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Author Topic: Some people say it's like 'Friends' but it's not- How I met your Mother  (Read 10101 times)
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Box Incorporated

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« Reply #80 on: 05-25-2013 00:52 »

It depends on how much of the show you've watched. The show has definitely declined after Season 5, but there's still a lot of episodes that you'll enjoy like and it still has a good amount of heart in it, so I recommend marathoning some of the episodes some time just to finish up the show. Though I do have to warn you about a lot of episodes in the 2nd half of Season 7 and the first half of Season 8. A lot of those episodes can be really boring to watch and almost every episode of the first half of Season 8 is just filler so The Final Page episodes can work, but the show does get better after those episodes, so just try to pull through them.
pumpkinpie

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« Reply #81 on: 06-07-2013 00:08 »

The mother looks weird...
Gorky

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« Reply #82 on: 06-07-2013 16:51 »

She does have, like, these enormous doe eyes that I find kind of creepy. I must admit that I have a hard time imagining her and Ted together--like, just based on their physical appearances (which is obviously shallow of me, but no matter; it's all I really have to go on at this point)--but hopefully season nine does a good job of making me care about Ted and the Mother while simultaneously convincing me that this new girl isn't just some consolation prize because whiny-ass, lovelorn Ted can't have Robin.

I mean, I really like Ted--but season eight went out of its way to make him seem terribly pathetic for his inability to let Robin go. And I say this as someone who would love for Ted and Robin to end up together, on account of Robin and Barney annoy the hell out of me as a couple (though not as platonic bros). But, since that cannot happen (despite the many teases we got in the last two episodes of the season), I am just hoping the writers do a good job making the Mother a viable, believable match for Ted.
cartoonlover27

Professor
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« Reply #83 on: 08-27-2013 17:43 »

Is Jason Segel still leaving? I don't know how well the show will work without him.
Spacedal11

Space Pope
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« Reply #84 on: 08-28-2013 02:21 »

The show is ending this upcoming season. So yes, Jason Segel is leaving. Along with everyone else.
cartoonlover27

Professor
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« Reply #85 on: 08-30-2013 01:42 »

The show is ending this upcoming season. So yes, Jason Segel is leaving. Along with everyone else.

Oh, I didn't know that. I mean the rumors of him leaving the upcoming season.
Spacedal11

Space Pope
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« Reply #86 on: 08-30-2013 04:21 »

No, he's still part of the cast.
My Manwich

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« Reply #87 on: 08-30-2013 04:36 »

This will be the last season and all of the whole season is supposed to cover how Ted meets the the "Mother" at Barney's and Robin's wedding.  I have heard that the season will be told within 24 hours with a lot of flashbacks.
Spacedal11

Space Pope
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« Reply #88 on: 09-24-2013 21:38 »

Did anyone watch the two-part premiere last night? I did and I thoroughly enjoyed it, I love The Mother her interaction with Ted is spot on.
cyber_turnip

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« Reply #89 on: 09-25-2013 02:21 »

Same old, same old.
Box Incorporated

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« Reply #90 on: 09-25-2013 03:02 »

Pretty good for the Season Premiere episodes. There was a few meh moments in it (mostly from the Marshall storyline), but everything else was pretty good, especially the Lily drinking scenes and the interaction between the mother and Ted. As for the actual mother, I'm a bit worried they might make her too much like Ted, but for what time they had, they develped her pretty nicely with Lily. Not the best, but at least enough to show that they might actually be able to handle the new format without too much filler or bumbling. Looking forward to what this Season will have in store for the future.
Lost My Phone

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« Reply #91 on: 11-26-2013 21:42 »

How I Met Your Dad Pilot Confirmed
Gorky

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« Reply #92 on: 01-28-2014 02:37 »

Tonight's episode was easily the best thing the show's done all season. Yes, they're really overdoing the whole The Mother Is Perfect for Ted thing (what with her calligraphy set, coin collection, pretentious pronunciation of "Renaissance," appreciation of the name "Puzzles" being the puzzle, etc.), and the Not Revealing The Mother's Name thing (the fact that she never introduces herself by name to people and that Louis doesn't say "[Insert Name Here], will you marry me" is really conspicuous)--both of which are a bit irksome and/or eye-roll-worthy.

Still, despite her not having the most three-dimensional personality (yet--I'm assuming that if this spin-off happens, the writers will have to make her a wee bit more nuanced and flawed, and a bit less of a(n admittedly endearing) Mary Sue), it was genuinely exciting to see from the Mother's point of view the intersections her life has had with Ted's throughout the series; moreover, I liked how the writers gave her emotional baggage similar to Ted's, having been hung up on a former boyfriend for eight years in a way that mirrors the whole mostly-unrequited-love-for-Robin saga. And the ending was equal parts overly sentimental and genuinely moving, which is better than can be said for most of this season's Big Emotional Moments.

So, yeah, I really liked this episode. It's made me realize how sick I am of pretty much everyone in the main cast at this point; I hardly missed Barney or Lily or Marshall or Robin or Ted, and was quite absorbed in the Mother's story. Good job, writers...for pretty much the first damn time this season.
Spacedal11

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« Reply #93 on: 01-28-2014 08:09 »

I loved this episode. The ending scene with the ukelele was heartbreaking.
Svip

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« Reply #94 on: 01-28-2014 11:09 »

Still, despite her not having the most three-dimensional personality (yet--I'm assuming that if this spin-off happens, the writers will have to make her a wee bit more nuanced and flawed, and a bit less of a(n admittedly endearing) Mary Sue), it was genuinely exciting to see from the Mother's point of view the intersections her life has had with Ted's throughout the series; moreover, I liked how the writers gave her emotional baggage similar to Ted's, having been hung up on a former boyfriend for eight years in a way that mirrors the whole mostly-unrequited-love-for-Robin saga.

