I am a romantic at heart. I want to meet the love of my life. I want to be walking my beautiful dog in the park when suddenly my dog, gets tangled in some hot guy’s dogs leash and we both instantly feel that spark and fall in love. I want a meet-cute. But the truth is, it’s hard to meet people. Now there’s internet dating where it’s all so formal. Where you can literally pick your guy from a list of people you supposedly have stuff in common with. If they don’t like your picture you will disappear with a swipe of a finger or the click of a mouse. Life is complicated and unpredictable and messy. Things will NEVER turn out like you want them to.
I go back and forth on how I feel about the How I Met You Mother Finale. I’ve always loved this show and its ability to balance the funny with the bitter sweet. The finale had some highs (Ted meets the mother!, the high infinity, the E.T. goodbye, young Penny), and some lows (divorce!?, Robin’s hair bob, Robin shying away from the group, Barney reverting back to Old Barney). And while it didn’t end at all like how I expected it to, after a few days of marinating on it, I think I’m okay with it. A finale that ends neat and tidy where everyone is coupled off and everything is perfect would have no doubt been sweet and lovely, but at the same time you could say there would have been no surprises and that it was boring and expected. Life is unexpected. Life is messy. Ted found his soul mate, Ted fell in love, and his Love gave him two more loves Penny and Luke, but then life continued, the mother died and Ted told this story as a way to let her go and finally move on with is life. Ted has never been a reliable narrator, but after so many losses, Ted needed a win. What happens after Happily Ever After?
The finale of How I Met Your Mother has been compared to LOST’s ending, and I think the comparison is right. While having all the answers to every question would be satisfying and having the Hollywood ending where everyone walks into the sunset would have been perfect, life isn’t like that. It’s complicated. Lost ended in a confusing, controversial, dare I say even frustrating way way but ultimately, overall, it was satisfying, just like much of the series. How I Met Your Mother ended in a way that was also true to the series, heartfelt, emotional, and bitter sweet.
Top 5 Moments from the Finale “Last Forever”
5. Ted showing Penny the GNB Building
I loved seeing little Penny. She was so sweet! And it was adorable seeing her with her dad.
4. E.T. Goodbye
It was weird. It was creepy. It was sweet. And it was hilarious. And at that point I was already crying. Laugh/crying is the best kind of laughter. That just makes good TV.
3. Barney’s Speech To The Love Of His Life
I admit, this moment got me. As Barney would say, “Tears!”
2. Ted’s Kids Call His Bluff
Seeing the kids do more than just look, laugh, smile, or be shocked was a great moment. And I love that the first thing they do is call Ted on his BS. They’ve learned well.
1. Ted Meets The Mother
There aren’t many perfect moments on television, but this was one of them.
Top 5 Shockers from the Finale
5. The Mom Dies
I knew this was going to happen. I knew it. But seriously? You make us love her then you take her away?
4. Ted Waits Seven Years to Marry the Mother
Why does Ted, Mr. Big Gesture Romantic, Mr. Doesn’t Wait For Anything, wait SO LONG to marry the mother? This is TOTALLY out of character. I feel like he’d marry her anywhere. What was he waiting for?
3. Barney Reverts Back to his Old Self
This was just SAD. Maybe that was the point but Barney was making so much progress. After a divorce with Robin, it seems like he’d be the one to get away. Unfortunately he just went back to being Barney. The play book, the hitting on the ladies, the catch phrases all of it somehow lost its charm with age.
2. Robin and Lily Break Up
I understand that things change. I understand it being hard to see your exes all the time, but Robin and Lily breaking up was a shocker. It always seemed like Lily was more invested in their friendship than Robin ever was. There are ways to still hang out with your best friend and not see anyone else. It was really quite sad, and made me not like Robin. I’ve had a lot of friends abandon me for various reasons, but the friends I have now I hope I keep for forever.
1. Robin and Barney Get A Divorce
This one literally made me say “OH MY GOD!” out loud. Quickly followed by a “What Is Happening?” and a “Are You Serious?” First it was because I always thought they were SO perfect for each other (but in hindsight maybe that was the problem. Neither of them were into compromise or sacrifices) But then I thought why? Why spend an entire season investing in a relationship and a wedding only to have it all fall apart? That seems likethe waste of a season especially because the finale hit on so many other things I would have liked to see more of. Including what they cut out.
Top 5 Questions after the Finale was Over
Question 5: What was Lily up to now that they were back from Rome and where did she and Marshall move to now that they were saying goodbye to the apartment?
Question 4: Why couldn’t we have spent more time with the Mother throughout this last season as well as get more into the futures of Lily, Marshall, Barney, etc?
Question 3: Why couldn’t Robin at least stick it out with Lily, even if she didn’t want to be around Ted and Barney?
Question 2: How are Robin and Ted going to make it work if she’s always traveling and he has the kids?
Question 1: How will Barney feel about Ted and Robin getting back together?
Top 5 Quotes or Conversations from the Finale
5. “I’d get married tomorrow in a White Castle but this guy needs more of a wow factor.” – The Mother
4. “It helped but that was really creepy. I don’t want to see you for a while.” – Lily
3. Marshall: “A certain delicate flower cried all night in the shower.”
Lily: “…and I was pretty bummed, too.”
2. “If I hadn’t gone through Hell to get there, the lesson might not have been as clear. You see kids, right from the moment I met your mom, I knew I have to love this woman as much as I can for as long as I can and I can never stop loving her even for a second. I carried that lesson with me through every stupid fight we ever had, every 5 AM Christmas morning, every sleepy Sunday afternoon, through every speed bump, every pang of jealousy or boredom or uncertainty that came our way. I carried that lesson with me, and I carried it with me when she got sick. Even then in what can only be called the worst of times, all I could do was thank God, thank every God there is or ever was or will be and the whole universe and anyone else I could possibly thank that I saw that beautiful girl on that train platform and that I had the guts to stand up, walk over to her, tap her on the shoulder, open my mouth and speak.” – Ted
1. “Just be cool lady damn.” – Ted: It was the way he said it.
Top 5 Things I Wish Happened In The Finale
5. I wish…we spent less time on Barney reverting to his old and tired ways…I mean come on guys we saw 9 years of this, and more time on Barney being a dad…to a little girl…who would one day grow up to be like one of those 18 year olds he hit on. Come on, that is comedy GOLD right there.
4. I wish…we spent more time with Ted and the Mother and seen her integrated into the group.
3. I wish…we saw a different side of Robin, the fact that she ran away from all her friends made me NOT want Ted to be with her. He deserves better.
2. I wish…we saw more of those sleepy Sunday’s, Christmas Mornings, time with Ted, the mother and their kids. Sure in theory the kids remember all these things, but still…I wanted more of Ted’s happy life with the Mother.
1. I wish…we saw a big family dinner with Lily and Marshall and their kids, Ted and the mother and their kids, Barney and his daughter, and Robin.
Overall, the finale is one I will always remember. Just like LOST. It may not be perfect, but it’s memorable, and as a writer, and a creator and a person who just loves TV and loves HIMYM, that’s all I can ask for in a show, perfect ending or not.
Rants Of A Crazy Person 