HIMYM (spoilers as the episode just ended)

[thebulldog]

so this totally plays into the theory that the mother is dead and he is telling the kids the story to remember her. 

[tabithasoren]

Whether she is dead or not, I'm annoyed they are even insinuating it. This is supposed to be a comedy and now it feels like such a drag. The episode where Marshall's dad died was sad too, but I didn't mind it. It felt real and something all people start to have to face when they get older. This is just annoying me. I think I'm done watching.

[mbcdefg]

I'm really pissed they even went there. I haven't been watching a SITCOM all these years just to get sad at the end. There's enough bad stuff in real life - I don't need it in my entertainment, too.

[thebulldog]

agreed. I am also annoyed we don't get to see Ted happy. I wanted to see that relationship bloom and see him fall in love not spend these last few episodes sad .

[shortstax]

I liked it. Not that she's probably dying, but it helps explain why the kids are listening to this long tale. Full circle. Plus, I thought they alluded to this in the mom's episode where Max died.

However, remember in an old episode they were all at a college reunion smoking up and Ted was all "where is my wife?" That had to be after what we just saw, right?

[shortstax]

But considering all the stories about "how I met your mom" is all about his friends, do you think he's explaining to the kids that they're family too and they're not alone (or something like that?) Hence "aunt robin" etc.

[tef]

I have figured for a long time she was dead (DH much longer than me) so I am not surprised, but I held out hope I was wrong. So sad.

[rxbeth]

I had to turn to DH and ask if what the mother said "what kind of mother wouldn't be at her daughter's wedding?" meant what I think it did. I know it has been a theory but figured it couldn't actually happen.

[AJL]

As soon as I heard them say that Robin and Barney's wedding was likely the last time they would all be together, my first thought was, "Well, except when The Mother dies. You'll all be there for that funeral." And then I wanted to hurl something at my TV (I need a new TV anyway.) 

[tef]

Mar 3, 2014 21:46:20 GMT -5 AJL said:

As soon as I heard them say that Robin and Barney's wedding was likely the last time they would all be together, my first thought was, "Well, except when The Mother dies. You'll all be there for that funeral." And then I wanted to hurl something at my TV (I need a new TV anyway.) 

And Ted's wedding...if that is helpful

[AJL]

Mar 3, 2014 21:49:03 GMT -5 tef said:

Mar 3, 2014 21:46:20 GMT -5 AJL said:

As soon as I heard them say that Robin and Barney's wedding was likely the last time they would all be together, my first thought was, "Well, except when The Mother dies. You'll all be there for that funeral." And then I wanted to hurl something at my TV (I need a new TV anyway.) 

And Ted's wedding...if that is helpful

Not necessarily. Couldn't they elope? I'm grasping at straws really. 

[speckledfrog]

It certainly seems like they are going to kill her off. And really, after the crap that has been the past two seasons, is it really the worst ending?

[Dumbledork]

Think happy thoughts! Maybe she was dying in 2024 but he's telling the tale in 2030 when she's successfully labeled in remission or some craziness! Hey kids, look how much craziness life has thrown at us, and we're still together!





Just kidding. She's totally dying.

How pissed would ya'll be if he was telling this story to tell his kids about how, even though he loved their momma, Aunt Robin's been there since the beginning and he's always had a thing for her. Now that he's a widow and she's divorced, well, it was just meant to be. Hey kids, meet your new momma!

[thebulldog]

well she lives long enough to have the two kids and Ted was made to look "older" in tonight's dinner scene, so I wonder how long they have been together at that point AND i wonder if it is cancer or something that he could predict she wouldn't be here for her daughter's wedding,

[mbcdefg]

I wonder if this could just be a health scare, and she's ok at the end. If she's really dying and that's the twist ending, I would think that they'd wait until the finale to reveal it.

Or maybe Ted has Alzheimer's. Which would explain why he's telling the stories (to preserve then) and why he occasionally mixes up details and timelines.

But it'd be a real bag over the head if the ending is sad, because that's just cruel to the kids to reveal that he/she is dying. And the kids seemed bored by the story in season 1 (in the pilot they ask if the story is a punishment) ... if she were already dead wouldn't they be a bit more respectful?

Mar 3, 2014 21:04:49 GMT -5 shortstax said:

However, remember in an old episode they were all at a college reunion smoking up and Ted was all "where is my wife?" That had to be after what we just saw, right?

The college reunion is in 2020. This episode (2024) is the latest we've seen The Mother and Ted so far.