I think you read that article wrong, Gorky.  'How I Met Your Dad' will have nothing to do with this series, and will be an entirely new cast.
Gorky

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« Reply #95 on: 01-28-2014 12:10 »

Oh shit, I did misread that. Well, I guess it makes more sense for the show to be about a cast of completely new characters--but that also makes it feel slightly more unnecessary than it already was. I feel like a gender-flipped version of HIMYM will have all of the original's problems with creating nuanced female characters (or, you know, having them initially then somehow destroying them, a la Robin), and  all of those annoying near-interactions with the titular spouse that accumulate season by season and do more to frustrate after a point than to intrigue, and very little of the wit and heart of the first four seasons.

Plus, it seems really crass to basically cash in on the name-recognition of HIMYM with a new show that probably won't be as good; it's like Thomas and Bays are flat-out admitting that they're out of original ideas but still want to have jobs in Hollywood come this fall. I mean, I suppose that's valid--we're talking about two people's livelihood, here--but it also seems like a transparent ploy to, like, trick people into watching a new series in the hopes that lightning with strike twice or whatever.

I mean, I totally plan on watching this new show, but that's beside the point!
Svip

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« Reply #96 on: 01-28-2014 12:13 »

I don't think it will just be HIMYM with the characters' genders merely reversed.

Still, I'd argue that it is hard to do much more with these characters without dragging it out (and it seems like some parts in the past 2-3 seasons felt like that), so new characters might be very interesting.

But why is it 'Dad' and not 'Father' in the new title?
* Svip ponders.
Box Incorporated

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« Reply #97 on: 02-05-2014 03:27 »

To be different...or something (I think the creators mentioned naming it because of that or something).

Anyway, yeah, I still don't really like the mother much. Her backstory is being done pretty decently, with her not being to date after her previous boyfriend dying and her little band plot, but character wise, she's still pretty much just a female Ted, only being perhaps slightly quirkier. I get she's supposed to be Ted's "the one", but it just feels like she's too perfect for Ted. She really should've been given a different personality from him (or the rest of the main cast), making her more interesting to see talk to the rest of the cast, and making the reasons for her liking/relating to Ted more subtle. She should still be really easy to get along with Ted, but have at least a little more flaws than just being the perfect woman for him.

Anyway, Season 9 as a whole so far has been pretty good so far (a lot better than 7 and 8 were), hopefully the next 7 episodes help wrap and close the show on an emotional and funny note (really enjoyed this weeks episode with
, really hoping for more closing stuff like that).
Motor Oil

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« Reply #98 on: 03-15-2014 22:56 »

I'm really enjoying Season 9. The mother is a decent character, too obviously similar to Ted, just seems too forced and kind of stupid.
I liked her ex-boyfriend, whoever gave her the ukulele (Did we learn his name? Mark or something? I don't really care.). He seemed sweet. He died though. (Oops, spoilers.)
After stepping away from the show for a while, I look back on it and like it a little less, but it's still one of my favorites. I feel like Barney and Robin go well together, but I liked them better the first time around. It's nice when Barney gets all completely pathetic like he does any time he starts to feel any real emotion. He reminds me of Bender. Kind of. He is secretly extremely insecure but also smokes cigars, drinks, and likes getting laid. Oh wait, that's every man.
The mother is nice...I liked Daren, whatever his name was, the flaming gay dude. That whole bit was pretty funny. I'm sure I'd like the mother if she wasn't so perfect (for Ted). The coin collecting I could buy, but that on top of the Renaissance thing and Puzzles and whatever other spit they heaped with it is too much. Way too much.
Box Incorporated

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« Reply #99 on: 03-31-2014 20:05 »

So the series finale airs tonight. Any ideas for what might happen? (Really hope they don't reveal the mother's actually dead like people are speculating)
Svip

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« Reply #100 on: 03-31-2014 20:14 »

Given the tone of the show, I find that highly unlikely.  I mean, gasp, shouldn't the kids be reacting kind of different if that was the case anyway?

Moreover, I've read somewhere that they actually have filmed the scene where the mother talks to the kids (while the actors still were young).  But I cannot find where I read that now.
Motor Oil

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« Reply #101 on: 04-01-2014 00:41 »
« Last Edit on: 04-01-2014 03:18 »

I read that as well, in Entertainment Weekly (I think). The kids were aging too quickly, so they went ahead and filmed all the scenes with them.
I doubt the mother is dead. Ted's narration has been too cheerful throughout the series for something like that.

Box Incorporated

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« Reply #102 on: 04-01-2014 06:46 »

Well that ending was certainly...interesting.


Ugh, I guess I get what the creators were trying with this, and I partly enjoyed it, but...it just still leaves a bitter feeling to it. The show isn't ruined for me, but just really hard to digest what happened.
Svip

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« Reply #103 on: 04-01-2014 10:19 »
« Last Edit on: 04-01-2014 10:40 »

I actually find the ending quite charming.  Even somewhat unexpected.

