The How I Met Your Mother finale

[Olympic Fan]

I've been hoping some on else would post a thread about the end of my favorite sitcom earlier this week. I've been holding off because I honestly don't know how I feel about it. It certainly wasn't a terrible finale (a la Seinfeld or Lost), but it wasn't a classic (a la Newhart -- the best sitcom finale of all time).

I have been reading reviews on the web and I've found everything from outrage to praise for the surprise twist at the end (not the predicted twist ... but the one after that). I think this review best sums up my confused feelings about it (caution, it contains MAJOR spoilers):

http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=860040

I know it's not important. After watching the episode I thought about the moment in Friends where Phoebe talks about how sad it was when Bambi's mother is shot and Chandler responds with: "Yeah, it was really sad when the artist stopped drawing the mother."

It's just fiction. But when you invest your interest and emotions in a story and in strong characters, it feels real. I loved HIMYM -- I thought it represented some of the best and most inventive story telling I've ever seen on a sitcom. Loved the characters.

Anyway, I don't know how I feel about the ending .... but I do know that I'm sad that its over.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I have never watched more than a minute or two of the show, so I'm not the guy to say how I liked the ending. However, I do think it was very cool of the writers/producers to shoot parts of the final show way back when it first started. Also, if you didn't like the ending, there is an alternate one that will be on the DVD release.

[brevity]

I know it's not important. After watching the episode I thought about the moment in Friends where Phoebe talks about how sad it was when Bambi's mother is shot and Chandler responds with: "Yeah, it was really sad when the artist stopped drawing the mother."

Interesting you brought up Friends. The most amazing thing about How I Met Your Mother is that it is extremely fluid when looked at as a whole, which lends a sense of timelessness about it. Generally, it's hard to watch a rerun and tell where it falls in the show's chronology. Even the actors don't seem to age very much. Your only hints are Jason Segel's level of (movie star) bloatedness as the show went on -- a clear parallel to Matthew Perry -- and Cobie Smulders' increased (movie star) emaciation, like a premature Courteney Cox. Alyson Hannigan and Josh Radnor only look different based on their makeup and hair, and Neil Patrick Harris looks the same.

I have no strong feelings about the finale either, but I do know that I was glad to be done with it. In the summer of 2005 I was mailed a DVD with the pilot episodes of HIMYM and Everybody Hates Chris. All I remember about that DVD is thinking that the music wasn't finalized because they kept using Beck's "E-Pro" as filler between scenes. And that I liked the pilot: narrating a story like that required a lot of ambition, but more importantly, it had a clear beginning and ending to it. The biggest problem with TV shows is that they don't know how to end, and this show seemed like it had a grand design to say what it needed to say and no more.

And then it went on for 9 seasons, most of which I saw. HIMYM wasn't appointment viewing for me, but an investment of my time, and I needed to see it through. The reason that the finale was the show's most watched episode is because everyone else who was invested needed to see how it ended too. And it clearly demonstrated that, despite a very well-defined conceit, the showrunners did not know what they were doing, and in the last season acted like football coaches with poor time management.

[Wander]

Also my favorite sitcom, and I absolutely hated the ending. Spoilers below.

I have no problem with sad things happening - Marshall's dad's death was one of the high points of the series - but they still have to make sense in the context of the show. Marshall having a job he hated for years after the timeline, for example, made sense - it was a price for his move-to-Italy sacrifice. Even the what I assume you're referring to as the "predicted twist" makes sense in the context of the structure of the show, and was foreshadowed more specifically than that. But everything else was awful.

