Why the Ending Made Perfect Sense: Preface

The ending was incredibly polarizing, and people who disliked did so for many different reasons. Most of them revolve around the following: Barney and Robin's divorce, the reversal of character development, the Mother's death, and perhaps most important of all, Ted and Robin reuniting in 2030.

I didn't have a problem with any of those. I have come not to expect, but actually hope it would all end exactly the way it did. The execution could have been better. But still I believe the story was leading to exactly this ending, and I would have kept the major plot points intact if I were in C&C's position.

Ted does meet the Mother

What I'll write here is from the perspective of someone who hoped it would end this way. This changed how I interpreted certain events. In the past my interpretations were unpopular. However, with the benefit of hindsight, you need to see it from this perspective to be able to appreciate the ending. Please keep an open mind.

Barney and Robin's divorce was inevitable because those two were never going to end up together. Ironically, the reason they originally got together was because neither of them wanted a committed relationship. The cold feet they had shown this season was rooted in valid concerns that were brushed off with "awww" moments. But the problems were real, and they would come back to haunt them.

While many have grown to love Tracy thanks to Cristin Milioti, The Mother was never much more than a plot device. Her death was foreshadowed in "Time Travelers" and "Vesuvius," in addition to subtler hints throughout the series. I think the scenes with Tracy in this season made more sense with her death. Especially the ones with Ted.

A large number of fans who disliked the ending have said they wouldn't have had a problem with it if it weren't for Ted and Robin ending up together. But Ted and Robin has always been an important, if not the most important, part of the show. These two were separated by circumstances. But more than 20 years later, they deserved a new chance at happiness.

I have expanded upon this post in two parts: the Ted and Robin part, and everything else.