"How I Met Your Mother" finale spoilers coming up just as soon as I get my daughter a turtle... Well, we have our mother.
Or do we?
Yes, "Miracles" opens with Future Ted talking about how the cab ride changed his life, and it ends with him proposing to Stella, but you'll note the distinct absence of Future Ted telling the kids something like, "And that's how I asked your mother to marry me." As bet-hedging goes, it's not massive, but it does give the producers an out if they want it.
From what I understand, "Scrubs" will be done filming its season by sometime in August, which is around when "HIMYM" would be starting production on season four, so if they need Sarah Chalke around for close to full time, that shouldn't be too big of an issue.
And I like Chalke quite a bit -- or, at least, I really liked her in "Ten Sessions," where she got to be funny, spar well with Josh Radnor (and, briefly, Jason Segel) and show the right amount of emotion when things got schmoopy with Ted. I think I'd be perfectly fine with her being the mother...
...except that her next two episodes were two of the weaker ones of the season. The relationship tension in both "Rebound Bro" and last night's "Miracles" felt contrived. We know from the end of the Ted/Robin affair that Ted really wants to have a lot of kids, like, immediately, and while Stella's daughter isn't his, seems to me she'd be a bonus, not a problem, for him. So we have this random, artificial break-up -- two break-ups, really -- just designed to make Ted's proposal more dramatic, but even there, it didn't quite work, because Ted's epiphany about Stella came in between the first and second break-up. The only change at the end was that Ted was cleared to leave the hospital.
Beyond that, "Miracles" was frustrating because it felt very slapdash, and because, aside from Marshall's list of lame miracles and Robin's Canadian references (Springsteen as the American Bryan Adams, Sir Sratch-awan), it wasn't a particularly funny episode. I'd be okay with minimal laughter if the dramatic parts were more interesting -- I'm thinking back to the first season finale, with Ted's rain dance and Marshall and Lily's break-up -- but as I said, the Ted/Stella stuff felt artificial.
In fact, the proposal got thoroughly upstaged by the look on Barney's face when he realized he was in love with Robin. It's no surprise that Neil Patrick Harris can play emotions in a more convincing, more interesting manner than Josh Radnor, but we've also had three years to build up to that, as opposed to three episodes of Ted and Stella (plus a handful of other episodes where they were allegedly dating but where Chalke didn't appear).
This was a very odd season of the "HIMYM." It started off very weakly, with too many episodes in a row of Ted and Robin separately dominating the action (including one of the show's worst episodes ever, "We're Not From Here"). Things started to pick up a bit right before the strike hit, and then the show came back much, much stronger post-strike (including "The Bracket," the season's only episode to belong in the "HIMYM" pantheon), only to peter out here in the last three weeks.
Now that we (presumably) have the Mother taken care of, and assuming (I hope) that there's no actors strike to disrupt things further, I'm looking forward to a season that's not disrupted by outside forces or by the producers' need to stall on finding Ted his woman.
What did everybody else think?
56 comments:
Man, this episode was no good.
What is astonishing is that the proposal seemed designed to distract from the overall badness of the episode. Is this show turning into Friends? I hope not; I pray not.
I don't know how this proposal can work where the only evidence that we have that the two are a good couple are (1) conclusory statements from Ted when Chalke is not even in the episode and (2) the fact that Stella is played by Chalke, who we know is an actress of some sitcom regard. Sigh.
They were on a break!
Seriously, that episode made me miss Britney. Absolutely unfunny, and the drama was warmed-over Friends. Even Barney's revelation - as nicely played by NPH as it was - felt like nothing more than Joey falling for Rachel.
I thought comedy-wise it was a pretty decent episode - I laughed a few times, especially at Marshall's miracles.
The drama / plot was pretty horrible though. For a show that's always been pretty good at making what would usually be sitcommy schmaltz into real, often touching drama, boy did they fail this time.
Also, can I just say - I loathe silly cliffhangers. No way does Stella say yes (maybe later, but not at this proposal). It's put in there purely for shock value.
(Similarly, if anyone watched Bones.... stupid sweeps / finale nonsense).
Even the Marshall Miricle stuff was no good. It went on too long, it wasn't funny. Especially the one with the tiny hats.