My favorite review I've read so far (lost the link) did make it a little understandable to me though. This was the opposite problem of Lost (I actually liked that finale, but that's another story) - instead of not knowing where the show would end up when they started, they knew the EXACT ending when they started. The problem is, the show lasted much, much longer than they expected. Their ending would have made sense after four seasons of HIMYM. Barney becoming "reformed" by his daughter would have been believable and made sense... except that we just spent three seasons being convinced that he had been reformed by Robin, and that was thrown away in ten minutes. The way that Barney evolved, while still keeping some of his craziness and trickery, was another high point of the show - but if three seasons of that gets thrown away in ten minutes, why should I believe that his transformation due to a 30 second (very nicely acted) scene? Tracy was another high point of the show, and now she's essentially not any different than Victoria or Stella? Again, that could have made sense if we didn't have an entire season getting to know her. The writers needed to be more flexible in their ending as the show evolved.

The scene of their initial meeting on the train station was perfect and a huge sign of wasted potential to me. I can appreciate the willingness to take risks, but this was a huge miss, and unfortunately taints at least some of the great moments that came before.

[Kdogg]

I wasn't too keen on the ending but understand why they did it. I would have preferred a "happy ending" were the mother lived. (That one is flowing around the internet) I applaud the creators for having a plan and sticking to it even though they had to know mid season that it would be unpopular. The main reason for that was the casting of the mother. SHE WAS TOO PERECT. It didn't help that the last hour of the show made Robin so unlikable and overall felt rushed.

[Matches]

I hated it; Wander pretty well articulated the reasons why. If you're writing a long-form story and you know the ending, you write *towards* that ending, not in the opposite direction only to abruptly change course at the end.

It would have worked a lot better IMO if Barney & Robin's wedding (and Ted meeting Tracy) was the end of S8, and then S9 was devoted to the years after the wedding. That really could have given those abrupt course changes some time to breathe and allowed them to "land".

[Highlander]

Spoilers below in white....



Didn't like it at all. Putting Ted and Robin together at the end just felt like a total cop out. We'd been convinced that Robin loves Barney and vice versa, and that Ted was OK with letting Robin go. And then all that was thrown away in about 10 minutes of screen time. And the reason was that Robin's job traveling the world as a news reporter was too much for Barney to take because they were apart all the time, yet Ted's going to be cool with it even though he has two kids as a single parent? Don't buy it.

It just seemed like they invested the entire season into getting Ted and Tracy together, and when it finally happened they threw it away rather quickly to put him back with Robin, whom they've spent two seasons telling us has moved on.

Even Barney's "change" seemed awkward and forced, and the fact that we never even learned the name of "miss 31" was incredibly cheap.

Given that the last show I saw end was Dexter, this was another unsatisfying end to a show. In my opinion, they tried to be witty and make some sort of point, but in a sitcom that was all about friendship and finding the love of your life, they didn't have to. All they needed to do was wrap it up in a nice bow and send everyone home. And that's what they should have done.

[JasonEvans]

Seeing as the show aired a week ago, I think the "be careful about spoilers" moment has long since passed.

Anyway, I was frustrated all season long as they seemed to be bringing Ted and Robin together -- the locket and other heartfelt moments -- but we, the audience, knew that could not happen. It took some real work the past couple seasons convincing us that Robin (a no-nonsense woman who will not tolerate a less than a full, honest partnership in a relationship) would wind up with Barney (a horrible womanizer who seemed to have no interest in being with only one woman or in developing a meaningful, trustworthy relationship). They hammered it down our throats again and again until we finally bought it. I think the episode where Barney destroyed the Playbook was the one that finally sold it for me. "Ok, I'm in on this relationship being real and workable."

And then they blew it up in 5 minutes of screen time over the fact that she traveled too much or something like that? Whaaaat? Made no sense and just pissed me off. Then, they spend the rest of the episode driving Robin away from the rest of the group. Her relationship with Lilly sucks, she confides that she cannot stand to be around Barney (her ex) or Ted (the one she let get away). And after that we are supposed to be happy that she and Ted end up together 5 minutes later? Come on! Of course the audience felt jerked around and manipulated!

I get that the final twist -- Ted's kids recognizing that he has always loved Robin -- was planned several years ago and I suppose I admire that they planned all this out far in advance and then pulled it off (hey, Damon Lindelhoff, you should talk to Carter Bays and Craig Thomas about planning a multi-season show!!). Still, it felt like a cheap, manipulative twist and it required some very awkward machinations over the course of the past 15+ episodes. Ugh!

