The very first scene of HIMYM features Ted telling the kids that he's going to tell them the story of how he met their mother, which we now know is the story of how he met their dead mother. They roll their eyes, ask if they're being punished for something, and ask how long it will take. In my view, that is not how teenagers would typically react to their father telling them that he's going to tell them the story of how he met their dead mother.
The very first scene of HIMYM features Ted telling the kids that he's going to tell them the story of how he met their mother, which we now know is the story of how he met their dead mother. They roll their eyes, ask if they're being punished for something, and ask how long it will take. In my view, that is not how teenagers would typically react to their father telling them that he's going to tell them the story of how he met their dead mother.
Good point, And supposedly the ending was planned from the start so it makes even less sense
If the kids had said 'Oh not again' then fair enough
Makes it worse for me, They know their dads history with her...I would be thinking was she just hanging around waiting for a chance
In reality they would think of her as family and not a potential new wife for the father
They obviously wanted to see their dad happy, plus they like Robin. Why would they not want him with a woman they like and is perfectly suited to their dad? When my parents split up, I wanted them both to be happy. Anything else would have been selfish.
Good point, And supposedly the ending was planned from the start so it makes even less sense
If the kids had said 'Oh not again' then fair enough
From what I understand, the ending was planned from the end of season two, when Ted and Robin was still a storyline viewers had some emotional investment in.
Final point: Robin post divorce was a horrible person. She was an awful friend to Lily and was very rude to her, plus she completely distanced herself from the group and didn't make an effort to keep in touch from what I remember. Basically, I found it difficult to believe that Ted would want to get back together with her after how she'd treated her friends in those years! She never redeemed herself on-screen, although there was a throwaway line about Robin frequently going to Ted's for dinner after his wife died (I think?). Presumably the implication is Robin was there as a friend to support Ted through a difficult time, but we were never shown this, only her being a bad friend - basically they needed to show Robin becoming the good friend she had been before to show us why Ted wanted to try again with her.
The reason for Robin distancing herself from the group was because she couldn't bear to be around Barney or Ted, and appeared to be gracefully stepping aside. She could have stayed friends with Lily and Marshall though. Robin was very civil at Ted's wedding to everyone (including Barney). At least it wasn't like in Friends when Ross and Rachel broke up and Ross was absolutely crucified even though Rachel was about to sleep with Mark
As has been said, I don't buy the fact that Barney and Robin divorced just because Barney didn't have any wi-fi for his blog
The kids encouraging Ted to get with Robin was silly because kids who have lost a parent don't just accept the alive parent getting with someone else out of the blue
As others have pointed out, firstly they will have known 'Aunt Robin' for all of their lives and secondly how could this possibly be described as "out of the blue"?
The reason for Robin distancing herself from the group was because she couldn't bear to be around Barney or Ted, and appeared to be gracefully stepping aside. She could have stayed friends with Lily and Marshall though. Robin was very civil at Ted's wedding to everyone (including Barney). At least it wasn't like in Friends when Ross and Rachel broke up and Ross was absolutely crucified even though Rachel was about to sleep with Mark
As has been said, I don't buy the fact that Barney and Robin divorced just because Barney didn't have any wi-fi for his blog
But it never was because of lack of Wi-Fi. The scene was played on the basis that Barney and Robin's relationship had deteriorated over time. The Wi-Fi was just the problem on the occasion when all the problems came to a head.
As others have pointed out, firstly they will have known 'Aunt Robin' for all of their lives and secondly how could this possibly be described as "out of the blue"?
Because Ted had never hinted at hooking up with Robin until telling the story. Kids don't accept a parent having a new partner straight away. Admitedly most young widowers don't take as long as 6 years to move on
As I've said in another thread, I prefered Ted and Robin to Barney and Robin. But I accepted Barney and Robin as a couple
I posted this on the IMDb forums just after the show aired in the US, but I'll reiterate it now. My issue with the finale was not with the execution. It wasn't the fact that Tracy's death was rushed, or with the way that it diminished the importance of the twenty-plus episodes that were set and Barney and Robin's wedding.
My issue was that this was ultimately not the story that I thought they were telling. And the story I thought they were telling was a better one in my opinion.