I'm beginning to feel like this show should be called BARNEY! because NPH knocked it out of the park with that one look to Robin without even moving his head.
On the otherhand, the advantage to having a crappy finale is that I won't be spending any energy on thinking about what happens when the shows come back in September...I'm looking at YOU "The Office".
Lighten up, everyone! It wasn't that bad! The pencil going up Barney's nose? Marshall coming through Customs after being in Amsterdam?! Too funny! At the beginning, when Ted was in the accident, and the music was playing and everyone was calling one another and racing to the hospital, I was totally fooled. I was actuallly tearing up.
I have to agree with the comparisons to Friends. I actually turned to my boyfriend immediately after the Stella/Ted hospital scene and said "But we were on a BREAK!"
I don't think Stella will accept the proposal and I don't think she'll end up being the mother. I think Ted's cab ride was life-changing because it caused him to propose too early to Stella, causing her to decline, and causing him to date again and finally meet the mom. Also, it brought him and Barney back together (hooray!).
That being said, I thought it was a better episode than last week, and although I thought it was mildly predictable, I loved the Barney-loves-Robin look on Barney's face.
I have to say I found it pretty blah. Even the miracles left me pretty cold, although they would have been a nice restful laugh beat in a funnier episode.
But oh--the look Barney gave Robin? That totally got me. I worship me some NPH.
(p.s. -- it would be nice if we could edit comments, instead of having to delete and repost the non-typo versions!)
How can Stella be the mother?
She already has a 5(?) year old daughter and Ted's kids are definitely closer in age than that.
Stella wasn't the woman with the yellow umbrella.
It's not her.
Totally agree, Alan. Sarah Chalke was so funny in that first episode, and then in the last two episodes they've given her nothing funny to do. I agree she would probably be fine as the mother, but they actually need to do something interesting with her character first.
And what happened to the yellow umbrella?
I also didn't think it was a very good episode. Marshall's lice miracle flashback went on way too long (if this were any other show I would have switched off at that moment).
And I don't really care for Stella. She doesn't mesh with the group, and there's not a ton of chemistry between her and Ted. Plus, we haven't seen enough of her to care whether she becomes the mom.
The only thing that would save this lame proposal is if Stella rejects it and it proves that Ted is SO obsessed with getting married and starting a family that he rushes the courtship too much and actually scares normal women away from him.
Forget Friends, this was According to Jim bad.
Ted Mosby as a character is such a lamer that I hope that the kids that future Ted is talking to are not his.
The cab ride did change his life because: Stella will say "no" in the season 4 opener; Ted will walk out of Chucky Cheese, run into a girl with the yellow umbrella, and say "Hey, I've got an umbrella just like that that I found in a club on St. Patrick's day"; the girl will say "I lost my other yellow umbrella at a club on St. Patrick's day," and future Ted will say, "And kids, that's how I met your mother."
Bookmark this comment and come back to it in September.
How can Stella be the mother?
She already has a 5(?) year old daughter and Ted's kids are definitely closer in age than that.
The "present-day" kids are in 2030. If in 2008 Stella's daughter is 5, in 2030 she'd be grown up and out of the house, and half-sister to the much younger kids to whom the story is being told.
I really hope Chalke isn't the mother and I agree that this episode wasn't very good. Its still better than most comedies though. Last night wasn't great, but I still laughed out loud several times. Its easy to get spoiled...
I was very "eh" on this episode. It had some funny moments. The way Marshall introduced his miracles reminded me of Sophia from Golden Girls (Picture it. Sicily. 1947...) In other words -- hilarious. The pencil-up-the-nose one especially.
First time commenter. Love the blog.
While i thought it wasnt the best episode, my wife and i were literally falling on the floor laughing when the pencil went up barneys nose. I dont know why, but it was one of the funniest things ive ever seen.
I was actually bored by all 4 of the CBS comedies, which usually make me laugh, no matter how dumb they are. I didn't think any of them were particularly funny. I kept guessing plotlines and jokes before they came out of the actor's mouths, which means the writers are pretty predictable. I loved the look on Barney's face, which was so subtle, and I really hope the show goes in the direction of getting them together. They have great chemistry and it would lead to some great comedic moments. Didn't buy the whole Stella breakup (something they squeezed in because of the shorter post-strike schedule?)--their conflicts seem forced. Eh--a mediocre way to end the season.
