Upon finishing How I Met Your Mother, I had learned two things: “Nothing good happens after 2 a.m.” and the ending is controversial.
The premise of the show revolves around Ted Mosby retelling the story of his life and past relationships to his children, leading up to the moment that he meets his wife, their mother.
Along the way, he’s joined by his best friends Marshall, Lily, Barney, and Robin. Robin and Ted’s on-and-off relationship plays a pivotal role throughout the series, and at some points, “they literally hate each other,” said Devin Wong, a student at Cooper Union College.
For those who have watched the show, I think we can all agree that we were biting our nails every time Ted said “But more on that later,” while it took him nine seasons to reveal who the mother of his children was.
And although the ending was highly anticipated, many viewers believe it fell short.
Spoiler alert: the writers decided to kill off Ted’s wife, Tracy McConnell, in one episode, after explaining how their relationship was the epitome of the invisible string for nine seasons.
Ted and Tracy’s countless indirect interactions from the yellow umbrella to the Long Island Railroad throughout the series foreshadow their marriage. Yet in the last episode, Tracy’s death is revealed, and Ted inevitably ends up at Robin’s stoop under his children’s persuasion, completely undoing all the plot had led up to.
“Killing off Tracy undid all the plot point stood for,” said Emma Johnson, a student at the Commonwealth Charter Academy. The entire duration of season nine revolves around Tracy and Ted’s wedding, and for the writers to reveal their divorce, along with Tracy’s death in the last episode, feels lazy.
Despite the ongoing criticism of the show’s ending, it’s somewhat understandable considering that the show is a situational comedy. As an avid sit-com watcher, the show should revolve around the same cast, and Robin had been there throughout the series. Plus, Robin and Ted have a complicated history.
Whether the last episode is “lazy” or understandable, Ted deserved the best at the end of his lover boy arc.
What did you think about the ending?
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