I've read a lot of complaints in articles online about the finale of How I Met Your Mother. And in reading these complains, I've come to an understanding of that last episode. I'm okay with it now. You don't like that Ted ended up with Robin? That the mother died? I didn't either, until I realized some things. Let me share.
1. The show was never about "how I met your mother." Just like Ted's kids said. And don't say, "Well, they titled it that! Why didn't they titled it something else if it was about something else?" It was about Ted's story. There was never any confusion, misconception, or doubt that the story we were hearing was from Ted's point of view. And he is a character in this show and in this story. He has character and views and opinions and flaws. The creators purposefully played with elements of the unreliable narrator throughout the series, such as when Ted remembered things out of order or replaced smoking with "eating sandwiches." So no, the story was not about "how I met your mother." It's a shock, and giving the audience that shock is, I think, the biggest flaw in the show. But get over it. Clear your mind. Just know that it's not about "how I met your mother." It is a story about Robin and Ted.
2. Okay, now understand that it is a story about Robin and Ted. What story is that? It's ultimately about both of them. The article I read in the Washington Post complained that Robin retreats emotionally. Ted is far too eager to jump into relationships. Those are their main flaws throughout the series in all of their relationships. Robin is too distant and backs off too fast, and Ted jumps in too deep, too fast. Okay, let's look at the framework of their entire relationship throughout the show, from when Ted and Robin first meet up until Robin marries Barney -- for these, I think we can all agree, are the beginning and ending points. But there's the other ending where Ted and Robin get together. Why the two endings? One is character, one is plot.
3. What has changed, what has happened to make the very end different from the very beginning? When Robin and Ted meet, they date, but they have those pesky flaws. Robin is as yet distant and hesitant. Ted is far too eager. Ted says that he loves her, Robin freaks out. And then that relationship is over. The pass in and out through this relationship throughout the series, but their flaws aren't completely fixed. But what happens at Robin and Barney's wedding? Robin commits. She puts herself out there, lets down her defenses, and gets married. Ted, for his part, lets go of Robin. Does he still love her? He says he doesn't, but we all know that's probably not true. But he lets go. He backs off. His real connection with "the mother" then solidifies that, although he has said he's backing off before, he can really do it this time. Our characters have reached their height. They have successfully and fully changed over the course of the story.
4. But that's not really the story in regard to plot. The characters' story ends at the wedding in regard to their own development, but the plot is actually about how Ted and Robin get together. It is a story about their relationship. That is the plot. The plot finds its conclusion at Robin's apartment in 2030. Robin and Ted have fixed their flaws, so now they can presumably have a successful relationship.
5. For the sake of the audience, the ending of character development and the ending of plot development come, though not at the same moment, at least only a couple episodes apart. In terms of chronology of the series, these endings come over 15 years apart. While this may be frustrating, it is a conscious separation of these elements on the part of the show's creators. It is not mere accident, but clearly designed to give a more gritty reality to a fairy-tale story. Things worked out, but there were elements of time and circumstances that kept Robin and Ted apart, even after they were emotionally capable of being together. In fact, it was that very emotional capability which forced them apart. That's beautifully tragic.
There are still problems here: this simply structured story took nine years to tell (yeah right, Ted, short and to the point?!), it still seems like all the secondary characters had contrived endings, and the fact that the audience was actually fooled regarding what the show was about the entire time. Yes, these are problems. But hopefully looking at some of these elements of overall plot will nevertheless give you something lovely to appreciate.
