How I Met Your Mother: Finale Review

After an iconic nine year run, a TV show that many of us know and love, How I Met Your Mother, has come to an end. This past Monday, the hour-long series finale aired on CBS. When the credits finally rolled and the reactions rolled onto the Internet, I witnessed one of the most polarized reactions to any television episode. Some swore off of the show forever. Some criticized the writers, Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, on their errors in the finale, and others still could not express how much they loved it. Personally, I was not a fan of the finale. To avoid spoilers for those who haven’t seen it, I’ll simply say that it was a let-down. I felt that the writers had given me a puppy, had me nurture and love that puppy for nine years, and then one day, took it away from me and gave me a loaf of bread instead.After spending the entirety of last season leading up to Robin and Barney’s wedding, the creators of the show decided to dissolve their marriage within the first twenty minutes of the finale. Not only did this cheat a lot of fans out of an entire season, it also regressed on the character development that had occurred throughout the ninth season. Rather than the happy ending we were hoping for, Robin and Barney end up divorcing due to struggles with Robin’s demanding career.Another controversial plot point in the finale was the addition of Barney’s love child. Throughout the last season, we saw Barney become a more mature, more honest character. But, right after his marriage falls out, he returns to his old womanizing ways. This behavior culminates when he knocks up a one night stand and finally gets the child none of us were expecting.But among all of these mistakes, there was one that was paramount. After nine seasons dedicated to Ted’s endless search for the mother, we are rewarded with a swift montage of stills from their relationship, followed by the announcement that she has died. No final moments with Ted, no tearful goodbye, simply a narrating Ted recounting the fact that she passed away from an unknown illness. When I saw this scene, I literally jumped out of my chair and cursed. But the writers weren’t done messing with us, not just yet. As the final moments of my favorite show aired, the ending I had been desperately hoping would not happen showed up on the screen. Ted ended up with Robin. After three seasons detailing why these two were not fit to be in a couple, they ended up as a couple.So rather than dwell on these flaws in the finale, I choose to remember How I Met Your Mother in my own way. Without the finale.