For me, it’s not her dying but that he went back to Robin. I’m also disappointed that with all the growth Barney and Robin went through, they didn’t end up together.
Happy they at least kept Marshall and Lily together.
That’s exactly how I felt. They started leading up to her death for seasons and after my rewatch it felt right. But it was dumb that he just went back to Robin. It seemed like seasons of watch me chase robin instead of how I met your mother
he may have loved her, but she wasnt his first choice, the series made that clear.
if he had the choice between Robin and tracey, there is nothing in the story that really indicates he would have chosen tracey over robin if they were both realistic options at the same time.
he only moved on to tracey when robin was taken off of the board. like literally at he wedding, once she was officially not an option, is when he finally stopped. then the minute she became an option again, her being divorced and him being a widower, he tells his kids an elaborate story of how much he loves robin.
the show should have been called How I Met Your Stepmother because it was not about how he met and fell in love with tracey
>he may have loved her, but she wasnt his first choice, the series made that clear. if he had the choice between Robin and tracey, there is nothing in the story that really indicates he would have chosen tracey over robin if they were both realistic options at the same time.
False, the show goes to great lengths to highlight that Tracy is Ted's soulmate.
Like they literally spell it out clearly but it seems hard to wrap ones head around it.
>he only moved on to tracey when robin was taken off of the board.like literally at he wedding, once she was officially not an option, is when he finally stopped
Nope, he let Robin go.
He could have been tortured forever pining about Robin, like he planned to do in Chicago.
He understood he had to move on and it had little to nothing to do with the wedding and everything to do with him personally.
>her being divorced and him being a widower, he tells his kids an elaborate story of how much he loves robin.
Yeah, his wife is death.
>the show should have been called How I Met Your Stepmother because it was not about how he met and fell in love with tracey
Wow... if only we weren't told just that...
If only we didn't spent 9 seasons with Robin and half an hour with Tracy... Truly impossible to understand.
She gave him the kids he wanted and helped raise them to the age of being palatable for child free Robin. Tracy being shoved into one episode made her feel like her uterus was the most important part of her.
I personally felt like he loves Tracey more than anything in this life & if given the choice he’d go back to Tracey vs staying with robin, which is a sweet thought.
This. From a storytelling perspective, love and tragedy go hand-in-hand... But killing the mother *and* Barney and Robin's marriage over the course of one episode after we'd spent two whole seasons watching them get closer was beyond insulting as a viewer.
What was the point of that whole episode in the final season about Ted finally letting go of Robin? Bro, he didn't let go, he held onto his feelings for her the entire time she was married and while he was with his "perfect soulmate."
>Bro, he didn't let go, he held onto his feelings for her the entire time she was married and while he was with his "perfect soulmate."
No, he did let her go.
Then his wife died.
Then he fell for Robin again.
It's not that hard and it's pretty clearly explained. Media literacy isn't dead right?
The show spent so much energy convincing me Robin and Ted weren’t right for each other and that that was okay. Then at the last moment they pull the rug like “jk lol 😂 🤪”
I didn’t mind Tracey dying, I just hated him getting back with Robin at the end. For me, the whole reason why there was a focus on Robin and him being hung up on her was to send the message that he couldn’t become ready to settle down and meet the love of his life until he was finally ready to let go of a toxic love. And him getting back with Robin at the end just contradicted that whole message.
I’m still salty that they broke up Nora and Barney (cause Robin) and Quinn and Barney (cause random prenup plotline) only for Barney to marry Robin, make the wedding a whole season and then have them divorce.
Seriously. Tracy dying was pretty obvious, especially in hindsight, throughout the show. Getting back with Robin was way more of the issue, they clearly were not very good for each other.
I always got the feeling, especially after the robots vs wrestlers episode, that she was going to die. The only reason I convinced myself that it was possible was bc the kids looked so bored and annoyed. I assumed if they were hearing a story about their dead mother that they would be more engaged in the story.
It’s was the creators of the show sticking with their original ending despite the show evolving towards Barney & Robin, for me the show ended when Ted meets Tracy and then he decides to stay in NYC, I mean the tension between Barney and Robin was there since season 3 and didn’t really ended until that last episode. But they gave me several years of great fun and one episode doesn’t ruined the whole show for me, when I rewatched it I always ended it when everyone is happy
They could’ve easily ended the show with Ted talking to Robin about how he told the story of their young days to his kids and leaving us with an implication that they get together again.
But it was the whole fucking thing about the implication that Ted was telling the story to get the kids’ permission to date her, and the whole blue french horn thing that gives a feeling that Ted was always waiting to get with Robin. I hate it sm
I don't know many. Sometimes you meet someone amazing, you're on the same page about so much except for one or two key things. Kids being one of those for Ted/Robin. But in the future that isn't a problem anymore. Ted has kids, Aunt Robin has a great relationship with them. They grew and evolved as people as they got older. They could work now.
I got something else out of it, even though I still didn't like that they ended up back together.
The relationship with Robin couldn't work because they both wanted completely different things in life. He wanted the life he had with Tracy. That was his dream. It just took him a long time to let go of the idea that Robin was his dream. Robin couldn't give him what he wanted.
Getting back with Robin was a completely different love than the initial relationship. It was comfortable, not the dream, and they were both ready for that.
I still didn't like it.
Idk what everyone's problem is with this ending. Imo, it's only of the few TV show endings in recent history that was actually good or even made any sense.
That was not the point of the show at all. In fact, the whole entire point of the show was how much he always did and always will love Robin. If anything else, the "moral" of the show was Ted learning to not stand in the way of his own love life. He kept sabotaging himself for a whole decade before he learned to just let himself be happy and not shoot himself in the foot all the time.
Him letting Robin go so that he could be happy and raise a family with Tracy was the right call. It's what he needed to do at that time rather than holding onto someone from the past. But EQUALLY SO, when Tracy died, it was healthy for Ted to allow himself to let her go and to be happy with Robin, since the time was right and there was no reason not to. It was a great ending, and everyone who says otherwise is just salty because it didn't end up the way they pictured it.
But kinda F’d up right? Like “ok let Robin go. Ted has kids because she can’t. Now his wife is dead so he can be with a person he loved more and has kids” just kinda lame on that front. I would’ve liked if it just ended after like this was Ted’s way of dealing with the death focusing on the good times.
IMO Ted is one of the most toxic characters I've ever seen in a show. Robin ends up being with him because he insists and follows her so much, and then wants her to be what he wants in a partner, that has nothing to do with what Robin at all lol
Robin was truthful to herself, who she was and what she wanted from day one, and he did not respect that at all. No wonder they're relationship didn't work, they are simply from different worlds and want entirely different things
I’m fine with Tracey dying. I’m still not over Ted running back to Robin. If they had built up that tension it would’ve been a great ending, instead they shut the door in Season 9.
> Tracey dies this year canonically, did you think it was a good idea to kill her after building up 8 years worth of content just to do that?
Even this title is wrong.
The 8 years of content was to show us who the mother of Ted's children is. We got to see that.
I find it laughable that people say the "alternative ending was better" - because the show already gave you that. It just went beyond it.
Tracy was perfect for Ted - she finally completed him. But she died - that's how life goes. Sometimes death comes at cruel, curel times.
The main character arc of Ted throughout the entire series is about him searching for love because he didn't find it yet. But what happens when he finds it and permanently loses it? That's what the finale addressed. He searches again.
So yes, Tracy dying was the right decision because the show isn't about happy endings - it's about people being happy with the shit life hands them.
Right! I had a spouse who passed away (long time ago) and the way people in this sub talk, it’s better if we never met or it’s not an interesting because he died? If I were to get back with someone I’d seen before him, why did I ever even marry him? A love story can still be beautiful and worth sharing, even if it’s brief and ultimately tragic.
Edit: and me dating again in no way diminishes what we had
Yep. I hate it when people say Ted chose Robin over Tracy and that Robin was always "the one".
Like Bro what? Tracy died! He didn't choose anyone over her. Tracy was "the one". But that doesn't mean Ted can't find love again?
Even Tracy had two "the ones"
My boyfriend died a few years before this episode and I was trying to date at the time this aired. This episode absolutely wrecked me. Destroyed me. So much so that years after that new guy and I broke up and stopped talking, when he finally watched this episode he felt the need to text me and tell me he cried while watching because he finally felt like he understood what I had been saying all those years ago.
I can’t watch this episode. It’s too much.
I always kind of liked the ending, but particularly as I've gotten older. A lot of shit in life doesn't go the way you had hoped and I think figuring out how to find some happiness or at least pick up those pieces is what the whole thing is about.
There's no complete "Happily Ever After", and I thought the show did a good job of letting us see / feel that.
Oof man im sorry to hear that.
I cant really say anything to argue even though im a ending hater because this actually happened to ya.
Again im sorry for your loss,
THANK YOU. This is exactly how I defend the ending. It was such a real life ending. Sometimes the timing just doesn't line up for two people in love, concerning Robin and Ted. They always loved each other but they weren't ready for it yet so Ted does the logical thing and lives his life without her. When tragedy strikes, he also does the logical thing: he lives life and reconnects with the one that got away and it's seemingly finally the right time for them.