But I will agree--the pencil up the nose was so unexpected and random, I laughed out loud. How did they get that to happen?
And also, I'm dating a man who enjoys a good smoke once in a while, and Marshall coming home from Amsterdam (with his Amsterdam t-shirt!) had him rolling on the floor.
I don't know about the mother--not sure if this is a slam on Josh Radnor or "Ted", but maybe Sarah Chalke is the best thing for the character. Is he too annoying to have chemistry with anyone else? They've cycle through lots of girls (the baker, Robin, a bunch of others) and none have really struck. It's a high-wire act for the writers to make sure something sticks with this being the title of the show, and I'm guessing Chalke might be the closest thing they have to a home run. If they gave her up for a pathetic substitute that doesn't mesh well with Ted, they might kick themselves later.
Wow. Tough crowd.
When I try to talk friends into watching this show, all of whom have abandoned sitcoms (even '30 Rock'), I compare it to 'Lost' - in that it's layered, and dense with clues to future/past events, and then there's the timeline..... You just can't let this show wash over you.
Twice in this episode I got a 'Lost' vibe - one in that the cab that was stolen from Barney ended up going to the same place he was going (and they both got there around the same time - pretty bad traffic!) Felt like it was destined he should be hit by that bus.
The other was the joke about that creepy car passing itself off as a taxi and then we see Marshall reading about the Nude Cabbie and where will he strike next! I'm betting that's who nearly got Ted as a fare.....
Anyhoo, I enjoyed watching it the next morning when I got home from work (I sleep during prime time) - it goes well with breakfast!
The episode had its moments, mostly from Barney though, showing that NPH acts circles around the rest of the cast. I don't know if I buy that Stella is the mother. It just seems rushed and while Chalke fits well with the rest, her character hasn't really interacted with them much. I think they will date next year, but I suspect the real mother will be introduced in the last scene of the last episode, and it will be someone entirely new. There is no way that they can build the mother relationship as a romance for the ages and it not be a letdown and cheap imitation of Friends, so literally describing when they "met" is the best option. Besides, what kids want to hear the gory details about their parents' romance, at least at that young age.
I like Sarah Chalke. Elliott is my favorite character on Scrubs (except when Turk dances.) I'm quite prepared to like her on HIMYM. The problem? Her character has absolutely no personality. She is NOT FUNNY. And since Chalke has shown that she can be funny and have a personality, I'm throwing this one at the writers. Pity they couldn't do a better job with the (apparent) Mother character, considering that she's the title character of the show. *sigh*
Weakish ending to a weak season.
I was talking S3 over with a buddy last week, and I would argue that "How I Met Everyone Else" was the only true gem of the season (with "The Bracket"--a cool idea that felt just a little bit off--and "Slapsgiving" being solid second tier eps).
They should have ended it on Barney's realization that he loves Robin. That was the high note of the night. The uber-lame proposal really sunk the episode and turned Ted into the cliche that I've been fearing he is.
Like others commenting here, I don't think Stella is going to say yes, and I think the "accident as a life-changing event" is that it brought Ted and Barney back together.
I just watched the show again and I think it was much better than it is being given credit for anywhere (not just this blog).
I certainly understand not being invested in the Stella-Ted relationship. I think it underscores that things could have been better with Alicia Silverstone if only because she would be visible in most episodes where Sarah Chalke was mentioned and never shown. I should mention that I don't think she is the mother so everything that really bothers some people doesn't bother me as much because I think she'll be gone mid 4th season anyway.
I really liked everything with Barney, Marshall, Lily and Robin though. The little continuity stuff was great (mentioned by Toby) and Marshall is hilarious to me anytime he shows unbridled belief and enthusiasm about something that can't be proven (Nessie, ghosts, miracles, etc). I will say it's probably not a good sign that I'm more interested in the Barney/Robin storyline at this point than I am in anything related to Ted's love life. The writers might want to work on making Ted likable again. I don't think they had enough of that after his weird barney-like phase at the beginning of the season.
