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Last Forever - Part Two
HIMYM episode 9x24 (208)
Future Ted
First aired:
March 31, 2014
Director:
Pamela Fryman
Writer:
Carter Bays
Craig Thomas
Barney's Blog

Images (11)

Ted finally finishes telling his kids the story of how he met their mother.


Recap []

In 2018, Barney, Ted and Lily are at MacLaren's hanging out again for the first time in a long while. Barney is ecstatic, and says that they are going to stay late. Lily laments that Robin is not with them, even though she promised to be there for the “big moments”. Ted tells her that this is not really a big moment, but Barney disagrees. Just then, Marshall walks towards their booth, and tells them that it is indeed a big moment, then reveals that he is about to become a judge.

A few hours later, while they are all still talking at the bar, Barney notices a girl across the room. Being Barney, he gets up to approach her, when Lily stops him. Lily asks Barney if he has changed, just a little, from his old womanizing ways, and he tells her that he hasn't. There was a moment where it seemed he might’ve been capable of going the distance with one woman, but it didn’t work. If it didn't work with Robin, it won't work with anyone.

Meanwhile, Marshall, Lily, Ted and The Mother are at an arena watching “Robots Versus Wrestlers”. Marshall asks Ted and The Mother if they plan on ever getting married. Just then, Barney comes in, and sits next to them. He tells them that he just had the perfect month, then found out that the last girl, Girl #31, is pregnant. When Lily congratulates him, he says this is a disaster, and that he's too old for this.

In 2020, Ted takes his young daughter, Penny, to the GNB Headquarters tower where they run into Robin. Ted invites Robin to lunch the following day. Ted, Lily and Marshall are at the hospital for the birth of Barney's child. A nurse enters, and tells them that it's a girl, who has been named Ellie. When the nurse hands Barney his infant daughter, he becomes very emotional. Through tears, Barney tells his baby girl, "You are the love of my life. Everything I have, and everything I am, is yours, forever."

Later, Ted asks The Mother to give him her engagement ring back so he can re-propose. He asks her to marry him that coming Thursday, and she says, yes.

The day of the wedding, the gang, minus Robin, are at MacLaren's. Just then, Robin surprisingly walks into the bar. She apologizes for missing so many of the big moments, and congratulates Barney on becoming a father. At this point, Marshall, again, tells everyone that he is running for a position as a Supreme Court justice. Ted, still shocked to see Robin, tells her that he didn’t expect to see her since she had RSVP'd as a “no”, Robin reveals that The Mother convinced her to come. The Mother then walks into the bar, gathers everyone, and takes a picture of the whole gang together.

Meanwhile, Lily makes a toast to Ted for being so so emotionally enduring, and says she is glad that they finally got here (Ted finally getting married).

In 2030, Ted tells his kids that he’s grateful for the challenges he experienced on the way, as they made his lesson clear. He tells them that he knew the moment he met their mother, he had to love her as fully as could, through all times: good and bad. Even when she got sick (which we later learn she died from, 6 years earlier) he thanked God that he had the courage to talk to her at the Farhampton train station.

At the train station, in 2013, Ted walks to the mother and taps her on the shoulder. Before he introduces himself, she says that she recognizes him as the Best Man. He says that she is Cindy's ex-roommate while she says that he is the professor who taught Econ 305 once. Ted then tells her that the yellow umbrella she was holding is his which he left at Cindy's, but she says it's her umbrella which she bought. Ted says that it has his initials; T.M. for Ted Mosby, but she says that those are her initials, and introduces herself as Tracy McConnell. She remembers that she did lose the umbrella for a few years when she went to a party and Ted completes the rest of the story for her. They then say "Hi" to each other.

In 2030, Ted finally finishes telling the story to his kids. Ted’s kids realize that the story is not really about the mother but it is actually about how Ted still harbors feelings towards Robin, pointing out how obvious it appears when she comes over to hang out with them. They console him, saying that they "love Aunt Robin", thus giving him their blessing, and encouraging him to call her. He does pick up the phone, but he then puts it back down.

Robin is entering her apartment with her dogs as her doorbell rings. She attempts to call downstairs to see who it is, but isn’t able to connect. She then opens a window to take a look outside, and sees Ted standing there, holding the Blue French Horn. Robin looks down and smiles at Ted.

Alternate Ending[]

On 6th September, the official alternate ending was leaked online.

