How I Met Your Mother Theories – Tracey, Yellow Umbrella, and more
In honor of the upcoming finale and the promise that the show’s title will be addressed I think it’s worth rehashing some of the popular theories to see which are viable, which are debunked, and what we actually think is going to happen.
Much of this data is gathered from the great How I Met Your Mother FAQ on IMDB.
The Tracy Theory
The “Tracy Theory” is based on the concluding scene of the Season 1 episode “Belly Full of Turkey,” where Ted meets a stripper who introduces herself as “Tracy,” upon which Future Ted’s narration chimes in, “and that, kids, is how I met your mother.” The kids react with shock, and Future Ted quickly reveals he’s kidding.
Fan consensus, however, is that there’s nothing that definitively establishes the mother’s name as Tracy, and the “Tracy Theory” is typically disregarded:
- We know what we see and hear on the screen isn’t necessarily what Future Ted tells verbatim to his kids, unless we actually hear Future Ted say it (one example: Ted and Victoria’s last day together in “Cupcake”). In other words, just because we heard the stripper say “I’m Tracy,” doesn’t mean that Future Ted told his kids, “She said her name was Tracy.”
- The kids’ shocked reaction in that scene would’ve happened regardless of whether Future Ted mentioned the mother’s real name or not. Future Ted defused the situation before the kids might’ve uttered something like “but her name’s not Tracy!”
- Considering the series’ previous “contingency mothers” (people who would’ve been the mother had the show been canceled at particular times) were Victoria and possibly Stella, the creators are certainly open to a mother who wasn’t named Tracy.
So while there’s no ruling out “Tracy,” there’s nothing definitive about it either.
Christine Scott Bennett is to blame for this theory gaining popularity lately. She has been cast as a woman named Tracey in the season four finale “The Leap”. Is this a hint toward the mom? Are the writers aware of the fan theories and just messing with us? What do you think?
St. Patrick’s Day Theory aka “Bump Girl”
“Bump Girl” is the nickname fans have given to the character played by Nicole Muirbrook Wagner in the third season episode “No Tomorrow.” Her entire scene amounts to Ted accidentally bumping into her while walking through a nightclub, Ted briefly apologizing and her graciously dismissing him. This was discussed immediately after the episode when fans, myself among them, noticed this girl.
Because Ted earlier notes that the Mother was in the nightclub that night but that he didn’t meet her, some casual fans have jumped on the theory that since the scene is pointless otherwise, Bump Girl must be the mother.
However, most of the more seasoned fans have come to the consensus that Bump Girl is simply a red herring; HIMYM has a recurring habit of subverting fiction tropes, often tied in to Future Ted’s recurring theme of “that’s not how it is in real life.” In real life, people don’t get over a broken heart overnight right after a seemingly healing epiphany; in real life, people don’t triumphantly push a dead Fiero to 200,000 miles; in real life, friends don’t always do the smart and thoughtful thing and tell their friends that purchasing an expensive apartment despite a horrendous interest rate and huge credit card debt is a stupid thing to do.
The trope that “Bump Girl” is riffing on is that of The Conservation of Information, also known as “Chekhov’s Gun“–you don’t show something if it’s not important. The writers are aware of this, and know that sparking a discussion is always a plus when it comes to the show. Bump Girl was thrown in to inspire that discussion, but one needs to keep in mind that “that’s not how it happens in real life,” and while she’s not technically ruled out as a candidate for “Mother,” knowing the life lessons HIMYM puts forward, it’s not a path that the writers are likely to pursue.
Stella saying she was at a St. Patrick’s Day party only contributes to this theory considering her inclusion in the general storyline surrounding the yellow umbrella (which Ted picked up from the bar after that party.)
Is Robin/Victoria/Wendy the Waitress/Coat-check girl the mother?
No.
Really, no.
As for Robin, we learned it in episode one. “That’s how I met, your aunt Robin.” Radnor and Smulders chemistry is so good that fans have kept trying to figure out ways to justify her being the mother.
No, “Aunt Robin” doesn’t necessarily mean he’s married to Robin’s sister. Future Ted also refers to “Uncle Barney,” “Uncle Marshall,” and “Aunt Lily,” meaning that his kids employ the custom of referring to their father’s close friends as “aunts” and “uncles.”
Further proof that Robin is not the mother is in “Something Blue,” where Future Ted’s closing narration not only establishes that he had not yet met the mother at the time of Marshall and Lily’s wedding, but also that Robin and the mother are two separate people.
In “No Tomorrow,” Ted and Barney go to a club where (Future Ted tells us) the mother is attending the same St. Patrick’s Day party; Robin spends that same night with Marshall and Lily.
As for other girls from past episodes of the show, it’s not possible.