But I am glad the last episode(s) weren't a full on clip show (even if there was some old footage used here and there), but rather forward looking.  Although, it was pretty obvious when they were using old footage and when they were acting out new scenes from old times.  I guess actors become older.

One thing I've always noticed is that Marshall looks very different in season 1 compared to all the other seasons.  I imagine he gained a few kilogrammes between season 1 and 2.

But hey, at least it wasn't a dumb Friends ending.  Like the title of this thread implies it is not.

any1else

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« Reply #104 on: 04-01-2014 10:34 »

Yeah, and then he seemed to be getting thinner and thinner through this season...

I only just watched it so it hasn't had time to settle, but that ending seemed right having followed the show for 9 years and never missed an episode. There had already been hints in at least 2 different eps that
and there were hints in too many episodes to count that


Some of the cast looked so young back then. I'm roughly the same age now that they were meant to be back then. Dun dun duuuuunnnnn! Now to go back and see how young Ted's kids looked in 2005! They aged so much listening to that story.
Svip

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« Reply #105 on: 04-01-2014 10:43 »
« Last Edit on: 04-01-2014 10:50 »

Some of the cast looked so young back then. I'm roughly the same age now that they were meant to be back then. Dun dun duuuuunnnnn! Now to go back and see how young Ted's kids looked in 2005! They aged so much listening to that story.

The scene with the kids was filmed at the beginning of season 2.  It was filmed in a closed room with only the two actors, the producer, the show's creators and a camera operator.  So 6 people knew about the ending.  They all signed NDAs.

It was filmed then, because they feared the actors would be too old by the time the season finale actually happened.

Motor Oil

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« Reply #106 on: 04-01-2014 15:16 »

The actors' weights fluctuate throughout the episodes. That's one thing I like about the show, that they're not always perfectly skinny or morbidly obese. A lot of shows have the characters stay the same weight throughout the whole series, unless there is just one episode in which the plot involves weight loss or gain (The Rough Patch, and the episode where Lily doesn't fit into her wedding dress).

Spacedal11

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« Reply #107 on: 04-01-2014 20:23 »

Yeah I'm with Motor Oil on this, the last few minutes completely undermined the character of the mother and everything that was great about her relationship with Ted. I'm one of those who had wished that the show had just introduced us to the mother a few seasons ago and we get to see their relationship flourish. Especially in hindsight because I loved her character so much. Like I get that the show is about the family before you settle down and stuff and the endgame was meeting the mother and how she was the one. But basically the show allowed Ted to have his cake and eat it too and I'm not really happy about that.

But I liked the finale overall, the stuff with Barney was top notch. And I'm happy for Lily and Marshall. I'd rate it a B- but a D+ for that ending.
JoshTheater

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« Reply #108 on: 04-01-2014 22:50 »

Wait, I'm confused. So the cops knew that internal affairs were setting them up?
Gorky

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« Reply #109 on: 04-01-2014 23:32 »
« Last Edit on: 04-01-2014 23:42 »

I think Maz and Svip and I may be three of only, like, eight people on the internet who actually liked the final episode; the impression I've gotten from Twitter and Facebook and other forums is that everyone else thought it was a cheap, nonsensical, intellect-insulting cop-out.


Edited to put 90% of this post in spoiler tags, because apparently that's what we're doing now.
Motor Oil

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« Reply #110 on: 04-01-2014 23:56 »

I will be forever grateful that Robin and Barney crashed and burned so quickly (their relationship was always about Barney's character development and growth as a human being, but what did Robin--my favorite character, and the best thing about the show until about season seven--ever get out of the deal besides increased susceptibility to an array of venereal diseases?), and that Robin finally realized how unhealthy it is to be part of a tight-knit group of friends where half of them are guys she's boinked. I liked that Barney got to be a father, and that this was what it took for him to get his shit together (I've been thinking, since his proposal to Ted that they raise a kid together, that the only way Barney would truly find redemption would be through fatherhood; he wasn't going to get that from Robin, and so ultimately I think it was good for him that they broke up).

I have always loved Barney and Robin as a couple: they are very similar personality-wise and I think that they go well together as two people afraid of commitment but still in love. I am glad that Barney matured when he had the kid, but I am left with some questions--what happened to the mother? How bad of a father will Barney be (he obviously loves the kid, but adopting 'Hurricane' and the scenes in Who Wants to be a Godparent make me question his parenting ability)?
Barney's falling back into his old habits of picking up chicks right after he and Robin divorced was shocking to me. The first time they got together, I can understand it, but now? After Robin, Quinn, Nora, Robin again? I thought he'd grown to be kinder. Maybe it was more out of fear than anything, a not knowing what to do, that threw him back into dog mode, but I was very surprised by his behavior after their breakup.
I don't know about Robin's risk of STD's with Barney. We know she's been with quite a few guys, and Barney got rid of his massive hemorrhoids a while ago.