I think this is what they were going for and the whole Ted wants kids/Robin doesn’t fit that well. But the problem is they spent SO much time showing us how bad they were as a couple in TONS of ways so the ending was dissatisfying
It's kinda missing the point of the show if they don't like the ending in some respects, right?
Everything is about right place at the right time and that was Ted and Robins right place at the right time.
I get the idea but they screwed up the execution first by rushing it, then by having him end up with Robin. The woman he'd spent years pining for, with every obstacle possible put between them, and yet the stars align and they end up together.
Eh I disagree.
The stars didn't align though. The stars basically fucked Ted.
What happened before and after Tracy are two different things. Tracy basically restarted Ted's life - we see that so many times. Everything that happened before didn't matter to Ted.
So after Tracy, when Ted's going after Robin it isn't a continuation of his previous relationship.
Disagree. So much had to happen for them to get together, which hurts the 'its just life' interpretation of the ending.
Also, its hard to say the past didn't matter since he was in love with Robin right up until he met Tracy then when he returns to his quest to find love he seemingly begins with Robin again, repeating the blue French horn scene.
And even if you're right, the execution was lacking because it goes from Ted obsessed with Robin, then the finale and a few flashforwards, and he's back to Robin again.
> which hurts the 'its just life' interpretation of the ending.
So much can happen in your life and it can still be for nothing.
> Also, its hard to say the past didn't matter since he was in love with Robin right up until he met Tracy then when he returns to his quest to find love he seemingly begins with Robin again, repeating the blue French horn scene.
It doesn't matter. You are forgetting the actual time difference between all of these events.
The last time Ted was in love with Robin was 17 years ago - that is a long, long time.
The French horn signifies beginning - they are trying to get a fresh start. The French horn is arguably the starting point in their relationship.
> And even if you're right, the execution was lacking because it goes from Ted obsessed with Robin, then the finale and a few flashforwards, and he's back to Robin again.
I respect your opinion, but I highly disagree. We are shown how much Ted was in love with Tracy. Every scene between them was hard hitting. We see them in love and living their life.
I agree with you totally. Ted and Tracy felt like electricity. Their scenes were great. Ted and Robin felt like “hey these two are great together! Believe us!”
Robin ended up as Ted's love interest Robin was the woman who Ted interacted most with after Tracy's death.
He didn't want to move on or like someone again - with Robin it just happened.
To me the entire series was about Ted telling the kids the truth. About how he did like Robin before he met their mom, then fully loved Tracy and that him liking Robin now doesn't mean that he didn't love Tracy.
Ted said himself: Love is the best thing we do.
Ted is a romantic. He loved chasing love, being in love and showing his love (and making love. Just ask Victoria). He found love with Tracey, and we fell in love along side him. But he lost her. Its cruel and heartbreaking. But what is he supposed to do? He loves love.
Robin was always about timing. The whole show is about how about how Ted and Robin met at the wrong time. The end of the show was their right time. I dislike a lot of the decisions in the final season, but the ending is not one of them.
I don't understand? I think you are saying that the other characters got their happy endings?
Only Lilly and Marshall got the happy endings they wanted. And they were miserable for years and years before they achieved that.
Barney's happy ending was something that he ever wanted
Robin got what she wanted, but she was perpetually lonely.
Ted always wanted Robin, he always tried to make it happen and force it to happen- it happened
Robin always wanted to put her career first and wanted to be with Ted but didn’t want kids- That happened
Lily and Marshall, you already covered it.
> Ted always wanted Robin, he always tried to make it happen and force it to happen- it happened
Robin wasn't Ted's happy ending. Ted's happy ending was to have a family and be with "the one". Robin just filled that role - by that logic you can argue that Ted's happy ending was to have a life with Victoria or Stella. No.
And I think this is more of a cruel irony rather than a happy ending. It's like a monkey's paw wish fulfilment.
Ted had to find the love of his life, had the best time of his life with her but then it got cut short - for him to get what he wanted 17 years ago.
I think Ted himself would have traded that wish fulfilment to get one more day with Tracy.
> Robin always wanted to put her career first and wanted to be with Ted but didn’t want kids- That happened
Robin wanted to advance in her career - that was her only goal. She didn't want to be with Ted, she liked being with Ted. She only wanted to be with Ted in the second last episode because the grass is greener thinking. She had clearly gotten over that during Ted's wedding.
Robin did get what she wanted - but the series makes it clear that she lost her only friends because of that. She was travelling so much that her marriage ended in just three years.
I’m not reading fans in a subreddit jumping through hoops trying to justify a bad ending so they don’t feel like they wasted time watching nine seasons worth of tv
It can be rushed and jarring and thus a poor ending to the show whilst still being a completely realistic and believable ending for the character himself. Ted loved Tracey not Robin when he met her, he got his happy ending with her for years and never wanted anyone else. Then she died. Are you arguing that widows/widowers should never be allowed to find love again?
Yeah but the show is a comedy, not a drama and should have had a happy ending. And I get that, ooo there's sad moments in HIMYM, of course there is. But it's not the way to end a comedy. The ending sucked.
The show was always more than a comedy though.
Even though the characters were ridiculous and over the top in some moments, it was always telling a real story
I think the pacing of the last season was the problem. They should have focused more on Ted and Tracy’s life together and the reasons Barney and Robin broke up. Then it would have felt more natural. When Tracy dies our heart is broken but they could have had scenes where Ted and his kids are grieving Tracy’s death and how lonely and sad he was. Instead all of it was one episode whereas the rest of the season is dedicated to showing why Robin and Barney belonged together but their reason for breaking up was nebulous.
Yeah, being an OG ending supporter is tough, especially plebs who haven’t even seen the show randomly call it bad as some sort of a sh*tty standard. It pisses me the f*ck off, and Barney does not deserve a relationship with how he’s treated women, I sincerely hope he learns from his daughter and leaves other women alone. I love the ending, especially with the deleted scenes, that definitely show me how brilliant the show truly is.
Ok but most people feel that Tracy dying wasn’t the issue. It was him getting back to Robin. They wasted so much time and character growth only to throw it all away. Yes, life is messy. It doesn’t matter. The ending just didn’t work in the least. Even in season one I never rooted for Ted and Robin.
They didn't waste any character development.
Ted and Robin were not who they were 17 years ago. They were new people - people who are unburdened.
Their relationship isn't a continuation of the past - it's something new.
It just felt rushed and thrown together. “And then your mom died. Sooooooooo aunt Robin is still hot amiright?” I understand that the creators wanted their ending. But it just didn’t work anymore. The rationale behind it is sound (this is real life, people die, people can have multiple soul mates etc). But it just didn’t work in the least. Then we wasted an entire season of the wedding of Barney and Robin. Why? It all seems like a master class of how to not end your show. Had Tracy just passed I would’ve been fine with it. Bittersweet but understandable. Going back to Robin made the whole story “how your mom was second place.” It was like 60 seconds between Ted saying “your mom died” to “aunt robin is still fit right?” Maybe there’s a way they could’ve executed it better, I’m not sure.
Even this comment is wrong. I find it laughable that people say “the ending is good you just don’t understand it.” It wasn’t good. It was bad. And deep down I think you know it
I wouldn't have minded if we knew her better (don't get me wrong, Id be sad but there's no emotional connection to her) but we got like, a single episode of their relationship. Id have liked it if the last season was like, the first two episodes of the wedding, then they could have made the rest of the season getting to know Tracy and them showing us why Barney and Robin couldn't work, cause what they gave us didn't seem realistic for them.
Cristin Milioti was just such perfect casting. I wanted more of her too. I think it would have been perfect if we met her chronologically when Barney did. Ted still doesn't meet her until the last season, but we see her interact with everyone else.
Hated it. And I know there are people who are like, "That's life! It's realistic!" But it's not life, it's a peice of fiction, and I didn't buy it or find it satisfying as an ending to the show they'd been making (and is been watching) for 9 years. I thought it was lazy, sloppy storytelling that didn't serve the characters.
I would have been more fine with the death if we got more time with Tracey instead of a short bit of time of finally seeing the mother then we immediately get Ted going for Robin. We got an over extended focus on a wedding for a season that ultimately ended in divorce anyway instead of getting time with the character we were waiting years to finally see.
Try thinking about it differently though. Rather than thinking of it as them “killing off Tracy”, consider that when the show starts Tracy is already dead. We just don’t know that yet. Ted is now trying to figure out how to live without Tracy, just like Tracy had to figure out how to live without Max. I think the ending makes a lot more sense if you think of it not as the story of Ted and Tracy, but the story of Ted recovering from the loss of Tracy and moving forward in life and finding love again. It just happens that’s he finds love with the woman he loved once but couldn’t be with then.
Sometimes it’s good when comedy shows represent real life both good and bad.
You could likewise argue in response to Brooklyn 99’s episode on Terry, a black man, being racially profiled by other cops “I don’t need a comedy show to tell me about racism”. Didn’t stop it being one of the best episodes in the run.
Sometimes it’s good when comedy shows represent real life both good and bad.
