Coral

That was soooo much better.
It seems like it wasn't an already made alternate ending... just one they put together after the outrage.

I could live with Robin/Barney divorcing - because their wedding brought Ted and Tracey together, so the whole wedding had some use.

OR

I can live with finding out the mother died years after - as long as Robin/Barney stay married so Ted doesn't wind up with her again. In fact, we can still assume the mother is going to die from the hints given a few episodes before the finale.

HOWEVER

I HATED the aired ending where all 3 worst-case scenarios played out:
- Robin/Barney divorced
- the mother dies
- Ted and Robin are together again

The ending doesn't have to be entirely happy, but I didn't want everything that previously happened to be negated at the end and then having something they kept dangling over my head (ie. Robin) shoved down my throat. It's a slap in the face and didn't fit the tone of the show.

The only thing I would change with this alternate ending is slip the kids in one last time before he starts explaining how he got to the mother - even if they're not saying anything and just smiling.

DRG

Yeah, I think the biggest problem is they had shot the Aunt Robin ending years ago when the kids were still young, and the creators wanted so desperately to use it to show how clever they had been from day one... even if it didn't work with where the story had evolved. They sort of handcuffed themselves to using that ending, especially after announcing multiple times they had shot that footage in interviews.

ivelostr2

I didn't hate the original ending, but that one was WAAAAAYYYYYYYY better.

Jackskeleton

After the cluster fuck of the original ending happened, there was a fan made version of the ending that edited around the episode to end exactly like that. The only difference is that it didn't have Bob Sagat's voice over. Which really does seal the deal in narrating all the steps that this show covered and delivered on telling us how and why these events mattered in meeting the mother.

But yeah, this was totally them just trying to sweep up the negative reaction of the ending by duct taping this together with the footage they already had.

movieking

It's better, but it underscores why so much of the series dealt with Robin, which the aired version does essentially address. The story wasn't so much about the Mother, but how he wanted the kids permission to date Robin.

In the updated version, Robin & Barney don't divorce? Most of the leaks have been taken down.

Jackskeleton

That was the story when it was a 3-4 season show. They really should have dropped their original intent after the 5th season and especially after we got a mother who had so much good chemistry with Ted.

Barney and Robin still divorce, which still remains a bit of annoyance of why we focused so much of that last season on that wedding weekend and them beating us over the head at how right they really are for each other, no we swear. Stop 'shipping Ted and Robin.

starseed1981

Damn video is down. Grrrr.

madcougar

Too bad that wasn't the real ending... it would have completely changed how I see the show.

Jackskeleton

Not even when they send you that check for $5 on your birthday?

Original Desmond

Well i finally made it through season 9, took a while as i had the eps sitting there but always have something more interesting to watch

Finally thought WTF, let's get it over with

I watched the original episodes followed immediately by the alternate cut from DVD

I didn't mind the original ending as much as most people, it was just the way it was presented. Ted and Tracey had 11 great years together yielding 2 kids and then Ted waited another 6 years before going after Robin and that was with his kid's blessing. I didn't think that was too bad.

The alternate cut, i liked the montage leading up to Ted meeting Tracey under the umbrella and yeah not having any of the morbid stuff about Traceys death changed things a lot. They should have aired this originally and had the extended ending as the alternate one on the dvd

Original Desmond

I do want to see the Robin Sparkles deleted scenes and also any more scenes which hint about No 31

Jackskeleton

Again, the real issue with that is they wasted a whole season on a weekend wedding and breezed through 11 years of some amazing character chemistry and then dismissed the whole death so quickly.

madcougar

Yep, the mother was just a prop to FINALLY get Ted and Robin together.

RichC2

I guess "How I Met Your Step-Mother" didn't have the same ring to it.

Original Desmond

I wonder if Alyson Hannigan will move onto another show which ends up being long running

7 years on buffy, and then pretty much straight onto 9 years on this show, she's had a good run !

hdnmickey

The alternate ending is so good, it almost make the last season tolerable. Almost.

Here's a new link.

http://vimeo.com/90920106

stvn1974

I think she is working on a Ben Affleck/Matt Damon produce show next. IMDB lists it as a TV movie but I could have sworn I read it was going to be a series.

madcougar

Good Will Hunting The Show?!

Coral

That's an alternate ending... but not THE alternate ending.

Bluelitespecial

I just got the season 9 dvd, and I liked how they included the alternate ending with the final episode. I had no problem with the original ending because Ted going after Robin was part of the pilot. The montage of the alternate ending was great, and tied up the story just as well. All the haters can now have their choice on which way to remember the show.

hdnmickey

Ok. Any links to THAT one? The previously posted link to it is dead.

Coral

Found it on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoHUs8J7x94

Decker

Not that I really care, but I noticed that the DVD advertises the solution of the pineapple incident. What was it?

JZ1276

I see. Because you preferred the orig ending, all the others who didn't are 'haters'. Gotcha.

Wiki: The mystery of the pineapple was solved in a deleted scene from the episode Daisy. The Captain explains that placing a pineapple outside of one's house is a maritime tradition, and he had placed one outside of his town house in New York City. Ted suddenly recalls taking the pineapple from the Captain's house. This scene conflicts with Ted's statement in this episode that they never found out where the pineapple came from.

Bluelitespecial

^^^^I never said I prefered the original ending, I was saying both worked well. By saying hater I meant those who didnt like it now have choice, its wasnt meant to attack anyone.