When the show started, I thought it was one of the most interesting pilots for a sitcom I'd ever seen. Here was this happily married man, living a dream life with two kids and a wife, all of whom he loved. And the twist at the end of the pilot was that we weren't going to see a stereotypical will they-won't they, Ross-Rachel story arc. No, we knew that the plot was going to end with him meeting the actual love of his life.
As time went on, we saw Ted meet various potential wives, and there was the ongoing romantic entanglement with Robin, but all of this seemed to enhance the central storyline - this was how he met their mother, the love of his life. And when Robin seemed to take greater and greater prominence, I thought about why the story had started with him meeting her. I thought - and I don't think I was without justification - that this was because the story of how he met the love of his life was the story of how he finally learned to grow up and stop obsessing with "the one" - a concept exemplified by Robin, his ultimate unrequited fantasy girl.
But it turned out that this mature, intelligent story was not what I had been watching at all. I had, in fact, been watching a fairytale romance between two romantic leads that the show had gone to great lengths to show us were unsuited to one another.
Because Ted had never hinted at hooking up with Robin until telling the story.
Yes; so?
Kids don't accept a parent having a new partner straight away. Admitedly most young widowers don't take as long as 6 years to move on.
So it wasn't really "straight away" then was it?!
And, VOF, I think we really were watching different shows. But then I tend to watch what's on-screen and not read anything into anything. Of course, I respect your opinion though
And, VOF, I think we really were watching different shows. But then I tend to watch what's on-screen and not read anything into anything. Of course, I respect your opinion though
But I don't think I was reading into it that much. They chose to call the show "How I Met Your Mother", they chose to have the kids act very much like their mother was still alive, and they did really go to great lengths to show that Ted and Robin - though they cared for each other - were not suited (and further, that Robin wasn't in love with Ted).
I don't think any of those things were my subjective reading of the show, and none of those things are consistent with this being the story of Ted and Robin.
Now, my belief that the show was about Ted and the Mother, not Ted and Robin was entirely borne out by what I saw on screen. My belief that Ted and Robin having such prominence was due to it being Ted's final obstacle to happiness was a logical extension of that.
It really felt like they added a twist onto the end because two seasons in it seemed like the audience was in favour of a Ted/Robin ending. And it really did feel like a tacked-on twist.
Completely agree with VoF. And I don't think it's reading too much into it when we've heard, several times over the course of the two or three last seasons, Robin repeatedly saying "I don't love you, Ted".
Anyway. I watched it again (why did C4 split it into two weeks? Drag it out much?) knowing how it ended, and parts of it were very good. That scene with Barney and his daughter, for example. Ending still felt like a gyp though.
Completely agree with VoF. And I don't think it's reading too much into it when we've heard, several times over the course of the two or three last seasons, Robin repeatedly saying "I don't love you, Ted".
Anyway. I watched it again (why did C4 split it into two weeks? Drag it out much?) knowing how it ended, and parts of it were very good. That scene with Barney and his daughter, for example. Ending still felt like a gyp though.
As I saw it, it was just the eternal optimist in Ted going to see Robin at the end. It doesn't mean that they have a future together, but just that he is ready to move on.
He has told his story, so he can move onto the next chapter of his life (with or without Robin).
Once he'd finished telling the story, it was his kids who pushed him towards Robin. He wasn't looking for that and awaiting their approval. They instigated it, at a time when he was now ready and free to move forward.
As I saw it, it was just the eternal optimist in Ted going to see Robin at the end. It doesn't mean that they have a future together, but just that he is ready to move on.
He has told his story, so he can move onto the next chapter of his life (with or without Robin).
Once he'd finished telling the story, it was his kids who pushed him towards Robin. He wasn't looking for that and awaiting their approval. They instigated it, at a time when he was now ready and free to move forward.
I think the implication is fairly heavy that it's a happy ending, but even if it isn't, the kids' assessment (backed up by Ted's subsequent actions) is that Ted only told them the story of how he met their mother because he wanted to date Robin. Which, when you think about it, is a little bit off.
They're both teenagers, and their mum's been dead for six years. The first time their dad sits them down to tell them this story of how he met their mother, he focuses entirely on his infatuation with their aunt Robin, because he wants to start a relationship with her, rather than on their dead mum.