- At the end of “Lucky Penny,” Future Ted wraps up the story by saying that the firm he was interviewing for hired someone else, and that person had to move to Chicago three months later. He points out: “Kids, funny thing about destiny; I thought I was destined to get that job. But I was wrong. My destiny was to stay in New York. Because if I hadn’t, I never would’ve met your mother.” Aside from strongly suggesting that he meets the mother in New York, it clearly means that he had not yet, at the time of “Lucky Penny” (and some window of time afterwards, prior to when he would have moved to Chicago) met the mother.
- At the end of “Something Blue,” Future Ted closes the story with this revelation of his and Robin’s futures: “And as hard as it was at the time, in the end we both got what we wanted. She did eventually go on to live in Argentina, and Morocco, Greece, Russia, even Japan for a little while. And I? Well, I met your mom.”
So anyone Ted can be construed to have “met” before the events of “Something Blue” can be definitively ruled out as the mother, including Victoria, the coat check girl, the Slutty Pumpkin, Wendy the Waitress, Trudy, and most other female characters Ted has personally significantly interacted with from Seasons 1 and 2.
There are, of course, subsequent statements that nonetheless establish Ted as not having met the mother yet:
- “No Tomorrow” – Future Ted makes a point of the fact that he learned years later that the mother attended the same St. Patrick’s Day 2008 party that he did, but did not meet her there.
- “The Three Days Rule” – after telling the story of how things with Holli went, Ted mentions that when he met the mother, he didn’t hesitate to call her back as soon as he got her number, strongly implying that this event has not happened yet in the timeline.
- “Right Place, Right Time” – Ted implies that the sequence of events that lead to his running into Stella “changed his life forever,” further implying that these events were crucial to his meeting the mother (and that Stella is going to be a key factor in this path). Take that all together and it means he hasn’t met the mother yet.
Finally
Carter has said in phone interviews that the reveal of the mother will not take advantage of a loop hole or clever twist. That promise further debunks many of the above theories.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Wait for it…
Subscribe to RSS
Follow on Twitter
John Darc | May 12, 2009 @ 5:36 pm
And yet people still think they're super smart for "figuring it out!" and thinking Robin/Bump girl is the mother.
JustinDickinson | May 12, 2009 @ 5:39 pm
I figured we'd get it all out there to catch the new readers up to speed with the long-standing theories thus far.
stu | May 12, 2009 @ 5:56 pm
i think, and hope, we won't actually meet the mother until the very final episode. cause i think the show needs to end where Ted meets the mother, that's what the show is about, How he Met the mother, not how he met the mother and what happened after.
Jeremy | May 12, 2009 @ 5:58 pm
Okay- I agree with everything you said. But I think you have to think the way Carter & Bays do. Firstly, they said there's no twist/loop hole in meeting the mother. Okay, that means it's going to be some girl that Ted meets at some point in his journey (and it could've been Stella or Victoria)- but there's one problem. C & B also have said that they've already filmed the last scene(s) of the series. They know how this thing is going to end already. How does that make sense if in theory the mother could be anyone?
Here's what I think, based on all the times C & B have thrown me for a loop- Why is Older Ted telling this story in the first place? Why is he sitting down with his kids to tell about it? The mother is gone. Maybe she died, or whatever, but he's telling this story as a lead-in to the news he's breaking to his kids, that he's getting married to…
Well, who would be the obvious choice? Probably Robin, because that's who everyone (except for the diehard BRO fans) would want him to end up with. The fact that Robin isn't the mother doesn't exclude Ted ending up with her at the end…
dcw | May 12, 2009 @ 6:06 pm
As JD pointed out to me already today we've already met Robin's sister – and she's too young – maybe. Could she have another sister? Did the plot already reveal that? If that's not it – chances are we have yet to see the mother on the screen.
Next question – as I believe this is waaaaay better than Friend's or other sitcoms we have to realize that coming up on the end of season four time is not on our side. How many seasons do they have left? Three? More? I know Carter and Craig have said they would like to end the show with the reveal of the mother but I would like to see a season or two after we figure out who it is as they date and court. Might not happen…
Either way – I'm guessing we'll learn crucial information uber soon.
Cheers!
dcw | May 12, 2009 @ 6:14 pm
So he's telling them the story after there mother passed away and about to introduce their Aunt Robin to them as their new mother? I'm confused.
dcw | May 12, 2009 @ 6:18 pm
I agree with the whole meeting the mother in the last epsiode deal… only problem is that it might make the show drag on if they wait another three seasons to reveal the answer – ADD will kick in and they'll lose viewers. Tell us who it is and work us up to the marriage. If not that, they end the show next season with the answer. Go out on top…
dcw | May 12, 2009 @ 6:21 pm
Also… I heard that too about the last scenes – does anyone have a link for that? I thought they did that after season 1 or 2 when they heard they might only have one season left = so they didn't want to leave any of us hanging, hence, film the last epsiode just in case. They could still scrap that and finish the story however they want…
Danielle | May 12, 2009 @ 6:21 pm
I do not think C & B already saying that they filmed the last scene with the kids really causes a problem. I think it is mainly just their reaction to his whole story really. Not just the meeting your mother part but everything he has told them to get to that place.