Quote
And the scenes between Ted and the Mother in this episode were just so perfect (his re-proposal to her, and their first meeting...both lovely, lovely moments); they really made it clear that Tracy was the Love of Ted's Life--not Robin 2.0, or a rebound, or some chick he could bang until the girl he really wanted became available again. It's a major bummer (*salutes*) that she died, yes, and I wish the show had paid her character a bit more respect than a photo montage and a brief scene of Ted reading to her as she dies in a hospital bed of Unspecified Terminal Illness--but that's a pacing problem more than anything else (like, I think they could have cut out that self-indulgent Farewell-But-Not-Really scene on the patio at the wedding, with that idiotic high five and the creepy E.T. goodbye, to spend more time on the post-2013 stuff).

I agree, the moments with Ted and Tracy were just beautiful. That's why it was so disappointing, for me, when Ted went for Robin at the end. Because he had already found the love of his life! When you've achieved perfection, how can you settle for anything less?



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That final scene, to me--the look exchanged between Robin and Ted--bespoke not the same passion and excitement as Ted and Tracy's love story (nor, for that matter, as Robin and Ted's first go-'round in seasons one and two), but a kind of ease and comfort with one another, a kind of companionship, that I found sort of heartwarming. It seemed like the right kind of relationship for two fifty-ish-year olds to have with one another: not necessarily a youthful and all-consuming love, but a peaceable way in which to pass one's golden years.

This actually does make me feel better about the ending. But I have always liked Ted and Robin more as a brother and sister than lovers. They have little in common and have fought quite a bit, and aren't really keen on going through with any plans they make as a couple. So a companionship, a best friendship between them, is great, but I feel like adding in romance is icing off the cake.

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Which makes it sound like both Robin and Ted are settling for one another at the end--but I'm sort of okay with that. They've both had their Great But Impossible-to-Keep Loves--Robin with Barney, Ted with Tracy--and since Robin and Ted have always had this mutual love and respect and understanding, it makes a lot of sense for them to be each other's Second Great and Achievable Love. It's not the most romantic thing, sure, but it's still an emotionally-satisfying conclusion for those characters, and for me as a viewer.

Why was Robin and Barney's relationship impossible to keep? Her job was the only difficulty there. He clearly loved her, she loved him, they've always had this chemistry, the traveling thing was the only problem. And they could've gotten through that if they'd only tried a little harder.
Svip

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« Reply #111 on: 04-02-2014 00:37 »
« Last Edit on: 04-02-2014 00:48 »

I guess we aren't doing the spoilers no more.

Gorky has a point, while we agree it was a neat end to a great television programme, it had some pacing issues.  Barney and Robin's relationship ended a bit too quickly (and no callback to the reason for their earlier breakup).  I could accept it, because the scene implies that it isn't the first time.

Barney rebounding after Robin made sense to me.  it indicated that his love for Robin (and all the rest) hadn't been real until he met his daughter.  From thereon, Barney could not return.

Barney and Robin being 'perfect for each other' is a contradiction in terms, because it was established during their first relationship that their independence as individuals simply could not work as a couple.  Neither were willing to compromise.

In fact, I always felt that Robin was written a bit too promiscuous only to make her compete with Barney.

But the show has a point about the difference between a desire for two people to be together and their actual ability to do so.  It's hard.

I guess people on the internet are complaining about the fact that the show is over.  You can never please anyone by ending, even though they should.

Edit: Perhaps you could say that How I Met Your Mother was flawed from the beginning.  The show is so intent on the mother, that even though we don't see her for 8 years!, we are still so keen on her, that we forget that this is not Star Wars prequels, and the mother isn't Darth Vader.  She could never become as much a character as the main cast.  They did a clever trick in season 9 to have a main cast member, but it would have gotten old if more than one season.  And how the hell are you going to justify continuing a show about meeting the mother after they've met the mother?  Would make no sense.

But don't let the title of this show fool you, because in reality, it wasn't about the mother at all.

I am not sure I look forward to How I Met Your Dad, but I will watch it.  Until it betrays me.  I also assume it won't have the same twist.
Spacedal11

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« Reply #112 on: 04-02-2014 00:59 »

For me I'm not nearly as mad as I was last night (though I am neither nor have ever been a Barney/Robin OR Ted/Robin shipper) but I think my main problem doesn't stem from what happened but certainly the fact that the entire finale could have been the back half of this season instead of condensed to a 40 minute episode when instead the whole season was dedicated to a marriage that was inevitably doomed.

The problem is if the creator's endgame had always been for Ted to be with Robin that may have worked a few seasons ago but the fact that they kept pushing these two apart and proving time and time again why their relationship doesn't work, it soiled the union. I mean the reason Barney and Robin divorce is because she travels, meaning she still hasn't really changed in a way that she is willing to compromise her career for her loved ones (which is a valid reason to get divorced) but who's to say that isn't gonna still be a problem now that Ted and Robin are going to try it again?

Secondly by having Tracy be an amazing character, she got relegated to a footnote. While time had passed between her death and Ted telling the story it certainly felt like whiplash with the kids blase reaction to him wanting to be with Robin. Which wouldn't be so bad if that had been paced at all but instead the creators stuck to their guns and didn't want to change in the way that the characters had developed and wanted to just hone it all back to their original plan. Having a plan is fine but sometimes things don't work out and if they had tried something fresher and not an end that everyone likely saw coming maybe this could have been better or at least not wasted Tracy.
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« Reply #113 on: 04-02-2014 01:05 »

But Tracy would always have been a footnote.  This is the tragic flaw of the way this whole show was designed.
Gorky

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« Reply #114 on: 04-02-2014 02:08 »

I have always loved Barney and Robin as a couple: they are very similar personality-wise and I think that they go well together as two people afraid of commitment but still in love.
Why was Robin and Barney's relationship impossible to keep? Her job was the only difficulty there. He clearly loved her, she loved him, they've always had this chemistry, the traveling thing was the only problem. And they could've gotten through that if they'd only tried a little harder.