I'll agree that this season was not as strong but I think it still was better than most TV and will rebound next season with a full slate of episodes and more time to flesh out the story ideas (and hopefully no more awful stunt casting).
^What Matt said about the stunt-casting!
I enjoyed the ep and I didn't mind that Ted proposed at the end (mostly because my mind went into overdrive about how they were going to get out of making Stella the Mother--I like having things to ponder) :-) Marshall's miracles were funny and Barney's look of love was hysterical and well-acted, as others have pointed out.
I guess when a show like this sets the bar so high, some eps will be disappointing, but I didn't find this to be one of those eps.
Let's all be honest. No shows lived up to their potential in this strike season. Not 30 Rock and not HIMYM. Not even The Office. Most came back strong directly after the strike when they could work on scripts which were already done or at least half done but fell off quickly after returning. (The Office brought it back for the finale though).
With that in mind, I think we all have to be a little realistic in our views. We love this show, want it to be at its best at all times, but it probably just didn't have the chance after the strike since the netwoks stuck to May sweeps.
I was disappointed with the episode mostly because the first two finales they did were both great. The Marshall / Lilly break up made me cry for long after the credits rolled, and hearing Bloc Party can still bring me back there sometimes. This was just an average mid season episode with a forced proposal at the end. (The Barney / Robin scene was great and enough of an ender on an uneven year but also could have been fine as a mid-season cliff hanger).
One thing I couldn't understand was why one of Lily's students was dressed as a pilgrim in April, or why Marshall had a pilgrim hat handy in the spring. (He dated that miracle April 18th I believe).
My favorite line was that Bruce Springsteen was the Canadian Bryan Adams. And my favorite scene was Marshall with Doug Benson at customs.
My boyfriend, usually a harsh season finale critic of any show thought it was fine episode/ending. I didn't. But I will back in the fall, because I think they will turn it around, and I think there will be a surprise conclusion to the cliff hanger.
Toby, the reason you got a "Lost" vibe from the NPH cab/balloon scene was that "Lost" did a very similar scene where Jin is trying to get a cab to the hospital with his giant panda.
Agree, Stella saying yes would be inconsistent with her efforts to preemptively ditch Ted every time she senses that he's not taking the relationship seriously, and I don't see how she could be the mother.
The contrived part for me was when Lily, Marshall, and Robin all basically told Stella that Ted wanted to break up with her. That's got to be a serious violation of the Bro Code. I understand Lily's first slip-up, but don't you think that when Stella said, "No, it was just a little fight," the three of them would have Ted's back and reply, "Oh, good, we were worried because Ted was so upset over it."
and P.S. - Lily's comment about the break-up was a repeat of what she did in the last episode, "So, this must be a big night for you after not having sex for five years!" leading to another big Ted-Stella fight. That just seems lazy on the writers' part.
I would argue that "How I Met Everyone Else" was the only true gem of the season (with "The Bracket"--a cool idea that felt just a little bit off--and "Slapsgiving" being solid second tier eps).
I blanked on "How I Met Everyone Else," but I'd put that right up there with "The Bracket" among pantheonic eps from this season. "Slapsgiving" wasn't quite as good as either one, as they spent so much time on the annoying Ted/Robin tensions, but it did give us a song. So it's got that going for it... which is nice.
Is it telling that the biggest laugh last night's HIMYM has given me so far is Alan's Caddyshack shout-out?
To me this show felt like it was back on track. I've never been invested in Ted alone and I don't think SC is the Mother so I honestly didn't pay that much attention.
What I loved:
Barney's look of love at Robin. (thank you!)
The gang reunited and the bro hug.
I think several shows have been great this season including How I Met Everyone else, The Bracket and Sandcastles in the Sand.
I guess I'm in the minority in thinking that this was a pretty good episode. Robin, Lilly and Marshall all running in slow-mo, all desperate to get to Ted, who they think is really hurt...I was convinced that he was going to mangled.
The pencil up the nose? LOL funny. And I was totally shocked when Barney got hit by the bus.
And that one look of Barney's, having realized that he loves Robin - just breathtaking. Kudos, NPH!
Wasn't HIMYM on the brink of being canceled? Watching this episode, I was working on the assumption that it was written this way so that, if need be, it could be a series finale. The ends were basically all wrapped up in some way.
I am not convinced at all that Stella is the mother. I just think it has to be worked up to way better than that.
PS - I always wonder why everyone ignores the clue that Stella is the mom when she said on her first episode the only time she had been out in years was to go to "this horrible St. Patrick's Day party"...that was the big giveaway for me.
PPS, just because he proposes now doens't mean she won't say no, go away and come back later. If the kids are teenagers in 2030 they don't need to be born for 5-7 more years. You would think if they married in 09 they wouldn't wait until Stella's daughter a teen before they had more.
I think I wrote this last week, but I am absolutely convinced more than ever that if this show doesn't get a Lost-like definite end date, then it will end up spinning its wheels endlessly, and never become a top-echelon all-time great.
Unless they declare a Mother, and change the title of the show to Now I Met Your Mother and figure out how to move forward.
The show's biggest (and really only persistent) problem has been that by far its least interesting character is also supposedly its central character. Every so often that's bound to catch up with it, and I, for one, just write off those episodes as an acceptable price to pay. In other words, last night's weakness was qualitatively different, for me, than the Brittany-induced badness of the week before. The former I can tolerate as a necessary price of the show. Too much of the latter could sink the show altogether.
I didn't hate this episode at all. No, it wasn't laugh out loud funny like The Office was, but it was still enjoyable enough for me. My overall impression is that I still love this show and am so happy it got renewed for another season.
Someone I know came up with the idea that the mother is Stella's sister (you know, the one she has mentioned on several occasions, who is marrying the idiot hemp-vegan and who, I believe, took Stella to the St. Patrick's Day party).
I find this idea very intreging.
I've been "eh" on HIMYM for awhile - to me, it's always more admirable than enjoyable. As in - sure, it's admirable to use the Replacements ballad Here Comes a Regular, but is a song about a hardcore alcoholic who can't leave the house without getting the shakes really enjoyable? Not if you say, actually think about it.
I, too, had the brief thought that maybe the mother would turn out to be Stella's sister, but that would definitely make her "Aunt Stella". I think the mother is going to turn out to be the girl Ted very briefly bumped into on St. Patty's Day, though it seems pretty risky of the writers to do that, since actresses get jobs and might not be available. Regardless, I'd be pretty disappointed if it was Stella. But I still feel like there's something left to resolve. At the beginning of the season at some point, Older Ted says to the kids that this is the story of how he became the person he had to be in order to be with their mother, and I don't think he's that person yet, at least from the show's standpoint.
Regardless of who the mother is or isn't, I love the show for itself, not for some "mystery". The best episodes (in my opinion) don't even have anything to do with Ted/meeting the mother.
I loved the pencil up Barney's nose... that was awesome. I also thought that the Ted/Barney reunited scene was well played by all three of the guys. And what about Barney having his arm set specifically so he could high-five? Perfect Barney.
My husband's pet theory (though I don't know if it's changed since this episode) is that Barney is Lucy's father. I disagree (I think that would be a bad move by the writers, personally), but it is true that as far as we know, barney and Stella haven't met since she and Ted have been together. But now that Ted and Barney are bros again, we can find out!
Check out this item, which has a compare-and-contrast photo that might prove who the mother really is.
Their theory is that Stella must be the mother, since the same framed letter appears in her apartment and behind Ted's kids in the future.
Is it a clever hint? Or is it a slip-up by the set decorators?
Ted is in a coma due to his accident.
The last half of the episode is all just a crazy dream.
How else to explain the character-defying stuff like Barney running 60 blocks (RUNNING 60 BLOCKS!) to be by Ted's side.
I never thought I'd say this, but the Chuck Lorre shows last night were far smarter and funnier than HIMYM.
I don't see how Barney running 60 blocks is character-defying. We know that Barney loves Ted and considers him his brother. We saw Barney run a marathon with no preparation. And Barney showing how much he cares for Ted is what brought them back together.
Also, I think this show is way too smart to pull something as soap opera-ish as "it was a dream".