I think it is more of a coming of age story for them about finding true love.
And I really hope that is not the case that he is going to be with Robin..that is WAY played out.
Danielle | May 12, 2009 @ 6:24 pm
Just because the kids call her Aunt Robin does not mean Ted married Robins sister. He also calls them Uncle Marshall, Aunt Lily and Uncle Barney.
My friends kids call me Aunt.
dcw | May 12, 2009 @ 6:44 pm
I thought about that already. I have Aunt's and Uncle's that are not related – I get that… So Lily and Marhy could fit that role. Robin and Barney might actually be related to Ted's kids if they end up getting married. Just a thought.
What epsoide did we meet Robin's sister in? How old was she actually? Could she come back now more grown up and ready for Teddy?
It is what it is… all speculation. That's why we all watch…
JustinDickinson | May 12, 2009 @ 6:47 pm
We met her in First Time in New York and she was about 16 to Ted's 29. I think that's a little icky, even for Barney.
Danielle | May 12, 2009 @ 6:48 pm
I totally agree. She was only about 16..and PLUS, the mother was at the bar on St Patricks day. I am doubting Robins little sister who I believe lives in Canadian and would have been only 17 would be at that bar.
BSMOOTH | May 12, 2009 @ 6:49 pm
Great Post JD… now the next time you get Carter on the phone, don't forget, find out where they got that yellow umbrella!
Danielle | May 12, 2009 @ 6:59 pm
ooppss Canada.
dcw | May 12, 2009 @ 7:08 pm
Agreed. But a 17/18 year old at a bar in New York? Not really that crazy.
Now, Ted = 29 (two years after we first meet Ted) and Robin's little sister = 16; yeah, that isn't going to work.
Jean Pierre | May 12, 2009 @ 7:23 pm
I think that the mother could be Tracey and I also think that she could be the Slutty Pumpkin.
Ayah | May 12, 2009 @ 7:28 pm
So much references in one post! Nice to be clear with all those theories…
You did a very good job writing this: I'm gonna miss the show so much this summer
/and/ I want to re-watch it too.
JustinDickinson | May 12, 2009 @ 7:38 pm
Can't be the Slutty Pumpkin, he meets the mom after Lucky Penny, which is way after that fateful halloween.
SSJ | May 12, 2009 @ 7:48 pm
Hmmmm… I'm just wondering about one thing – when we meet the mother, will she became an integral part of the show? Will she became a regular cast member? Because it wouldn't be good for the show… This is a story of 5 people, not 6, just 5 and adding someone else to this group would be a cheap shot… Something like 'jump the shark', if you know what I mean. What do you think about that, JD?
carlitoa | May 12, 2009 @ 7:56 pm
Two questions.
1. It seems a lot of twitter users think last night was the season finale or that the show is otherwise ending. Is this the last season? I thought I read somewhere (here, probably) that more seasons were lined up.
2. Can the show still endure even after the mother is revealed?
JustinDickinson | May 12, 2009 @ 7:58 pm
I think that the writers know what they're doing and if they want to add a 6th character it'll be fine. The Victoria era had a sixth and everybody LOVED that time period.
JustinDickinson | May 12, 2009 @ 7:59 pm
The show isn't over. There'll be a season five.
Danielle | May 12, 2009 @ 8:01 pm
I totally agree. I think the Victoria as the 6th and even Stella as the 6th worked out fine.
I really hope we meet the mother at least a couple episodes before the end. I want to see her with Ted and the gang. I want to make sure Lily thinks she is porch worthly
Samuel | May 12, 2009 @ 8:05 pm
I'm pretty certain they just filmed the scenes with the kids just in case they got cancelled/the kids got old.
SSJ | May 12, 2009 @ 8:06 pm
Actors have a 7-year deals, the ratings are acceptable, could be better, but they are also steady, and the show is in the syndication so I'd be suprised if CBS ended the series earlier than actors' contracts would expire.
Amy | May 12, 2009 @ 8:13 pm
I'm actually not opposed to meeting the mother early… I mean… the very first episode when I first watched I thought Robin was the mother and I wasn't opposed in any way. It wasn't until the end of the ep that we found out she wasn't.
I would have no qualms with meeting the mother and watching the relationship with Ted develop, up to the wedding and maybe, just maybe up to the first kid.
Amy | May 12, 2009 @ 8:19 pm
I'm confused here. I am pretty sure they haven't filmed the meeting of the mother. They filmed the end of THIS season because lily was too preggers, and they have filmed the reactions from the kids because otherwise they would get too old.
In no way would it make sense to have filmed the Ted and Crew part. Look how much their appearances have changed. Lily doesn't even have the same hair. Etc etc etc. Plus they are all getting older it would be weird if they were all suddenly young again.
