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Last Forever - Part Two

Revision as of 10:18, 27 October 2016 by Al229 (Message Wall | contribs)
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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 the MacLaren's hanging out again for the first time in a long time. Barney says that they are going to stay late. Lily laments that Robin is not with them even though she swore she'd be there for the big moments. Ted says that this is not really a big moment, but Barney says it is. Just then, Marshall walks towards their booth and tells them that it is a big moment, because he is going to be a judge. A few hours later, while they are still talking at the bar, Barney sees a girl and gets up to walk towards her but Lily stops him.  Lily asks if he has changed even a little from his old womanizing ways and he says he hasn't. There was a time when it seemed that he was capable of going the distance, but if it didn't work with Robin, it won't work with anyone else.

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

In 2020, Ted takes his infant 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 who are there for the birth of Barney's child. A nurse comes and tells them that it's a girl, who has been named Ellie. The nurse lets Barney hold her. Barney becomes emotional and starts crying, telling his baby daughter, "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 get married to him on the coming Thursday, and she says yes. The day of the wedding, The gang, minus Robin, are at MacLaren's. Just then, Robin walks in the bar, leaving them surprised. She apologizes for missing some of the big moments. She congratulates Barney for becoming a father. Marshall also tells them that he is running for the position of a judge of the Supreme Court. When Ted says that Robin RSVP'd no, Robin tells him that The Mother convinced her to come. The Mother then walks in the bar and takes a picture of the gang together.

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

Ted then tells his kids in 2030 that he was glad he reached there with difficulty as it made the lesson clear. He says that he knew the moment he met their mother that he had to love her as much as could, through all the 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 doodle but then puts it down.

Meanwhile, Robin enters her apartment with her dogs. Just then her doorbell rings. Robin attempts to call downstairs to see who it is, but gives up. She opens her window to look outside and sees Ted holding the Blue French Horn in a scene reminiscent to the pilot, with Ted even dressed the same way. Robin looks down and smiles at him. The screen fades to black and says "How I Met Your Mother".

The episode concludes with stills of the main cast (from the Pilot) set to The Walkmen's "Heaven".

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 (possibily 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, "Which mother misses her own daughter's wedding?"), but the mother is assumed to be to 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 and the mother are finally shown meeting, 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.
  • 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 occult.
  • The Mother's painting of robots bowling is seen in Ted's house when he re-proposes to Tracy.
  • Barney mentions the time he tried to accomplish 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 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.
  • Robin asks for a system to connect her to the camera of her house's entrance, but it doesn't work. This is a reference 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.
  • 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

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

Josh Radnor took over Bob Saget voice over on the Series Finale.

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.
  • 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.
  • 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, Tracy, Barney, and Robin 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.
    • Robin and Barney have never been seen wearing wedding rings in the future.
  • 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, it is implied that she became closer to 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
    • However given that Penny and Luke were still kid 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 the 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 look at his daughter the cigars have vanished.

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, NPH'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]
  • The scene where the kids convince Ted to go out with Robin 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.
  • Barney has a daughter called 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.
  • When Marshall announces that he's running for the State Supreme Court he still has a full head of hair. That might imply that he lost his first race, but sometime in the future (after he lost his hair) ran again and won. Another explanation is Marshall is bald in 2020 (as seen in other flash forwards), but wears a toupee because a bald head reminds him too much of his own wedding.
    • Actually, Marshal states in Rally how the campaign was "the most stressful three last weeks of my life" and a picture of early campaign show him with a head still full of hair, implying he became bald during the campaign.
  • This episode opens up the possibility of Robin and Ted dating in 2030.
  • 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's under the umbrella with Tracy you can see that he's got a flesh-colored bandage on his right hand, from the ultimate high-five 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. 
  • 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.
  • 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.

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.

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 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 205 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

  1. ↑ https://twitter.com/alydenisof/statuses/450859523628994560
  2. ↑ http://www.givememyremote.com/remote/2013/11/21/when-is-how-i-met-your-mothers-series-finale/
  3. ↑ https://twitter.com/HimymCraig/status/413778513284460546
  4. ↑ http://www.cbs.com/shows/how_i_met_your_mother/news/1001722/
  5. ↑ http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/04/01/monday-final-tv-ratings-how-i-met-your-mother-friends-with-better-lives-adjusted-down
  6. ↑ http://www.eonline.com/photos/10012/the-best-and-worst-tv-finales-of-all-time/370243
  7. ↑ http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/how-i-met-your-mother-last-forever-202887
  8. ↑ http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/04/01/how-i-met-your-mother-last-forever-review

External Links


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