The finale was very flawed, but it was not quite as bad as I thought it'd be. It seems like many people are mad at the fact the mother died, that Barney and Robin got divorced, and that Ted is trying to get back with Robin. I think they could've made this work, but they needed another episode or 2 to get this point across. Filler episodes such as "Mom and Dad" and "Bedtime Stories" should have been scrapped for more meaningful episodes that involve the mother. One episode should have been dedicated to Ted's life after he met the mother, and another episode should have been dedicated to the mother's sickness and death. Also, the one thing they did right was how they wrapped Marshall and Lilly. I thought they succeeded there.
My biggest problem with the finale was that they somehow managed to make the mother's death, the biggest tragedy that has happened on this show, seem insignificant. There were merely 2 quick mentions of the mother's passing, which made an ending that would have been super impactful have far less power. Scenes such as the first time they found she was sick, Ted telling the gang she was sick, what her exact sickness was, her last words with Ted, and the funeral would have this a truly moving finale in and of itself. I also think Ted should have made it far clearer that the mother's passing was the most difficult time of his life. After that, the plot could have changed a bit. Instead of trying to get with Robin, this story could've been told because the mother died 6 years ago to the day, and he was mourning and remembering how great she was by telling this story to his kids.
If they wanted Robin and Ted to get back together in the end, fine. First of all, they should have shown the deleted scene of Robin and Ted having lunch together after bumping into each other when Ted was showing his daughter the GNB building. Also, they should have made it clearer that the mother's death was the hardest time of his life, even harder than (then past scenes of Ted's hardships, such as Victoria moving, breaking up with Robin, getting left at the altar, Barney and Robin getting married, etc., pop up). He then should have explained to the kids that he thinks he was finally ready to move on after a hard 6 years. Then the kids bring up Aunt Robin and he asks her out exactly how he did in the finale.
Lastly, many people were mad at Barney and Robin's divorce, but I personally thought this was inevitable. Yeah, they're extremely similar, but not necessarily in a good way. Both hated commitment and were very independent people. They just shouldn't have divorced them in the episode right after they got married. The fans were invested in this relationship, but the creators knew all along that Barney and Robin's wedding was not truly about their relationship: it was truly about Ted meeting the mother. Therefore, I don't think the creators thought fans would care about their what-seemed-like immediate divorce, but fans were invested in this relationship already and did care. Barney having a kid and becoming mature was a good ending for his character though.
All in all, we needed a 3-4 episode long finale instead of 2 if they wanted to end the show like this. If they only wanted a 2 episode long finale, they should have used the alternate finale because they just didnt have enough time to explain the ending they presented.
My biggest problem with the finale was that they somehow managed to make the mother's death, the biggest tragedy that has happened on this show, seem insignificant. There were merely 2 quick mentions of the mother's passing, which made an ending that would have been super impactful have far less power. Scenes such as the first time they found she was sick, Ted telling the gang she was sick, what her exact sickness was, her last words with Ted, and the funeral would have this a truly moving finale in and of itself. I also think Ted should have made it far clearer that the mother's passing was the most difficult time of his life. After that, the plot could have changed a bit. Instead of trying to get with Robin, this story could've been told because the mother died 6 years ago to the day, and he was mourning and remembering how great she was by telling this story to his kids.
If they wanted Robin and Ted to get back together in the end, fine. First of all, they should have shown the deleted scene of Robin and Ted having lunch together after bumping into each other when Ted was showing his daughter the GNB building. Also, they should have made it clearer that the mother's death was the hardest time of his life, even harder than (then past scenes of Ted's hardships, such as Victoria moving, breaking up with Robin, getting left at the altar, Barney and Robin getting married, etc., pop up). He then should have explained to the kids that he thinks he was finally ready to move on after a hard 6 years. Then the kids bring up Aunt Robin and he asks her out exactly how he did in the finale.
Lastly, many people were mad at Barney and Robin's divorce, but I personally thought this was inevitable. Yeah, they're extremely similar, but not necessarily in a good way. Both hated commitment and were very independent people. They just shouldn't have divorced them in the episode right after they got married. The fans were invested in this relationship, but the creators knew all along that Barney and Robin's wedding was not truly about their relationship: it was truly about Ted meeting the mother. Therefore, I don't think the creators thought fans would care about their what-seemed-like immediate divorce, but fans were invested in this relationship already and did care. Barney having a kid and becoming mature was a good ending for his character though.
All in all, we needed a 3-4 episode long finale instead of 2 if they wanted to end the show like this. If they only wanted a 2 episode long finale, they should have used the alternate finale because they just didnt have enough time to explain the ending they presented.