Amy | May 12, 2009 @ 8:20 pm
I don't think the girl will be related to any of the people we know. Not even Stella.
JustinDickinson | May 12, 2009 @ 8:23 pm
You're right, they've only filmed scenes with the kids. The big joke is that even the cast doesn't know what's going to happen.
ELS | May 12, 2009 @ 8:26 pm
I, too, expect the show to end as soon as he meets the mother—it's really how the story should end. "And that's how I met your mother."
On the other hand, some of my friends have made the argument that the audience should fall in love with the future wife in the same way that Ted does. Have to say, they make a good point.
Bruna | May 12, 2009 @ 8:31 pm
I do agree with that! And I really think that Ted´s point is not just telling his kids how he met their mother…
I really agree with Jeremy´s theory about ted telling his kids something BIG like: "Kids, after almos 20 years of a happy marriadge, me and your mom splitted, as you guys already know… And, you know now all the history that exists between your aunt Robin and me, so I guess i´m i can finnally say to you, that we are together!"
And would really love to see this ending!! It would really make sense to me!
I think that we could meet the mother at the end… but he could interact more with the kids… so we could have some tips… Such as "and then i went with Marshall to eat BEANS". Then the kids get happily surprised and he says "Yes kids… i did like beans even before meeting your mom..". Somethings about the mom´s personnality, so we can feel like we know her already, even if we just see her at the very last episode!
Danielle | May 12, 2009 @ 8:41 pm
yes I know that a 17/18 year old at a bar is not crazy.
And I know that Ted is now 31 and the sister would be at 18. That still does not make it any less gross.
He would have met her when she is 16. That is eww..plus you do not date your ex's sister.
SSJ | May 12, 2009 @ 8:42 pm
IMO it should end when Ted fall in love with her and they will be together. Firstly, they don't necessarily have to like each other, you know, it could be like in FRIENDS with Monica and Chandler – just friends for four seasons and eventually discovering mutual feeligs. Secondly, the story may go on and we don't have to know that we have met the mother, it could be revealed later.
Carter once said that after meeting the mother HIMYM will be going on like a typical sitcom… I'm not sure about that. This history, this plot, this tension 'who's the mother?' is what maked show so special and it distinguish this series from other sitcoms which haven't planned-out plot like Cheers, Seinfeld, Friends, Two and a Half Men etc.
JustinDickinson | May 12, 2009 @ 8:46 pm
SSJ makes a good point. What if Ted meets a girl and they get along horribly, we hate her. Then Future Ted says \”That's how I met your mother\” and then the show follows the path of how they eventually fell in love.
Amy | May 12, 2009 @ 8:46 pm
JD I am so so glad you wrote this post. I am glad you've addressed all these concerns. I appreciate it as a longtime and regular viewer that other people accept the major hints and clues we've been given such as in Lucky Penny, etc.
CourtneyE | May 12, 2009 @ 8:47 pm
My dad once told my brother and I how he met our mom. I'm pretty sure she hadn't died or left. … I should call her and make sure though.
CourtneyE | May 12, 2009 @ 8:51 pm
Why can't people just be happy with the idea that the mother will just be someone that Ted comes across at some point in the future? She doesn't need to be Keyser Soze.
Though that would be awesome…
little barney | May 12, 2009 @ 8:52 pm
First of all the last scene that Jeremy was talking about is a reaction from the kids, C&B have filmed hundreds of shots of the kids because they realised that if the show carries on for years the actors will get older, so they have filmed the last scene which would show their reaction when Ted says "and that kids, is how i met your mother."
Regarding the ending of the show I dont want the mother to be revealed very soon, but I feel when we meet the mother, we should watch them date and fall in love (season 2 Ted & Robin) and watch him propose in the season finale. The next season should about how they got married. LAME's wedding was awesome and the planning and build up was good.
We can just end the show when we meet the mother, you wouldn't like it if you saw a woman's face and old ted saying that how I met your mother, think about it, why do we love victoria and robin so much.
One last thing to note that this show is not only about Ted, its about the whole gang, it would be great to know what happens to the other guys in the future as well as Ted.
little barney | May 12, 2009 @ 8:54 pm
BTW there was a spelling mistake, I meant " we CAN'T end the show"
bumpguy | May 12, 2009 @ 9:05 pm
One thing about this new "Tracey" in the finale… the actress is blonde, and I don't know about you, but I think that the mother will not be blonde because of when he flashed toward what the kids would look like if Stella was the mother. Maybe I'm just making a wild assumption.
Secondly, I think that Stella being involved in the path to getting Ted to meet the mother might have something to do with Tony's movie, "The Wedding Bride". Because Future Ted said 'more on that later'. Maybe that was just a red herring, but you never know.
