I've moved from rage to the knowledge that this type of misogynistic tripe is rampant on television. At the end of the show all three important women were defined and either rewarded or punished for their willingness to become mothers. Lily goes from a woman who realizes that she needs to at least look beyond marrying the second guy she dated and try to see if she can become an artist, to a woman who seems to have nothing other to do than pop out babies. (And I have to note here that Ted was absolutely FURIOUS that Lily went to San Francisco, even though it was none of his business!) Robin is punished for wanting to have a career and life that fulfills her and for not wanting children. She is doomed to find out that no man, not self-designated paragon of love and devotion, Ted, nor designated by Ted selfish jerk Barney can love her when she has the career she wants. Tracy suffers the most. She provides Ted with the children he wants, only to die to clear the way for Ted to get Robin as she realizes that her life is empty and lonely even though she is a success. Even worse, those children showed not one bit of interest in Tracy or who she was. They are content to listen to the world's longest story about how much Ted wanted Robin. Then they become cheerleaders for him to go and get Robin back. Tracy has been dead more than a third of their lives. Her memory is fading every day. At 15-16 her daughter would be achingly aware that at 10 she didn't even know what questions to ask her mother to get to know her better and now there is no way to ever get those answers, except for what Ted remembers and tells her and Ted is far more interested in getting a tamed Robin than enlightening anyone about Tracy.
Most people I have run across have hated this finale. The ones who don't have made infuriating comments. The worst for me was that, of course it's a happy ending everyone finally ended up with the person they should be with. Marshall with Lily, Barney with his daughter, Ted with Robin, Tracy in heaven with dead Max. Okay, maybe it is preferable to be dead than married to Ted, but not really.
HIMYM started as a show I enjoyed. It was great to actually have a woman who actively didn't want kids and not have her be a horrible person. I loved Lily realizing that marrying Marshal before she explored herself would be a huge mistake. But the female characters became less independent and more overshadowed by what men, especially Ted, wanted from them.
I've moved from rage to the knowledge that this type of misogynistic tripe is rampant on television.
It is, but I can't remember the last time I saw this much misogyny this concentrated. AtS, maybe, but at least that was a tragedy.
Ted was absolutely FURIOUS that Lily went to San Francisco, even though it was none of his business!
OH MY GOD, that was awful.
Even worse, those children showed not one bit of interest in Tracy or who she was. They are content to listen to the world's longest story about how much Ted wanted Robin. Then they become cheerleaders for him to go and get Robin back.
It's really appalling. I....want to think that Ted, being Ted, has probably spent the last few years telling (and re-telling and re-telling) all of his stories that are actually about Tracy, and so the roundabout "how I met your Aunt Robin" was not such an insult. But it's still more than a little manipulative to promise them they'd hear about their mother.
maybe it is preferable to be dead than married to Ted
It would be nice to think that he had told them everything before, but here is the transcript of the first lines of the Pilot
Narrator: Kids, I’m going to tell you an incredible story. The story of how I met your mother
Son: Are we being punished for something?
Narrator: No
Daughter: Yeah, is this going to take a while?
And at the end of the Pilot
[Cut to year 2030. Kids intently listening keenly interested]
Narrator: …is the true story, of how I met your Aunt Robin.
Son: Aunt Robin?
Daughter: I thought this was about how you met mom!
So Ted and the kids aren't acting like he told it before and even if he had, wouldn't they be hoping that they could find out something new, instead of acting like hearing about their DEAD mother is a huge chore?
Most people I have run across have hated this finale. The ones who don't have made infuriating comments. The worst for me was that, of course it's a happy ending everyone finally ended up with the person they should be with. Marshall with Lily, Barney with his daughter, Ted with Robin, Tracy in heaven with dead Max. Okay, maybe it is preferable to be dead than married to Ted, but not really.
HIMYM started as a show I enjoyed. It was great to actually have a woman who actively didn't want kids and not have her be a horrible person. I loved Lily realizing that marrying Marshal before she explored herself would be a huge mistake. But the female characters became less independent and more overshadowed by what men, especially Ted, wanted from them.
I think I'm moving back into rage again.
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It is, but I can't remember the last time I saw this much misogyny this concentrated. AtS, maybe, but at least that was a tragedy.
Ted was absolutely FURIOUS that Lily went to San Francisco, even though it was none of his business!
OH MY GOD, that was awful.
Even worse, those children showed not one bit of interest in Tracy or who she was. They are content to listen to the world's longest story about how much Ted wanted Robin. Then they become cheerleaders for him to go and get Robin back.
It's really appalling. I....want to think that Ted, being Ted, has probably spent the last few years telling (and re-telling and re-telling) all of his stories that are actually about Tracy, and so the roundabout "how I met your Aunt Robin" was not such an insult. But it's still more than a little manipulative to promise them they'd hear about their mother.
maybe it is preferable to be dead than married to Ted
Better dead than Red Ted?
Reply
Narrator: Kids, I’m going to tell you an incredible story. The story of how I met your mother
Son: Are we being punished for something?
Narrator: No
Daughter: Yeah, is this going to take a while?
And at the end of the Pilot
[Cut to year 2030. Kids intently listening keenly interested]
Narrator: …is the true story, of how I met your Aunt Robin.
Son: Aunt Robin?
Daughter: I thought this was about how you met mom!
So Ted and the kids aren't acting like he told it before and even if he had, wouldn't they be hoping that they could find out something new, instead of acting like hearing about their DEAD mother is a huge chore?
This was so, so bad.
Reply
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