(Or maybe you were kidding - it's hard to tell on the Internet!)
Did anyone else TiVo and go frame-by-frame Ted's life flashing before his eyes? They were all from random shots of the show, that were obviously the past. However, one appeared to be Ted at the alter, with Marshall conducting the ceremony. You can't see the bride, of course, but why would that be in Ted's past? Am I just forgetting an episode where that happened (entirely possible)?
I hope that the kids that future Ted is talking to are not his.
Bob, I never thought of this! I didn't start watching until Season 2--is it possible the kids are not Ted's?
Also, I thought the montage of everyone dropping what they were doing to run to the hospital was very sweet. Until the punchline, of course.
The last half of the episode is all just a crazy dream.
and the song playng as marshall, lilly and robin ran to ted's side was radiohead's "(nice dream)", so...
and why all the hate for FRIENDS? sure, storylines got stretched... you know, 10 years into the darn thing - but pound for pound, FRIENDS is so much funnier than HIMYM (and i LIKE HIMYM), it's not even close.
i think we're having a little revisionist history, here...
And I was totally shocked when Barney got hit by the bus.
I would have been more shocked if I hadn't seen that happen in "Final Destination," but it still elicited a gasp.
And "Friends" sucked out loud. I hate seeing it compared to the superior HIMYM, so there :-D
I liked this episode. All the "miracles" worked for me. I am not convinced Stella is the mother but the ending shocked me. The smash cut to black got me going so I guess I really am invested in Ted and I loved the Barney subplot.
Was I the only one to notice the bus was going the wrong way down a one way street?
I also think Stella turns out not to be the mother. Something's gonna happen to break them up... and I wonder how the goat story will be resolved if Robin's back living in the apt at Ted's next birthday.
Still love Marshall!!!
The episode definitely improved on second viewing. Maybe because I knew the lame proposal was coming and could focus on all the brilliant comedy.
Something I missed the first time -- Barney's "worth it" after the painful high give from Marshall. NPH is awesome.
I have to agree with Pale Writer on Friends. I think most people -- maybe not most people who comment here -- would agree that Friends was a very good show. (IMO it was a GREAT show for part of its run.) But I want no part of a Friends v. HIMYM argument. I think sitcoms are especially hard to compare between eras.
Why in the world does everyone think that Stelliot Reed is the Mother?
That would be so painfully obvious. I could not imagine these clever writers offering us something so simple.
I just watched it again to see how I really felt (maybe my anticipation was so high nothing could live up to it). I did go from thinking it was a not so hot episode to a pretty ok episode....but still feel weird about the ending.
I did pick up one other funny thing though. Intentionally or not, Marshall was doing the Daniel Plainview voice when talking to the kids in Lily's class, and it was pretty funny.
The look was pulled off exceptionally well (as mentioned), but let's be honest, they've been hinting more than friendly synergy for a good while now. It just seems rather strange that they'll plow straight for the 'love' angle.
I certainly hope they don't cop out and make Stella the mother. Any amount of revisionist material won't change the fact the title uses the word "met". Not "When I realised I loved your mother", or "When I had this amazing coincidence with your mother". It would just be poor writing, but with recent casting (I mean, really, for the love of God, Britney?) you begin to wonder if the Barney-Fonz comparisons are getting a little too real for comfort.
And then there's the possibility HIMYM will get Season 4 Syndrome, and be 20-odd episodes are faux-drama angst or just completely unfunny. One can only hope they find a cure before... September?
As far as the proposal goes, I was expecting it, but I didn't even realise it was the finale - that makes this Monday suck a little more.
P.S: How can people not rank Third Wheel up there as (one of) the seasons best? Think of the belt! The belt!
This episode was ok. I cant wait until next season with no writer strike. Also, the funniest episodes of HIMYM are the ones that dont have anything to do with the mother(IE Pineapple Incident, Sweet Taste of liberty and Return of the shirt)
about The Mother & Stella:
Future Ted mentions several times to his kids: "here i met Stella", "Stella and i".... as i suppose the kids know the name of their mother, they would have had a reaction to it or Ted would have said it in a special way, but neither happened!
What do you think about it?
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