Since Walter White finally got to the fireworks factory in the series finale of Breaking Bad, the TV theory machine, i.e. Dustin, has been quiet, as turned off as the words “pink teddy bear” turned us on. Theoretical nonsense about zombies isn’t fun, because zombies are already metaphors for anything and everything. That’s why I’m really, really hoping this How I Met Your Mother speculation from E!, which isn’t new but is worth mentioning again, comes true. Spoilers for who haven’t spent eight years of their lives following the adventures of Teddy Westside.
The Mother? She dead. Reason #1: the finale will be heartbreaking.
When we chatted with [co-creator Carter] Bays in the middle of season eight about the series finale, he confirmed that the game plan has been altered and can continue to be altered, but certain things have never veered off course, like the ending.
“I think it’ll be a fantastic series finale. The series finale is kind of why we’ve done the show all along and whenever we do get to do that finale, we’re very excited about it because I think it’s going to be really heartbreaking, and sweet and wonderful.” (Via)
Reason #2: Ted’s vague speech.
The episode in season eight which led us to really think about this theory was “The Time Travelers.” At the end of the episode, Ted imagines himself running to his future wife’s apartment and giving her an impassioned speech about how he will meet her 45 days from now. Most viewers focused on the fact that we finally got an exact timeline of when the mother comes into Ted’s life. But hearing the speech again raised some red flags. Here is a snippet:
“Exactly 45 days from now, you and I are going to meet. We’re going to fall in love and we’re going to get married, and we’re going to have two kids. We’re going to love them and each other so much. All that is 45 days away, but I’m here now, I guess because I want those extra 45 days with you. I want each one of them…I am always going to love you. Until the end of my days and beyond.”
The fact that he wants those extra 45 days with her is kind of telling. Either he’s just saying he wants all the time he can get with her because he loves her and has been waiting for her, or she was taken from him too soon and he wants more time with his wife now. And the line about loving her until the end of his days, well, that’s part of traditional wedding vows, but it also sounds like a promise to the woman he loved and lost. (Via)
Reason #3: The Mother’s an absentee parent.
Where is she? We have seen every episode of HIMYM, and it’s possible that we’re wrong and missed something, but we don’t believe the mother has ever been referred to in present tense in the flashfoward when Ted is talking to the kids. Not even a simple: “I better hurry this story up because your mother will be home soon.” Sure, the show is called How I Met Your Mother, so the focus is always on the flashbacks and Ted’s life before meeting her. But still, where is she in the present day that she never interrupts the story or is never referred to as in the next room or something? (Via)
The evidence is sketchy at best, and I’m fairly certain Future Ted mentions The Mother in the present tense in one episode, but I’d be down with this interpretation. Bob Saget’s wife died on Full House — maybe How I Met Your Mother is actually a Full House prequel? Just like how Breaking Bad lead into Malcolm in the Middle. Solved.