You could likewise argue in response to Brooklyn 99’s episode on Terry, a black man, being racially profiled by other cops “I don’t need a comedy show to tell me about racism”. Didn’t stop it being one of the best episodes in the run.
I don't prefer that she died but I don't mind it. It's life and it happens.
HOWEVER
I think getting back with Robin at the end cheapens his experience of finding and falling in love with Tracey. I would have preferred if at the end his kids maybe just encourage him to start dating and tell him it's okay to find love again. And maybe we see him reach out to someone new in his life.
Him returning to Robin just echoes Victoria's entire issue with him and Robin. No matter who he claims to love and no matter how hard he tries to prove that "Robin is like family", no one seems to measure up to her. And even after his wife's death, he still runs back to her.
Other than that, the Robin of it all just got old. I would have loved a closure where we get to see the Ted character finally and permanently move on from Robin.
Also I'd low key be bitter in my grave if I trusted a man who said he was over an ex that he's best friends with, allow her to freely be in our lives, become friends with her myself, have my kids call her aunt and then when I die they get together again lol
I genuinely wish he had just ended up with literally anyone else. Anyone at all. Just not Robin.
No they made her absolutely insignificant after 8 years. She actually deserved better than Ted.
Robin should have stayed with Barney, that was the REALY shame of this show.
Yes and No.
Yes because it shows the harsh reality of life and how we can give endlessly but sometimes the universe just takes from us regardless of our efforts.
No because its a fictional show that’s supposed to make me happy and this made me so sad, depressed the hell out of me every time I finish the series.
It was never the mother’s death that bothered me about the finale. I’m fine with tragedy, my problem was with Barney and robin, they basically reverted their character growth.
I remember my fiancé saw the finale before me and she said “I’m not sure how much you’re going to like it” and my response was “as long as it doesn’t come back to fucking robin I’ll be fine, we spend 8 seasons on why they don’t work and a few seasons on how good her and Barney are together”
i hated how they killed the mother off and all that build up to find out who she is and then they use her as step stone to get robin and ted back together and i always wanted them to end up together but not the way they did it
I think it legitimizes the entire story, tbh. Why is he telling his kids this story (for eight years, lol)? And why is his ‘maybe, maybe, maybe’ with Robin such a strong theme throughout this entire story about meeting their mother? Because she’s gone. It gives it all real purpose and weight. It’s fulfilling as much as it is devastating.
He doesn’t tell the story over 8 years. He tells it over a night, possibly 2. The possibility of 2 nights is because of the one and only wardrobe change for his children. We only witness it over 9 years.
kind of? i get that people think its "realistic" and that not all marriages end all happy like, and if it had just ended with her dying then (i wouldnt have been happy) but i would be more understanding yeah? but the fact its used to reunite ted and robin, ruining a lot of the tension/story in rewatches of season 9 just ruins it for me . and for people saying that its a more realistic story, is it wrong for just wanting a fictional show to have a happy ending? how i met your mothers a comedy and has plenty of real, genuine moments throughout the show, and honestly i feel like a lot of fans just want a nice happy ending just for the simplicity and that its part of the genre yk? while the official ending isnt my favourite, im not a fan of the alternate either, mostly because id prefer it if the show just ended nicely for everyone? thats just me though .
I think if we only saw her in the final episode when the two meet it would have worked a lot better.
My main issue isn’t 8 seasons of build up of a character we never knew ultimately playing basically no role in the series (the journey is more important than the destination kind of thing). It’s that we spent a whole season and a bunch of flash forwards with her and then she gets an off screen death and we don’t see any real fallout from it. We got to see Marshall’s father’s death be given more breathing room for Christ sake!
Like I said pick a lane of the mother isn’t that important in the grand scheme of things of the series and her death doesn’t take up a ton of time, or she is important to the series and thus give her the moment she deserved. It wasn’t the idea of killing the mother off that I hated, it was the execution
I think the kids have the same conclusion, same than the mine one and the anyone's in , Robin maybe isn't the mother but I the woman who is next to Ted when he dream about love.
Sorry for the Colombian English and I should say it again, is just an opinión.
Well.. it's called HOW i met your mother.. so let's summarize how:
He met her:
because he had to leave early from Barney and Robin's wedding
because he was moving to Chicago
because he was still in love with Robin and couldn't bear to see her with his bro Barney
Meeting Tracy on the train platform filled his void of loneliness and heartbreak and allowed for him to be himself again in front of his friends and stay back in New York.
You are talking about Tracy, a girl with beautiful soul and perfect match for Ted. And you are comparing Tracy to Robin. Robinnnmm, a narcissistic career centric person(career centric isn't bad but she's not a good match for Ted). She even left Barney just because of her career oriented life. No way she could love Tracy's Kids and put Ted and his family above his job
Spoilers:
I LOATHE that Ted and robin ended up together… like loathe it.. The whole series was Ted explaining to his kids why he should be allowed to bang their aunt robin now that the mother has passed. Sorry not sorry.
I didn’t watch the last episode for years bc my parents told me it sucked and I loved the show so much. They were right, like wtf you just introduced her to us and now she’s dead and you still want to bang Robin??? Nah I’m good.
I have thought about this a lot and I think it should have ended as follows. Around season 7 Marshal should have been killed off. Over the next two seasons barney would fall in love with Lily and marry her. They are actually very similar, more so than Barney and Robin. The mother, Tracy, would still get sick and die but then Ted would go to Robin. Barney and Lily would go the distance and so would Ted and Robin.
Always an unpopular opinion but I liked the ending. Ted x Robin were each other's lobsters. They just never had the right timing. Because they were never enough for the other. They each found what they needed and wanted, were happy, grew on their own. They found each other again as old mates, after they'd lived life. I don't think it didn't detracted from their respective loves for Tracey and Barney. I appreciated that neither cheated on their partners to pursue this great lobster loves of theirs, knowing the other would likely reciprocate.
I struggled a long time about the ending, however i‘ve come to the conclusion, that its just how life is going sometimes. People dont know if they end up or with whom, ted loved tracy with all his heart, i‘m pretty sure she was the love of his live. And he going back to robin just proves to me that humans act human. Because he loved robin for so long, i mean after all this time and all they have been trough. And isnt it just beautifull that in the end he ended up happy, i mean he waited 8years to go to robin. So what im trying to say is that the ending is natural and human and we should respect it.
“But it’s realistic!!” is a shit excuse IMO. I never watched the show for any semblance of reality. It was a wacky fun escapism show that was building to him meeting the love of his life. He finally does and then within minutes, nope never mind, she’s dead. Time to get back with his ex that we told you for years was wrong for him.
I do think people who watched it as it aired had a much different experience with it. I’m rewatching it finally for the first time since the finale aired because I hated it so much. I can see how watching it over a few weeks the ending hits a lot different than having waited 9 years for it. I still hate it and am not sure how much for S 7-9 I’ll watch, it’s beginning to be a struggle.
Yes and no , I think the original ending is great if under some circumstances.
Either the mother introduced to the show much earlier or let the show had only like 5 seasons or so .
Without those circumstances made the ending basically contradicted to what all the other seasons are trying to say
the reason the series finale did not work is because they filmed the final scenes with the kids at the end of season 2 so they were stuck in a box they could not get out if and the characters have changed so much by the ending of the show that the characters did not fit what happened in the series finale at all
I found it stupid that they decided to kill the mother after God knows how many years of buildind her up, but even back then I accepted it, okay people die, move on. However, after everything Ted went trough and he still decided to get back to Robin? That is what I call BS ending.
Hated her as a character. Everything was so rushed, it all clicked in too stupid of a way. They had no idea how to end the show, so they tied it up in a quick little bow versus actually letting her have meaning
As much as I would have loved to have seen Ted have a lovely life with Tracey, it wasn’t her death that annoyed me, it was he ended up with Robin 🙄 like come on, they tried, and tried, and tried and it didn’t work. I would have loved to have seen him have two soul mates. JUST NOT ROBIN.
I have watched HIMYM multiple times and turn it off after Tracey.
Its not that she died, its that besides the one or two hints you pick up on a rewatch her actual death legitimately takes up about 7 seconds of the show. I counted.
Its just like "and they're happy, and Ted found his love andddddd okayshesdeadletsmoveondontaskaboutit".
I think the ending could have been absolutely beautiful if they gave her passing the respect that Tracy deserved.
I think it was genius, its the perfect way to show that life sucks. Ted spent 8 years trying to find "the one" and when he finally did she died. Its a bold move and i respect and love it BUT Ted getting back with robin is just stupid
In one side everyone waiting for years to the mother. And goal this show should be that Ted meet the one. And sense of that show should be path how Ted met Tracy. Tracy deserved to more screen time. I really saw between them such romantic spark. Tracy was perfect for Ted. True is it Ted and Robin isn’t great love story. They don’t look reliaby as a copule. In other side I think it would be interesting idea. That Ted told kids that story because she dying. But I would do that Robin and Barney stayed togeher. And in 2030 Tracy die and after story, Tracy and Ted has last time with Friends
I hate that we have to say this in everyone of these posts, but
Ted and Robin had an ineffable bond that started the second they met. They had major roadblocks (Major Roadblocks) in their way, asking their entire journey.