Danielle | May 12, 2009 @ 9:23 pm
unfortunately, I know from an inside source, as of last night, only 4 episodes for season 5 have been scheduled..CBS is really playing hard to get with the Fox people
bumpguy | May 12, 2009 @ 9:31 pm
One thing about this new "Tracey" in the finale… the actress is blonde, and I don't know about you, but I think that the mother will not be blonde because of when he flashed toward what the kids would look like if Stella was the mother. Maybe I'm just making a wild assumption.
Also, I think maybe Stella's involvement with Ted meeting the mother will have to do with Tony's movie, "The Wedding Bride." Future Ted said 'more on that later', but maybe that's just a red herring. You never know.
carlitoa | May 12, 2009 @ 9:34 pm
Thanks for that. Just the chuckle I needed this afternoon.
SSJ | May 12, 2009 @ 9:39 pm
That's not possible. HIMYM is definitly safe. If they wanted to cancel it they wouldn't make new deals with actors.
Besides, 4 episodes? That's a weird number. It is always 22, 24 or 13…
Tim | May 12, 2009 @ 10:48 pm
Not Stella is responisble for Ted meeting the mother but one of Tony's Job offers is. Don't know if i'm allowed to spoil about next weeks episode here but Josh Radnor told in a interview how he "meets" the Mother next week
steve | May 12, 2009 @ 11:27 pm
I remember that you posted an article where the writers said they "know what the last five minutes of the series are going to be, whenever that happens." They already have a plan in place, and ultimately I believe that the "mother" will not be revealed, shown, seen, or cast…only mentioned at the end of the series finale. It would be pathetic to have one actress be classified as the titular character in the series, while being in just one episode with one line.
Bennoid | May 12, 2009 @ 11:27 pm
i think it's Ted's perfect match from the dating service that he never went to see in season 1. and those years in betwean needed to be seperate because something happend in those years that solved a major fluke that could have caused their relationschip to end
steve | May 12, 2009 @ 11:31 pm
btw you should call this the "no mother" theory.
aaron | May 13, 2009 @ 12:16 am
dude! I wrote about this same thing a little over a year ago! It's amazing how little has changed a season and a half later! It's definitely a pretty hot topic now with what's been happening in this season plus some really dumb reporting from Yahoo.
Still, you write it well. Maybe we can rule out some theories after this Season finale.
Joni | May 13, 2009 @ 1:17 am
There's also the bit about Ted vowing he'd tell his kids everything because his parents didn't do so with him ("Oh, great story. We met in a bar." "That's it?!"). It's kind of just a Ted thing to do.
SSJ | May 12, 2009 @ 9:43 pm
I think that this movie was a precaution. If the show get another season the writers always can make up a storyline reffering to this movie…
Tom | May 13, 2009 @ 3:02 am
does anyone know when the season finale is?
Tom | May 13, 2009 @ 3:03 am
Also, does anyone have the Robin Sparkles ring tone that you can share w the rest of us fans? Thanks!
mrc | May 13, 2009 @ 4:30 am
Great post, JD! Any chance you can summarize all of the appearances/references to the yellow umbrella? Did we first see it blowing in the wind (maybe at the end of an episode) but with no voiceover/reference to it? (My memory is blurry!)
Were there other appearances besides "No Tomorrow" (at the beginning, held by the girl on line… and then at the end when Ted picks it up the next day) and then the recent 2 episodes?
Ike | May 13, 2009 @ 11:36 am
The yellow umbrella first made it's appearance in the Season 3 opener Wait for It. Ted reminds the kids, and tells us, that the short story has something to do with it blowing around on a wet, windy street. The next time we see it is in No Tomorrow, this is where Ted picks it up. They've shown it, and 'the mother' walking around under it a couple times from above (BTW the person under it is director Pam Fryman), but I forget if those were in the aforementioned eps or in other episodes.
Jeremy | May 13, 2009 @ 12:06 pm
Don't forget how good C & B are at the art of misdirection. Something is coming, and I'm sure they have it planned already. Just think about the end of "Ted Moseby, Architect".
anon9631 | May 13, 2009 @ 2:59 pm
Not that I agree (or disagree) with the "tracy theory", but I don't think the fact that the actress is blond would be a reason to discredit it. Just becuase the *actress* is blonde doesn't mean the *charater* that she plays will be – she wouldn't be the first actor to dye their hair for a role.
Teorias How I Met Your Mother - Tracey, Guarda-Chuva e mais - TELLPEOPLEWHAT.COM | May 13, 2009 @ 1:06 pm
[...] Traduzido de Have You Met Ted: [...]
David | May 13, 2009 @ 5:47 pm
What about the girl that "Love solutions" found for Ted back in season 1?? Even though we don't know who that girls is, it's still a possibility.
David | May 13, 2009 @ 5:49 pm
next week
Bennoid | May 13, 2009 @ 6:30 pm
i also think it is her. but something happend to her in the past years that would have caused ted and her to break up.
moshe | May 13, 2009 @ 6:57 pm
on imdb says next show (the finale) there will be a girl with the name tracey
JustinDickinson | May 13, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
right, that's what spurned this post in the first place, since it brings the Tracey theory into the spotlight.
