First of all, I don’t know what finale you saw, but the one I saw was amazing. I never watched the show religiously, I always felt the title was an oxymoron that I was forced to deal with.

It was never about the mother. I repeat, it was never, ever, ever, getting back together, about the mother. The mother was mentioned and hyped but in a nine season show, I predicted you were going to get her in one episode. They gave you a few episodes, which is more generous than I would have been. The show was about a guy and his friends. If you took that title literal for nine years, well, here have a cookie.

I’m coming from a place of an occasional watcher. I enjoyed random episodes of the show- but let’s be clear, this ain’t Doctor Who or Mad Men. The first episode I saw was when Marshall and Lilly bought their house. I enjoyed Bob Saget’s voice over because it was brutally honest. “Here are two people that had no reason buying an apartment.” It turns out the apartment is lopsided. Winner

Marshall and Lilly: Our anchors end as our anchors. Their our mom and dad of the family. Our patriarchs have their kids; they’re still calling out Barney. The two end the show being Marshall and Lilly despite their little fight which we knew wasn’t going anywhere.

Robin and Barney: Ah, our imperfect, perfect couple. This storyline is where I get mad. They gave us a couple that we fell for hook, line, and sinker. Two independent, moderately selfish people date. Perfect. We have a winner-or do we? This is the only part that broke my heart. I was crushed, but I still like the way it ended. “It’s a successful three year marriage.”

Ted and the mother: She was as perfect as, as perfect can be. Ted got his dream girl. The scene where, on her wedding day, she takes a picture of the gang and she’s not in it, is a summary of the entire production. ‘This show might be named after me, but in no way is it about me.’ She wasn’t even afforded a real death! Blink and you miss her.

Ted and Robin: The writers wrote the ending in season two and whether or not you liked it- they were keeping it. When the show started talking about Aunt Robin, I was stumped. Cheese and potatoes- not the mother. I think they really wanted that scene where the kids are talking about how the show is really about Ted and Aunt Robin since it was filmed in advance. “This story isn’t about mom, it’s about you’re feelings for Aunt Robin!”

Barney and his baby: Some people are horrible at relationships but their kids are their one true love. There is nothing wrong with that. It’s honest. It makes sense that Ellie is Barney’s girl. I like the line, “If it wasn’t going to work with Robin, then its not going to work with anybody.” I’m calling right now, the reason why you don’t get to meet 31 is because in the next show How I Met Your Father, the story is about Ellie’s mom and how she met Barney.

Robin and Ted, part two: Sometimes you have to go over the river and through the woods and then years and years later you’re ready for each other. I like the messiness of it. I like that he got his kids and she got her career and now she was ready be with him. That, after all, is happily ever after.

Most of the criticism was that the show focused on a wedding that meant nothing. Wrong. The wedding weekend was full of foreshadowing. When Barney’s brother talks about how sometimes the other side of marriage isn’t all roses, their hinting about Robin and Barney and Ted and the Mother. Sometimes it just won’t last for whatever reason. Season eight, when Robin is in the park with Ted looking for her locket, was the big ringer. The writers were pushing them back together. I was mad, because, I lived for Barney. Back to the way the final season was written: it was golden. They built up to the finale with clues about what was going to happen. “Vesuvius, booyah”. The final season is a metaphor for the entire show. We are going to string you along and then slap you in the face for the finale. I repeat: perfect.

This show resonates because it was messy and honest and non-generic. The end.