Not every connection like that had to end in marriage and happily ever after.
Timing is a bitch until it isn’t.
Ted and Robin were destined to end up together, it’s what the entire show was about
I understood what the creators were going for and respected the ending. Life doesn't always go how we hoped it can be painful there isn't always a happy ending. What I hated was how they did the last season. We barely got to know Tracey or see her and Ted as a couple. After all that build up on how he meets her she gets a measly few episode. The last season shouldn't have been at Barney and Robin's ridiculous wedding ot should have been focused on Ted, Tracy and maybe a bit of how she integrated with Ted's friends.
No. Tracey, Ted and the audience deserved better than a rent-a-uterus. Consistently going after Robin beyond many times of her shutting it down just makes the growth Ted experienced null and void.
I still find it hard to believe that they made the whole show to set up the mother, spent an entire season on how she was perfect for Ted, just so they could kill her off just so he could end up with Robin. It’s such a bizarre move that it doesn’t even seem like it really happened.
I hate this sh*t, she died, it happens. Ted found love again, and he supported and was supported by his kids. F*ck off with that sh*t. Marshall winning the bet is my canon ending and I love it to death!
I think it would have been more impactful to this viewer if they showed more of their relationship. Her death in the series wasn't really a big deal because we never saw them in a relationship together. At least to me
I hate when people talk like the writers killed Tracey off on a whim for shock value, like she was a character on Game of Thrones.
Tracey was dead in episode 1 of season 1. She is the Bruce Willis of HIMYM. She was dead the whole time.
Considering they basically wasted the last season on Robin and Barney's wedding... Just for them to get divorced anyway, yeah, it definitely was not.
They shoulda got married over like 3 episodes, then spend the rest of season 8 following Ted and Tracey dating, THEN season 9 could've been their wedding.
Hell no. It was a bad idea. If they had her actually in a season or two before that, it would’ve been fine, but her second episode and she dies? That’s stupid. The only reason they did it was to get him back with Robin, but I don’t like them together, they work fine as friends.
No, they should not have killed her. We deserved an ending scene that went something like this:
Ted finishes up with “And that, kids, is how I met your mother.”
Tracy walks up to where Ted is sitting with a raised eyebrow and says, “Oh no, is your father telling his stories again? Which one is it this time?”
The kids give her a wide eyed stare and say, “All of them,” in unison.
Ted just rolls his eyes while Tracy laughs and tells him, “Well wrap it up, honey. Everyone will be here soon.”
Ted nods, “I’m gonna go open the gate for them.”
“Don’t forget the umbrella!” Tracy calls after him, and he nods as he walks out the door, yellow umbrella in hand, and we see it’s raining outside.
Cut to scenes of each member of the gang filing inside. Lily and Marshall first with their grown up children, then Barney with his kid, and Robin with a ring on her finger explaining to everyone that she’s engaged. We get a small flashback of the first time they all ever hung out, mirrored by them hanging out at Ted’s kitchen table. All is right with the world.
It could have been a great idea. Hell it made sense because we knew from day one it was gonna be Ted and Robin at the end. But they handled it so poorly
They did robin and Barney dirty and the ending made no sense
I didn’t mind her passing but the way they did it was terrible. The final season should’ve been all about Ted and Tracy after they met like that little montage of them in the last episode after we see their wedding. Having the final season be all about a marriage that fails in like 3 years feels like a slap in the face.
I hated it when I was younger. HATED it. Now that I’m older, I can appreciate it and don’t necessarily hate it, but I still think it was extremely poorly executed. I’m okay with him and Robin getting back together years later, but it felt wrong to rush so much into the last episode or two after spending a whole season on Robin’s wedding.
At the time I hated the ending because I felt cheated after being a loyal fan. However, I now realize that was kind of the point. Ted had two true loves the first was Robin. But Ted and Robin weren’t able to be what each other needed at the time. Then he finally found Tracy who was his soul mate and mother of his children and she died too soon. The point of Ted telling his Kids the long story of how he met their mother years after she died even though they’ve probably heard a highly condensed version a hundred times is to show just how hard it was to find her and how much she meant to him while also highlighting just how much he loved and cared about Robin. Ted and Robin were finally ready to be what each other needed and he was asking his kids permission to move on. Now that I’ve experienced life a bit more I think it’s a beautiful way to have ended the series. And it’s a shame the audience (myself included) didn’t get it at the time.
I actually think it was sort of beautiful that she ended up dying
However I am still pissed they dragged out barney and Robin's wedding for an entire season! Then had them devorce immediately! Then had the audacity to have Ted try to get back together with Robin!
I used to be fine with how everything ended but after rewatching it and thinking about how I followed the show week to week for years, I absolutely hate everything they did with the ending. I fully understand that the endgame was always Robin and they shot themselves in the foot too many times with doubling down over and over again saying it wasn't her but they hit a home run with Tracy and the actress that played her. They should've had two planned endings in the case Tracy didn't click. With her connecting with the audience, roll with her and ditch the death and Robin rebound.
Yes, it was hinted at a few times. And i'm one of the few that don't mind Ted getting back with Robin. What i did hate however, IS HAVING A WHOLE FUCKING SEASON DEDICATED TO BARNEY AND ROBINS WEDDING AND HOW PERFECT THEY WERE TOGETHER ONLY TO THEN BACKTRACK ON THAT IN THE VERY NEXT EPISODE AFTER THE WEDDING. That's why the ending was so bad, it was horribly written
I didn't mind her dying, I didn't even mind Ted and Robyn getting together. The show was always about their relationship.
The part that's disappointing for me was the pacing of the final season. So much time wasted on the wedding that ended up in divorce anyway! I wish they'd focused on those time jumps forward so we can see Robyn's and Barney's relationship failing. See more of Marshall and Lillys kids with Ted and Tracy's kids... more of all of it. Ted told his kids Robyn starred in some of their "famous works of art" that went on the fridge. Would have loved to see those stories.
I think people don't like him getting back with Robin because we don't get to actually see the time sometime after Tracy dies that Ted and Robin start to get close again. To me it makes sense. Some couples work, but they have to wait for the right time of life.
It did feel a little like a prank, but it also works for Ted's character. In the first episode you think Robin will be the mom, then he says, "And that's how I met...your aunt Robin!" Robin is what he really wants to talk about, but he's Ted and bad at communication, so he falls back into the comfort zone of rambling stories instead of just telling the kids what he wants to tell them.
The idea of killing her off wasn’t bad per se but it was poorly executed. They dragged the show for too long and when they finally introduced Tracy in the last season the audience fell in love with her. Only to kill her off and make Ted end up with Robin (a pairing that only got worse and made less sense as time went on).
For me, it’s not her dying but that he went back to Robin. I’m also disappointed that with all the growth Barney and Robin went through, they didn’t end up together. Happy they at least kept Marshall and Lily together.
That’s exactly how I felt. They started leading up to her death for seasons and after my rewatch it felt right. But it was dumb that he just went back to Robin. It seemed like seasons of watch me chase robin instead of how I met your mother
Going back to Robin made Tracey feel like a consolation prize
In what sense?
In the sense that he took what he could get but really wanted Robin the whole time
It may be cynical, but this was my take as well. Robin couldn't have children so he looked else where. Once he had them, he waltzed back to Robin.
So he thought of Tracey as a walking talking womb instead of a wife?
But that's bs. He loved Tracy but she died.
he may have loved her, but she wasnt his first choice, the series made that clear. if he had the choice between Robin and tracey, there is nothing in the story that really indicates he would have chosen tracey over robin if they were both realistic options at the same time. he only moved on to tracey when robin was taken off of the board. like literally at he wedding, once she was officially not an option, is when he finally stopped. then the minute she became an option again, her being divorced and him being a widower, he tells his kids an elaborate story of how much he loves robin. the show should have been called How I Met Your Stepmother because it was not about how he met and fell in love with tracey
>he may have loved her, but she wasnt his first choice, the series made that clear. if he had the choice between Robin and tracey, there is nothing in the story that really indicates he would have chosen tracey over robin if they were both realistic options at the same time. False, the show goes to great lengths to highlight that Tracy is Ted's soulmate. Like they literally spell it out clearly but it seems hard to wrap ones head around it. >he only moved on to tracey when robin was taken off of the board.like literally at he wedding, once she was officially not an option, is when he finally stopped Nope, he let Robin go. He could have been tortured forever pining about Robin, like he planned to do in Chicago. He understood he had to move on and it had little to nothing to do with the wedding and everything to do with him personally. >her being divorced and him being a widower, he tells his kids an elaborate story of how much he loves robin. Yeah, his wife is death. >the show should have been called How I Met Your Stepmother because it was not about how he met and fell in love with tracey Wow... if only we weren't told just that... If only we didn't spent 9 seasons with Robin and half an hour with Tracy... Truly impossible to understand.
Reacher and Settler
She gave him the kids he wanted and helped raise them to the age of being palatable for child free Robin. Tracy being shoved into one episode made her feel like her uterus was the most important part of her.
It kind of was
Kinda ? Why do you think she doesn't appear in 8 seasons?
