How I Met Your Mother Ending Explained? Plot Summary, Review
by Rohit
Updated Mar 29, 2023
How I Met Your Mother Plot Summary
"How I Met Your Mother" is a sitcom that follows the story of Ted Mosby, who in the year 2030, tells his children about the events leading up to him meeting their mother. The show is set in New York City and focuses on the lives and relationships of Ted and his group of friends.
Throughout the series, Ted searches for his soulmate and goes through a series of failed relationships. He is joined in his quest by his best friends Marshall and Lily, who are a couple, and his other friends, the womanizer Barney and the independent Robin.
The show spans over nine seasons and is structured around a series of flashbacks, flash-forwards, and stories within stories. The characters' personal and professional lives intertwine, with the show exploring themes such as love, friendship, career aspirations, and personal growth.
As the series progresses, Ted's journey to finding his soulmate becomes a central plotline, with the identity of the mother remaining a mystery until the final season. Along the way, the characters experience a number of ups and downs, including career changes, relationship struggles, and the loss of loved ones.
The show's final season takes place over the course of Robin and Barney's wedding weekend, and in the series finale, it is revealed that the mother's name is Tracy McConnell. However, it is also revealed that Tracy has died of an unspecified illness, and Ted's children urge him to pursue Robin, whom he had dated on and off throughout the series. The show ends with Ted making a grand gesture and showing up at Robin's apartment with the blue French horn that he had stolen for her on their first date. The final scene shows Ted and Robin riding off into the sunset on a yellow umbrella, a motif that had been present throughout the series.
How I Met Your Mother Ending Explained
The ending of "How I Met Your Mother" has been a subject of much debate and controversy among fans. Here is a brief explanation of the ending:
After nine seasons of storytelling, it is revealed in the final episode that the mother's name is Tracy McConnell. Ted meets Tracy at the Farhampton train station, where they strike up a conversation, and it is clear that they are meant to be together.
The show then fast-forwards to several years later, where it is revealed that Tracy has died of an unspecified illness. Ted's children urge him to pursue Robin, whom he had dated on and off throughout the series, and whom the children had previously believed was not the mother. Ted finally makes a grand gesture and shows up at Robin's apartment with the blue French horn that he had stolen for her on their first date, indicating that he is ready to try again.
The show ends with a montage of the characters' lives, with Ted and Robin showed riding off into the sunset on a yellow umbrella, a motif that had been present throughout the series.
The ending was divisive among fans, with some feeling that it was a fitting conclusion to the story, while others felt that it was a betrayal of the show's themes and character development. Some critics argued that the show had spent too much time building up the relationship between Ted and Tracy, only to undercut it with her sudden death and Ted's return to Robin. However, others argued that the show had always been about the characters' evolving relationships and that the ending was a realistic and bittersweet portrayal of life and love.
How I Met Your Mother Alternate Ending
The "How I Met Your Mother" alternate ending was released in the DVD box set of the final season, and it offers a different conclusion to the story. Here is a brief explanation of the alternate ending:
In the alternate ending, the final scenes are very different from the original ending. After Ted finishes telling the story of how he met their mother, his children urge him to go after Robin, just as in the original ending. However, instead of Ted showing up at Robin's apartment with the blue French horn, the scene cuts to Ted standing outside Tracy's apartment building, where he runs into Tracy, who is still alive.
Ted and Tracy are shown having a conversation, where they discuss their past, and it is clear that they are still very much in love with each other. The scene then cuts to Ted and Tracy's wedding, where all of their friends are in attendance, and Ted delivers a heartfelt speech about the importance of love and the joy of finding the right person.
The final scene shows Ted and Tracy dancing together at their wedding, with all of their friends around them, and the camera pans up to the sky to show a shot of the blue French horn hanging from the umbrella that Ted and Tracy used to shield themselves from the rain on their first date.
The alternate ending was well-received by some fans who felt that it was a more satisfying conclusion to the story, as it focused on the relationship between Ted and Tracy, which had been built up throughout the series. Others, however, felt that the original ending was more true to the show's themes and that the alternate ending felt like a retcon of the final season's events.
How I Met Your Mother Ending Review
The ending of "How I Met Your Mother" has been the subject of much debate and controversy among fans and critics alike. Some fans feel that the ending was a satisfying conclusion to the series, while others were disappointed with the outcome. Here is a review of the ending:
On the one hand, the ending of "How I Met Your Mother" was a fitting conclusion to the show's themes of love, loss, and the importance of friendship. The revelation of Tracy as the mother was a touching moment that paid off years of character development and storytelling. However, the twist of Tracy's death, and Ted's eventual return to Robin, was seen by some as a betrayal of the show's central premise.
Many fans and critics argued that the final season, which took place over the course of Robin and Barney's wedding weekend, was rushed and forced. This led to a feeling of dissatisfaction with the ending, as the show had spent so much time building up the relationship between Ted and Tracy, only to undercut it with her sudden death and Ted's return to Robin.
On the other hand, the alternate ending provided a more satisfying conclusion to the story, as it focused on the relationship between Ted and Tracy and provided closure to their story. However, the alternate ending was not the one that was aired, and many fans were left feeling that the show had missed an opportunity to deliver a more satisfying conclusion.
In conclusion, the ending of "How I Met Your Mother" was a polarising and controversial moment in television history. While some fans and critics feel that it was a fitting conclusion to the story, others were disappointed with the outcome. Ultimately, the ending is a matter of personal opinion, and each viewer will have their own interpretation of the show's final moments.
How I Met Your Mother Ending Song
The song that played during the final moments of "How I Met Your Mother" was "Heaven" by the British singer-songwriter, Bryan Adams. The song was originally released in 1985 on Adams' album "Reckless" and has since become one of his most popular and enduring hits. In the context of the show, "Heaven" plays as Ted shows up at Robin's apartment with the blue French horn, and the final scene shows Ted and Robin riding off into the sunset on a yellow umbrella. The song's lyrics, which speak of finding love and happiness, provide a fitting backdrop to the show's final moments, as Ted finally finds the happiness and love that he has been searching for throughout the series.
How I Met Your Mother Ending Explained - FAQ's
The alternate ending of "How I Met Your Mother" showed a future in which Ted ends up with Tracy and they have a happy life together. The scene ends with Ted telling his children that he's glad he met Tracy, and that their love was worth the wait.
Some fans disliked the ending of the show because they felt it invalidated the previous seasons' character development and relationships. They were disappointed that the mother's character was built up only to be killed off, and that Ted ended up with Robin after she had been established as an unsuitable match for him.
The show's creators had the ending planned from the beginning, and many of the show's seemingly insignificant details and storylines were foreshadowing events that would happen in the final season.
The reason for Tracy's death was to show that even when someone finds their soulmate, life can still be unpredictable and cruel. It was also meant to provide a reason for Ted to eventually return to Robin, who had been established as his true love throughout the series.
The show's ending was not satisfying for all fans, with many feeling that the show had built up the character of Tracy only to disappoint them with her sudden death and Ted's return to Robin. However, there were also fans who were satisfied with the conclusion and felt that it was a fitting end to the show's themes of love, loss, and friendship.