In the last season of HIMYM, we finally met the mother. And she was awesome. She was smart, she was comforting, she sang, she had a goofy sense of humour... yeah, maybe she's a little unrealistic, but that's not what matters. She was perfect for Ted, and in the flash-forwards with them you always got to see that Ted and Tracey (see? Spoiler) were definitely meant to be. I pretty much started seriously watching this show during its last season and I remember commenting that I was surprised they had finally revealed the mother. And yeah,I dug her a lot. I could see how she could be the sort of ending to cap off a show as memorable as HIMYM.
In fact, there's actually a pretty direct (and slightly trippy) scene in one of the last episodes where Ted finally lets go of Robin. She even floated away like a balloon and everything (there was context, I promise). And you know, you watch that scene here at pretty much the very end of this entire show and you go "okay, I get it. Ted isn't going to end up with Robin, and that's okay. I'm okay with this."
And during Ted's narration you always know it's going to be okay for them. He keeps talking about his kids' "Aunt Robin" and how she was never alone and how she remained such a close and important friend to Ted and their whole gang well after the years set during the main timeline of HIMYM. The show suggests that yes, even after years and years of intense, relentless feelings for someone, you can in fact still be close friends/family to each other and move forward with that.
And maybe that's why this show has hit me in the way it has. Fact of the matter is, I started marathoning episodes of it when I was at my current girlfriend's house and she was streaming episodes off of Netflix. I had just met her last autumn and on the whole it has been pretty nice. It's still early in the relationship and I honestly can't say where it'll take us or how far, but right now that's okay. We can figure out the rest as we go.
It's funny how you'll always connect people you know with songs, movies, or games. In my case right now, it's How I Met Your Mother and a couple other things, and I'm looking forward to seeing what other things we'll get to share and see.
Which of course brings us back to "The Girl", and what we make of her. I'm coming to terms with the fact that I'll pretty much forever be haunted by how terrible our first kiss was and how I'll never really get to redeem myself for that particular event. I've spent the majority of my adult life wanting to spend it with this one girl, and worrying about all the missed opportunities I may have given up because I did so. What do I have to show for all these ambivalent, melancholic years?
Well, for one, I have a friend I feel like I'll keep close in touch for years to come. In our current group of people, we'll always share an understanding that comes from knowing someone for half our lives. She'll always have a ride if she needs a ride. I'll always have someone who'll hear out my side of things when I feel like everyone has grievances with me. We'll probably always have each other's backs, one way or another.
Maybe I didn't waste all those years after all...
...Of course then the ending of the series finale of HIMYM ended with Ted's children fully realizing the story being told was less about how Ted met their mother and more about how Ted had spent 9 seasons telling his kids about how much he liked their Aunt Robin, and that he was basically asking their permission to date her being that their mother has been gone and likely passed away the past six years. From a storytelling point of view, for the story they had intended to tell, it's fine. It takes away some of the unorthodox process the show had going for it, and I know the end has definitely pissed off some fans.
I'm a little bit trolled by it. I had spent the past couple months coming up with this epiphany that I have just now written all out only for it to kinda be pulled out from under me tonight. Maybe in the end that's not exactly what How I Met Your Mother's story was really about. But then again, that's their story, not mine.
For me, it told my thirty year old ass what I needed to hear right now. That the past many years writing this story about "The Girl" and me wasn't a waste of time. I've grown from it, become a better person from it, and inevitably have someone very important to me whom I'll always be able to call from it.
And it wouldn't be a first for the show to pretend that the last thing that was said/done was the one that mattered (Marshall's dad's last words, for example). We'll acknowledge that part of the story, but we won't dwell on it. It's funny, but it's not the point. Just let the laugh track do its thing.
And I promise, however anything in my future goes, this particular story and how I will tell it shall always be legen... wait for it...
...
...dary. Legendary.