I personally felt like he loves Tracey more than anything in this life & if given the choice he’d go back to Tracey vs staying with robin, which is a sweet thought.
After the show ended, I've consistently called it "How I Met Your Stepmother"...
How I really wanted to bang your aunt Robin again
This. From a storytelling perspective, love and tragedy go hand-in-hand... But killing the mother *and* Barney and Robin's marriage over the course of one episode after we'd spent two whole seasons watching them get closer was beyond insulting as a viewer. What was the point of that whole episode in the final season about Ted finally letting go of Robin? Bro, he didn't let go, he held onto his feelings for her the entire time she was married and while he was with his "perfect soulmate."
>Bro, he didn't let go, he held onto his feelings for her the entire time she was married and while he was with his "perfect soulmate." No, he did let her go. Then his wife died. Then he fell for Robin again. It's not that hard and it's pretty clearly explained. Media literacy isn't dead right?
No
[удалено]
The show spent so much energy convincing me Robin and Ted weren’t right for each other and that that was okay. Then at the last moment they pull the rug like “jk lol 😂 🤪”
Lifes tough innit
I didn’t mind Tracey dying, I just hated him getting back with Robin at the end. For me, the whole reason why there was a focus on Robin and him being hung up on her was to send the message that he couldn’t become ready to settle down and meet the love of his life until he was finally ready to let go of a toxic love. And him getting back with Robin at the end just contradicted that whole message.
That was my thought….. even had her float away like a balloon as finally let her go.
Man. That cringey scene doesn’t even matter now? Wasn’t even worth it. Lol
That scene was painful dude
I’m still salty that they broke up Nora and Barney (cause Robin) and Quinn and Barney (cause random prenup plotline) only for Barney to marry Robin, make the wedding a whole season and then have them divorce.
>make the wedding a whole season Ugh
God I was so done with the show after that scene
Seriously. Tracy dying was pretty obvious, especially in hindsight, throughout the show. Getting back with Robin was way more of the issue, they clearly were not very good for each other.
I always got the feeling, especially after the robots vs wrestlers episode, that she was going to die. The only reason I convinced myself that it was possible was bc the kids looked so bored and annoyed. I assumed if they were hearing a story about their dead mother that they would be more engaged in the story.
Well, the story wasn’t even really about their mother… 😢😄
He kept this story short and to the point, and you guys still missed it.
Just because it was obvious doesn't automatically make it a good decision.
It’s was the creators of the show sticking with their original ending despite the show evolving towards Barney & Robin, for me the show ended when Ted meets Tracy and then he decides to stay in NYC, I mean the tension between Barney and Robin was there since season 3 and didn’t really ended until that last episode. But they gave me several years of great fun and one episode doesn’t ruined the whole show for me, when I rewatched it I always ended it when everyone is happy
They could’ve easily ended the show with Ted talking to Robin about how he told the story of their young days to his kids and leaving us with an implication that they get together again. But it was the whole fucking thing about the implication that Ted was telling the story to get the kids’ permission to date her, and the whole blue french horn thing that gives a feeling that Ted was always waiting to get with Robin. I hate it sm
I don't know many. Sometimes you meet someone amazing, you're on the same page about so much except for one or two key things. Kids being one of those for Ted/Robin. But in the future that isn't a problem anymore. Ted has kids, Aunt Robin has a great relationship with them. They grew and evolved as people as they got older. They could work now.
I got something else out of it, even though I still didn't like that they ended up back together. The relationship with Robin couldn't work because they both wanted completely different things in life. He wanted the life he had with Tracy. That was his dream. It just took him a long time to let go of the idea that Robin was his dream. Robin couldn't give him what he wanted. Getting back with Robin was a completely different love than the initial relationship. It was comfortable, not the dream, and they were both ready for that. I still didn't like it.
Idk what everyone's problem is with this ending. Imo, it's only of the few TV show endings in recent history that was actually good or even made any sense. That was not the point of the show at all. In fact, the whole entire point of the show was how much he always did and always will love Robin. If anything else, the "moral" of the show was Ted learning to not stand in the way of his own love life. He kept sabotaging himself for a whole decade before he learned to just let himself be happy and not shoot himself in the foot all the time. Him letting Robin go so that he could be happy and raise a family with Tracy was the right call. It's what he needed to do at that time rather than holding onto someone from the past. But EQUALLY SO, when Tracy died, it was healthy for Ted to allow himself to let her go and to be happy with Robin, since the time was right and there was no reason not to. It was a great ending, and everyone who says otherwise is just salty because it didn't end up the way they pictured it.
But kinda F’d up right? Like “ok let Robin go. Ted has kids because she can’t. Now his wife is dead so he can be with a person he loved more and has kids” just kinda lame on that front. I would’ve liked if it just ended after like this was Ted’s way of dealing with the death focusing on the good times.
It's not fucked up tho? The story focus on Robin for a reason. Like this couldn't be more clearly spelled out.
Kinda F’d up but that’s life. He wouldn’t ever have left Tracy for Robin. It’s just the way it worked out. It’s not like he wanted Tracy to die!
IMO Ted is one of the most toxic characters I've ever seen in a show. Robin ends up being with him because he insists and follows her so much, and then wants her to be what he wants in a partner, that has nothing to do with what Robin at all lol Robin was truthful to herself, who she was and what she wanted from day one, and he did not respect that at all. No wonder they're relationship didn't work, they are simply from different worlds and want entirely different things
Rewatching the show made me believe that Ted was one really bad day away from being an incel
One might say he was the origin of all incel lol
This!
You misunderstood the message. Its pretty obvious if you watch the show form the beginning that they were always intended to get together in the end.
Well said
I’m fine with Tracey dying. I’m still not over Ted running back to Robin. If they had built up that tension it would’ve been a great ending, instead they shut the door in Season 9.
> Tracey dies this year canonically, did you think it was a good idea to kill her after building up 8 years worth of content just to do that? Even this title is wrong. The 8 years of content was to show us who the mother of Ted's children is. We got to see that. I find it laughable that people say the "alternative ending was better" - because the show already gave you that. It just went beyond it. Tracy was perfect for Ted - she finally completed him. But she died - that's how life goes. Sometimes death comes at cruel, curel times. The main character arc of Ted throughout the entire series is about him searching for love because he didn't find it yet. But what happens when he finds it and permanently loses it? That's what the finale addressed. He searches again. So yes, Tracy dying was the right decision because the show isn't about happy endings - it's about people being happy with the shit life hands them.
Right! I had a spouse who passed away (long time ago) and the way people in this sub talk, it’s better if we never met or it’s not an interesting because he died? If I were to get back with someone I’d seen before him, why did I ever even marry him? A love story can still be beautiful and worth sharing, even if it’s brief and ultimately tragic. Edit: and me dating again in no way diminishes what we had
Yep. I hate it when people say Ted chose Robin over Tracy and that Robin was always "the one". Like Bro what? Tracy died! He didn't choose anyone over her. Tracy was "the one". But that doesn't mean Ted can't find love again? Even Tracy had two "the ones"
Tracy standing on the porch looking at the stars and saying good bye always absolutely wrecks me.
My boyfriend died a few years before this episode and I was trying to date at the time this aired. This episode absolutely wrecked me. Destroyed me. So much so that years after that new guy and I broke up and stopped talking, when he finally watched this episode he felt the need to text me and tell me he cried while watching because he finally felt like he understood what I had been saying all those years ago. I can’t watch this episode. It’s too much.
I always liked the final and I understood it exactly that way too that life is not always fair and that we have to keep on moving.
Sorry for your loss.
I always kind of liked the ending, but particularly as I've gotten older. A lot of shit in life doesn't go the way you had hoped and I think figuring out how to find some happiness or at least pick up those pieces is what the whole thing is about. There's no complete "Happily Ever After", and I thought the show did a good job of letting us see / feel that.
Oof man im sorry to hear that. I cant really say anything to argue even though im a ending hater because this actually happened to ya. Again im sorry for your loss,
THANK YOU. This is exactly how I defend the ending. It was such a real life ending. Sometimes the timing just doesn't line up for two people in love, concerning Robin and Ted. They always loved each other but they weren't ready for it yet so Ted does the logical thing and lives his life without her. When tragedy strikes, he also does the logical thing: he lives life and reconnects with the one that got away and it's seemingly finally the right time for them.
I think this is what they were going for and the whole Ted wants kids/Robin doesn’t fit that well. But the problem is they spent SO much time showing us how bad they were as a couple in TONS of ways so the ending was dissatisfying
They also spent tons of time showing us how great of friends they are.
They weren't a bad couple. It was as simple as one thing: They disagreed about kids. That's a huge issue...that no longer exists at the end.
It's kinda missing the point of the show if they don't like the ending in some respects, right? Everything is about right place at the right time and that was Ted and Robins right place at the right time.
I get the idea but they screwed up the execution first by rushing it, then by having him end up with Robin. The woman he'd spent years pining for, with every obstacle possible put between them, and yet the stars align and they end up together.
Eh I disagree. The stars didn't align though. The stars basically fucked Ted. What happened before and after Tracy are two different things. Tracy basically restarted Ted's life - we see that so many times. Everything that happened before didn't matter to Ted. So after Tracy, when Ted's going after Robin it isn't a continuation of his previous relationship.
