4 Harsh Realities Of How I Met Your Mother’s Finale 10 Years After It Aired

Ten years ago, How I Met Your Mother came to an end with season 9, and Ted’s (Josh Radnor) story to his children about how he met his wife, Tracy (Cristin Milioti), finally wrapped up. The hit sitcom famously had a controversial ending that rocked audiences worldwide, with many voicing their disappointment of how its characters’ storylines were finished. In fact, it faced so much criticism that How I Met Your Mother‘s alternate ending was released as a season 9 DVD extra. However, there were more issues with the finale of How I Met Your Mother, other than Tracy’s death.

The two-part finale, “Last Forever Part One and Two,” included a time jump in How I Met Your Mother‘s timeline, which started on the night of Robin (Cobie Smulders) and Barney’s (Neil Patrick Harris) wedding reception and ended in the year 2030 with Ted finishing his tale to his kids. How I Met Your Mother faced a lot of backlash for once again reigniting Ted and Robin’s relationship after it had spent 11 long years building up to Tracy’s arrival. However, when revisited a decade after its release, there are some harsh realities about How I Met Your Mother‘s ending.

4

Robin And Barney’s Divorce Made Sense In How I Met Your Mother

The Pair Were Clearly Unhappy In The Finale

Other than Tracy’s death, audiences also complained about “Last Forever” because Barney and Robin got divorced. How I Met Your Mother season 9 was dedicated to Robin and Barney’s wedding, and audiences spent an incredible 22 episodes watching them finally make it to the altar and exchange their vows and rings. On paper, Robin and Barney were perfect for each other, and their story was significantly more interesting than Robin and Ted’s. Although it was frustrating to find out that they called it quits within a matter of episodes, this was definitely the right choice for Barney and Robin’s relationship.

The fact they recognized their marriage wasn’t working was a mature decision, especially as they both had stayed in relationships much longer than they should have because they didn’t want to admit it didn’t work. For example, Robin really cared about Kevin (Kal Penn) but still cheated on him with Barney. He then asked Robin to leave Kevin, but she changed her mind and stayed, despite knowing deep down that she would always be drawn to Barney and that Kevin was her safe option. They both did the same to each other, too, leaving their friends to break them up.

In season 1, neither of them would have been able to do such a thing, which highlighted the strong character development both Robin and Barney went through during the show. In fact, if the pair hadn’t divorced, Barney wouldn’t have had his daughter and learned to reflect on his past behavior toward women. While it could be argued that the show wasted season 9 by doing this, it also proved that not every happy ending looked the same. Although it was disappointing that Barney and Robin didn’t stay together forever, it was better that they were both truly happy instead.

3

Ted And Robin Couldn’t Have Worked Realistically

After The Finale, There’s No Way Their Relationship Lasted

In the final moments of How I Met Your Mother, Ted pursued Robin for what felt like the millionth time and propositioned her with the famous blue French horn from their first date. This part of “Last Forever” caused the most amount of backlash, especially as Ted and Robin had tried to repair their relationship so many times throughout How I Met Your Mother and failed. The pair wanted different things out of life, but it primarily came down to their future plans: Robin wanted success and independence, and Ted wanted to settle down and have a home and family.

It felt that Ted only chased after Robin again in the finale because he’d had his kids, and so that conflict was no longer relevant. However, there were plenty of other reasons why the pair didn’t work together other than this. Robin was dedicated to her career and preferred to go with the flow, but Ted’s approach to life was stricter, and he was very set in his ways. Although there was nothing wrong with either of their ways of life, no amount of destiny or true love could make up for the fact that they were just too different.

Even Lily (Alyson Hannigan) knew they wouldn’t work in the long run, hence her bet with Marshall (Jason Segel) that Robin and Ted wouldn’t end up together. Although Lily’s Porch Test, which was seen in the season 4 episode “The Front Porch,” showed a lot of strain between Robin and Ted, mainly because of their lack of children and Robin’s lost career, it also highlighted that even after decades of supposed happiness together, neither would have compromised. Despite reuniting in the finale, it was very unlikely that Ted and Robin’s relationship lasted, regardless of where they were in their lives.