Honestly, I never thought Robin and Barney had much in common beyond the superficial: a love of cigars and scotch, and some lone wolf/alpha male tendencies. Robin's fear of commitment--and Barney's, for that matter--was no longer an issue by the time the two of them decided to get married; Robin was willing to settle down with Kevin (and the only reason she didn't stay with Ted was because she loved him--after all, if she was going to have someone's babies, they'd be his babies--but had no future with him because they wanted completely different things), and Barney went gaga for both Nora and Quinn (the latter of whom, I think, was closer to being the male version of Barney than Robin ever was).

Nah, I've always thought of the Robin/Barney love story as a one-sided affair in terms of character development and pay-off: Barney grew immeasurably in maturity through his falling in love with Robin--that is his entire character arc in season four--but I never completely bought that Robin loved Barney in anything but a superficial way (apparently they have really hot, kinky sex?); they made awesome bros, but not particularly compatible life partners.

In fact, I think the part of Robin that was attracted to Barney was the same part of her that longed to live a jet-setting life as a world-famous reporter; she assumed (wrongly, it turns out) that Barney would be game for such a nomadic lifestyle. But a larger part of her--the part drawn to stable, responsible, loyal-to-a-fault men like Ted or Kevin--was disappointed in Barney's game-playing and untrustworthy tendencies. That's kind of why I can buy Robin falling back in love with Ted (from afar) after her divorce from Barney: despite her claims to the contrary, she has always wanted a down-to-earth guy. And, in certain ways, Barney was that guy--I think that's why he couldn't resign himself to the life of a busy reporter's husband, and why he ultimately found such joy in fatherhood--but when Robin was confronted with that part of his personality, she realized she didn't want it. She wanted a career--or, failing that, she wanted a traditional marriage with a man she had always connected with on a deeper level: Ted.

I will admit that I am saying all of this as a person whose favorite character is Ted, who relates most strongly to Robin, and who thinks Barney is kind of an asshole despite all the times the show tried to convince me otherwise. So I guess what I'm saying is that you can take the above interpretation with a grain of salt. ;)

I agree, the moments with Ted and Tracy were just beautiful. That's why it was so disappointing, for me, when Ted went for Robin at the end. Because he had already found the love of his life! When you've achieved perfection, how can you settle for anything less?

Because it beats being alone. Ted has every right to find a new woman to love after his wife's death, and instead of entering the dating world again at his age, it makes sense for him to gravitate back towards Robin. I still do see it as a kind of settling, but if the writers insisted on killing the Mother off, I'm glad Ted didn't have to spend his post-Tracy years completely alone (besides, you know, his loving-but-by-now-probably-pretty-worn-out-by-his-stories kids).


But I have always liked Ted and Robin more as a brother and sister than lovers. They have little in common and have fought quite a bit, and aren't really keen on going through with any plans they make as a couple. So a companionship, a best friendship between them, is great, but I feel like adding in romance is icing off the cake.

For my part, I've always thought Ted and Robin had great chemistry as both friends and lovers, but that's beside the point here: what I'm saying is that I don't see a big problem with Ted and Robin committing themselves to each other now, at this point in their lives, even if their relationship is born less of passion and more of a comfortable affection. They are able to provide for one another emotionally--that has been consistent throughout he series: see Ted's comforting of Robin after Don breaks up with her and steals her job, or Robin's genuine desire to see Ted happy and her repeated promises to help him find The One--and who's to say that that's not enough of a reason to be together? Any future relationship between Ted and Robin will not supplant his relationship with Tracy, nor will it pick up right where Ted and Robin's initial courtship left off; rather, it is a more mature love that is based on a shared history and mutual affection.

I know that doesn't sound terribly sexy or anything, but I still think it's a relationship for which both Ted and Robin ought to be grateful. And it makes me happy for them, and satisfied with this conclusion to their story.

But don't let the title of this show fool you, because in reality, it wasn't about the mother at all.
But Tracy would always have been a footnote.  This is the tragic flaw of the way this whole show was designed.

Indeed. I think the show (and its creators) has been very clear about its purpose: to show how Ted struggled, how he loved and lost over and over and over, how he grew from those heartbreaks--and how all those experiences prepared him to meet the Mother. I loved Lily's toast to Ted in the finale, her comment about his emotional resilience; Ted and his journey to the Mother (and, in season nine, the Mother herself) were the heart of the show, and I love that this final episode (and the flash-forwards we've gotten all season) allowed him to be truly, completely, transcendently happy--even if it was only for ten years. 'Tis better to have loved and lost, and all that.

The problem is if the creator's endgame had always been for Ted to be with Robin that may have worked a few seasons ago but the fact that they kept pushing these two apart and proving time and time again why their relationship doesn't work, it soiled the union.

