Given the show's title, the audience was under the impression that Ted was telling his kids the story about how he met their mom. But How I Met Your Mother provided one final twist at the end of the series and revealed that it was actually a story about how Ted fell in love with Robin.
It was a controversial series finale due to the mother's death, and the fact that a majority of viewers wanted Robin and Barney's relationship to work out. However, there are plenty of scenes throughout the sitcom that prove Ted and Robin were meant to be from the start.
Ted Steals The Blue French Horn For Robin
In one of the most iconic scenes of the series, Ted steals the blue French horn for Robin in the How I Met Your Mother pilot. Ted goes back to Robin's apartment when her newscast finishes early and holds it up when she sees him through her window.
The instrument becomes a symbol of the love the two of them share, and it spends a couple of seasons hanging up on Robin's wall. The next time Ted and Robin visited the restaurant the staff demands it back. It also happens to be the night their relationship ends.
Robin Trusts Ted With Her Deepest Secret
Some people might want others to know about their fame, but Robin was embarrassed by her past. She went to extreme lengths to keep her friends from finding out the truth about Robin Sparkles, and Ted realized that they all need to respect her privacy.
But Robin decides she wants Ted to know and lets Barney show him the "Let's Go To The Mall" music video. Robin has a hard time opening up to people, so it was a step forward in her and Ted's relationship.
Ted Finds Robin's Locket
Robin starts to get cold feet about marrying Barney, so she goes to the park to dig up a locket she buried as a teenager. She thought that if the locket was still there, it would be a sign from the universe that she and Barney were meant to be together.
When Barney is with Robin's dad, Robin calls Ted to help her find her necklace. She finds the box only to discover that it's empty. Robin worries that it means she's not supposed to marry Barney, so Ted spends weeks tracking down her locket which was halfway across the world.
Ted Hires A String Quartet To Play For Robin
Ted Mosby is best known for his romantic gestures, and when it came to Robin, he went all out. There came a point when Ted and Robin were both well aware of their feelings for each other, and nothing was stopping them from being together, other than themselves.
Ted fills Robin's entire apartment with roses and hires a string quartet with blue instruments to pay tribute to the blue French horn. When Robin talks to her dog's vet about it, she helps her realize how incredible Ted was.
They Make a Marriage Pact
It might not sound romantic, but Ted's fake proposal to Robin was one of the couple's best scenes. After their breakup, they both struggle in the dating world and realize they could end up old and alone. They decide to make a pact that if they're 40 and still single, they'll marry each other.
Ted gets on one knee and asks Robin to be his backup wife, which she enthusiastically agrees to with a hug. When they pull away, there's a moment of connection that shows that there are still some lingering feelings that might not ever go away.
Ted Is The First Person Robin Says "I Love You" To
Out of all the people Robin dated throughout her life, she had never been able to say "I love you." There were plenty of times throughout their relationship when Robin knew she felt that way about Ted, but she struggled to get the words out.
After Robin's teenage sister comes to town with her boyfriend, Robin realizes that Katie is planning to lose her virginity. Her boyfriend clearly doesn't care about her, but nothing Robin says makes a difference. Ted has a talk with Katie and is able to get through to her. The simple act is all it takes for Robin to finally say those three words, eight letters.
Ted Decorates Their Apartment With Christmas Lights
When Robin finds out she can't have kids, she keeps the news to herself. She lies to her friends and tells them she's upset because she's too tall to be a pole vaulter.
But Ted can tell that there's something else bothering her, and even though she won't tell him what it is, he wants her to know that he'll never let her be alone. Ted creates a light show in the apartment, featuring a sign that says "Merry Christmas, Robin." Robin breaks down and cries in Ted's arms.
Robin And Ted Start Their Own Running Gag
It might drive everyone else crazy, but Ted and Robin love the inside joke they created when they were dating. It carried on long after their relationship ended, and in a deleted scene from the series finale, they pay homage to it once more.
Every time someone uses a homonym for a military rank, Ted and Robin repeat after them and salute. Some of the most famous lines were "kernel stuck in my teeth," "private thing "major pleasure, and "major baggage."
Ted Makes It Rain
While it's up for debate, Ted was certain that he was the one who made it rain that day. When Robin is supposed to go on a camping trip with her attractive co-worker, Ted does a rain dance to stop the trip from happening.
He dances on his roof all afternoon until finally, it starts to pour. Ted goes to Robin's apartment, completely drenched, and the two of them share one of the most memorable kisses on the show. The season ends with the two of them finally getting together after a lot of will they, won't they.
Robin And Ted Find Their Way Back To Each Other
Ted and Robin's reunion was one that viewers never saw coming. Fans expected Robin to stay with Barney and Ted to still be married to the title character of the show. But after Barney and Robin's marriage didn't work out, and Ted's wife died, Robin and Ted became best friends again.
After a few years passed and Ted recovered from the heartbreak, his kids encouraged him to tell Aunt Robin how he felt. He goes to her apartment and holds up the blue French horn, paralleling their first date in the pilot.