Mar 3, 2014 21:50:09 GMT -5 AJL said:

Mar 3, 2014 21:49:03 GMT -5 tef said:

And Ted's wedding...if that is helpful

Not necessarily. Couldn't they elope? I'm grasping at straws really. 

At the end of the Lucky Penny episode they show Ted getting married, with Barney and Marshall as his groomsmen. They don't elope.

[maggiemoo]

I Think Ted dies. I have for a few episodes now. If he is around and alive to tell the stories, why make a tape? Tonight proved he told her everything, he forgot what he told her. Or they both die. I can't come up with a happy ending.

[roseflower]

Ending this show I a sad note is just plain cruel and I will be enraged.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using proboards

[mbcdefg]

Mar 3, 2014 23:07:41 GMT -5 maggiemoo said:

I Think Ted dies. I have for a few episodes now. If he is around and alive to tell the stories, why make a tape? Tonight proved he told her everything, he forgot what he told her. Or they both die. I can't come up with a happy ending.

It's not a tape - he's telling this to his kids in person. They've interacted with him in a few early-series episodes, and the only reason they're not still doing it now is because all the scenes with the kids were shot in 2006-2007 (because the kids would've aged too much by the end of the series, and he's supposed to be telling them this story in a one-day sitting).

If it's Ted that's sick, I'm going with memory loss.

I think the writers might be trying to convey to us that this is real life, and in real life people get sick. I get it, but I'm aware of that every day. MH and I have both lost a parent to cancer, and we're fully aware that the same could happen to us someday. Or one of us could get hit by a bus or something. I don't need to be reminded of that worry when I turn on a sitcom for a few chuckles before bed. I get that they want to be realistic/creative/artistic/whatever, but I think they're really going to piss off their audience if they end it on a sad note.

And maybe the they just don't care about pissing people off, because it's the end, and this is their opportunity to go out how they want rather than appease the audience. Although you can argue that they won't do that because they'll want their loyal fans to stick around for their upcoming "How I Met Your Dad" series (which I don't plan to watch, even if the HIMYM finale is the best finale in history).

[thebulldog]

Agreed with above poster.

Any show with a slap bet and a three way belt doesn't need to get all "a very special HIMYM" for the last few episodes.

i be typing from me phone. typos and grammer dont count.

[dearprudence]

Mar 3, 2014 22:28:11 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

But it'd be a real bag over the head if the ending is sad, because that's just cruel to the kids to reveal that he/she is dying. And the kids seemed bored by the story in season 1 (in the pilot they ask if the story is a punishment) ... if she were already dead wouldn't they be a bit more respectful? 

This is where I'm at.  If she's dead or dying the kids reactions seem really inappropriate.  They seem bored most of the time.  My father died 5 years ago, and you can bet dollars to doughnuts that if my mom wanted to tell me stories about him and their friends I'd either be a bawling mess, or hyper-interested.

[speckledfrog]

Mar 3, 2014 22:24:17 GMT -5 thebulldog said:

well she lives long enough to have the two kids and Ted was made to look "older" in tonight's dinner scene, so I wonder how long they have been together at that point AND i wonder if it is cancer or something that he could predict she wouldn't be here for her daughter's wedding,

The dinner scene was in 2024, so 10 years.

[mbcdefg]

Mar 4, 2014 13:56:37 GMT -5 dearprudence said:

Mar 3, 2014 22:28:11 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

But it'd be a real bag over the head if the ending is sad, because that's just cruel to the kids to reveal that he/she is dying. And the kids seemed bored by the story in season 1 (in the pilot they ask if the story is a punishment) ... if she were already dead wouldn't they be a bit more respectful? 

This is where I'm at.  If she's dead or dying the kids reactions seem really inappropriate.  They seem bored most of the time.  My father died 5 years ago, and you can bet dollars to doughnuts that if my mom wanted to tell me stories about him and their friends I'd either be a bawling mess, or hyper-interested.

I'm sorry for your loss. My dad's also gone and I'd also be really interested to hear stories about him.

The kids on this show are supposed to be 13-15, so they're old enough to behave better during their father's stories if their mother has already passed away. (Although I can understand them being annoyed that this supposed Love Story about their charming mother is really just about him sleeping his way around New York throughout his 30s.)

[hopecounts]

I almost wonder if it's a red herring and the writers' know the speculation about the mom dying and decided to play into it to get everybody upset and then it'll turn out that that she goes into remission or something.

