The series finale of How I Met Your Mother was very controversial, but it may have worked if the series didn't overuse a certain symbolic prop. The series, developed by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, lasted nine seasons from 2005 to 2014. After following the story of Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) and how he met the future mother of his children, a large percentage of viewers felt dissatisfied by the show's ending.
How I Met Your Mother primarily focused on Ted as his future self narrated the series as the character told his two children the epic tale. The sitcom also focused on the closest figures of his life including his friends Marshall (Jason Segel), Lily (Alyson Hannigan), and Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) as well as his various love interests including Robin (Cobie Smulders). Though she emerged as one of the core members of the friend group, it was clear that Ted had long harbored feelings for her before meeting the "Mother," whose real name turned out to be Tracy (Cristin Milioti).
After multiple seasons full of heartbreak, the season 8 finale finally introduced Tracy as a real character. The ninth and final season then documented Ted meeting Tracy before showing the progression of their relationship. The two-part finale, titled "Last Forever" tied up loose ends with every character while also jumping to the future. It was then revealed that Tracy passed away six years before Ted began telling his kids the story about how he met his wife. To add another twist, Ted ended up rekindling his past with Robin as two presumably got back together before the final credits rolled. This could have worked based on the events of the series, but there were a few missteps in the execution.
Tracy's Death Was A Good Artistic Choice
As expected, How I Met Your Mother ended with a major twist. Not only did Ted wind up with Robin as many theorized, but Tracy was taken out of the picture due to an undisclosed illness. Both instances received criticism from both fans and critics as the consensus surrounding the series finale was predominantly negative. After building up Ted's future relationship with the mother of his children, viewers were upset to learn that she tragically passed away. Some felt that it was a let down to learn that Ted became a widowed father, but it also made Ted and Tracy's relationship more poetic.
For years, Ted was presented as a hopeless romantic on the search for "the One." He thought he found it in Robin, but the two didn't share the same goals, at least when they were initially together. Ted wanted to settle down and have a family whereas Robin was still focused on freedom with her career. Season 9 finally gave Ted a chance at the kind of future he wanted. He met Tracy and they hit it off very fast. The pair even had their first child before getting married. But in the end, Ted and Tracy's time together was cut short. There was no "happily ever after" for Ted and his "One" true love but that chapter in his life even more special.
The series took a big risk, but it was from an artistic standpoint. Life doesn't always work out the way people envision and Ted certainly didn't expect to lose Tracy that soon. Allowing them to have a happy ending was playing it too safe. In addition, the show was never just about Ted meeting Tracy, it was a complicated love story involving Ted and Robin.
HIMYM Was Building Up for Ted and Robin
From the pilot, it was understood that Robin wasn't the "Mother." That said, it wasn't totally clear where How I Met Your Mother was heading in the early seasons. If the series didn't last, the writers had plans to use Victoria as the back-up as the mysterious "Mother" character. Seeing as that wasn't the case, there was time to fully develop the endgame for Ted. Even though Ted got the opportunity to have Tracy in his life, he and Robin were a logical choice. In fact, the show even provided some early clues that the pair would end up together at some point.
As Penny and Luke told their father in the series finale, the story wasn't technically about how he met their mother, it was about how he always had feelings for Robin. The entire series focused on Ted's journey up to meeting Tracy and much of that chapter involved Robin. They each had on-again-off-again feelings for one another but the timing was truly never right. Robin knew that she wouldn't be able to settle down and give Ted a family so she let him go. In turn, he was able to fulfill those life goals with a woman he truly loved. Ted would have lived a full life with Tracy if he had the chance but that wasn't the case. His kids made him realize that the time might have been right to try again with Robin and they were right.
By the time Ted and Robin reconnected later in life, they were looking toward new chapters of their life. Ted already had kids and Robin was content with her career, two aspects that weren't the case when first embarked on a relationship. The two matured and their characters developed enough to give romance another shot without the pressures of expectations of people in their twenties and thirties. Ted and Robin each appreciated their pasts and they felt the time was finally right to have a future together.
They Overused the Blue French Horn
The blue French horn stood as a symbol of Ted and Robin's relationship. It first appeared in the How I Met Your Mother pilot when Ted stole it for Robin on their first date. The instrument made a few more appearances in the series, especially when Ted had plans to get back together with Robin. He then used it in the final scene as a way to present his feelings as a callback to the beginning of the show. This scene, and the entire ending, would have been more powerful if the blue French horn wasn't so unoriginal from its overuse.
If the blue horn wasn't seen since the pilot then the final scene could have been special. It would have been a prop that hasn't appeared on the series for nearly nine years. Instead, the moment was just a rehash that didn't entirely stick the landing. As an ending to a long-running series, there was potential to do something memorable but it added to the divisive reactions. This could also be why so many viewers preferred How I Met Your Mother's alternate ending.