Call it the "Mother" of all plot twists.
In a series finale that spanned 17 years, "How I Met Your Mother" came to an emotional conclusion Monday night with Ted Mosby realizing something that many of the show's fans have known for nine seasons:
He and Robin Sherbatsky are met to be together.
Yes, the long-running sitcom ended with Ted, graying hair and all, standing Romeo-like outside of Robin's apartment and looking hopefully to the future. He was there at the prompting of his kids, who have been subjected to his long-winded story about how he met their mom.
Mom, not so incidentally, was the sweet-natured woman Ted met at the Farmhampton train station after attending Barney and Robin's wedding. Her name? Tracy McConnell.
And, yes, they did get married, and they did have two children, and lived happily until Ted lost Tracy to a fatal disease.
A lot of life happened in the hourlong finale: Barney and Robin got divorced after only three years, Robin became a big-time TV news anchor, Marshall became a judge and had a third child with Lily, and Barney also became a father via a one-night stand.
Through all the ups and downs, the MacLaren's Pub gang -- as so many real-life friends do -- felt the pressure to keep the group from drifting apart. Their constant refrain:? "We have to be there for the big moments."
In the end, it's Ted's children who prod their dad to reconnect with his longtime soul mate. They realize the story he's been telling, has been, all along, about the "hots" he has for their Aunt Robin. So they urge him to ask her on a date.
"C'mon, dad," says the daughter, played by Lyndsy Fonseca. "Mom's gone for six years now. It's time."
OK, then. Challenge accepted.
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So, did you think it was a legendary ending for "HIMYM" -- or a bit of a cheat? Did you enjoy all the callbacks to past seasons (including robots vs. wrestlers and the blue horn?). How much will you miss the show? Please share your thoughts and give the finale a letter grade by participating in our poll.
In a series finale that spanned 17 years, "How I Met Your Mother" came to an emotional conclusion Monday night with Ted Mosby realizing something that many of the show's fans have known for nine seasons:
He and Robin Sherbatsky are met to be together.
Yes, the long-running sitcom ended with Ted, graying hair and all, standing Romeo-like outside of Robin's apartment and looking hopefully to the future. He was there at the prompting of his kids, who have been subjected to his long-winded story about how he met their mom.
Mom, not so incidentally, was the sweet-natured woman Ted met at the Farmhampton train station after attending Barney and Robin's wedding. Her name? Tracy McConnell.
And, yes, they did get married, and they did have two children, and lived happily until Ted lost Tracy to a fatal disease.
A lot of life happened in the hourlong finale: Barney and Robin got divorced after only three years, Robin became a big-time TV news anchor, Marshall became a judge and had a third child with Lily, and Barney also became a father via a one-night stand.
Through all the ups and downs, the MacLaren's Pub gang -- as so many real-life friends do -- felt the pressure to keep the group from drifting apart. Their constant refrain:? "We have to be there for the big moments."
In the end, it's Ted's children who prod their dad to reconnect with his longtime soul mate. They realize the story he's been telling, has been, all along, about the "hots" he has for their Aunt Robin. So they urge him to ask her on a date.
"C'mon, dad," says the daughter, played by Lyndsy Fonseca. "Mom's gone for six years now. It's time."
OK, then. Challenge accepted.
------
So, did you think it was a legendary ending for "HIMYM" -- or a bit of a cheat? Did you enjoy all the callbacks to past seasons (including robots vs. wrestlers and the blue horn?). How much will you miss the show? Please share your thoughts and give the finale a letter grade by participating in our poll.