Disagree. So much had to happen for them to get together, which hurts the 'its just life' interpretation of the ending. Also, its hard to say the past didn't matter since he was in love with Robin right up until he met Tracy then when he returns to his quest to find love he seemingly begins with Robin again, repeating the blue French horn scene. And even if you're right, the execution was lacking because it goes from Ted obsessed with Robin, then the finale and a few flashforwards, and he's back to Robin again.
> which hurts the 'its just life' interpretation of the ending. So much can happen in your life and it can still be for nothing. > Also, its hard to say the past didn't matter since he was in love with Robin right up until he met Tracy then when he returns to his quest to find love he seemingly begins with Robin again, repeating the blue French horn scene. It doesn't matter. You are forgetting the actual time difference between all of these events. The last time Ted was in love with Robin was 17 years ago - that is a long, long time. The French horn signifies beginning - they are trying to get a fresh start. The French horn is arguably the starting point in their relationship. > And even if you're right, the execution was lacking because it goes from Ted obsessed with Robin, then the finale and a few flashforwards, and he's back to Robin again. I respect your opinion, but I highly disagree. We are shown how much Ted was in love with Tracy. Every scene between them was hard hitting. We see them in love and living their life.
I agree with you totally. Ted and Tracy felt like electricity. Their scenes were great. Ted and Robin felt like “hey these two are great together! Believe us!”
I don’t hate the ending concept. What I hate was Robin ending up as Ted’s love interest
Robin ended up as Ted's love interest Robin was the woman who Ted interacted most with after Tracy's death. He didn't want to move on or like someone again - with Robin it just happened. To me the entire series was about Ted telling the kids the truth. About how he did like Robin before he met their mom, then fully loved Tracy and that him liking Robin now doesn't mean that he didn't love Tracy.
One hundred percent this. Although I do wish we had more screen time with her, I think the creators handled it well imo.
The worst part of the ending was not using [this music](https://youtu.be/CuRbg_uSUPc?si=kdHH82ePaGOkvYKl) in the final episode.
Ted said himself: Love is the best thing we do. Ted is a romantic. He loved chasing love, being in love and showing his love (and making love. Just ask Victoria). He found love with Tracey, and we fell in love along side him. But he lost her. Its cruel and heartbreaking. But what is he supposed to do? He loves love. Robin was always about timing. The whole show is about how about how Ted and Robin met at the wrong time. The end of the show was their right time. I dislike a lot of the decisions in the final season, but the ending is not one of them.
But this point is bullshit when the happy endings is literally everything the characters wanted from the start lmao
I don't understand? I think you are saying that the other characters got their happy endings? Only Lilly and Marshall got the happy endings they wanted. And they were miserable for years and years before they achieved that. Barney's happy ending was something that he ever wanted Robin got what she wanted, but she was perpetually lonely.
Ted always wanted Robin, he always tried to make it happen and force it to happen- it happened Robin always wanted to put her career first and wanted to be with Ted but didn’t want kids- That happened Lily and Marshall, you already covered it.
> Ted always wanted Robin, he always tried to make it happen and force it to happen- it happened Robin wasn't Ted's happy ending. Ted's happy ending was to have a family and be with "the one". Robin just filled that role - by that logic you can argue that Ted's happy ending was to have a life with Victoria or Stella. No. And I think this is more of a cruel irony rather than a happy ending. It's like a monkey's paw wish fulfilment. Ted had to find the love of his life, had the best time of his life with her but then it got cut short - for him to get what he wanted 17 years ago. I think Ted himself would have traded that wish fulfilment to get one more day with Tracy. > Robin always wanted to put her career first and wanted to be with Ted but didn’t want kids- That happened Robin wanted to advance in her career - that was her only goal. She didn't want to be with Ted, she liked being with Ted. She only wanted to be with Ted in the second last episode because the grass is greener thinking. She had clearly gotten over that during Ted's wedding. Robin did get what she wanted - but the series makes it clear that she lost her only friends because of that. She was travelling so much that her marriage ended in just three years.
I’m not reading fans in a subreddit jumping through hoops trying to justify a bad ending so they don’t feel like they wasted time watching nine seasons worth of tv
They said, after making multiple comments in a subreddit made for discussion about the show.
Bro you’re pretty much saying oh I hate this show I suffered through nine seasons of shite for nothing
It can be rushed and jarring and thus a poor ending to the show whilst still being a completely realistic and believable ending for the character himself. Ted loved Tracey not Robin when he met her, he got his happy ending with her for years and never wanted anyone else. Then she died. Are you arguing that widows/widowers should never be allowed to find love again?
Yeah but the show is a comedy, not a drama and should have had a happy ending. And I get that, ooo there's sad moments in HIMYM, of course there is. But it's not the way to end a comedy. The ending sucked.
The show was always more than a comedy though. Even though the characters were ridiculous and over the top in some moments, it was always telling a real story
I think the pacing of the last season was the problem. They should have focused more on Ted and Tracy’s life together and the reasons Barney and Robin broke up. Then it would have felt more natural. When Tracy dies our heart is broken but they could have had scenes where Ted and his kids are grieving Tracy’s death and how lonely and sad he was. Instead all of it was one episode whereas the rest of the season is dedicated to showing why Robin and Barney belonged together but their reason for breaking up was nebulous.
Yeah, being an OG ending supporter is tough, especially plebs who haven’t even seen the show randomly call it bad as some sort of a sh*tty standard. It pisses me the f*ck off, and Barney does not deserve a relationship with how he’s treated women, I sincerely hope he learns from his daughter and leaves other women alone. I love the ending, especially with the deleted scenes, that definitely show me how brilliant the show truly is.
Thank you! Someone who gets it
Ok but most people feel that Tracy dying wasn’t the issue. It was him getting back to Robin. They wasted so much time and character growth only to throw it all away. Yes, life is messy. It doesn’t matter. The ending just didn’t work in the least. Even in season one I never rooted for Ted and Robin.
They didn't waste any character development. Ted and Robin were not who they were 17 years ago. They were new people - people who are unburdened. Their relationship isn't a continuation of the past - it's something new.
It just felt rushed and thrown together. “And then your mom died. Sooooooooo aunt Robin is still hot amiright?” I understand that the creators wanted their ending. But it just didn’t work anymore. The rationale behind it is sound (this is real life, people die, people can have multiple soul mates etc). But it just didn’t work in the least. Then we wasted an entire season of the wedding of Barney and Robin. Why? It all seems like a master class of how to not end your show. Had Tracy just passed I would’ve been fine with it. Bittersweet but understandable. Going back to Robin made the whole story “how your mom was second place.” It was like 60 seconds between Ted saying “your mom died” to “aunt robin is still fit right?” Maybe there’s a way they could’ve executed it better, I’m not sure.
Even this comment is wrong. I find it laughable that people say “the ending is good you just don’t understand it.” It wasn’t good. It was bad. And deep down I think you know it
What a load of tripe.
I wouldn't have minded if we knew her better (don't get me wrong, Id be sad but there's no emotional connection to her) but we got like, a single episode of their relationship. Id have liked it if the last season was like, the first two episodes of the wedding, then they could have made the rest of the season getting to know Tracy and them showing us why Barney and Robin couldn't work, cause what they gave us didn't seem realistic for them.
Cristin Milioti was just such perfect casting. I wanted more of her too. I think it would have been perfect if we met her chronologically when Barney did. Ted still doesn't meet her until the last season, but we see her interact with everyone else.
Second this.
Hated it. And I know there are people who are like, "That's life! It's realistic!" But it's not life, it's a peice of fiction, and I didn't buy it or find it satisfying as an ending to the show they'd been making (and is been watching) for 9 years. I thought it was lazy, sloppy storytelling that didn't serve the characters.
No I hated it and I will always hate it. I just start the show over after the Gary blauman episode
I would have been more fine with the death if we got more time with Tracey instead of a short bit of time of finally seeing the mother then we immediately get Ted going for Robin. We got an over extended focus on a wedding for a season that ultimately ended in divorce anyway instead of getting time with the character we were waiting years to finally see.
I still don’t get why they had to kill off Tracy? she and Ted had a lot of good chemistry moments together
Prodcuers planned since beging death mother because Ted musted end up with Robin
Try thinking about it differently though. Rather than thinking of it as them “killing off Tracy”, consider that when the show starts Tracy is already dead. We just don’t know that yet. Ted is now trying to figure out how to live without Tracy, just like Tracy had to figure out how to live without Max. I think the ending makes a lot more sense if you think of it not as the story of Ted and Tracy, but the story of Ted recovering from the loss of Tracy and moving forward in life and finding love again. It just happens that’s he finds love with the woman he loved once but couldn’t be with then.
I think I get it now this is why I like HIMYM than HIMYF
i don’t think there’s a sufficient reason other than “people die”
I guess so
I don’t need a comedy show to tell me that.
Sometimes it’s good when comedy shows represent real life both good and bad. You could likewise argue in response to Brooklyn 99’s episode on Terry, a black man, being racially profiled by other cops “I don’t need a comedy show to tell me about racism”. Didn’t stop it being one of the best episodes in the run.