No no no! I will not have it, I demand a recount, I want to see the person in charge. I feel cheated and betrayed. For nine series I waited for Ted to meet the love of his life, now it turns out that "your mother" was just an interlude in Ted and Robin's on off again romance. She deserves better, I deserve better, we deserve better. And the weird thing is that right up until the final two minutes I didn't think I gave a damn.
Have to say, didn't enjoy this series at all!! Like others have said, it dragged on and on. Disappointing that the series was 'sold' as being how Ted met Tracy, when really it seemed non stop pointless time fillers of the other friends, and obsession with the longest wedding weekend in history!!
I'm personally not a fan of Robin, or the Ted/Robin relationship. Clever of the writers to take it full circle, but not really for me, and utterly disappointing ending in my opinion.
My thoughts on the lack of things revealed about the 15/16 years crammed into the 2episodes at the end, is going to be the tagline for the spin off series!!
As I saw it, it was just the eternal optimist in Ted going to see Robin at the end. It doesn't mean that they have a future together, but just that he is ready to move on.
He has told his story, so he can move onto the next chapter of his life (with or without Robin).
Once he'd finished telling the story, it was his kids who pushed him towards Robin. He wasn't looking for that and awaiting their approval. They instigated it, at a time when he was now ready and free to move forward.
Exactly. It's like "I likes her, the kids are okay with it; let's see what happens."
Have to say, didn't enjoy this series at all!! Like others have said, it dragged on and on.
I agree with this though.
My thoughts on the lack of things revealed about the 15/16 years crammed into the 2 episodes at the end, is going to be the tagline for the spin off series!!
Which spin-off is that? Because "How I Met Your Dad" is dead-in-the-water.
As I saw it, it was just the eternal optimist in Ted going to see Robin at the end. It doesn't mean that they have a future together, but just that he is ready to move on.
He has told his story, so he can move onto the next chapter of his life (with or without Robin).
Once he'd finished telling the story, it was his kids who pushed him towards Robin. He wasn't looking for that and awaiting their approval. They instigated it, at a time when he was now ready and free to move forward.
Yeah, Ted's potential to move on was worth spending 12 f**king hours at Barney and Robin's wedding, only for them to divorce a few minutes into the next episode. I'm so glad Ted's able to move on though.
No no no! I will not have it, I demand a recount, I want to see the person in charge. I feel cheated and betrayed. For nine series I waited for Ted to meet the love of his life, now it turns out that "your mother" was just an interlude in Ted and Robin's on off again romance. She deserves better, I deserve better, we deserve better. And the weird thing is that right up until the final two minutes I didn't think I gave a damn.
Completely understand this reaction. And I agree that the whole thing dragged out.
No no no! I will not have it, I demand a recount, I want to see the person in charge. I feel cheated and betrayed. For nine series I waited for Ted to meet the love of his life, now it turns out that "your mother" was just an interlude in Ted and Robin's on off again romance. She deserves better, I deserve better, we deserve better. And the weird thing is that right up until the final two minutes I didn't think I gave a damn.
I wasn't a massive fan of the show, but quite enjoyed it when I watched it, and ended up feeling extremely narked off at the end. As Mr AK put it, 'why didn't they just call it 'How I met the woman who was willing to give me kids, and still end up with Robin'.
And spending an entire series on the wedding, only to have them broken up by the next ad break.....*shakes fist and get way too angry about a programme I wasn't even that into *
I don't think I can add anything that hasn't been said.
My god worst ending to a show ever.
I was annoyed when Ross and Rachel were shoved back together and annoyed when Carrie had to be rescued by Mr Big all for the sake of a "happy ending" but killing off "the mother" just so Ted could go back to sniffing after Robin was just vile.
All that bollix about Barney and her getting married .. Even if they had broke up because she realised she really loved Ted but never said anything coz he was finally happy and that's why she broke away from the group that would make more sense . But still ... Vile. Vile , vile , vile.
Vile.
Yeah, Ted's potential to move on was worth spending 12 f**king hours at Barney and Robin's wedding, only for them to divorce a few minutes into the next episode.
