The main storyline on How I Met Your Mother thus far this season has revolved around Ted getting married to Stella and the question of whether Stella is in fact the titular mother. It was revealed two weeks ago (and thus I'm not calling it a spoiler here) that Stella is not the mother of Ted's children, that she broke off the relationship immediately prior to the wedding to go be with her ex. Last night left the show, and Ted, trying to move on from that emotional (for him anyway) event.
For me, it brought up an interesting question about how shows make such transitions. A lot of people, not the least of whom was the jilted groom, were emotionally invested in the relationship and the end of it necessarily produced feelings of upset and distress. However, How I Met Your Mother is, first and foremost, a comedy, and must figure out a way to still be funny while not marginalizing a serious topic.
Consequently, while last night's episode did have many a joke, it was, perhaps, slightly more serious than usual. Ted spent his evening trying to get over Stella, which he actually claimed at the outset to have already done (a clearly false statement). By the end of the half-hour, Ted had realized that Stella was in the best place for her that she could possibly be, even if that meant that it wasn't with Ted. Upon recognizing that and truly wanting the best for his ex, Ted finally was able to move on. How sweet.
Actually, Ted's acknowledgment of Stella's happiness bolstered how we, as an audience, see the main character on the show. Ted is, as was pointed out to him by Robin in the wedding episode, the ultimate romantic. Last night really reinforced that notion. Ted wanted Stella's romance to be the right one, even if that meant it wasn't with him. Good for Ted.
Article comments
1 - Fred
The writing quality of this article is clumsy at best and illogical at worst; simplistic and pointless.