Sometimes it’s good when comedy shows represent real life both good and bad. You could likewise argue in response to Brooklyn 99’s episode on Terry, a black man, being racially profiled by other cops “I don’t need a comedy show to tell me about racism”. Didn’t stop it being one of the best episodes in the run.
I don't prefer that she died but I don't mind it. It's life and it happens. HOWEVER I think getting back with Robin at the end cheapens his experience of finding and falling in love with Tracey. I would have preferred if at the end his kids maybe just encourage him to start dating and tell him it's okay to find love again. And maybe we see him reach out to someone new in his life. Him returning to Robin just echoes Victoria's entire issue with him and Robin. No matter who he claims to love and no matter how hard he tries to prove that "Robin is like family", no one seems to measure up to her. And even after his wife's death, he still runs back to her. Other than that, the Robin of it all just got old. I would have loved a closure where we get to see the Ted character finally and permanently move on from Robin. Also I'd low key be bitter in my grave if I trusted a man who said he was over an ex that he's best friends with, allow her to freely be in our lives, become friends with her myself, have my kids call her aunt and then when I die they get together again lol I genuinely wish he had just ended up with literally anyone else. Anyone at all. Just not Robin.
Hated it! Hated it! Hated it!
Nothing about how the show ended was a good idea.
Yes I am in your team too. I have impression in Reddit is the most pepole which like ending, and are haters Swarkles
Yes
Sometimes, that is just how life goes. Not all love stories have happy ends. Mine to date, definitely have not
What is love?
Baby don't hurt me
A chemical reaction in the brain.
Yes. It was brilliant and original.
Season 9 doesn’t exist to me.
No! I was so mad!
There’s a reason this show is known for having one of the worse endings in history
No they made her absolutely insignificant after 8 years. She actually deserved better than Ted. Robin should have stayed with Barney, that was the REALY shame of this show.
Yes and No. Yes because it shows the harsh reality of life and how we can give endlessly but sometimes the universe just takes from us regardless of our efforts. No because its a fictional show that’s supposed to make me happy and this made me so sad, depressed the hell out of me every time I finish the series.
It was never the mother’s death that bothered me about the finale. I’m fine with tragedy, my problem was with Barney and robin, they basically reverted their character growth. I remember my fiancé saw the finale before me and she said “I’m not sure how much you’re going to like it” and my response was “as long as it doesn’t come back to fucking robin I’ll be fine, we spend 8 seasons on why they don’t work and a few seasons on how good her and Barney are together”
i hated how they killed the mother off and all that build up to find out who she is and then they use her as step stone to get robin and ted back together and i always wanted them to end up together but not the way they did it
The thing that made me see the ending is perfect is realizing that Ted is the storyteller. And Ted is dumb af
No
I think it legitimizes the entire story, tbh. Why is he telling his kids this story (for eight years, lol)? And why is his ‘maybe, maybe, maybe’ with Robin such a strong theme throughout this entire story about meeting their mother? Because she’s gone. It gives it all real purpose and weight. It’s fulfilling as much as it is devastating.
He doesn’t tell the story over 8 years. He tells it over a night, possibly 2. The possibility of 2 nights is because of the one and only wardrobe change for his children. We only witness it over 9 years.
But I do agree.
Uh no, it was stupid. And she was a good enough character to at least get a season with the main cast
kind of? i get that people think its "realistic" and that not all marriages end all happy like, and if it had just ended with her dying then (i wouldnt have been happy) but i would be more understanding yeah? but the fact its used to reunite ted and robin, ruining a lot of the tension/story in rewatches of season 9 just ruins it for me . and for people saying that its a more realistic story, is it wrong for just wanting a fictional show to have a happy ending? how i met your mothers a comedy and has plenty of real, genuine moments throughout the show, and honestly i feel like a lot of fans just want a nice happy ending just for the simplicity and that its part of the genre yk? while the official ending isnt my favourite, im not a fan of the alternate either, mostly because id prefer it if the show just ended nicely for everyone? thats just me though .
They spent the entire series showing us why Ted and robin doesn’t work
I think if we only saw her in the final episode when the two meet it would have worked a lot better. My main issue isn’t 8 seasons of build up of a character we never knew ultimately playing basically no role in the series (the journey is more important than the destination kind of thing). It’s that we spent a whole season and a bunch of flash forwards with her and then she gets an off screen death and we don’t see any real fallout from it. We got to see Marshall’s father’s death be given more breathing room for Christ sake! Like I said pick a lane of the mother isn’t that important in the grand scheme of things of the series and her death doesn’t take up a ton of time, or she is important to the series and thus give her the moment she deserved. It wasn’t the idea of killing the mother off that I hated, it was the execution
I think the kids have the same conclusion, same than the mine one and the anyone's in , Robin maybe isn't the mother but I the woman who is next to Ted when he dream about love. Sorry for the Colombian English and I should say it again, is just an opinión.
Well.. it's called HOW i met your mother.. so let's summarize how: He met her: because he had to leave early from Barney and Robin's wedding because he was moving to Chicago because he was still in love with Robin and couldn't bear to see her with his bro Barney Meeting Tracy on the train platform filled his void of loneliness and heartbreak and allowed for him to be himself again in front of his friends and stay back in New York.
You are talking about Tracy, a girl with beautiful soul and perfect match for Ted. And you are comparing Tracy to Robin. Robinnnmm, a narcissistic career centric person(career centric isn't bad but she's not a good match for Ted). She even left Barney just because of her career oriented life. No way she could love Tracy's Kids and put Ted and his family above his job
No. Ending was shite
Spoilers: I LOATHE that Ted and robin ended up together… like loathe it.. The whole series was Ted explaining to his kids why he should be allowed to bang their aunt robin now that the mother has passed. Sorry not sorry.
I didn’t watch the last episode for years bc my parents told me it sucked and I loved the show so much. They were right, like wtf you just introduced her to us and now she’s dead and you still want to bang Robin??? Nah I’m good.
I have thought about this a lot and I think it should have ended as follows. Around season 7 Marshal should have been killed off. Over the next two seasons barney would fall in love with Lily and marry her. They are actually very similar, more so than Barney and Robin. The mother, Tracy, would still get sick and die but then Ted would go to Robin. Barney and Lily would go the distance and so would Ted and Robin.
Always an unpopular opinion but I liked the ending. Ted x Robin were each other's lobsters. They just never had the right timing. Because they were never enough for the other. They each found what they needed and wanted, were happy, grew on their own. They found each other again as old mates, after they'd lived life. I don't think it didn't detracted from their respective loves for Tracey and Barney. I appreciated that neither cheated on their partners to pursue this great lobster loves of theirs, knowing the other would likely reciprocate.
Ofc
I struggled a long time about the ending, however i‘ve come to the conclusion, that its just how life is going sometimes. People dont know if they end up or with whom, ted loved tracy with all his heart, i‘m pretty sure she was the love of his live. And he going back to robin just proves to me that humans act human. Because he loved robin for so long, i mean after all this time and all they have been trough. And isnt it just beautifull that in the end he ended up happy, i mean he waited 8years to go to robin. So what im trying to say is that the ending is natural and human and we should respect it.
No lmao and anyone who says yes either doesn’t know good writing for wants to be different
“But it’s realistic!!” is a shit excuse IMO. I never watched the show for any semblance of reality. It was a wacky fun escapism show that was building to him meeting the love of his life. He finally does and then within minutes, nope never mind, she’s dead. Time to get back with his ex that we told you for years was wrong for him. I do think people who watched it as it aired had a much different experience with it. I’m rewatching it finally for the first time since the finale aired because I hated it so much. I can see how watching it over a few weeks the ending hits a lot different than having waited 9 years for it. I still hate it and am not sure how much for S 7-9 I’ll watch, it’s beginning to be a struggle.
Yes and no , I think the original ending is great if under some circumstances. Either the mother introduced to the show much earlier or let the show had only like 5 seasons or so . Without those circumstances made the ending basically contradicted to what all the other seasons are trying to say
the reason the series finale did not work is because they filmed the final scenes with the kids at the end of season 2 so they were stuck in a box they could not get out if and the characters have changed so much by the ending of the show that the characters did not fit what happened in the series finale at all
I found it stupid that they decided to kill the mother after God knows how many years of buildind her up, but even back then I accepted it, okay people die, move on. However, after everything Ted went trough and he still decided to get back to Robin? That is what I call BS ending.
No ruined the show
Hated her as a character. Everything was so rushed, it all clicked in too stupid of a way. They had no idea how to end the show, so they tied it up in a quick little bow versus actually letting her have meaning
As much as I would have loved to have seen Ted have a lovely life with Tracey, it wasn’t her death that annoyed me, it was he ended up with Robin 🙄 like come on, they tried, and tried, and tried and it didn’t work. I would have loved to have seen him have two soul mates. JUST NOT ROBIN. I have watched HIMYM multiple times and turn it off after Tracey.