This ending begins with Lily's wedding toast on Ted's long and difficult road to happiness. A voice over by Ted (Bob Saget) says that Lily was only half right: while it was long (possibly really, really long), it was not difficult - in life, things happened. Things will fall apart, things will get fixed and when Ted wakes up next to The Mother every day, he is amazed by how easy everything was. He recounts, through flashbacks, that all it took was:

Following this, the sequence of the actual meeting is shown. When Ted and Tracy say "Hi", Future Ted says, "See? Easy. And that, kids, is how I met your mother."

Then the credits roll (same as the original finale), and the yellow umbrella flies around, as shown in Wait For It.

In this version, nothing is mentioned explicitly about the future of Robin and Barney after their divorce (though it is hinted by the voiceover that they got back together again), or about the mother's sickness (or Ted crying in 2024 when Tracy asks, "What mother misses her own daughter's wedding?"), but the mother is assumed to be alive however many fans thinks that she got sick in 2024 as in the original ending (also hinted in Vesuvius) and then recovered at a certain point.

Continuity[]

  • Ted bringing Robin the Blue French Horn is reminiscent of their first date in the Pilot, with Ted even wearing the same suit and tie.
  • The moment that Ted and the mother met for the first time is finally shown, and the mother's name is revealed as Tracy. This is consistent with Ted's joke to the kids in Belly Full of Turkey that a stripper named Tracy is their mother.
  • Ted marries in 2020, 15 years after Marshall and Lily's engagement causes him to declare his wish to do so.
  • The episode and its predecessor explain why Robin and Lily are depicted as only rarely seeing each other during the flashforwards in Bad Crazy.
  • From the beginning episode in Season 1, Pilot, to this episode, the living room in which Ted's future children are sitting in changes multiple times. It is shown that the couch changes, along with all of the items on the shelf behind them. The kids also appear to be much older, starting at around 12 and 14 years old and ending at 15 and 17.
  • Sasquatch and the Abominable Snowman are mentioned, referencing Marshall's belief in the supernatural.
  • The Mother's painting of robots bowling is seen in Ted's house when he re-proposes to Tracy.
  • Marshall uses the phrase I'll Allow It.
  • Barney performs a "self five".
  • Barney mentions the time he tried to accomplish a Perfect Week.
  • Imaginary Jim Nantz previously appeared in Perfect Week as well as a voice in Rabbit or Duck​​​​.
  • Barney mentions "Not a Father's Day," a holiday Barney had created in Not a Father's Day​​​​​.
  • Ted re-proposes to Tracy at their house (first seen in Home Wreckers​​​​​) in the den where Future Ted of 2030 talks to his kids, as seen at the end of the episode and throughout the series.
  • Marshall pays Lily at the bar (in a quick scene after the gang takes group photos) for losing the long term bet (first introduced in No Pressure) before Ted and Tracy's wedding. However if Ted and Robin indeed end up together following the ending, then Marshall can be considered to be the victor of the bet; this was confirmed through a deleted scene where Lily paid the bet.
  • Robin asks a voice-activated computer assistant to connect her to the camera of her house's entrance, but it doesn't work, as happens to Marshall in Trilogy Time​​​​​.
  • Penny's birth year is confirmed as 2015, as first hinted in Trilogy Time.
  • Robin asks Ted what happened to the beautiful building that used to be where the GNB headquarters is now. The story of The Arcadian ran throughout Season 6.
  • Marshall becomes a judge after he returns from Rome and he later tries to be a judge for the Supreme Court which he did in 2020 as shown in a flash forward in Rally.
  • The gang calling Marshall Big Fudge has now upgraded to Judge Fudge and later, Fudge Supreme.
  • Barney is similarly confident of his ability to appear young in Best Prom Ever.
  • Barring several visual discrepancies, the scene of Ted and Tracy's wedding was first depicted at the end of Lucky Penny​​​​​.
  • In the scene where Tracy is sick, Ted reads her World's End, a book first shown to be given by her to Cindy as a birthday gift in Girls Versus Suits. She is also shown reading it before going to the St. Patrick's Day Party in How Your Mother Met Me.
  • When Ted holds up the blue french horn in 2030, he's wearing the same tie that he wore the first time he held up the horn in 2005.
  • Ted's use of the Blue French Horn is consistent with his statement in Platonish that he would do so if he were to try to regain Robin.
  • Barney and Ted end up fulfilling Barney's drunken plan in Twin Beds that Barney has her first and Ted takes her after she turns 40.
  • Victoria in The Autumn of Break-Ups identifies Robin as the reason why she and Ted have not moved forward as a couple. After they break up after Ted refuses to stop being friends with her, Victoria tells him "I really hope you get her someday."
  • In The End of the Aisle, Robin asked the Mother if she would talk her out of running away from the wedding with Barney. Robin described the Mother as someone who helped talk her into attending Ted and the Mother's wedding.
  • Marshall continues his winning streak, as first established in Game Night, by winning the bet about whether or not Ted and Robin would end up together.
  • Robin lives in the same apartment as in Pilot despite her far more prestigious job in 2030, because of the family wealth others learn about in Unpause.

