The ending of How I Met Your Mother is not what some (or a lot) of people were expecting, though some did theorize that it might play out as it did. Regardless, for those who want an alternate outcome to Ted's story of how he met his kids' mother, the alternate ending, which was promised in the Season 9 DVD, has made its way online and well, it's kind of lovely in a happily-ever-after sort of way... (Spoilers, obviously, if you're not caught up on How I Met Your Mother through the series finale!)
The original and official ending of How I Met Your Mother had Ted and Tracy (the mother, played by Cristin Milioti), falling in love and having two kids, while Robin and Barney's marriage eventually fell apart. Robin was single and working hard after that, while Barney ended up getting some woman pregnant after which he became a happy father. Marshal became a judge and he and Lily had three kids. After it was revealed that Tracy died at some point prior to Ted telling his kids about how he met her, Ted's kids encouraged their father to pursue Robin, which he did.
The problem with the ending, for a lot of people anyway, is that -- while it did bring everything back to the beginning in its own poetic sort of way as Ted went after Robin -- it essentially unraveled a lot of the plot that had been developing over the last few seasons, the ninth season included. Why did we spend all season watching Robin and Barney overcome their differences as they made their way to the alter only to find out their marriage didn't last? And if this was always supposed to be about Ted ending up with Robin, why spend all of Season 9 letting us get to know the mother? The lead-up didn't match the conclusion. Or it didn't really prepare us for it anyway. Some fans may disagree.
A lot of fans weren't thrilled with the ending that aired. Some even made alternate endings. Fans have likely been waiting to see what the official alternate ending looked like. If they were hoping for a less complicated future for the HIMYM characters, this alternate ending delivers.
Looking at the above video (via Collider, especially by comparison to the original ending, it's obviously a much happier ending. And while no one says a TV show has to end with everything being tied up in a neat bow, the conclusion above does feel more fitting to the final season and the series as a whole in terms of staying the course set by the more recent seasons.
Fans can get that ending on the Season 9 DVD set, as promised, which is due out later this month.