2

Tracy’s Death Made Sense Because Of Ted’s Story

Ted’s Tale Was More Impactful Because Tracy Wasn’t There To Chime In

Tracy’s death, a decade later, has continued to be the biggest discussion in the How I Met Your Mother community, and a common complaint among audiences was that her purpose in the show was to be Ted’s surrogate rather than the love of his life and the woman he spent the rest of his days with. Although there were hints of Tracy’s death in How I Met Your Mother before it was revealed, it was still a huge shock. However, considering how Ted told his long story to Penny (Lyndsy Fonseca) and Luke (David Henrie), Tracy’s off-screen demise made sense.

The scenes with Ted’s kids were filmed during season 2, as production knew that Fonseca and Henrie would be fully grown adults by the time the show came to an end. Although it was logical that Tracy wouldn’t appear during these moments, especially as Milioti wasn’t cast until season 8, the fact she never chimed in with Ted’s story off-screen was also a sign that she wasn’t present in 2030. Bob Saget voiced Ted’s narration throughout the show, and if Tracy hadn’t been killed off, the show could have easily done something similar for her but not reveal her face.

When Milioti found out Tracy’s fate, she cried (via ABC News) at the heartbreaking reveal. Although the Mother’s story wasn’t as long as many anticipated, her absence made Ted’s story even more impactful. There were plenty of moments where Ted was an unreliable narrator, and as Tracy knew him and his stories better than anyone, she could have added in the missing details when needed. Plus, losing Tracy was what motivated Ted to reflect on his past before meeting her, and if she hadn’t passed away, he probably wouldn’t have dedicated so much energy to providing such a detailed account.

1

Lily Was A Bad Friend To Robin

Lily Treated Robin Badly In The HIMYM Finale

Robin and Lily’s friendship was a core factor throughout the show, especially as they were the only two women in the main cast. Although there were several jokes about the two being attracted to each other, their relationship was strictly platonic. Their bond remained strong throughout all nine seasons despite hitting some bumps along the way, but Lily’s attitude shifted toward her best friend in “Last Forever” rather unfairly. In the finale, Lily failed to remember just how much Robin had put up with her over the years and made her own worst fear a reality without even realizing it.

Lily had proved that she wasn’t a great friend in multiple moments throughout How I Met Your Mother. For example, Lily was responsible for Robin’s breakups with Ted and Barney, and although it could be argued that she did it with Robin’s best interests at heart, she still overstepped boundaries and got way too involved. When she and Marshall decided to have a baby, Lily became obsessed, and even though Robin supported her despite having no interest, Lily failed to check in on what was happening in Robin’s life. Despite all of this, Robin still continued to be Lily’s friend.

In season 6, Lily and Marshall met Robin’s old best friend from Canada, Jessica Glitter (Nicole Scherzinger). Jessica and Robin had grown apart because Jessica had a child, but Lily was concerned that Robin would abandon her if she successfully conceived. Robin assured Lily that this wouldn’t happen and proved so when Marvin was born, even if it took some time for her to get used to having a baby around. But in the finale, Lily wasn’t as involved in Robin’s life anymore because she and Marshall were so busy with Marvin, Daisy, and a third child on the way.

Although it made sense that Lily would need to change for the sake of her family in How I Met Your Mother, her getting angry at Robin during the Halloween party for never being around anymore didn’t. At this point, Robin and Barney had divorced, but Lily didn’t acknowledge how Robin found it difficult to be around her ex-husband and to see Ted with Tracy, realizing what she’d missed out on. Because of this reality, it was more than understandable that Robin wanted to step away from Lily and the rest of the gang, especially as they had growing families.