By Matt Cruz
Staff Writer

One of the most consistent and successful sitcoms in TV history came to an end on March 28 as the hit series “How I Met Your Mother” had its series finale.

The episodes leading up to the finale have featured the wedding of Robin (Cobie Smulders) and Barney (Neil Patrick Harris), news of a second child on the way for Lily (Alyson Hannigan) and Marshall (Jason Segel), and a flash-forward conversation between Ted (Josh Radnor) and the Mother (Cristin Milioti) that led some fans to speculate that she may be dead by the time the story ends.

The finale though sparked up much controversy.

When Ted finally finished the story for his kids, they called him on it: His story wasn’t all about how he met their mother (she was barely in the story), it was about how much he loved Robin.
As many had theorized, the mother of Ted’s children (Tracy McConnell), had been dead for years by the time he told his story.

One of the many flash forwards in the finale was when Ted went to the street in front of Robin’s apartment and showed up with that blue French horn, the same one he stole for her in the first episode.
Robin, of course, had long ago divorced Barney — the first big shocker of the night.

Barney, however, we would learn, he’s a father, and in one of several touching scenes from the episode, finally found the love of his life in baby Ellie.

Marshall and Lily, pregnant with their second child in the present day, went on to have a third as seen in one the many flash forwards.

And the mother? The meeting between the two is seen at that train station. This is where the two first meet and the connection is instantaneous. It was played perfectly by Josh Radnor and Cristin Milioti to fully captivate all of the hype the past nine seasons have built up for this first encounter.

They couldn’t get married for several years after however, due to the fact they had a baby on the way.
Ted, shared with his kids that he learned he had to love their mother with everything he had to give her especially during her illness which led to her eventual death.

Needless to say, the show stayed true to form, as it had in all its nine years, making viewers uncover emotions that sitcoms don’t normally expose. And if someone’s eyes stayed dry through the entire episode, they’re probably stronger than most viewers.

“I’ve been following the show for years and I never would have expected it to end like that,” Neshaminy junior Brendan Grady said, “It was awesome.”

It is toss up which is more impressive about the show, that a sitcom could last 200 episodes with what sounds like a one-idea basis or the entire original main cast has remained with the show for the whole run, the only change being the addition being Teds wife season eight.

Neither does this: Of the show’s first 184 episodes, 172 were directed by the same person, Pamela Fryman.

“How I Met Your Mother” has had remarkable consistency over this nine year run. According to the NY Daily News, the show averaged 9.47 million fans per episode in season one, compared to the 9.67 million in season seven and 9.02 million in season eight.

The finale itself attracted 12.9 million viewers. This was the best turnout in the shows nine year run.

Some say the series ended terribly, others say there wasn’t a more perfect ending, either way one can’t deny their near impeccable nine year run as one of the highest rated sitcoms in the history of modern television.