The problem is that we got used to the ways these characters act and especially how they interact among each other. But, the final season and especially the final episode, required the show to throw all that out the window so we could have the characters end up the way the show wanted them to. That is what we all have negative feelings about -- the fact that none of this felt "right."

-Jason "I still enjoyed the show and am glad I watched -- at least this wasn't as bad an ending as Lost!" Evans

[Wander]

I get that the final twist -- Ted's kids recognizing that he has always loved Robin -- was planned several years ago and I suppose I admire that they planned all this out far in advance and then pulled it off (hey, Damon Lindelhoff, you should talk to Carter Bays and Craig Thomas about planning a multi-season show!!).

They've been so good at planning things out in the past. Two examples:

There's one episode in Season 4 with a flashforward of Thanksgiving dinner at Marshall's house in Minnesota. Marshall's dad isn't there. This is two entire seasons before his death.

The ninth episode of the entire show (ie, Season 1) has a stripper introducing herself to Ted by telling him her real name, Tracy. Ted then narrates "And that's how I met your mother" and his kids flip out. But the kids wouldn't have believed it if her name was anything else.

But here, it's a case of being too rigid with planning, and I don't think it's an example that Lindelhoff or anyone else should look to for inspiration.

[alteran]

I get that the final twist -- Ted's kids recognizing that he has always loved Robin -- was planned several years ago and I suppose I admire that they planned all this out far in advance and then pulled it off (hey, Damon Lindelhoff, you should talk to Carter Bays and Craig Thomas about planning a multi-season show!!). Still, it felt like a cheap, manipulative twist and it required some very awkward machinations over the course of the past 15+ episodes. Ugh!

The problem is that we got used to the ways these characters act and especially how they interact among each other. But, the final season and especially the final episode, required the show to throw all that out the window so we could have the characters end up the way the show wanted them to. That is what we all have negative feelings about -- the fact that none of this felt "right."

-Jason "I still enjoyed the show and am glad I watched -- at least this wasn't as bad an ending as Lost!" Evans

Two things:

First (and on-topic): I wonder if the planning out WAS the mistake (or sticking WITH the planning). I've read several interesting books* and numerous articles about many highly-serialized shows, and something that crops up again and again is that TV shows can be very organic in how they grow and evolve in ways that defy their original vision. Actors turn out to have surprising abilities (exceptional charisma, brilliant comedic timing, etc.), or surprising characters resonate, or the showrunners flat-out change their minds about something critical, and the finished product ends up WAY different from the original idea for very good reasons.

I wonder if a lot of the problem here is essentially that HIMYM shoe-horned a once-round-but-now-square peg into the original round hole.

Second (and off-topic): I read several long articles on what happened behind the scenes at Lost, and I am now convinced that the REAL villain in that show leading us on the way it did is JJ Abrams, rather than Lindelhof and/or Cuse. It's complicated, but much of the original vision of the pilot was JJ's, and then he became the hottest director on the planet and was outta there, leaving a couple of previously-staff-level-writers showrunning (for the first time and with little guidance or preparation) the hottest and most complicated network show in years.

--alteran

* I highly recommend both The Revolution Was Televised and Difficult Men: Behind the Scenes of a Creative Revolution (please note they cover similar ground), if you're a fan of Breaking Bad, The Wire, The Sopranos, Lost, etc.

[bjornolf]

I always thought that like shows of old, they should have recorded four or five different scenes with the kids so they'd have options. Plus, like shows of old, it would aid secrecy.

[Olympic Fan]

Thanks a lot for the responses. I think most of you make a lot of sense.

Wander I think your view sums up my feelings, although Kdogg put his finger on one key element -- the Mother was too perfect.

