I originally didn't think Lily could be the character Ted is sad about, however with the additional information we've been given last week about Lily now having a daughter, that does add credence to the suggestion. I wonder if that was their intention? To delay the information about Lily being pregnant until after we've been hit with the "some female will die in the future" possibility? I don't think the Mother will be dead, because I don't think they would do that to Ted... it would really kill the replay value of the show. Lily on the other hand, while she's beloved, she's not the Mother. *Note: I have not and will not click the spoiler link above. At least not until the finale has aired.
I think the thing is, it seems those against the idea are discounting the 10 years Ted has had with the Mother between meeting her and their conversation in 2024 (not counting the time she'll live past that point). I know I would rather be with the love of my life for only 10 years than spend my whole life searching. Lily dying would make sense, but that's not any better. What would Marshmallow do without his Lilypad? Plus, we've had 10 seasons to get to know and love Lily, we've only got snippets over one season of the mother (discounting any umbrellas, etc.). Again, I have to say, I'm not hoping the Mother dies. Knowing Ted has a long life with the woman he loves would make for a great ending. I just don't want them to pull a cheap fake out just to have us think the Mother dies/is dying.
This being a comedy, I think there will be a scene at the very end where Ted come out of the room where he was telling the story, and the mother is there waiting for him. She'll say, "Well? How did it go?" Ted responds, "Ok, I think." "So, you told them ... ?" "Uh ... CRAP!" "So they don't know that I'm pregnant???" "I guess I'll have to try again."
Please.. anything like this. This is a comedy show and not some existentialist drama about life and bad things that can happen. As much as i'm not a fan of the past few seasons i want to end the show on a happy note. Giving Ted only a couple of years with the love of his life after he's gone through so much just feels wrong and is not edgy or even good storytelling in my book. All this talk about the mother dying is really putting the brakes on the enjoyment i have for the very last few episodes. I repeat myself.. it is a comedy show and it should end funny.
It's a sitcom. But it's a sitcom with heart. I'd rather have an "Awww" moment then a "Haha! LOLz!" moment. Definitely an "Awww" moment than a "Whaaaa! I'm crying like a baby!" moment. Sigh. I really need to get out more.
No. It's a show that the writers want it to be. Just because it's cloaked in the trappings of a comedy it doesn't mean that it should limit the writers from telling the story they want to tell. Was the M*A*S*H finale funny? Was The Wonder Years finale funny? I seem to remember both had plenty of moments where it was heartfelt and dramatic. There's no reason this sitcom can't end similarly, if that's what the writers want to do. Whether we like it or not is entirely up to us. But how it ends is entirely up to them.
The "Awww" moment is when the love of Ted's life, the ONE he was waiting for his entire life, the one he has the most in common with of ALL the women he dated, the one who is the mother of his children, dies? That wouldn't be my definition of "a sitcom with heart". More like a sadistcom.
Addendum: Mother: "No, you've wasted enough time. I'll do it. KIDS, GET BACK IN HERE!" And this is how we start "How I Met Your Dad."
Eh, there were a lot of missing faces. I bet that was all based on availability and time. I mean, it was one long tracking shot. Very cool.
Yet another beautiful, funny, and touching final act. We got to see Ted and Mother's first date!!! We got to see their first kiss!!! That was so magical. I'm so jealous.
Her doing well with her bakery in Germany (as seen earlier in the season) is a good enough (and happy enough) resolution for the character, in my opinion. I'm just impressed with what we got in terms of the actors that did appear, particularly Jorge Garcia, Jennifer Morrison and Kal Penn. As far as episodes are considered, "Gary Blauman" was one of the best of the season.
Beautifully done. It was pretty apparent that that last tracking shot was done on the studio lot -- the brick wall behind everyone while they were outdoors was noticably fake and it (being shot on the lot) likely facilitated having so many cameos. The setup probably was a bitch to do and you can almost see people waiting to hit their marks (when James reunites with his husband and when Gary drives back in at the end) but it was still wonderfully executed. Hot damn, I am going to miss this show.
This is the first one this season that feels like things are starting to wrap up... every sitcom has those wrapup montages, but due to the nature of this season we haven't really gotten that until now. And Blah Blah Blah's name is Carol!
This is the first one this season that feels like things are starting to wrap up... every sitcom has those wrapup montages, but due to the nature of this season we haven't really gotten that until now. And Blah Blah's name is Carol! Which makes me wonder why she prefers to be called Blah... that's not really a name that can be shortened. Unless Carol is the shortened version.
It could be shortened to Carrie (as a nickname) or even Caro. And yeah, it definitely gave the wrap-up vibe. Likely the producers' way to hammer home Ted's point that you lose touch with people after a while, sampling various people he'd met along the way, but also giving viewers one last visit with these characters from the course of the 9 years, and thereby saving some time in the finale for everything they actually want to put in the finale. I thought it worked beautifully.
Maybe Ted didn't keep in touch with Victoria. I was impressed with that montage, that was very well done. I still don't remember Blah Blah, although I know I've missed a few episodes along the way.
There's a superb review and analysis of the episode "Gary Blauman" over at The A.V. Club, here. My favorite bit: