And relax...at the end of last week, the highly anticipated alternative REAL ending was leaked on to the internet and thank goodness it was. I really really like How I Met Your Mother. It never made me laugh consistently but it had a lot of heart, a great story, a unique gimmick and characters you cared about. Yeah, it was quite funny and easy to watch but its biggest triumph was making characters care so much about Ted, Barney, Robin, Lily, Marshall and Tracy. In April, I wrote about how Carter Bays and Craig Thomas' ill-conceived finale basically ruined the nine years of TV that preceded it, so it seems only fair that now they've tried to correct their glaring faux pas, that we look at what went right and what still didn't...
What went right...
Ted didn't end up with Robin
Hallelujah! The fact that the blue french horn peskily found a way to trump the yellow umbrella back in March was without doubt the worst part of the finale - and that's no mean feat! I've said it before and I'll say it again, Ted and Robin make no sense. Maybe they did in 2005 but after nine long years of watching the pair develop, there's simply no way. I'm still annoyed at the ridiculous U-turn of the writers in the original ending especially because it was probably just so they could use archive footage. Urgh. Thankfully, Robin can be my favourite character again. The meeting (what the show was about) between Ted and Tracy was sufficient for the viewers and it was right to end the episode there.
Ted's recap of the series
I don't usually like self-appreciating shows but HIMYM probably deserved a moment of reflection in the finale. Ted recapping the long journey that led him to the mother, was far more respectful to her character and the show itself than having him disregard this journey as an afterthought in order to pursue Robin. It gave us a happy reflection on Ted's irritating quest for the one, allowing the series to cap off it's achievements on screen.
The implication that Barney and Robin got back together
As a fervent supporter of Robin & Barney over Robin & Ted this was the most satisfying part. The finale's ending wasn't the only thing that was wrong with it - the rest wasn't good either. I had real concerns when the alternate ending was announced that Robin and Barney would remain separated. After all, they broke up earlier in the episode and no new footage was filmed to piece together a different climax. However, future Ted's narration about the tribulations of life and how things "things fall apart, things get put back together" as the camera pans to Robin and Barney exchanging glances at Ted and Tracy's wedding. It also bodes well that in Ted's recap of his story that Barney and Robin falling for each other was included and their divorce wasn't. Long live Stinsbatsky!
The clip of the dancing yellow umbrella
After all, the yellow umbrella was what the show was all about. Not the blue french horn. It was NEVER about the blue french horn.
What went wrong...
The change of music
I'm definitely being pernickety here but my favourite thing - scratch that - basically the only thing I liked about the original ending was the music. The Walkman's 'Heaven' carried on a long tradition of the show using great songs to escalate the emotion of certain moments and it was the perfect nostalgic track to see the show out. I seriously love that song.
Ted not visibly addressing the kids
I know, it's a really small detail but it seemed right that the last line - "and that kids, is how I met your mother" - was spoken visibly to the children by future Ted, just before the visual credits. Of course, had they gone with the correct ending in the first place I'd imagine that small creases like this would have been ironed out.
So there we have it, the alternate ending was simply unquantifiably better than the original. Thank you, Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for rectifying your horrendous blunder. I think it's best we all pretend that the original ending never happened. At least now, I won't have to sell my HIMYM boxset on eBay.