I was playing around, trying to come up with my 10 favorite episodes and I realized that over half of my candidates came from Season Four and Season Five -- so I'd have to say that personally, that ws the high point of the series. Although my all-time favorite episode is from Season Seven -- The Symphony of Illumination (the episode where Robin tells her two kids how she met their father). Tremendous punch in the gut climax, followed by a terrific, uplifting ending (that DID build the Ted-Robin connection). Just ahead of Roberts vs. Wrestlers in Season Five and Slap Bet in Season Two (which introduces Robin Sparkles).

BTW: Interesting tidbits about Ted's two kids (who are listening to the nine-year story). The son, David Henrie, was familiar to me as Selena Gomez's older brother is the Disney sitcom The Wizards of Waverly Place. The daughter, actress Lyndsy Fonseca, has a major role in the movie Kick*ss -- she plays Katie, the girlfriend of the title character (she also had a major role on Desperate Housewives, although I never watched that).

[Wander]

Wander I think your view sums up my feelings, although Kdogg put his finger on one key element -- the Mother was too perfect.

I was playing around, trying to come up with my 10 favorite episodes

I have no idea how I'd pick 10, but in regards to the previous statement, I think "Bass Player Wanted" and "How Your Mother Met Me" would both be included.

[weezie]

...the Mother was too perfect...


Yeah, I get this a lot in my day to day life. It's tough for even sitcom moms to measure up sometimes.

[BD80]

Yeah, I get this a lot in my day to day life. It's tough for even sitcom moms to measure up sometimes.

I've always wondered about sitcom moms, and their choices. They are nearly always FAR better looking than their spouses: i.e.

The Honeymooners
The Dick Vandyke Show
Green Acres
Bewitched
Addams Family
Happy Days
Flintstones
Bob Newhart Show
Family Ties
Newhart
Mad About You
Yes Dear
Simpsons
Everybody Loves Raymond
King of Queens
According to Jim
George Lopez Show
Family Guy
Modern Family

Of course, maybe this entire genre is just trying to balance out Roseanne.

[brevity]

Bewitched

+1

4068

+1 Darrin Stephens (http://www.neatorama.com/2013/11/13/Why-Were-There-Two-Darrins-on-Bewitched/#!DgXvL), that is.

[weezie]

I've always wondered about sitcom moms, and their choices. They are nearly always FAR better looking than their spouses...

That's true in real life, too...at least here in Casa weezie and I'm assuming in Mrs. BD80's house, too.

[bjornolf]

That's true in real life, too...at least here in Casa weezie and I'm assuming in Mrs. BD80's house, too.

That's just cause gals think with the head on their shoulders.

[BD80]

That's true in real life, too...at least here in Casa weezie and I'm assuming in Mrs. BD80's house, too.

True Dat! Perfect except (thank the gods) for her taste in men! I'm afraid to suggest she have her eyes checked.

[Udaman]

So believe it or not, I just watched the finale (yeah, just a tad behind on my DVR). I'll say a few things:

First - I've always really enjoyed this show. Saw the first episode the night is aired and watched every season after. As another poster said, in years 4-5 this was the best comedy on TV (by far), and as I think even JE said back then it was amazing how the writers saved the show. After year 3 it seemed they had run out of ideas, and the pestering question of "When will Ted finally meet her" was driving everyone crazy, when suddenly the writers realized they could focus on the great chemistry between the 5 stars and put the "Mother thing" on the back burner. What we got was great, great (and real) television.

Second - even in the last year (which I think was the worst) there were several episodes that were just outstanding (loved the rhyming one, enjoyed Bass Player Wanted, enjoyed How Your Mom Met Me). That's what was great about this show - every now and then an episode was just truly outstanding (again in earlier seasons that happened with regularity).

Third - I guess I'm in the minority, but I thought the finale was really good. Mainly because it seemed authentic. Everyone knew that Barney and Robin were not going to make it. We could see that a million miles away. Heck, the last three episodes everyone was wondering if they would even get married. The fact is tons of couples get married for just the reasons they did, and with just the doubts they did, and most don't make it. I also believe the group pulling apart. That happens too. Especially in your mid to late 30's as people start having kids and the demands of life and your career get in the way. It just does.