[mbcdefg]

Mar 4, 2014 19:49:16 GMT -5 hopecounts said:

I almost wonder if it's a red herring and the writers' know the speculation about the mom dying and decided to play into it to get everybody upset and then it'll turn out that that she goes into remission or something.

Oh yeah, definitely. Once they did that episode with the "I wish I had 45 more days with you" speech, the Internet fandom went apeshit saying that she was probably dead. I wouldn't doubt that the writers saw that and decided to use it to their advantage.

I really don't think it's anything more than one of many glimpses into their marriage, where sometimes good things happen and sometimes bad things happen. Out of six friends, statistically at least one of them is bound to have a fairly major health issue at some point in their life.

[mbcdefg]

Mar 5, 2014 20:34:01 GMT -5 @hannymaren said:

Whats the spinoff?

m.eonline.com/news/517748/greta-gerwig-spills-how-i-met-your-dad-scoop-it-shares-the-heart-and-soul-with-the-original-show

[pacificrules]

Mar 3, 2014 21:36:27 GMT -5 tef said:

I have figured for a long time she was dead (DH much longer than me) so I am not surprised, but I held out hope I was wrong. So sad.

Really?? What led you to believe that 'a long time' ago?? (I always miss these things and am impressed by those who are on the right track.)

[pacificrules]

Mar 3, 2014 22:24:03 GMT -5 Dumbledork said:

Think happy thoughts! Maybe she was dying in 2024 but he's telling the tale in 2030 when she's successfully labeled in remission or some craziness! Hey kids, look how much craziness life has thrown at us, and we're still together!





Just kidding. She's totally dying.

How pissed would ya'll be if he was telling this story to tell his kids about how, even though he loved their momma, Aunt Robin's been there since the beginning and he's always had a thing for her. Now that he's a widow and she's divorced, well, it was just meant to be. Hey kids, meet your new momma!

While I don't want them together, and I'd be pissed with this ending...I sort of love this idea. Ha!

[tef]

Mar 8, 2014 22:55:15 GMT -5 pacificrules said:

Mar 3, 2014 21:36:27 GMT -5 tef said:

I have figured for a long time she was dead (DH much longer than me) so I am not surprised, but I held out hope I was wrong. So sad.

Really?? What led you to believe that 'a long time' ago?? (I always miss these things and am impressed by those who are on the right track.)

My husband has been saying this for some time. I think it is because we never really see her head/whatever in the flash forwards, just backs.  Plus, per him, he said the tense used when talking to the kids made him think it was that she had died.  He said it 2 seasons ago, I believe.  

[pacificrules]

Mar 8, 2014 23:00:35 GMT -5 tef said:

Mar 8, 2014 22:55:15 GMT -5 pacificrules said:

Really?? What led you to believe that 'a long time' ago?? (I always miss these things and am impressed by those who are on the right track.)

My husband has been saying this for some time. I think it is because we never really see her head/whatever in the flash forwards, just backs.  Plus, per him, he said the tense used when talking to the kids made him think it was that she had died.  He said it 2 seasons ago, I believe.  

Huh. Wow! 

[venice2007]

Mar 4, 2014 12:48:56 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Mar 3, 2014 23:07:41 GMT -5 maggiemoo said:

I Think Ted dies. I have for a few episodes now. If he is around and alive to tell the stories, why make a tape? Tonight proved he told her everything, he forgot what he told her. Or they both die. I can't come up with a happy ending.

It's not a tape - he's telling this to his kids in person. They've interacted with him in a few early-series episodes, and the only reason they're not still doing it now is because all the scenes with the kids were shot in 2006-2007 (because the kids would've aged too much by the end of the series, and he's supposed to be telling them this story in a one-day sitting).

If it's Ted that's sick, I'm going with memory loss.

I think the writers might be trying to convey to us that this is real life, and in real life people get sick. I get it, but I'm aware of that every day. MH and I have both lost a parent to cancer, and we're fully aware that the same could happen to us someday. Or one of us could get hit by a bus or something. I don't need to be reminded of that worry when I turn on a sitcom for a few chuckles before bed. I get that they want to be realistic/creative/artistic/whatever, but I think they're really going to piss off their audience if they end it on a sad note.

And maybe the they just don't care about pissing people off, because it's the end, and this is their opportunity to go out how they want rather than appease the audience. Although you can argue that they won't do that because they'll want their loyal fans to stick around for their upcoming "How I Met Your Dad" series (which I don't plan to watch, even if the HIMYM finale is the best finale in history).

Is he telling them the story in one day? I've seen the kids on different clothes. The rerun today the daughter has a skirt on. The smoking episode.