My take on the HIMYM finale with spoilers.

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.