I definitely agree with this, to some extent, though I think Robin probably needed to get the whole Barney thing out of her system before she could ever try to be with Ted again. I know in "No Pressure" she claims not to love Ted--and she seems genuinely distraught about this, as if she knows that Barney is wrong for her and Ted is the better option, but she cannot shake the feelings she has for the former--but I never bought that completely. But yeah, it definitely comes across as sloppy writing--and needlessly sloppy writing, considering the writers apparently planned to get Robin and Ted together at series' end since at least 2006--to spend an entire season with Robin proclaiming her undying love for Barney when she ultimately spends more of her adult life pining for Ted, a man she had not shown serious romantic interest in since, like, the end of season five (what with their almost-kiss that would have totally happened if not for Ted's ridiculous blonde hair).

It wasn't until season six that the show kind of retconned the Robin/Ted romance--what with that episode where she runs into Nick, and flashbacks reveal that she was crushing on him despite the fact that she was still with Ted (who was trying to win a cute girl over with his red cowboy boots)--and it wasn't until season seven that they turned Ted into this pathetic guy who never got over Robin despite the fact that he hadn't shown genuine romantic interest in her since the end of season two (even their relapses in seasons three and four were mutually casual, and his pissing contest with Barney at the end of season five seemed more about pride than love).

But I think the writers were trying to get us back on the whole Robin/Ted bandwagon at the end of season eight, with that flashback to Robin's breakdown preceding Ted's wedding to Stella, her wondering why Ted wasn't marrying her instead. And her appeal to Ted to run away with her on her own wedding day in last week's episode. While that latter moment was not entirely believable (though I actually quite enjoyed the thing from the season eight finale; it provided some background for Robin's kick-ass speech to Ted in season four about how he can't just disappear into someone else's wedding because that's not who he is and also she still might love him), at least the writers tried, however lamely, to set us up for the Robin/Ted end-game.

I think my main problem doesn't stem from what happened but certainly the fact that the entire finale could have been the back half of this season instead of condensed to a 40 minute episode when instead the whole season was dedicated to a marriage that was inevitably doomed.

That is a fair complaint--and, yeah, I do feel kind of cheated that this whole season (which was almost completely filler, with the exception of the few episodes that dealt with actual problems within the gang--Ted's feelings for Robin, Barney's over-reliance on trickery in his courtship of Robin (that fucking rehearsal dinner episode made me so angry, especially the fact that Robin would up loving it; it was almost as bad as her accepting Barney's marriage proposal even it was based entirely in an emotionally-manipulative Final Play), Robin's misgivings about the man she is about to marry--or the Mother) took place during an allegedly pivotal wedding weekend for a couple whose marriage lasted only three years.

But I can't let that detract too much from my enjoyment of the final episode; it was clear from the start of this season that the writers were mostly winging it, that they had no Master Plan, and while that is in many ways insulting to me as a viewer, I do think they redeemed themselves quite a bit with this finale (and the aforementioned "How Your Mother Met Me"). Of course, that is a rather unpopular opinion, so...
Motor Oil

Starship Captain
****
« Reply #115 on: 04-02-2014 02:52 »

Honestly, I never thought Robin and Barney had much in common beyond the superficial: a love of cigars and scotch, and some lone wolf/alpha male tendencies. Robin's fear of commitment--and Barney's, for that matter--was no longer an issue by the time the two of them decided to get married; Robin was willing to settle down with Kevin (and the only reason she didn't stay with Ted was because she loved him--after all, if she was going to have someone's babies, they'd be his babies--but had no future with him because they wanted completely different things), and Barney went gaga for both Nora and Quinn (the latter of whom, I think, was closer to being the male version of Barney than Robin ever was).

I can see where you're coming from, even though I disagree. But I think that Barney and Robin's fear of commitment is a part of them, not something they will ever really be able to recover from: it makes up who they are. If they weren't afraid of commitment, they wouldn't be themselves. Robin will never be someone who gets into a serious relationship quickly, like Zoey or Ted, she will always be someone who takes it slowly on an emotional level, if not on a physical one, and the same goes for Barney.
But Robin and Ted still want different things, as I see it. She is still a traveling reporter, he still wants to stay where he is and raise his children and just be content with having a family. I don't think Robin will ever be able to do that. She has to have a goal, and she has to be working towards that goal, and raising a family was never and never will be one of her goals, which really determines Ted and Robin's compatibility for me.

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In fact, I think the part of Robin that was attracted to Barney was the same part of her that longed to live a jet-setting life as a world-famous reporter; she assumed (wrongly, it turns out) that Barney would be game for such a nomadic lifestyle. But a larger part of her--the part drawn to stable, responsible, loyal-to-a-fault men like Ted or Kevin--was disappointed in Barney's game-playing and untrustworthy tendencies. That's kind of why I can buy Robin falling back in love with Ted (from afar) after her divorce from Barney: despite her claims to the contrary, she has always wanted a down-to-earth guy. And, in certain ways, Barney was that guy--I think that's why he couldn't resign himself to the life of a busy reporter's husband, and why he ultimately found such joy in fatherhood--but when Robin was confronted with that part of his personality, she realized she didn't want it. She wanted a career--or, failing that, she wanted a traditional marriage with a man she had always connected with on a deeper level: Ted.