Gallery[]

Memorable Quotes[]

Ted: Excuse me, hi!
Tracy: Hi!
Ted: I'm th-
Tracy: The best man, yeah. Get in here! Get in here! Get in here! (she moves the umbrella over Ted)
Ted: Thanks. Here, let me. (He takes the umbrella)
Tracy: Oh, uh, okay, thank you.
Ted: Great show tonight.
Tracy: Oh, thank you!
Ted: You're Cindy's ex-roommate, right?
Tracy: Yeah... and you are the Professor. I took one of your classes.
Ted: Really? Which one?
Tracy: Econ 305.
Ted: Econ 305? I don't teach... oh, no.
Tracy: Ooh, yeah
Ted: Excuse me, I'm just going to jump on the tracks now...
Tracy: No, no, no, no, don't. You were great; you were great.
Ted: Wait a second... this is my umbrella. I left this umbrella at Cindy's. You totally stole my umbrella!
Tracy: What? No, I didn't! This is my umbrella; I bought this.
Ted: Excuse me, it even has my initials on it, right here. T.M. - Ted Mosby.
Tracy: Yeah, look again 'Ted Mosby', those are my initials. T.M. - Tracy McConnell.
Ted: Ummm... no 'Tracy McConnell', it's T.M. - Totally My umbrella.
Tracy: Uhhh you're T.M. - Terribly Mistaken, because this umbrella has always belonged T.M. - To Me. Although, I did lose it for a few years there, um... so I went to this dance club-
Ted: On St. Patrick's Day...
Tracy: On St. Patrick's Day...
Ted: And you left it there...
Tracy: And I left it there...
Ted: And you never thought you'd see it again...
Tracy: And I never thought I'd see it again... funny how sometimes you just... find things.
Ted: Hi.
Tracy: Hi!
Ted finally meets The Mother.

Future Ted: It was at times a long, difficult road. But I’m glad it was long and difficult because if I hadn’t gone through hell to get there the lesson might not have been as clear. You see, kids, right from the moment I met your Mom, I knew. I have to love this woman as much as I can, for as long as I can, and I can never stop loving her, not even for a second. I carried that lesson through every stupid fight we ever had, every 5 AM Christmas morning, every sleepy Sunday afternoon, through every speed bump, every paying of jealousy or boredom or uncertainty that came our way... I carried that lesson with me. And I carried it with me when she got sick. Even then, in what can only be called the worst of times, all I could do was thank God... thank every god there is or ever was or will be, and the whole universe, and anyone else I could possibly thank... that I saw that beautiful girl on that train platform, and that I had the guts to stand up, walk over to her, tap her on the shoulder, open my mouth... and speak. (Flashback of Ted meeting Tracy and having the dialog above) And that kids, is how I met your mother.
Ted, during Tracy's sickness, is profoundly grateful he met her.

Future Robin: Hey, Penny! I haven't seen you in forever!
Penny Mosby: I like you, bus lady. (after seeing Robin's face on the side of a passing bus)
Future Robin: Aww, I like you too, never call me that again.

Future Ted: So, did you get a perfect month?
Future Barney: Yes.
Future Marshall: Then why are you so upset?
Future Barney: That last girl, Number 31...
The Mother (Tracy): Ooh, that's a pretty name. What is that, French?
Future Barney: She's pregnant.

Barney: You are the love of my life. Everything I have and everything I am, is yours. Forever.
At MacLaren's, Barney says this to a random girl to prove a point that he's not that kind of guy. These eventually become the first words he says upon meeting his newborn daughter.

