How I met your Mother is one of those shows that will be
remembered for a long time and not only because of the starry cast but also
because of its unique story line that kept viewers hooked to find out when the
protagonist- Ted would finally meet the Mother.
Now, the show will be remembered for its dismal finale.
I can barely remember what happened in the first few seasons
since it was a long time ago and at that time I wasn't that hooked to it. The
emotional storylines intertwined with the comedy was what finally baited me.
All I can remember from the first few seasons is that Ted and Robin started
dating, broke up and started dating again. Lily and Marshall too broke up at
one point but then rekindled their relationship and got married.
Later on Barney developed feelings for Robin then they dated
and broke up and dated and broke up. Phew! A lot of breakups happened in this
show that was not permanent except for those with those that were not part of
the main cast.
After nine years, the eight season finale showed a glimpse
of the much awaited titular character- The Mother. Season nine was supposed to
be a wrap up of the story Future Ted was going to tell his kids and we were
finally going to learn how exactly he met the Mother.
Now the reason why so many fans are upset with the finale is
because of the whole of season nine. First of all, the season- all of it-
should have been about the Mother and her story should have been showed too but
not only in one episode. The flashbacks that were clustered in the finale
should have been developed as episodes instead and given the viewers a chance
to get to know the Mother.
Why her name was kept secret? Was that necessary and did it
have to be TM? Probably not. In the finale, the writers just wanted to show
that Ted married a female version of himself and since opposites attract, it
was obvious he should end up with Robin who didn't want all the things Ted did.
The next problem was how the character's development was
shown. Apart from Lily and Marshall, Barney turned out to be a man who couldn't
live without his wi-fi apparently and this was the reason he couldn't be with
Robin anymore. Robin thought her career was more important than trying to save
her marriage.
Were these two characters supposed to be likable when they
acted like this?
From the very first episode of season nine, these two have
been pretty mean spirited towards old people and judgmental about everything.
In a way, it showed that these two belonged to each other and committed. Barney
burned his playbook for her, only to write another one. That sweet romantic
moment that made me root for Barney and Robin was demolished in those five
minutes.
Ted was the character I didn't think I would like. This was
the first show for me where it showed how a man was searching for love and
wanted to get married and settle down with kids. He even bought a house before
he met the girl of his dreams. His speech about wishing to spend those
additional days with the Mother was so poignant as well and for the first time
I got a glimpse of such a man who was waiting for love just like all of us
people who live in a romantic fantasy world.
I couldn't wait for him to meet the love of his life so that
his search would at last be over. That was the Ted I sympathized for, not the
one in the finale. Ted couldn't wait to get married, yet when he meets Tracy
and she gets pregnant, they wait seven years and have another child before they
get married.
The Ted that wished he could spend more days with her
couldn't even narrate a story about her to his children. All this while he had
been talking about how complicated his relationship with Robin was and indirectly,
was asking permission from his kids to date her.
The kids- weren't they even a bit pissed off that their
Father wasn't capable of remembering more stories about their Mother? They
seemed too eager for Ted to date Robin which was a little disrespectful to
Tracy.
I think the finale would have worked better if there were
more emotional moments regarding the Mother. And for Barney and Robin as well.
Their fight could have been about kids and since Robin is unable to have any,
they could have adopted and Barney could have given his emotional speech.
Or if the writers were so hell-bent on having Ted and Robin
end up together, they shouldn't have shown those scenes where Ted lets Robin go
or that Robin realizes that Barney is the one for her when he owes up to his
lies.
The final episode, out of respect, should have been about
the Mother. It should have been about how they spent their years juggling with
kids, careers and friends. If the writers wanted Tracy to die, those scenes
could have been shown. Ted sitting by the Mother's grave or visiting her every
day, something like that would have had a better impact, considering it was the
final episode of the series.
But no. The last scene was about Ted rushing off to date
someone else and since we didn't see him grieving for six years, all that was
too sudden and unforgivable.
I had thought that with the long boring summers coming, I
would re-watch the series from the very first season, but knowing how little
regard Ted has for the Mother, I don't think I could bring myself to see these
terrible characters who never really loved one another. Except for Lily and
Marshall of course. It's funny how these two characters who were my least
favorite, were likable in the finale.
As for Ted, I wished he had never met the Mother.
Comments
Post a Comment