Contains spoilers for 'How I Met Your Mother'
Recently, I binged all nine seasons of the show 'How I Met Your Mother', and I share the opinions of the majority when I say the ending was enough to ruin the whole thing for me.
After years of excitement, laughs and tears, the big build-up was completely dismantled by Tracy's death, making the suspense invaluable.
Although the makers of the show argue that this ending was more realistic, which I agree with, I don't believe it is the ending we deserved - this is a dramatic interpretation of real life, and should be allowed to have a near perfect conclusion. If they had ended after season five, as they had originally planned, the ending would have made more sense, but it continued for four more seasons and the producers did not compromise or change anything.
In case you've forgotten, the show ended with the discovery that the mother (Tracy) has actually been dead for six years, and Ted was actually subtly asking his kids for permission to date Robin by focusing the story mainly on her. Barney and Robin, who had got married in the final season, got a divorce and Barney went back to his old ways until having a daughter. Robin almost entirely abandoned her old group of friends, leaving Lily devastated.
For me, there are several things that make this conclusion so unsatisfying.
The main thing is all the character development being forgotten. It was proved multiple times that Ted and Robin did not belong together, while she was shown as being perfect for Barney. After so many failed attempts, it seems like one more desperate push from the makers for them to be together, despite it going against all logic and emotion.
In addition, all of Barney's character progression went down the drain. He had spent the final two seasons changing his attitudes and showing he was capable of love - he had already had his redemption arc, but for some reason the makers chose to destroy it and do it again with the birth of his daughter. For me, and many viewers, this felt forced and unnecessary.
The other main thing is the fact that we barely get to see the mother, even with it being the whole focus of the show. I appreciate the flashes forward to their future together, but Tracy is portrayed as perfect for Ted and it is ruined when we find out he is still in love with Robin. It's very unhealthy that he continued to obsess over her for so many years, but is showed as romantic.
A minor point that irritated me slightly was that we didn't see much of Lily and Marshall's success. All of their future was just Lily having more children and being upset about Robin - we don't know if she was successful in the art world. One area that does provide closure for me was seeing Marshall run for Supreme Court; if the whole conclusion had been like this, it would have been more fulfilling.
I wouldn't say it was all bad, though.
I agree that this was a more realistic view, and that in life things don't always turn out how you expect. Tracy's death was also a surprising twist, and would have been enough to avoid the cliché ending without Robin and Ted being forced together. I enjoyed seeing the show come full circle, with the blue French horn that began the story.
In conclusion, if I ever watch the show again I will finish without seeing the conclusion. It was enough to see Ted walk up to Tracy under the umbrella, and the flashes forward give enough closure that the last two episodes are, in my opinion, unnecessary.
If you feel the same way, there are multiple 'alternate endings' on YouTube which do not include the dissatisfying parts. However, feel free to share your own opinion on the subject! I would definitely appreciate an alternating view.
Recently, I binged all nine seasons of the show 'How I Met Your Mother', and I share the opinions of the majority when I say the ending was enough to ruin the whole thing for me.
After years of excitement, laughs and tears, the big build-up was completely dismantled by Tracy's death, making the suspense invaluable.
Although the makers of the show argue that this ending was more realistic, which I agree with, I don't believe it is the ending we deserved - this is a dramatic interpretation of real life, and should be allowed to have a near perfect conclusion. If they had ended after season five, as they had originally planned, the ending would have made more sense, but it continued for four more seasons and the producers did not compromise or change anything.
In case you've forgotten, the show ended with the discovery that the mother (Tracy) has actually been dead for six years, and Ted was actually subtly asking his kids for permission to date Robin by focusing the story mainly on her. Barney and Robin, who had got married in the final season, got a divorce and Barney went back to his old ways until having a daughter. Robin almost entirely abandoned her old group of friends, leaving Lily devastated.
For me, there are several things that make this conclusion so unsatisfying.
The main thing is all the character development being forgotten. It was proved multiple times that Ted and Robin did not belong together, while she was shown as being perfect for Barney. After so many failed attempts, it seems like one more desperate push from the makers for them to be together, despite it going against all logic and emotion.
In addition, all of Barney's character progression went down the drain. He had spent the final two seasons changing his attitudes and showing he was capable of love - he had already had his redemption arc, but for some reason the makers chose to destroy it and do it again with the birth of his daughter. For me, and many viewers, this felt forced and unnecessary.
The other main thing is the fact that we barely get to see the mother, even with it being the whole focus of the show. I appreciate the flashes forward to their future together, but Tracy is portrayed as perfect for Ted and it is ruined when we find out he is still in love with Robin. It's very unhealthy that he continued to obsess over her for so many years, but is showed as romantic.
A minor point that irritated me slightly was that we didn't see much of Lily and Marshall's success. All of their future was just Lily having more children and being upset about Robin - we don't know if she was successful in the art world. One area that does provide closure for me was seeing Marshall run for Supreme Court; if the whole conclusion had been like this, it would have been more fulfilling.
I wouldn't say it was all bad, though.
I agree that this was a more realistic view, and that in life things don't always turn out how you expect. Tracy's death was also a surprising twist, and would have been enough to avoid the cliché ending without Robin and Ted being forced together. I enjoyed seeing the show come full circle, with the blue French horn that began the story.
In conclusion, if I ever watch the show again I will finish without seeing the conclusion. It was enough to see Ted walk up to Tracy under the umbrella, and the flashes forward give enough closure that the last two episodes are, in my opinion, unnecessary.
If you feel the same way, there are multiple 'alternate endings' on YouTube which do not include the dissatisfying parts. However, feel free to share your own opinion on the subject! I would definitely appreciate an alternating view.
Comments
Post a Comment