Danielle | May 13, 2009 @ 7:42 pm
http://www.weddingbridemovie.com/
Is now working.it just has the same little picture we saw on the episode.
Eric | May 13, 2009 @ 7:45 pm
I've always thought it was the girl he stood up too.
JackAtak08 | May 13, 2009 @ 8:03 pm
This post should be a handbook for anyone looking to try to figure anything out! Thanks for this great post!
Bennoid | May 13, 2009 @ 8:17 pm
you could see it that way, but the way i see it: she is the "right one" for ted, but just not "right now", he has to go trough some things before she can really be the one
Zinder | May 13, 2009 @ 8:52 pm
I have a teory that can link everything, or has much has i can remember.
The mother could be a friend of stella that goes for ted to get stella adress in LA or something like that.
Stella would be a key factor, the girl would have been at saint pratick with stella, and could even be the bump girl
Starbid | May 14, 2009 @ 1:13 am
About that moive, maybe it's not about the mother…
"The Wedding Bride"? Two men and a blonde on the cake? It's about Ted & Stella's wedding. I believe they have some follow-up story to tell regarding what had happened in that wedding, hopefully, making Stella's character more understandable and lovable. I'm not a huge fan of her at this point.
Starbird | May 14, 2009 @ 1:46 am
No way the show ends at the moment Ted "met" the mother. At least a wedding scene is a given. No wedding? I'll sue! : )
About the mother, I was so sure that she'll have something to do with the goat (or why they had to postpone the goat story a season later with such a lame excuse?), and even jumped to the conclusion that the mother will appear at the end of season 4, regardless whether or not there would be a season5. Seemingly I was wrong.
A good thing is, though, finally we may find out what the "miracle" in last season is about. It's been driving me crazy. This cliffhanger is hanging for so long that the cliff is worn down to the ground.
I believe the mother hasn't appeared in the show yet, but they may have a general idea about the actress at the very beginning, though it may change through all these years. I mean we can vaguely see her picture in 2030 Ted's room, right? (or has anyone figured out who the actress is?)
Blitzen | May 14, 2009 @ 1:04 am
So Carter & Bays say we'll meet the mother in the season four finale? Forgive me if this theory has already been floated, but it seem quite possible for us to meet the mother, but not in the present. What if the mother enters the picture, but only to help future Ted tell the story. And because future Ted does not have Josh Radnor's voice, the future mothers voice won't give us any clues to her present identity. What do y'all think?
sru | May 14, 2009 @ 10:20 am
i'm not saying that would ruin the show but i just think that in someway the real Idea behind the show would die. it's the story of how ted met the mother, and i really hope they keep it that way. but if they decide to begin the story after ted meets the mother, then it's not like i'm not gonna watch it. i bet the show stays funny throuhg its existance.
then again they could do it that way that ted meets some girl and falls in love (like with stella) and we wouldn't really know if that girl was the mother until they'd got married. i just really don't wanna know who the mother is until the end. maybe not in the finale episode, but at least in the last season.
sru | May 14, 2009 @ 10:20 am
i'm not saying that would ruin the show but i just think that in someway the real Idea behind the show would die. it's the story of how ted met the mother, and i really hope they keep it that way. but if they decide to begin the story after ted meets the mother, then it's not like i'm not gonna watch it. i bet the show stays funny throuhg its existance.
then again they could do it that way that ted meets some girl and falls in love (like with stella) and we wouldn't really know if that girl was the mother until they'd got married. i just really don't wanna know who the mother is until the end. maybe not in the finale episode, but at least in the last season.
MotherShip | May 14, 2009 @ 3:42 pm
The mother will be someone NONE of you suspect.
Very funny http://www.christinescottbennett.com/ (Music Intro)
By Modest
MotherShip | May 14, 2009 @ 3:57 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GBn-BpkNsA
MotherShip | May 14, 2009 @ 6:35 pm
=)
Rebecca | May 16, 2009 @ 6:41 am
I absolutely agree with everything you said in this post. I get really frustrated when people try to find excuses to say that Robin is the mother. They had their shot together and it didn't work, move on people!
definitedoubt | May 16, 2009 @ 2:51 pm
I know everyone's concerned about the mother now, but what about Barney and Robin?
According to that maddening little clip CBS released, the first thing out of Robin's mouth when Barney confesses is "Let's get married" which (considering Robin) is not like her at all.
Is she taking him seriously? Or does she still think it's a joke to him at that point?
And then of course there's the return of our little goat friend. Who seemed to be strangling Ted in the clip. Uhhhh ok?