Fourth - I think people are missing the point about Robin and Ted and the Mother. Ted loved the Mother. Completely. More than he loved Robin. She was the love of his life. Robin was someone that he also loved. Life is tricky. There's not that "one" person. There are lots of "ones." And Ted was lucky to find more than one. I think he must have been lost and broken when she died, but she taught him that it's the journey and the love that matter, and that the outcome isn't always as we want it to be. That it took him 6 years to ask out Robin shows just how much he loved Tracy (at least it showed me that). I kind of knew that the Mother would die - just had that feeling, though I wish she hadn't.

Fifth - the scene with the two of them under the umbrella was.....just fantastic. It's hard to make a scene with a 9 year buildup that good....but boy the two of them knocked it out of the park. They oozed chemistry, and both were equally funny and charming and intrigued by the other. They could tell it was one of those moments that would change the course of their life. Kudos to both.

Last - I agree that the scene with his kids seemed forced (them saying he should ask out Robin), and there were lots of part of the last episode that seemed rushed, and I didn't like the way Robin came across at all (nor did I like her hair at the very end), but I still was pretty pleased with how everything played out. It was fun to see the last clips of everyone when they were saying their names (and just how young they all appeared - we got to watch them grow up literally and figuratively). NPH was great in his scene with the baby, even if it was a forced scene.

I'll miss this show. It was the most realistic version of what it's like to grow up, have friends and fall in love, that I've ever seen on TV.

[brevity]

Fifth - the scene with the two of them under the umbrella was.....just fantastic. It's hard to make a scene with a 9 year buildup that good....but boy the two of them knocked it out of the park. They oozed chemistry, and both were equally funny and charming and intrigued by the other. They could tell it was one of those moments that would change the course of their life. Kudos to both.

I rewatched this scene and one part of it doesn't make sense. When Ted approaches Tracy, and they share space under the umbrella, he identifies her as Cindy's roommate. Not as the bass player, but Cindy's roommate. How does he know that?

He's never met her before -- as the show has made abundantly clear -- or even seen her before the wedding reception that day. Maybe he deduces her identity from the yellow umbrella, but (1) that's a huge conclusion to draw based on an umbrella that's not very unique, and (2) he's very resistant to approach her at first, even though the old lady on the bench keeps pushing him.

Anticipatory rebuttal: Ted does briefly look at the umbrella's pole before he holds it for both of them, and could theoretically have seen the initials "TM" on it. The problem with this is that he doesn't seem to process it at all when he starts talking to her, and in fact doesn't try to look for it until later in the conversation, when he suddenly realizes that they are holding what he believes to be his umbrella. At that point he adjusts the angle of the umbrella to point out where the "TM" should be, and is.

Anyway, an odd inconsistency in a show that thrives on its sense of continuity. Explanations welcome.

[Duvall]

I rewatched this scene and one part of it doesn't make sense. When Ted approaches Tracy, and they share space under the umbrella, he identifies her as Cindy's roommate. Not as the bass player, but Cindy's roommate. How does he know that?

He's never met her before -- as the show has made abundantly clear -- or even seen her before the wedding reception that day. Maybe he deduces her identity from the yellow umbrella, but (1) that's a huge conclusion to draw based on an umbrella that's not very unique, and (2) he's very resistant to approach her at first, even though the old lady on the bench keeps pushing him.

Anticipatory rebuttal: Ted does briefly look at the umbrella's pole before he holds it for both of them, and could theoretically have seen the initials "TM" on it. The problem with this is that he doesn't seem to process it at all when he starts talking to her, and in fact doesn't try to look for it until later in the conversation, when he suddenly realizes that they are holding what he believes to be his umbrella. At that point he adjusts the angle of the umbrella to point out where the "TM" should be, and is.

