Michael Corvin

Lost broke me of the completionist habit. Have the first 5 seasons on BD. Unfortunately that was long after I'd already bought the final season for X-files and I'll add Newsradio.

superdeluxe

kvrdave

I finally saw this, and thought it was great. Yeah, some inconsistency, but it's mainly a comedy. And life is hard, and there is suffering, and there is bullshit. And the divorce was obvious because it was stupid to have Barney get married. I don't understand the hate, honestly.

mattysemo247

After putting it off for a couple weeks, we finally watched it Monday night, but I wanted to have it sink in for a couple days first. While I didn't really like the finale I didn't hate it like most here. In fact, I would have been more OK with it if the entire final season didn't take place around the wedding. They could have split it up, did 12 episodes around the wedding while introducing Tracy to Ted, and then spent a couple episodes flash forwarding bit by bit, getting pregnant, life with the kids, getting sick, etc. But trying to cram everything into a one hour episode was a bit much to handle, especially after spending 22 episodes showing us how much Barney and Robin belong together.

That being said, this is still one of my favorite shows of all time. I think some of that has to do with spending the last 9 years with it, instead of beige watching it like some did. During that time I finished college, got married, and had 2 kids. So there was definitely some stuff in the show I could relate to during this time. We've had friends that we grew up with that got married, and then got divorced. So it was always difficult when getting together to see who was going to show up. You can't really pick sides when everyone is so close. We also don't see any of our friends nearly as much once we started having kids. Which is also why I understand what they did for the finale. Life is tough. We laugh, we cry, we live. And I think over the years, HIMYM did the best showing all of those phases.

Michael Corvin

Except that for 9 seasons the show has been 99% light hearted comedy (Marshall's dad being the exception). You don't go 9 years as happy go lucky and bring in heartache, suffering and real life in the closing minutes. That's just bullshit.

RichC2

I don't think too many people disliked it for that reason, or maybe they did I don'kt know. I just thought the ending was really poorly done and the Ted/Robin shit was dumb.

AaronHernandez

I don't mind that they ended with Robin and Ted together and I think even if they didn't Barney/Robin was always doomed. The biggest flaw is the execution of the finale and the way they have turned Robin into such an awful person the last 2-3 seasons when she was by far the strongest part of the show the first couple seasons.

Draven

Even though it was news to us, the kids knew the mom had died long ago. So it wasn't sad for them like it was for us. As I've said before, the show was about how he met the mother, not how he met her and had a happy life with her.

Jackskeleton

I still feel bitter that we spent the last 20+ episode of the show building up to a wedding that meant utterly nothing in the grand scheme of things.

They tried so hard to explain why Barney and Robin worked only to say "you know what, nah, they don't. fuck it"

Dan

Finally watched the last 10 or so episodes in the last few days.
This was, overall, a fitting ending to a show that ran 3 or 4 years too long. Meaning, I didn't hate the ending, but there's really not a whole lot to like about it. A "blah" ending for a show that became way too... "blah."
I can respect the fact that the creators had an ending in mind way back in Season 2, and there's something to be said for the fact that that they were able to stick with it, but it's the WORST ending they could have gone with. The show evolved, and they should have moved on to an ending that was a little bit more satisfying... especially for a silly sitcom.
The entire last season was so weak, minus a few special moments. It would have made more sense for Marshall and Lily to break up than the newlyweds.

RichC2

I didn't see it as building to the wedding, outside of a couple episodes there was very little in anticipation of the actual wedding. It was just a new location. At least for the last season. The fact they played up the wedding for 3 years makes it a little less forgivable.

At least imo.

mphtrilogy

a mulligan would be for 5 solid seasons, then end it all at the train station and forget about the robin and mother dying nonsense...

outcastja

Official Alternate Ending.

This is a way better ending, similar to the fan made one.

Raul3

OMG! That was fucking perfect.

I'm still butthurt about the original ending.

dex14

How could they not have fucking used that? Jesus christ...

Releasing this and seeing that they even considered something along these lines just pisses me off even more.

Michael Corvin

Wow, that's fantastic. Way friggin' better.

My Other Self

That ending is infinitely better than what they ended up airing. Whose decision was that?

Michael Corvin

Also, Sagat was the V.O. in that alternate.

boogieman03

That's perfect. That's how it should have ended.

The umbrella exchange is too damn cute.

Decker

Wasn't the umbrella exchange exactly the same in the actual finale?

I agree this ending is way better (though they had so clearly set up a dead mother that this ending would feel like an unexplained cheat by this point). This alternative ending is much more in keeping with the tone of the show and quite touching though.

JZ1276

Agree with everyone. This is how the show should've went out.

Jackskeleton

Yeah, but the problem was that they kept on going and you know what happens when you keep telling the story after "happily ever after", shit don't get too happy.

One of the biggest problems with the aired version that they killed off the mother so carelessly and without any thought to it.

This ending is just perfect.

Raul3

My main issue, and accept that they didn't expected this, Ted and the mother had great chemistry, one of the best in a long time in TV or any medium. I mean, they did their work, they looked for someone that was good with Josh Radnor and all that stuff, but once the shows broadcasted everyone fell in love with that couple.

So having this last season, all the episodes, and reaching the end, this finale was just perfect. And not that abomination they showed.

Geofferson

Agree with everyone this ending was pretty damn near perfect. Amazed they didn't go with it.

RichC2

They totally made that Alt Ending after the series finale aired.