Nothing against 'mother theorists' because I'm interested too, but there seems to be a lot more going on than just the mother for this episode.
jenjen | May 17, 2009 @ 4:39 am
hey there! just thought I would put in my 2 cents here. I believe in the tracey theory and bump girl theory. But i am also one of those who am okay if i'm wrong. for me, meeting the mother is more than "Hi, I'm Ted" kind of thing. I want to see ted fall in love with this girl. because if you think about it, this girl has meet or exceed barney and lily's expectations. I think they have a lot more impact on ted's life than he realizes. If you remember, in lucky penny barney is CRYING at ted's wedding.
DSizzle | May 17, 2009 @ 6:04 am
Personally, I disagree. While everybody is anxious and jittery to find out who the Mother is, the loyal fans who tune in every week don't do so to relieve it; they do so, rather, to enjoy the journey that Ted Mosby embarks on in the path to his final destination, which is meeting the Mother.
valdemaar | May 17, 2009 @ 2:49 pm
I think Ted's gonna be best man at Tony's and Stella's wedding and there he meets his wife. From this story, Tony comes up with this movie. (maybe someone posted this before, did not read all comments). Greets
CHL | May 17, 2009 @ 4:31 pm
i don't quite agree… she ain't the mother until she marries him… so i think that they can like meet early in a season and the rest can be a courtship….
stu | May 17, 2009 @ 5:01 pm
of course she is if ted tells us so. i just think the perfect ending would be "and that's the story of how i met your mother" and we'd bearly seen the mother. at least when i was a kid and asked my mom how she met my dad she always told the story and stopped it there. it didn't go on like and then we started dating and got married 6 years later… i think people tend to want too much and that can ruin things. like with scrubs. why would anyone want more seasons when this season ended perfectly, but still people do want more it.
Luis S. | May 18, 2009 @ 5:59 am
nice theories, all of them pretty good… I just wanna say that there´s a picture of a supposed Ted´s wedding, with the bride not showing her face, and the rest of the cast aside with an interesting ugly and disgusting face all of them, referring to the bride… I think this is a great spoiler, meaning Ted´s friends are shocked of who he is marring to, specially Lily and Robin.
So, with all this i say that of course the mother is someone outside of the main female cast -Lily and Robin-, but in the end the winner of Ted´s heart will be Robin, even though she´s not the mother …. Yeah, i know, many of you don´t believe anymore in the Ted/Robin scheme, but i must say this is the strongest and meaningful relationship of the whole story, it has been built in that way since the beginning, all other Ted´s relationship have been nice, beautiful, lovely, etc, but non of them relies in solid base like the Ted/Robin relation.
This is my sincere point of view, i hope some of you agree or disagree.
PS: if you haven´t seen the picture i´m telling you, do some Google search and you´ll find.
buffy_mars | May 18, 2009 @ 8:26 am
I'm not sure if this has ever been mentioned before but in "Milk" from season 1, Ted is supposed to have a date with the perfect woman for him set up by Love Solutions but decides to not meet the woman because he is so convinced Robin is the right woman for him. I believe this woman who Ted has not yet met, to be the mother.
Bruna | May 18, 2009 @ 2:13 pm
I guess we meet the mother two episodes to the end, and the Bob Saget´s narration has to keep us tuned… like "it´s not all on how i met your mother, but how i really met her", then we see a little bit of them together and then his weeding to the last episode! Then I would LOVE that the last scene should be about Ted´s weeding with the mother, and as in Milk´s scene of Ted´marriadge… he searches Robin in the crowded guest people, and smiles at her, and she smiles back… and then Bob Saget narrates that he really had something great with their mother, but that in life, everything has it´s own timing… and that he finnaly could have then (already with 50 years old or something) a shoot with Robin… ´cause he always felt they should be together somehow!
Uau! I Know ROBIN crap again… but seriouslly… can you guys see some future on "RoBarn" relationship? It´s great to see Barney making moves on Robin… but, no future on it!
Geri | May 18, 2009 @ 10:43 pm
I don't know what's going to happen tonight and that's the way I like it!
I know I don't post as much as I used to, but those of you who've read my previous posts know my position on HIMYM. I get enjoyment out of just being along for the ride, regardless of who the mom turns out to be.
Unless she turns out to be Britney's character Abby…..then all hell will break loose!
Geri | May 18, 2009 @ 10:45 pm
ok I just read your post too fast and thought you wrote "mother terrorists". ha ha ha!
Geri | May 18, 2009 @ 10:49 pm
That would be suicide.
Mike Hancho | May 26, 2009 @ 10:16 am
Its Barney
Bender | June 8, 2009 @ 3:39 pm
Sorry to break this news to you the-show's-got-to-end-with-and-that's-the-story-of.how-I-met-your-mother-people, but if it gets to at least eight seasons, it's not how it is going to end. If you notice Ted's future daughter, who is older than her brother, you can see that she must be at least 18, which means that she has to be born by season seven (maybe earlier), and I suppose that Ted won't get a girl preagnent without knowing her… I guess he'll meet and know her in season 5, marry and get her preagnent in season 6, proceeding with the show after he meets her.