Anyway, an odd inconsistency in a show that thrives on its sense of continuity. Explanations welcome.

Ted knows that the bass player is Cindy's roommate - that's how he found the band, through Cindy.

[brevity]

Ted knows that the bass player is Cindy's roommate - that's how he found the band, through Cindy.

Sweet, succinct answer. I must have missed that part. Too annoyed by Darren (or Andrew Rannells, who played him) to think clearly.

[JasonEvans]

One little thing I wanted to point out -- over the many years it sorta (a little bit) annoyed me that the "story" was taking so long to tell to the kids. Who on earth goes into this kind of detail with side-stories and back-stories?!?! I know it was all a device to show 100 hours or so of TV but I still sometimes shook my head at it.

Well, if it is a father telling his children about their mother who is dead -- dead for several years o they don't know her all that well -- then the painstaking detail and minutia makes sense. You would want to re-live every moment and make sure your children knew about the magic of your relationship.

-Jason "just a little thought... we can go back to picking it apart now" Evans

[Olympic Fan]

One little thing I wanted to point out -- over the many years it sorta (a little bit) annoyed me that the "story" was taking so long to tell to the kids. Who on earth goes into this kind of detail with side-stories and back-stories?!?! I know it was all a device to show 100 hours or so of TV but I still sometimes shook my head at it.

Well, if it is a father telling his children about their mother who is dead -- dead for several years o they don't know her all that well -- then the painstaking detail and minutia makes sense. You would want to re-live every moment and make sure your children knew about the magic of your relationship.

-Jason "just a little thought... we can go back to picking it apart now" Evans

The only problem with that theory is that Ted tells them very little about their mother. Of the 100 or so hours, how many are about the kids' dead mother? Maybe 2 hours total ... if that much?

[brevity]

One little thing I wanted to point out -- over the many years it sorta (a little bit) annoyed me that the "story" was taking so long to tell to the kids. Who on earth goes into this kind of detail with side-stories and back-stories?!?! I know it was all a device to show 100 hours or so of TV but I still sometimes shook my head at it.

Well, if it is a father telling his children about their mother who is dead -- dead for several years o they don't know her all that well -- then the painstaking detail and minutia makes sense. You would want to re-live every moment and make sure your children knew about the magic of your relationship.

-Jason "just a little thought... we can go back to picking it apart now" Evans


The only problem with that theory is that Ted tells them very little about their mother. Of the 100 or so hours, how many are about the kids' dead mother? Maybe 2 hours total ... if that much?

The showrunners don't deserve my defense, but I'll provide some anyway.

Ted is full of stories. If this isn't apparent from 9 years of "side-stories" and "back-stories" he tells the kids, it's official in the 2024 episode where Ted has run out of stories to tell Tracy. By the show's chronology, Ted meets Tracy on May 26, 2013. I would argue that Ted has separated, in his mind, the stories before he met Tracy (September 2005 - May 26, 2013, with some childhood and college stuff beforehand) and the stories after (about May 29, 2013 - 2024). He probably told his kids many stories about their mother when he knew her, but has waited until 2030 to finally tell them the long and winding story of how they met. This story, ultimately, isn't really about Tracy at all, but about who Ted was before he met her. We can debate as to why he waited this long. I would guess that, until then, the kids weren't old enough for the story content of adult bachelor Ted. The kids themselves argue that he's implicitly asking for their blessing to reunite with Aunt Robin.

One problem that viewers have with the finale, and the whole ninth season, is that they were denied hearing much about Ted and Tracy together. If you asked them at the end of the eighth season whether they'd want a full ninth season dedicated to Barney and Robin's wedding or maybe 3 episodes of that and 21 of Ted and Tracy, almost every one of them would pick the latter. The showrunners had the time, but they made a choice that ended up becoming extremely unpopular. (Honestly, even viewers who liked the finale can't easily argue that the showrunners couldn't have budgeted their time more wisely.)

