How I Met Your Mother's Alternate Ending Is The Real One For Many Fans - Here's Why

When it comes to bad television series finales, few loom quite as large as the finale of "How I Met Your Mother," which screeched to a halt after nine seasons and forced viewers to watch as Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor, with voiceovers by the late Bob Saget) reunited with his ex-girlfriend Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders). Despite the fact that the title of the show indicates that it's a story about Ted meeting the mother of his children — played by Lyndsy Fonseca and David Henrie — showrunners Carter Bays and Craig Thomas pulled a fast one on audiences in March of 2014. Yes, technically, Ted does meet the mother in the finale — Tracy McConnell, played winningly by Cristin Milioti — but it's then revealed that she dies of an undisclosed illness, leaving Ted free to pursue yet another relationship with Robin.

When the full DVD boxset of "How I Met Your Mother" released in the fall of 2014, it included an alternate ending where the show simply comes to a close after Tracy and Ted meet at a train station on a rainy evening in the Hamptons. It's so much better than the real ending, and it's also a much better fit for the entire show. There were other issues with the series finale — rushed pacing, for starters — but closing it at Ted and Tracy's first encounter just feels right for so many reasons.

If Ted Mosby is one thing, he's a hopeless romantic; it's this quality that pushes him to keep pursuing Robin over and over again throughout the show, despite overwhelming evidence that they're wrong for each other. In a world where "How I Met Your Mother" ends with Bob Saget's voiceover telling his kids the way he met their mother as Ted and Tracy exchange smiles and argue over a lost umbrella, the show honors its characters more — especially when it comes to both Ted and Robin.

Ted loves love, and every time he seems close to finding it throughout the series, something goes wrong ... from his first-ever breakup with Robin to the time that Sarah Chalke's Stella Zinman leaves him at the altar for her ex-husband. What we do see of Ted and Tracy's relationship is sweet and full of love, and it's beyond clear that the two are perfectly suited for each other (they both have rare coin collections and pronounce "Renaissance fair" like absolute dweebs). The love Ted finds with Tracy is the love he deserves, not a conditional one with Robin. 

As for Robin, she's in love with her career — and her ambition and drive end up causing problems in all of her relationships, including her short-lived marriage to Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris). She shouldn't have to give up her professional successes for Ted, a man who wants his partner to stay home and not travel the world for work. Shoving Ted and Robin back together at the end of "How I Met Your Mother" is, ultimately, bad for both characters.

The other benefit of the alternate ending of "How I Met Your Mother" is that it makes the conclusion of the series way less upsetting. It's completely heartbreaking to think that, after years of searching for the love of his life, Ted meets Tracy, who's perfect for him in every single way ... only for her to die before they can truly grow old together. There's a devastating scene in Season 9 (the entirety of which is set at Robin and Barney's wedding) where, in a flash-forward, Ted and Tracy are discussing whether or not Robin's mother ever made it to the wedding. Tracy asks what kind of mother would miss their daughter's wedding, at which point the two start crying; even in that moment, it's a clear indication that Tracy is already terminally ill. 

This scene is absolutely gutting, especially when you recall that, elsewhere in Season 9, audiences learn that Tracy's former boyfriend Max died tragically and unexpectedly. "How I Met Your Mother" is a sweet show at heart, but it made the baffling choice to give Ted and Tracy a truly devastating ending; in the alternate version, the two get their real happy ending. In so many ways, the alternate ending of "How I Met Your Mother" is the conclusion that everyone really wanted.