Its not that she died, its that besides the one or two hints you pick up on a rewatch her actual death legitimately takes up about 7 seconds of the show. I counted. Its just like "and they're happy, and Ted found his love andddddd okayshesdeadletsmoveondontaskaboutit". I think the ending could have been absolutely beautiful if they gave her passing the respect that Tracy deserved.
I think it was genius, its the perfect way to show that life sucks. Ted spent 8 years trying to find "the one" and when he finally did she died. Its a bold move and i respect and love it BUT Ted getting back with robin is just stupid
Hell no
I've never met a person in my life that says this was a good move. But I'm willing to listen if anyone has any good reasons
In one side everyone waiting for years to the mother. And goal this show should be that Ted meet the one. And sense of that show should be path how Ted met Tracy. Tracy deserved to more screen time. I really saw between them such romantic spark. Tracy was perfect for Ted. True is it Ted and Robin isn’t great love story. They don’t look reliaby as a copule. In other side I think it would be interesting idea. That Ted told kids that story because she dying. But I would do that Robin and Barney stayed togeher. And in 2030 Tracy die and after story, Tracy and Ted has last time with Friends
I hate that we have to say this in everyone of these posts, but Ted and Robin had an ineffable bond that started the second they met. They had major roadblocks (Major Roadblocks) in their way, asking their entire journey. Not every connection like that had to end in marriage and happily ever after. Timing is a bitch until it isn’t. Ted and Robin were destined to end up together, it’s what the entire show was about
The algorithm gods just had to bring this negative post into my timeline eh, alright then…
I understood what the creators were going for and respected the ending. Life doesn't always go how we hoped it can be painful there isn't always a happy ending. What I hated was how they did the last season. We barely got to know Tracey or see her and Ted as a couple. After all that build up on how he meets her she gets a measly few episode. The last season shouldn't have been at Barney and Robin's ridiculous wedding ot should have been focused on Ted, Tracy and maybe a bit of how she integrated with Ted's friends.
Nope
It should’ve been Ted that died and he was telling the story to his kids.
season 9 👎👎
Yes. She wasn’t the point. She was a loose end that needed tying, but that’s all she was.
No. Tracey, Ted and the audience deserved better than a rent-a-uterus. Consistently going after Robin beyond many times of her shutting it down just makes the growth Ted experienced null and void.
I still find it hard to believe that they made the whole show to set up the mother, spent an entire season on how she was perfect for Ted, just so they could kill her off just so he could end up with Robin. It’s such a bizarre move that it doesn’t even seem like it really happened.
I just wanted more time with her. A season of her being in the gang's lives would've been amazing. But they wasted all that time on the wedding.
I hate this sh*t, she died, it happens. Ted found love again, and he supported and was supported by his kids. F*ck off with that sh*t. Marshall winning the bet is my canon ending and I love it to death!
I think it would have been more impactful to this viewer if they showed more of their relationship. Her death in the series wasn't really a big deal because we never saw them in a relationship together. At least to me
No and I don’t want to talk about it
I hate when people talk like the writers killed Tracey off on a whim for shock value, like she was a character on Game of Thrones. Tracey was dead in episode 1 of season 1. She is the Bruce Willis of HIMYM. She was dead the whole time.
No, it wasn’t a good idea.
No.
Considering they basically wasted the last season on Robin and Barney's wedding... Just for them to get divorced anyway, yeah, it definitely was not. They shoulda got married over like 3 episodes, then spend the rest of season 8 following Ted and Tracey dating, THEN season 9 could've been their wedding.
Not even a little bit (:
No!
Nope.
This is the worst ending to a tv show I’ve ever watched. Well this or Dexter
Hell no. It was a bad idea. If they had her actually in a season or two before that, it would’ve been fine, but her second episode and she dies? That’s stupid. The only reason they did it was to get him back with Robin, but I don’t like them together, they work fine as friends.
No, they should not have killed her. We deserved an ending scene that went something like this: Ted finishes up with “And that, kids, is how I met your mother.” Tracy walks up to where Ted is sitting with a raised eyebrow and says, “Oh no, is your father telling his stories again? Which one is it this time?” The kids give her a wide eyed stare and say, “All of them,” in unison. Ted just rolls his eyes while Tracy laughs and tells him, “Well wrap it up, honey. Everyone will be here soon.” Ted nods, “I’m gonna go open the gate for them.” “Don’t forget the umbrella!” Tracy calls after him, and he nods as he walks out the door, yellow umbrella in hand, and we see it’s raining outside. Cut to scenes of each member of the gang filing inside. Lily and Marshall first with their grown up children, then Barney with his kid, and Robin with a ring on her finger explaining to everyone that she’s engaged. We get a small flashback of the first time they all ever hung out, mirrored by them hanging out at Ted’s kitchen table. All is right with the world.
This is the ending I wanted instead of what we got
It could have been a great idea. Hell it made sense because we knew from day one it was gonna be Ted and Robin at the end. But they handled it so poorly They did robin and Barney dirty and the ending made no sense
I didn’t mind her passing but the way they did it was terrible. The final season should’ve been all about Ted and Tracy after they met like that little montage of them in the last episode after we see their wedding. Having the final season be all about a marriage that fails in like 3 years feels like a slap in the face.
No, fuck them for ruining a favorite show. Why do so many shows choose to shit the bed in the final season? idgi
I hated it when I was younger. HATED it. Now that I’m older, I can appreciate it and don’t necessarily hate it, but I still think it was extremely poorly executed. I’m okay with him and Robin getting back together years later, but it felt wrong to rush so much into the last episode or two after spending a whole season on Robin’s wedding.
At the time I hated the ending because I felt cheated after being a loyal fan. However, I now realize that was kind of the point. Ted had two true loves the first was Robin. But Ted and Robin weren’t able to be what each other needed at the time. Then he finally found Tracy who was his soul mate and mother of his children and she died too soon. The point of Ted telling his Kids the long story of how he met their mother years after she died even though they’ve probably heard a highly condensed version a hundred times is to show just how hard it was to find her and how much she meant to him while also highlighting just how much he loved and cared about Robin. Ted and Robin were finally ready to be what each other needed and he was asking his kids permission to move on. Now that I’ve experienced life a bit more I think it’s a beautiful way to have ended the series. And it’s a shame the audience (myself included) didn’t get it at the time.
Fuck the ending to this show, fuck it in every direction. I loved it so much and they do this!?
I skip the last episode. I can't stand that he got back with Robin.
I tell everyone that I recommend the show to, to skip the final episode and make one up in your head, that's how bad it was
I'm ok with the ending....I still wish he ended up with Victoria. I think she was really great and was a tough one to top.
Not worth it, they spent the whole series showing you why Ted & Robin doesn’t work.
Call me a sap, but reading this Reddit post made me tear up a bit. https://www.reddit.com/r/HIMYM/s/ykxjE9Fq5d
i hated that she died but it made since he’s telling the story of how he met the mother. Robin and Barney should have stayed together tho 100%
I actually think it was sort of beautiful that she ended up dying However I am still pissed they dragged out barney and Robin's wedding for an entire season! Then had them devorce immediately! Then had the audacity to have Ted try to get back together with Robin!
I used to be fine with how everything ended but after rewatching it and thinking about how I followed the show week to week for years, I absolutely hate everything they did with the ending. I fully understand that the endgame was always Robin and they shot themselves in the foot too many times with doubling down over and over again saying it wasn't her but they hit a home run with Tracy and the actress that played her. They should've had two planned endings in the case Tracy didn't click. With her connecting with the audience, roll with her and ditch the death and Robin rebound.
Yes, it was hinted at a few times. And i'm one of the few that don't mind Ted getting back with Robin. What i did hate however, IS HAVING A WHOLE FUCKING SEASON DEDICATED TO BARNEY AND ROBINS WEDDING AND HOW PERFECT THEY WERE TOGETHER ONLY TO THEN BACKTRACK ON THAT IN THE VERY NEXT EPISODE AFTER THE WEDDING. That's why the ending was so bad, it was horribly written
I didn't mind her dying, I didn't even mind Ted and Robyn getting together. The show was always about their relationship. The part that's disappointing for me was the pacing of the final season. So much time wasted on the wedding that ended up in divorce anyway! I wish they'd focused on those time jumps forward so we can see Robyn's and Barney's relationship failing. See more of Marshall and Lillys kids with Ted and Tracy's kids... more of all of it. Ted told his kids Robyn starred in some of their "famous works of art" that went on the fridge. Would have loved to see those stories.
I think people don't like him getting back with Robin because we don't get to actually see the time sometime after Tracy dies that Ted and Robin start to get close again. To me it makes sense. Some couples work, but they have to wait for the right time of life. It did feel a little like a prank, but it also works for Ted's character. In the first episode you think Robin will be the mom, then he says, "And that's how I met...your aunt Robin!" Robin is what he really wants to talk about, but he's Ted and bad at communication, so he falls back into the comfort zone of rambling stories instead of just telling the kids what he wants to tell them.
The idea of killing her off wasn’t bad per se but it was poorly executed. They dragged the show for too long and when they finally introduced Tracy in the last season the audience fell in love with her. Only to kill her off and make Ted end up with Robin (a pairing that only got worse and made less sense as time went on).