How he finally met the mother (Season 9)

This is an interesting theory and it does partly explain why Cobie Smulders told Esquire that she "lost it. I had to leave. ... I totally lost it" when Thomas told her last month (before they shot the final episode, of course) about how the show ends.

EDIT: It's interesting that he told Smulders before he told any other cast members.

The more I ruminate on this theory, I see Ted's cheesy letting-go of Floating-Away Robin a few weeks back in an entirely different light. As you (or the reviewer you quoted) point out, this show started being about Robin and it will end being about Robin.

Link to Smulders' quotes but warning, the pics are NSFW: http://www.popculturology.com/2014/02/cobie-smulders-on-himym-ending-i.html

 

Perhaps NSFW, but well worth a look when it is safe.

 

If the idea was to built the buzz for the last few episodes, they did a great job.

 

I'm on board with the Robin is dead theory and she's the mother of the kids and Barney is the father.

Mostly because I like it and, as I recall, the show runners had a plan to make the baker chick Ted's bride in case they didn't get this season. So, to me, that means the big reveal isn't who Ted's wife is, it is that Robin was the mother to those kids and Barney was or is possibly the dad.

Those with better memories can remind me but outside of the fairly recent Argentina flash forward, neither Barney or Robin has been seen in the future.

As I recall, the prevailing theory was that meant Barney and Ted had a falling out over Robin but what if it was because that Robin and Barney were both dead?

 

How can those be Robin's kids when future Ted keeps talking about "your Aunt Robin" to them?

 

yeah, the show is called "how i met your mother." if their mother were robin, the show would've ended after one episode

 

You do actually see Robin in the future, when she's telling Lily about the day she watched Marvin while Lily chased down the pacifier. I believe you see Lily and Robin together in 2030 when it's finally revealed Marvin was held by Mike Tyson.

 

Yes, the oldest we see pretty much any of the core group is Robin and Lilly. And we know Robin doesn't have kids. And honestly The Mother being dead wouldn't be a bad framing device at all, so why are you all so upset? And it's probably a misdirection anyway.

 

We don't know that Robin can't adopt.

 

I thought Future Ted specifically said she would have no children.

 

I thought he said she "wouldn't be an Olympic pole vaulter," which could have narrowly meant that she did not give birth.

 

Perhaps. I don't feel like going back. But I did enjoy Monday's episode quite a bit, regardless of what happens.