[Wander]

Fourth - I think people are missing the point about Robin and Ted and the Mother. Ted loved the Mother. Completely. More than he loved Robin. She was the love of his life. Robin was someone that he also loved. Life is tricky. There's not that "one" person. There are lots of "ones." And Ted was lucky to find more than one. I think he must have been lost and broken when she died, but she taught him that it's the journey and the love that matter, and that the outcome isn't always as we want it to be. That it took him 6 years to ask out Robin shows just how much he loved Tracy (at least it showed me that). I kind of knew that the Mother would die - just had that feeling, though I wish she hadn't.

I guess I don't see it as written like that, though. In the end, the show presented the Mother as not fundamentally different from Victoria or Stella, just more extreme - someone Ted loved but ultimately was not Robin. Throw in the fact that Tracy's high school boyfriend died young as well, and it sure does seem like the writing of the show DOES end with the idea that everyone has "one" - Lily and Marshall, Ted and Robin, Barney and his daughter, Tracy and Max.

I agree with JE that the mother dying makes sense in the context of the plot device.

[Olympic Fan]

Well, I found the alternate ending on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m8UIkX12Ys

(While it's not actually the alternate ending, it is semi-official since it includes the same two actors playing the kids -- grown up as they are today).

[snowdenscold]

Well, I found the alternate ending on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m8UIkX12Ys

(While it's not actually the alternate ending, it is semi-official since it includes the same two actors playing the kids -- grown up as they are today).

I'm not sure that's an alternative ending so much as a promo segment for the final season. (in fact, one commenter said they showed it at Comic Con a year ago)

[gurufrisbee]

I didn't like it. And really, it was their faullt for being too good at so much of the series. They worked so hard on selling Barney and Robin that they really felt like they were a right pairing. In fact it started to feel forced and contrived and really wrong that Ted was still dwelling or even thinking about Robin anymore.

They did such a good job of showing us Barney and Robin falling in love and Marshall and Lilly being a wonderful, loving couple it was only right to expect that since the mother shows up at the end of season 8 that season 9 would be about them meeting and then falling in love. And it wasn't.

The finale wasn't about how Ted met the mother - turned out Ted's kids were right. None of that was. It was really about Ted loving Robin. Maybe we as the audience should have picked up on that, but we were sold on the premise of the title and hint after hint over the seasons. And they didn't deliver on that. Not even close.

[YmoBeThere]

Alternate ending to the series. (https://tv.yahoo.com/news/video-met-mothers-alternate-ending-paints-rosier-picture-001447652.html)

[BD80]

Alternate ending to the series. (https://tv.yahoo.com/news/video-met-mothers-alternate-ending-paints-rosier-picture-001447652.html)

Liked it far better.

[Olympic Fan]

Alternate ending to the series. (https://tv.yahoo.com/news/video-met-mothers-alternate-ending-paints-rosier-picture-001447652.html)

Wow, it didn't take them long to squelch the video link you posted ... I like the description -- that it all ends with meeting at the train station ... I guess I'll have to wait for the DVD to see it.

[YmoBeThere]

I'm glad someone else saw it(BD80). It was nice and simple and there was no "gotcha" feel to it.

[Olympic Fan]

I just got the final season DVD and watched the alternate ending.

It was a very simple remix of the last episode -- Barney and Robin still break up; Barney still undergoes his transformation after fathering a baby girl, Ted and Tracy still have two kids before finally getting married.

The only difference is that there is no voiceover suggesting that The Mother was ill or had died and thus no final scene with Ted going after Robin. It ends with the scene at the railroad station, when Ted and Tracy meet.

PS Learning that the mother is named Tracy adds to one of the best jokes on the show. Early in the series, the gang ends up in a strip club for Thanksgiving and Ted meets a stripper, who first says her name is Amber, then she whispers "It's really Tracy." Then Ted tells the kids, "And that's how I met your mother." After they freak out, he tell them he was joking.

I guess we should have known from that point that the mother would be named Tracy.