I personally think that Robin would be happiest alone, with no romantic partner and few close friends, and even those that she is closest to are somewhat distant from her. She has always been very private and independent. She can't depend on anyone (Ted likes to feel needed, as we've seen, another reason why I don't like them as a couple). She's always been a loner, and I just can't see her settling down with Ted.
Robin's need to trust is definitely something that was a problem with Barney. She's a rather suspicious person--she needs to know someone is on her side and with Barney, you can't always be sure. We know he loves her and would never purposely hurt her, but she doesn't. I think that if she realized that and accepted that Barney was a magician, someone who could never be completely honest with anyone, they would've been much happier and maybe even stayed together.
And Robin has plenty of secrets herself. It's not as if she was entirely honest with Barney: one of the reasons they started dated originally was because they were both good at lying. That was always a fundamental part of their relationship, something that's a part of both of their personalities, and that will lead to pain. But relationships come with pain, and if it's meant to be (as I believe Barney and Robin were), the bond will overcome it.

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For my part, I've always thought Ted and Robin had great chemistry as both friends and lovers, but that's beside the point here: what I'm saying is that I don't see a big problem with Ted and Robin committing themselves to each other now, at this point in their lives, even if their relationship is born less of passion and more of a comfortable affection. They are able to provide for one another emotionally--that has been consistent throughout he series: see Ted's comforting of Robin after Don breaks up with her and steals her job, or Robin's genuine desire to see Ted happy and her repeated promises to help him find The One--and who's to say that that's not enough of a reason to be together? Any future relationship between Ted and Robin will not supplant his relationship with Tracy, nor will it pick up right where Ted and Robin's initial courtship left off; rather, it is a more mature love that is based on a shared history and mutual affection.

I am fine with them committing themselves to each other, I just strongly dislike the idea of them sharing a romantic relationship. The French horn gesture was a problem for me; Ted has already found his soul mate, and I saw that as him trying to rekindle a relationship with Robin--not a friend relationship, but a romantic one, almost one to replace his relationship with Tracy. Close friends is fine...but the idea of them becoming entwined romantically makes me cringe. Both of them have found people with whom they match better, and I dislike the idea of them going back to each other simply because they have no one else.

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That is a fair complaint--and, yeah, I do feel kind of cheated that this whole season (which was almost completely filler, with the exception of the few episodes that dealt with actual problems within the gang--Ted's feelings for Robin, Barney's over-reliance on trickery in his courtship of Robin (that fucking rehearsal dinner episode made me so angry, especially the fact that Robin would up loving it; it was almost as bad as her accepting Barney's marriage proposal even it was based entirely in an emotionally-manipulative Final Play), Robin's misgivings about the man she is about to marry--or the Mother) took place during an allegedly pivotal wedding weekend for a couple whose marriage lasted only three years.

The fact that Barney relies almost entirely on trickery to connect with Robin is a problem, but one that Robin has been shown to match just as well--remember his bachelor party? And he loved that. I think that both the rehearsal dinner and the bachelor party were going way too far, crossing a trust line.
I actually loved Barney's proposal. I thought it was really sweet, well-planned, completely within Barney's character and Robin's reaction was perfect. I really liked that beginning to their relationship. It shows how much time and thought and energy Barney is willing to put into making sure someone knows how much he cares about someone. It was manipulative, but I think that's excusable, since it's really the only thing Barney knows how to do, and Robin has been shown to be equally manipulative.
They cancel each other out, but in a good way, I think. They both hurt and heal each other over and over again and you can tell they love each other because they never give up.
(When/if you reply to this, please disregard the fact that they did, in fact, give up on the relationship. I guess I'm saying that they wouldn't have given up if I'd been on the writing team.)
Gorky

DOOP Secretary
*
« Reply #116 on: 04-02-2014 04:16 »
« Last Edit on: 04-02-2014 04:19 »

Robin will never be someone who gets into a serious relationship quickly, like Zoey or Ted, she will always be someone who takes it slowly on an emotional level, if not on a physical one, and the same goes for Barney.

This may just be an example of the show's decline in quality and its inconsistent characterizations, but Robin moved in quickly with Don (whom I actually liked as a match for her) and Barney quite suddenly proposed to Quinn (whom, as previously noted, I also liked). So I'm not sure I buy the fact that they're both people who are unable to commit themselves to a relationship; in Robin's case, particularly, she was willing to sacrifice a promotion for her relationship with Don, which the show treated as a huge step for her, choosing love over her career.

But Robin and Ted still want different things, as I see it.

Fair enough, but I think the finale also demonstrated that Robin and Barney want different things, too. Barney's desire for children was established in season seven--and, honestly, I think that desire was independent of the fact that his potential child was Robin's; he was willing to adopt a kid with Ted and/or steal his brother's baby--and even though he claimed this past season that Robin's infertility did not bother him, I never completely bought it (by the same token, I did believe Ted's claim in season seven that he loved Robin despite the fact that she never wanted kids. I am totally willing to admit it's possible that I'm skeptical of Barney's coolness with the no-kids thing primarily because I never wanted him to end up with Robin in the first place, so feel free to disregard my reading of his character's motivations and such).

I personally think that Robin would be happiest alone, with no romantic partner and few close friends, and even those that she is closest to are somewhat distant from her.