Which, of course, wasn't in "real time" and therefore was a lot longer than "a few minutes".
As Mr AK put it, 'why didn't they just call it 'How I met the woman who was willing to give me kids, and still end up with Robin'.
Well, the show was called "How I met your Mother". which we saw. We saw how Ted grew and changed over the eyars and how those changes forged his life and relationships into the path of meeting the Mother of teh kids.
The show never promised it was "how I met your mother, fell in love with her and lived happily ever after..." A premise which as I said above, seemed less and less likely every season just by watching the episodes.
Which, of course, wasn't in "real time" and therefore was a lot longer than "a few minutes".
Well... it was in "real time". The fact that the divorce didn't occur a few minutes after the wedding in the story doesn't change the fact that the viewer found out about it very quickly relative to the amount of time spent at the wedding.
Because it wasn't like that at all is probably the reason.
It was though. It turned out that the whole narrative premise - Ted telling his children the story of how their parents met - was actually a smokescreen for him letting them know that he was in love with Robin.
It was a classic bait-and-switch, a twist for the sake of a twist.
Comments
Makes it worse for me, They know their dads history with her...I would be thinking was she just hanging around waiting for a chance
In reality they would think of her as family and not a potential new wife for the father
Good point, And supposedly the ending was planned from the start so it makes even less sense
If the kids had said 'Oh not again' then fair enough
They obviously wanted to see their dad happy, plus they like Robin. Why would they not want him with a woman they like and is perfectly suited to their dad? When my parents split up, I wanted them both to be happy. Anything else would have been selfish.
From what I understand, the ending was planned from the end of season two, when Ted and Robin was still a storyline viewers had some emotional investment in.
The reason for Robin distancing herself from the group was because she couldn't bear to be around Barney or Ted, and appeared to be gracefully stepping aside. She could have stayed friends with Lily and Marshall though. Robin was very civil at Ted's wedding to everyone (including Barney). At least it wasn't like in Friends when Ross and Rachel broke up and Ross was absolutely crucified even though Rachel was about to sleep with Mark
As has been said, I don't buy the fact that Barney and Robin divorced just because Barney didn't have any wi-fi for his blog
But it never was because of lack of Wi-Fi. The scene was played on the basis that Barney and Robin's relationship had deteriorated over time. The Wi-Fi was just the problem on the occasion when all the problems came to a head.
Because Ted had never hinted at hooking up with Robin until telling the story. Kids don't accept a parent having a new partner straight away. Admitedly most young widowers don't take as long as 6 years to move on
As I've said in another thread, I prefered Ted and Robin to Barney and Robin. But I accepted Barney and Robin as a couple
My issue was that this was ultimately not the story that I thought they were telling. And the story I thought they were telling was a better one in my opinion.
When the show started, I thought it was one of the most interesting pilots for a sitcom I'd ever seen. Here was this happily married man, living a dream life with two kids and a wife, all of whom he loved. And the twist at the end of the pilot was that we weren't going to see a stereotypical will they-won't they, Ross-Rachel story arc. No, we knew that the plot was going to end with him meeting the actual love of his life.
As time went on, we saw Ted meet various potential wives, and there was the ongoing romantic entanglement with Robin, but all of this seemed to enhance the central storyline - this was how he met their mother, the love of his life. And when Robin seemed to take greater and greater prominence, I thought about why the story had started with him meeting her. I thought - and I don't think I was without justification - that this was because the story of how he met the love of his life was the story of how he finally learned to grow up and stop obsessing with "the one" - a concept exemplified by Robin, his ultimate unrequited fantasy girl.
But it turned out that this mature, intelligent story was not what I had been watching at all. I had, in fact, been watching a fairytale romance between two romantic leads that the show had gone to great lengths to show us were unsuited to one another.
So it wasn't really "straight away" then was it?!
And, VOF, I think we really were watching different shows. But then I tend to watch what's on-screen and not read anything into anything. Of course, I respect your opinion though
But I don't think I was reading into it that much. They chose to call the show "How I Met Your Mother", they chose to have the kids act very much like their mother was still alive, and they did really go to great lengths to show that Ted and Robin - though they cared for each other - were not suited (and further, that Robin wasn't in love with Ted).
