How I Met Your Mother Review: HIMYM owed us a happy ending; or any particular finish; but because the entire series was an elaborate ruse; setting up an elaborate plot that was not, in the end, about what it represented to be about.
I'm not going to dwell on how this finale was simply a failure in the confidence of HIMYM's storytelling; as all sources predicted long before.
In the pilot's concluding twist; in which we find Ted's romantic interest is “Aunt Robin;” which was seen by creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas as an issue to be addressed; or rectified.
This ending shouted a lack of faith in the show's ability to adapt; in the audience's ability to accept anyone other than Ted and Robin together in the end.
I'm not going to go into detail about how; nonetheless, this conclusion provided a convincing case that, despite complaints of finales like Lost's, “having it all planned out from the beginning” is not always the best option.
Not if the design is so tight and set in stone — for instance, with lines of ending conversation recorded years ahead of time — that it prevents organic growth and surprise.
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Over nine years, stories, personalities, and people change. And people did throughout HIMYM, only to have their hearts torn back in an hour; for that was the Plan.
Is HIMYM Most Successful?
I'm not going to go into detail about how Barney matured, reverted to a jackass, and then matured (but we never had time to learn anything about his baby mama).
I don't want to dwell on how we had about 45 seconds to hear Tracy's name, watch her meet Ted, mourn her, and move on so the kids could laugh it off and tell their dad to come out there again so we could return to Status Quo 2005.
(It was How I Met, Then Quickly Moved On Because Remember She Wasn't the Original Love Interest, Your Mother, for the audience.) I'm not going to go into detail about how it all ended, which included a shockingly stiff reunion, some poor editing of Future Ted and the kids, and wigs.
If the HIMYM finale didn't eat it large, it did at least aim big.
The show debuted in September 2005, at a time when we were witnessing the first of several dramas attempting to replicate Lost's nonlinear, time-jumping tricks.
HIMYM, a romantic comedy, turned out to be the most successful of Lost's spiritual offspring – beginning with a mystery, hopping around in time, and relying on the audience to pay close attention.
Perhaps because it wasn't about the techniques, it succeeded where so many dramas have failed.
All of the narrative dancing served to reveal who the primary characters were and would become.
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HIMYM's attitude was that if you want to learn about a person's true self, you need to sit down because it will take a while.
Is How I Met Your Mother Ending?
The conclusion may have ruined my night, but it will not affect my appreciation of HIMYM in the future.
Because — in my opinion; subjectively — the hunt for the Mother was not the central theme of this novel.
- Yes, the title was the hook, but it was the shaggy-dog story that brought us here.
- Of course, if the super story meant a lot more to you than it did to me, that's also legitimate — and maybe this was the right resolution for you or something that completely wrecked the show.
- For the time being, I'll be enraged by the climax, but in the end, it was a horrible hour of television at the end of many; many good half-hours of television.
- In other words, I'm going to remember it the way HIMYM wanted us to imagine Ted remembers Tracy.
- When something you care about dies tragically, you must move on.
And all you have to do now is recall everything you've ever loved for as long as you can.
Main Cast and Characters
Josh Radnor as Ted Mosby
Marshall is Ted's college best mate and a law graduate.
- He tries his hand at environmental protection, but it takes him a long time and a lot of trial and error until he ends up as a judge after the show.
- Marshall is married to Lily, whom he met in college and with whom he has three children.
- He believes in Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and a lot of other weird stuff.
- He's also without a doubt the show's cutest character.
- Marshall Eriksen is played by Jason Segel. Segel rose to prominence as a recognized actor, comedian, screenwriter, singer-songwriter, novelist, and producer after starring in the television series Freaks and Geeks.
- Segel has written, produced, and starred in several films since the conclusion of HIMYM, including The Five-Year Engagement, The Muppets, and his most recent, Windfall.
- Dispatches from Elsewhere, an AMC drama series, he developed, wrote, directed, and executive produced in 2020.
Shrinking, an upcoming Apple TV+ comedy series, has him in the lead role and as an executive producer.