There is certainly something to this--and, in fact, I would have been totally fine with an ending where Robin wound up alone and Ted lived happily ever after with Tracy (assuming she had chosen a life of solitude on her own terms, and not simply because Barney and Ted were no longer interested in her). Really, my only hope for the finale was that Robin and Barney split up, because I feel like Robin's character suffered tremendously when she was with Barney and I never understood what she saw in him after how shoddily he treated her post-breakup in season five. That Robin and Ted actually found their way back to each other in the finale was an added bonus, but honestly I would have been content to simply have Robin break free of the perennial playboy/man-child that is Barney Stinson. Because, you know, I hated them together. ;)

We know he loves her and would never purposely hurt her

Do we really know this? I think his "The Robin" play was plenty hurtful--even if, ultimately, it was just a kind of subterfuge--and a perfect example of how little Barney actually respects Robin's feelings and desires. I don't care how damaged he is or how bad with commitment he is: you do not deceive the woman you love (or your best friend, for that matter; it was shitty of Barney to put Ted in the position of having to literally hand over Robin to him) for no reason other than to make sure that she really wants to marry you. You have an honest conversation with her about your misgivings, like a grown-up.

Barney was capable of having fairly adult conversations with women in the past--his complete transparency with Nora when he attempted to win her back at the start of season seven is a good example--and the fact that he was still relying on mind-games in season eight (the same kind of Mosby-ing nonsense he (and, to be fair, Robin...albeit, at Lily's suggestion) had pulled in the season four finale) demonstrated to me that he really had not grown nearly as much as the writers would have liked me to believe.

The French horn gesture was a problem for me; Ted has already found his soul mate, and I saw that as him trying to rekindle a relationship with Robin--not a friend relationship, but a romantic one, almost one to replace his relationship with Tracy.

I think we may be reading that gesture differently. Ted sort of smirks and shrugs as he presents the horn to Robin, and I see that as him kind of cheekily proposing to her that they try for a relationship one more time. It's more a joke, a send-up of the previous over-the-top romanticism of the French horn theft--a reinterpretation of it, an ironic re-imagining, or whatever other pretentious thing you'd like to call it--than it is a genuine, heart-on-your-sleeve, balls-to-the-wall romantic risk like it was in season one. I saw it as Ted saying to Robin, "I'm not the same guy who stole the blue French horn 25 years ago, but what say we give this thing another go anyway?"

So I don't think he was trying to replace Tracy, or relive his glory days with Robin; rather, I think he was sharing an inside joke with a friend--one that didn't necessarily have the same Grand Romantic Overture undertones as it did in 2005, but that still represented their friendship and their history. It seemed more playful than anything else, not a symbol of Ted's undying love but a tongue-in-cheek reminder that neither of them were twenty-somethings anymore, but there was enough history between them to perhaps warrant giving a relationship another go. It almost felt like a dare.

I'm not explaining this well, and perhaps the distinction I am trying to draw between my interpretation and yours is too fine, but there you have it.

The fact that Barney relies almost entirely on trickery to connect with Robin is a problem, but one that Robin has been shown to match just as well--remember his bachelor party? And he loved that.

But see, I think Robin only threw the bachelor party in such a manipulative way because she knew Barney would love it; I don't think it is in her nature generally to be such a bold-faced liar. So, to me, it's another example of the degradation of Robin's character.

I think that both the rehearsal dinner and the bachelor party were going way too far, crossing a trust line.

We are in complete agreement on that point!

Robin's reaction was perfect.

I thought her calling Barney out on how manipulative and messed-up "The Robin" was, was perfect. Her accepting his proposal in spite of that, however, just struck me as terribly pathetic. It was quite possibly the most frustrating moment in the series to me, largely because I thought Robin deserved a proposal that was truer to who she was than to who her would-be fiance was. Compare it with the delightfully simple proposal(s) Ted made to Tracy: loving and beautiful and innately romantic because of the feeling behind it, not the spectacle. (Yes, I know it's probably unfair to compare Ted's proposals to Barney's, but I'm just sayin'.)

They cancel each other out, but in a good way, I think. They both hurt and heal each other over and over again and you can tell they love each other because they never give up.

Even if that's true--and I don't necessarily buy that Robin was healed by Barney in any significant way, or in any way that was more significant than the way Ted helped her lose her "I love you"-ginity or Marshall helped her get over missing Canada or Lily helped her learn to be close friends with another woman--I still think Barney grew waaay more as a human being because of Robin, than Robin grew because of Barney. Their relationship was lopsided from a writing standpoint, because the show spent far more time demonstrating how Robin made Barney a better person without successfully convincing me that Barney enriched Robin's life in the same way.
cyber_turnip

Urban Legend
***
« Reply #117 on: 04-02-2014 20:37 »

Terrible end to a mediocre show.
Beanoz4

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #118 on: 04-10-2014 11:21 »
« Last Edit on: 04-10-2014 11:24 »

I think the events in the final episode would've been better as a season rather than an episode. I mean we've been anticipating Robin and Barney's wedding and Ted and the Mother for a long time now, and they both get rushed at the last minute, when barney and robin get married after a year and a half of anticipation, they get a divorce the following episode. I think more time was needed to flesh out the whole thing, we didn't even get to care for Tracy's death in the end because it was so glossed over.

Also, the season was really inconsistent, as in one episode we saw Ted let go of Robin and we saw Barney grow up because of Robin, but yet, in the last few episodes both of them came back, so there was a lot of wasted time. We also get an entire episode for the Mother, but yet after they meet, she's not really a big part of the story
pumpkinpie

Starship Captain
****
« Reply #119 on: 04-29-2014 06:04 »

Fuck this ending, Fuck the show, Fuck CBS.

Pumpkin out.
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