Barney: I'm sorry, what's the name of this third-world banana republic you claim to be from?
Robin: Canada
Barney: ... I've literally never heard of that place.
During the group's first official hang out

Notes and Trivia[]

Goofs and Errors[]

  • In an earlier season, Ted makes it very clear to "never invite an ex to a wedding". He ends up breaking this rule at his own wedding with Tracy, the same mistake he made with Stella. However, it's worth noting that inviting Robin to his wedding with Tracy did not seem to have any positive or negative consequences. It's most likely because they are friends with Robin. Also, it is Tracy who ends up convincing Robin to come to the wedding, as Robin initially RSVPs "no" to Ted. Finally, Tracy is proved to be a much more heartful person than Stella and would probably agree to let Robin come, since she's such a good friend of Ted.
  • Although Barney claims The Playbook II: Electric Bangaloo features "all-new plays," the ones featured in the episode were previously seen in the printed edition of The Playbook.
    • It's likely that the new Playbook is not ENTIRELY new plays.
  • A special feature on the Season 6 DVD titled "What we know about your mother" stated that Ted gave Tracy lilacs (which happened to be his boutonniere for the wedding) the moment they met. When they do meet, he never gives her the lilacs. (It is possible though, he could have given it to her during their train ride back to the city.)
  • In previous episodes, flash forwards have shown Ted and Tracy wearing wedding rings during years where, according to this episode, they had not yet been married, or in Barney and Robin's case, married no longer.
    • They could actually be wearing them to show their engagement and already consider themselves married within their hearts, even if the wedding hadn't happened yet.
  • In Little Boys, Future Ted reveals that Robin was very present in Penny and Luke's childhood, appearing in a lot of their drawings. In this episode, Robin is so secluded from the group, Penny doesn't even recognize her, calling her the "Bus Lady."
    • Robin wasn't present from 2016-2020, but it is implied that she reconciled with the gang after Ted got married and Barney became more mature. That works out to Robin not being part of Penny's life from the time she was 1 until 5 (excluding rare incidents like "bus lady") but certainly a major part of Penny growing up after that as "Aunt Robin".
      • Robin and Lily were seen having drinks together in 2018 in Bad Crazy
      • Calling Robin the "bus lady" could also be a joke Ted taught to his daughter.
    • Given that Penny and Luke were still ages 9 and 7 respectively when Tracy died, the viewer could also conclude that Robin was spending more time with Ted's kids after 2024, helping the now-widowed dad raise them.
    • In one of the deleted scenes from this episodes Ted actually says "Now that you're in the city full-time we'll see more of you?" and Robin says "yeah".
  • In a previous flashforward in Vesuvius, it is seen that Marshall is bald by 2020. However in a flashforward in this episode Marshall has a full head of hair.
  • When the nurse tells Barney that his baby is born he throws some cigars in the air which are seen to fall on the floor. A moment later when the gang pushes Barney to go see his daughter the cigars have vanished.
    • If you look closely, the cigars are still there.

Allusions and Outside References[]

  • Ted and Tracy being engaged for five years before getting married may be a nod to Jason Segel's movie The Five Year Engagement.
  • Lily calls Barney Papa. Neil Patrick Harris's children call him Papa and his husband Daddy.

Music[]

  • Downtown Train - Everything but the Girl
    • Played during Future Ted's speech, his and Tracy's wedding and when they meet
  • Heaven - The Walkmen
    • Played in the final scene and during the pre-credits

Other Notes[]

