Thrilling audiences for over 8 years with laughter, romance, and much wondering, “How I Met Your Mother” has entered its ninth and final season, and is coming to a close.
The comedy has been a staple among popular television shows for much of the past decade, but will end its run on t.v. in early 2014. The show is composed of love crazed Ted Mosby telling the story to his kids of how he met their mother. Through these flashbacks, the audience meets Ted’s gang of friends: Barney, Marshall, Robin and Lily. The brilliance of the show comes in its humor and plot, causing viewers to laugh hysterically while also constantly wondering how Ted met his wife.
Yet, in the final season of the show, it seems as if the leaders of the show have taken it in a new direction. While the plot was not always constantly progressing, it never totally stood still. The entire last season, though, takes place during Barney and Robin’s wedding weekend, crunching many stories into one hypothetical period of time.
While I have loved almost every season of ‘How I Met Your Mother’, this continuous weekend is making it difficult for me to continue watching the show. While the episodes tend to remain funny, the lack of plot progression turns me off from the show, though the biggest surprise of Ted meeting his wife has yet to be totally revealed. Although this anticipation somewhat draws me, other action is needed outside of the main wedding weekend of Barney and Robin. Throughout this weekend, tons of small stories take place, as the character are spread out in different times of their lives.
The show has attained an extremely loyal fan base through its eight years on the air, yet many are starting to waver. Although the majority of people want to uncover the final mystery they have been waiting so long to see of who Ted’s wife truly is, it is difficult to sit through an entire season with little other motivation.
The show operates without many truly big stars, the biggest being Neil Patrick Harris, who plays the role of Barney, a fun “bro” of Ted’s. Due to the relative lack of stardom in the cast, the show has frequently incorporated the group, and their adventures, as the main character. These stories are chronicled through all the seasons, with each character going through many different life events. The typically lightness and humor matches well with the occasional dark themes that include the lack of love.
With a group of characters that the audience has gotten to know so well, many assumed this trend would continue in the last season. While all characters have been incorporated in the last season, the show begins to separate them in the last season. Barney and Robin are getting married, yet paired together they lack some of their great traits of boldness. Ted and Lily are attending the wedding, yet Marshall is driving across the country to attempt to get to the wedding. The characters may be close in physical location for the most part, but the show’s attempt at creating ends for the characters has separated them from their original character.
Ted Mosby’s long journey for love is slated to come to a close soon, but the lack of plot progression in the final season makes it difficult for anyone but longtime viewers to finish the series.