I don't think any of those things were my subjective reading of the show, and none of those things are consistent with this being the story of Ted and Robin.
Now, my belief that the show was about Ted and the Mother, not Ted and Robin was entirely borne out by what I saw on screen. My belief that Ted and Robin having such prominence was due to it being Ted's final obstacle to happiness was a logical extension of that.
It really felt like they added a twist onto the end because two seasons in it seemed like the audience was in favour of a Ted/Robin ending. And it really did feel like a tacked-on twist.
Anyway. I watched it again (why did C4 split it into two weeks? Drag it out much?) knowing how it ended, and parts of it were very good. That scene with Barney and his daughter, for example. Ending still felt like a gyp though.
As I saw it, it was just the eternal optimist in Ted going to see Robin at the end. It doesn't mean that they have a future together, but just that he is ready to move on.
He has told his story, so he can move onto the next chapter of his life (with or without Robin).
Once he'd finished telling the story, it was his kids who pushed him towards Robin. He wasn't looking for that and awaiting their approval. They instigated it, at a time when he was now ready and free to move forward.
I think the implication is fairly heavy that it's a happy ending, but even if it isn't, the kids' assessment (backed up by Ted's subsequent actions) is that Ted only told them the story of how he met their mother because he wanted to date Robin. Which, when you think about it, is a little bit off.
They're both teenagers, and their mum's been dead for six years. The first time their dad sits them down to tell them this story of how he met their mother, he focuses entirely on his infatuation with their aunt Robin, because he wants to start a relationship with her, rather than on their dead mum.
I'm personally not a fan of Robin, or the Ted/Robin relationship. Clever of the writers to take it full circle, but not really for me, and utterly disappointing ending in my opinion.
My thoughts on the lack of things revealed about the 15/16 years crammed into the 2episodes at the end, is going to be the tagline for the spin off series!!
Exactly. It's like "I likes her, the kids are okay with it; let's see what happens."
I agree with this though.
Which spin-off is that? Because "How I Met Your Dad" is dead-in-the-water.
Yeah, Ted's potential to move on was worth spending 12 f**king hours at Barney and Robin's wedding, only for them to divorce a few minutes into the next episode. I'm so glad Ted's able to move on though.
Completely understand this reaction. And I agree that the whole thing dragged out.
I wasn't a massive fan of the show, but quite enjoyed it when I watched it, and ended up feeling extremely narked off at the end. As Mr AK put it, 'why didn't they just call it 'How I met the woman who was willing to give me kids, and still end up with Robin'.
And spending an entire series on the wedding, only to have them broken up by the next ad break.....*shakes fist and get way too angry about a programme I wasn't even that into
My god worst ending to a show ever.
I was annoyed when Ross and Rachel were shoved back together and annoyed when Carrie had to be rescued by Mr Big all for the sake of a "happy ending" but killing off "the mother" just so Ted could go back to sniffing after Robin was just vile.
All that bollix about Barney and her getting married .. Even if they had broke up because she realised she really loved Ted but never said anything coz he was finally happy and that's why she broke away from the group that would make more sense . But still ... Vile. Vile , vile , vile.
Vile.
Because it wasn't like that at all is probably the reason.
Then for nine seasons you seemed to have missed the show telling you over and over that the love of Ted's life was Robin.
The Mother was someone he loved and had kids with, about who's overall fate seemed clearer season after season...
Well, the show was called "How I met your Mother". which we saw. We saw how Ted grew and changed over the eyars and how those changes forged his life and relationships into the path of meeting the Mother of teh kids.
The show never promised it was "how I met your mother, fell in love with her and lived happily ever after..." A premise which as I said above, seemed less and less likely every season just by watching the episodes.
Well... it was in "real time". The fact that the divorce didn't occur a few minutes after the wedding in the story doesn't change the fact that the viewer found out about it very quickly relative to the amount of time spent at the wedding.
It was though. It turned out that the whole narrative premise - Ted telling his children the story of how their parents met - was actually a smokescreen for him letting them know that he was in love with Robin.
It was a classic bait-and-switch, a twist for the sake of a twist.