There's been a theory going around the internet lately that the mother in How I Met Your Mother is dead by the time Ted tells his kids the long story of how he met her.
One of the foundations for this theory is a recent interview with Cobie Smulders in which the actress says she started crying and had to leave the room when she found out how the series is going to end.
Though that may point toward a bittersweet series finale, I highly doubt that the mother is going to die. The whole crux of the relationship between Ted and the still-unnamed mother is that these are two people who need to let go of people they love but can't have in order for them to be fully open for each other. Ted needs to let go of Robin, who is about to marry Barney, while the mother needs to let go of her deceased boyfriend Max, who dies eight years before she meets Ted. Having the mother die would essentially "reunite" her with Max, thus making the whole letting-go aspect of her and Ted's relationship seem irrelevant. Another reason why I debunk this theory is the attitude of Ted's kids. If their mother was dead or even dying, they would be more interested in knowing the full details of how their parents met. And the third, but most important reason why I debunk the Mother Is Dead Theory is that Carter Bays and Craig Thomas have said publicly that the show is geared towards Ted's happily ever after.
That said, I have a theory of my own that I want to express to my fellow HIMYM fans, and it has everything to do with Smulder's character on the show.
My theory is that in the year 2030, Robin is dying, and before she dies Ted wants his kids to understand that if it wasn't for her, none of them would have been born.
I say dying because we know from the Season Eight episode Bad Crazy that Robin is still alive (maybe she decides to confess everything about Marvin to Lily because she just got her diagnosis?). Having Robin dying would create a sense of urgency un Ted wanting to tell the whole story to his kids. Why tell them now, when they are 15 and 13? Why not tell them when they're older? Also, Ted didn't have to go into detail about his and Robin's relationship, as well as his other relationships since meeting Robin. He could have just said, "kids, I met your mother at the train station right after your Aunt Robin and Uncle Barney's wedding". He could have talked about seeing her play at the wedding, being in the wrong classroom, taking her mother's yellow umbrella at the St. Patrick's Day Party, and being in their mother's apartment without meeting her-all without mentioning Robin. In fact, this might possibly be the "shorter version" of the story with their mom's yellow umbrella that Ted mentions in the Season Three premiere episode Wait for It. The whole story could have just started with Ted's almost-marriage to Stella-her meeting him at the street corner and Tony trying to make amends by getting him that teaching job.
Yet the whole series starts off with Ted meeting Robin. It is his love for her that leads him to meeting the mother of his children.
The creators of the show have used "heartbreaking" as one of the words to describe the series finale. Having Robin about to die would be heartbreaking for Ted and his group of friends, especially Barney. Neil Patrick Harris has called the series finale "complicated", which would make sense if his character's wife passes away.
The one hour finale of How I Met Your Mother will air on March 31, so until then we won't know the whole story. But if my theory stands correct, then the entire series would be more that just about Ted Mosby meeting his future wife. It would be a celebration of the life of Robin Scherbatsky.
One of the foundations for this theory is a recent interview with Cobie Smulders in which the actress says she started crying and had to leave the room when she found out how the series is going to end.
Though that may point toward a bittersweet series finale, I highly doubt that the mother is going to die. The whole crux of the relationship between Ted and the still-unnamed mother is that these are two people who need to let go of people they love but can't have in order for them to be fully open for each other. Ted needs to let go of Robin, who is about to marry Barney, while the mother needs to let go of her deceased boyfriend Max, who dies eight years before she meets Ted. Having the mother die would essentially "reunite" her with Max, thus making the whole letting-go aspect of her and Ted's relationship seem irrelevant. Another reason why I debunk this theory is the attitude of Ted's kids. If their mother was dead or even dying, they would be more interested in knowing the full details of how their parents met. And the third, but most important reason why I debunk the Mother Is Dead Theory is that Carter Bays and Craig Thomas have said publicly that the show is geared towards Ted's happily ever after.
That said, I have a theory of my own that I want to express to my fellow HIMYM fans, and it has everything to do with Smulder's character on the show.
My theory is that in the year 2030, Robin is dying, and before she dies Ted wants his kids to understand that if it wasn't for her, none of them would have been born.
I say dying because we know from the Season Eight episode Bad Crazy that Robin is still alive (maybe she decides to confess everything about Marvin to Lily because she just got her diagnosis?). Having Robin dying would create a sense of urgency un Ted wanting to tell the whole story to his kids. Why tell them now, when they are 15 and 13? Why not tell them when they're older? Also, Ted didn't have to go into detail about his and Robin's relationship, as well as his other relationships since meeting Robin. He could have just said, "kids, I met your mother at the train station right after your Aunt Robin and Uncle Barney's wedding". He could have talked about seeing her play at the wedding, being in the wrong classroom, taking her mother's yellow umbrella at the St. Patrick's Day Party, and being in their mother's apartment without meeting her-all without mentioning Robin. In fact, this might possibly be the "shorter version" of the story with their mom's yellow umbrella that Ted mentions in the Season Three premiere episode Wait for It. The whole story could have just started with Ted's almost-marriage to Stella-her meeting him at the street corner and Tony trying to make amends by getting him that teaching job.
Yet the whole series starts off with Ted meeting Robin. It is his love for her that leads him to meeting the mother of his children.
The creators of the show have used "heartbreaking" as one of the words to describe the series finale. Having Robin about to die would be heartbreaking for Ted and his group of friends, especially Barney. Neil Patrick Harris has called the series finale "complicated", which would make sense if his character's wife passes away.
The one hour finale of How I Met Your Mother will air on March 31, so until then we won't know the whole story. But if my theory stands correct, then the entire series would be more that just about Ted Mosby meeting his future wife. It would be a celebration of the life of Robin Scherbatsky.
No comments:
Post a Comment