  • The episode was trimmed by 18 minutes because it was too long. [1]  Some of these deleted scenes are included in the Season 9 DVD (see Deleted Scenes section).  
  • The scene where the kids convince Ted to ask Robin out was shot back in 2006, when season 2 was airing. This pre-taping was necessary so they would not visibly age. This is also why the kids very rarely talk or react after season 2; all footage of them seen after season 2 was shot during the first 2 seasons.
  • The episode was set to air on April 28, 2014, but it was then changed to March 31, 2014.[2][3][4]
  • This is the second part of the series finale.
  • The Mother dies of an unknown illness 6 years before 2030, but sometime after the 2024 flashfoward shown in Vesuvius.
  • Barney has a daughter named Ellie with an unknown woman. The name Ellie may be a reference to her similarly-named cousin Eli Stinson, who as a baby also caused Barney to have a change of heart in Single Stamina.
  • This episode opens up the possibility of Robin and Ted dating in 2030.
  • This is the second of two episodes (after No Pressure) where the yellow umbrella and the blue french horn, the two objects associated with Ted's love life, both appear (albeit in separate scenes).   
  • Robin's always been a dog lover, so it isn't surprising that she'd have five dogs in 2030. They may look like the dogs she had in 2005, but clearly cannot be the same specific dogs because they would not be alive in 2030.
  • The cast did not know the name of the mother until they read the last script. In all the previous ones The Mother was named as TM. In the last episode we found out that TM stands for Tracy McConnell. (Whether or not this is true is in dispute. The scene with the two under the yellow umbrella on the train platform - where they play the TM game - is shown in an episode earlier than the last episode.)
  • When Ted is under the umbrella with Tracy you can see that he's got a flesh-colored bandage on his right hand, from the high-infinity with Barney. 
  • Alyson Hannigan confirmed via Twitter that they shot a scene in which Lily repays Marshall for their long-term bet after Robin and Ted end up together. It was cut from the final aired version of the episode but is included in the Season 9 DVD set. 
  • Josh Radnor confirmed in an interview on his official Twitter that the scene featuring Robin as a bullfighter is present in the 18 minutes cut.
  • HIMYM prop master David Baker confirmed via Twitter that they also shot a scene in which Robin is performing "Let's Go To The Mall" at her wedding reception with The Mother's band, Superfreakonomics. This too was cut from the final aired episode but is available on the Season 9 DVD.
  • In 2018, Barney claims to want to be like bachelor George Clooney. Ironically, Clooney himself got engaged the month after this episode aired and married later in 2014.
  • After shooting the finale, the cast and crew had a cocktail party at MacLaren's. Cristin Milioti confirmed that she and Cobie Smulders got drunk and that Neil Patrick Harris and Josh Radnor were sober.
  • The song "Downtown Train" is heard at the Farhampton train station when Ted first talks to The Mother. This version is by Everything But the Girl. The original version is by Tom Waits, composer of the song.
  • The exterior of the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon was used for the Robots vs. Wrestlers fight.

Guests[]

  • Jim Nantz as himself
  • Judith Drake - Bernice
  • Marshall Manesh - Ranjit Singh
  • Joe Nieves - Carl
  • Saudia Rashed - Nurse
  • Courtney Hope Turner - Girl
  • Brooke Lynn Howard - Sexy Girl #1
  • Justene Alpert - Sexy Girl #2
  • Alexandria Skaltsounis - Erin
  • Patrick Kang - 22-Year-Old Guy
  • Kerrigan Milker - Young Penny

Deleted Scenes[]

In 2019, on the end of August, Barney is seen smoking a cigar which then Carl yells at him. Barney tells him that he has had a perfect month with 30 girls, but just then, Carl tells him that there are 31 days in August. Barney freaks out and pulls the play that he has one day left to live on a girl, although he bragged of not having to use that play a single time within his perfect month. Barney has been shown to have a problem remembering which months have 31 days.

During lunch Robin tells Ted the story of how she was gored by a bull, Ted wonders how they ended up here. Robin agrees except she believe she should have ended up with Ted. Ted informs her that he meant how they ended up at this restaurant instead of the bar. Ted tells her that he is happy and that he has to go. He then does his salute to Robin before he leaves.

In the ending scene, Marshall finds out that Ted and Robin ended up together and he makes Lily pay up the five dollars (see No Pressure) in singles slowly, she does and then they kiss.  

Podcast[]

Reception[]

  • The episode was viewed by 13.13 million viewers. It became the highest rated and most viewed episode of the series.[5]
  • The episode's reception has been mostly mixed with a some fans agreeing that the finale delivered what it should have, while some saying that they were betrayed. Praise was directed towards how the episode connected the dots, while criticism was expressed over the twist in the end and some believe it contradicted much of the past 207 episodes.
  • In response to the negative backlash from some fans, Carter Bays and Craig Thomas went on record stating that the DVD set for season 9 will include an alternate ending. The alternate ending was made through editing existing material. No new footage was shot.
  • It was voted on the web page eonline.com as the third worst finale of a television series shortly after airing. [6]
  • Donna Bowman on the A.V. Club gave this episode a B+. [7]
  • Max Nicholson of IGN gave the episode a 9.7 out of 10. [8]
  • Dhruv Rao of The DR Club gave the episode an A- [1]
  • The St. Petersburg Comic Review gave this episode 10 out of 10 stars. "A great finale, despite what some might say,,,"

References[]

External Links[]


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Last Forever - Part One
Last Forever - Part Two
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