene. That was a 58 minute finale and nothing else. Ted+Tracy forever.

loveisakeyblade

THIS IS MY NEW CANON.

load 180 more replies →

[deleted]
Rantholmeius

I'm all for some real world stuff being inserted in (killing the mother), but for the love of God, make the focus on the woman that's actually perfect for Ted dying with everyone coming to support him when she goes or something! End the show right there! No need for that Robin and Ted crap again! It makes no sense! Not to mention they spend an entire two seasons on Barney and Robin, to throw it all out after 10 minutes!

[deleted]

[deleted]

irving47

I could swear I read an article where at least one of the kids said they forgot what the ending was... Is it not possible (likely, even) that they shot multiple reaction scenes and told nobody what was going to be the real one?

kdbvols

This is correct: Lyndsy Fonesca said that she had actually created such a mental block about the ending that she genuinely forgot it.

moojc

I wish I could do the same thing right now.

load 6 more replies →

load 16 more replies →

load 37 more replies →

[deleted]

Ted's speech to Robin before the wedding feels so fucking fake now. God dammit.

kaerfree

I think all we learned tonight was don't write your finale 8 years before your show ends.

Ohwhoaeskimo

To me, it just destroyed everything the last season worked up to build.

We literally got less than thirty seconds of the mother's sickness and death. It's like she was just thrown away- I just don't understand. The end was so rushed. I also can't believe I watched a whole season of Barney and Robin and how these crazy kids are going to make it and they divorce in the first fifteen minutes.

I'm sorry if I'm rambling... I'M JUST SO ANGRY.

[deleted]

So what the fuck happens with Barney? How does he feel? Oh. That's right. It's over, we won't know. Entirely too rushed and I am seriously disappointed.

[deleted]

[deleted]

StJohnsFog

That would be so predictable though.

Oh wait.

BoilerUpx

Kids let me tell you the story about how I was the end to a "perfect month"

Hi_My_Name_Is_Dave

How you were the accident that happened when i banged 31 woman straight.

load 1 more replies →

load 12 more replies →

TimeForSnacks

Did he marry #31? Who was she? How did he keep the baby? Did she not want it anymore? HAHA YOU GET NOTHING! NOTHING!!!!!!!!!

load 13 more replies →

load 2446 more replies →