Well, that's all I have to say that's new around here, since all of my other theories were already mentioned…
LEtice | June 16, 2009 @ 2:34 am
We all know that Stella is a key factor because when they (Ted, Stella and Tony) met that rainy day, Tony thought Ted was sad and offered him the professor position at the university where he's going to meet the "mother" after all.. that's why it changed all his life, that's all… I don't think Stella is going to take any more important role in the story than this..
mark | July 12, 2009 @ 10:30 am
what if the kids hes telling the story too are not his say they might be Barneys? and he is uncle ted?
Scherbatsky | July 21, 2009 @ 5:45 pm
the theories sound like they could be right but i don't really think that the script author thought about the story in such a extremely complicated way…
but who now lets just get surprised by the story
DC44 | July 22, 2009 @ 3:34 pm
The mom is tracy from the pinapple incident
asd | July 24, 2009 @ 10:52 pm
MAN THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME!!! I GOTTA KNOW WHO THE MOTHER IS! AHHHH
Vanna | August 6, 2009 @ 1:48 pm
Who is woman under yellow unbrella?
saar | August 20, 2009 @ 9:14 pm
i think that the mother is the date he never went to in season 1 because he loved robin
and you know why?
earlier that episode the love soulutions guy tells ted to look in the file and then ted says she is perfect and then they show bluerd pictures of her the point is:
when he says"she wants 2 kids, a boy and a girl" why does the pictures of the 2 kids is blured???
what do you think?
sry for my english im not american
saar | August 20, 2009 @ 11:31 pm
trudy*
Geena | August 25, 2009 @ 11:04 am
Is Future Ted disguising all the names of girls he dated? because obviously, if he did remember all their names and said them, the kids would automatically know who is the mother. The kids should know their mothers name, right?
Missy | September 26, 2009 @ 11:25 am
have you noticed the last scene in season 5 episode one? a girl with dark hair came out from mclaren’s just as barnman and robin went to brunch AND just before ted, marshall and lily went out. i compared her with bump girl and they look similar.
i was thinking she could have been looking for her umbrella or something..
Shane | September 26, 2009 @ 7:39 pm
I think Brad will end up with Robin. They have such great chemistry when they went out on a date. Remember Brad showing his biceps saying 'do i have to put a gun in your face'? I think that the character Brad will eventually fill in for Barney's 'funny man' position as Neil Patrick Harris' contract is only scheduled for 5 seasons. (3 more seasons for Brad?)
Well, I personally believe that Brad could bring a different perspective to the show, might as well another well-establsihed fan base.
TheSteelBlade | October 18, 2009 @ 5:25 am
I think a lot of the old theories could still be valid since it was stated that Future Ted is an unreliable narrator. I generally relate this to the last big TV mystery that had me fascinated which was the final cylon on Galactica. One thing I carried with me from that is that sometimes the characters lie or mislead the audience (intentionally or not). in Galactica Baltar tested Ellen Tigh and said she wasn’t a Cylon and then later it was revealed she was. Maybe that’s happening here too, it’s possible Future Ted has said things that are technically true but untrue at the same time. Like he said he never met the Mother at the St Patty’s Day party, but technically he never really met Bump Girl. Or the girl from Love Solutions in Milk since he never did meet her either. However I agree that it’s possible Bump Girl was thrown in to spark discussion which has always been an awesome means of free advertising for a show.
I think the Robin’s Sister theory is wrong as well. She was 16 when they met in First Time In New York and Ted was 29. Meaning she shouldn’t even be able to get into a bar here in Canada until 2010 let alone a bar in the States before 2012 (assuming she was carded). Plus I doubt a 13 year age gap between Ted and the Mother. I’m expecting a 0-5 year gap since that tends to be the cultural norm.
@Missy: Possible, but the St Patty’s Day party wasn’t at MacLaren’s so why would she look there?
Swarley | October 30, 2009 @ 6:13 am
Just a short statement: The Fact, that the last episode will answer the question “How I met your mother?” will not mean that the viewer will see who actually is the mother.
Maybe the viewer will never see who she is. It would seem to be a bad joke of the producers but it’s possible and maybe not the worst end. No matter what, the show is called “HOW i met your mother” not “WHO your mother is”. The Kids probably already know.
Purple Giraffe | November 8, 2009 @ 11:57 am
So I would just like to point out that Robin’s sister was actually 17 in “First Time in New York” because when Ted is talking to her he says something along the lines of “I don’t know why your sister is making such a big deal about this. I mean, I was your age my first time.” and we know that Ted was 17 his first time from that same episode. Not that any of that changes anything, it just kind of bothered me that everyone on here decided for some reason that she was sixteen.
Anyways, I think that the mother could be the girl from Love Solutions but I’m not really sure. I also kind of believe in the Tracy theory but I also think that Ted will disguise the mother’s name when he tells about how he meets her so that he can get into more of the story before his kids know for certain that he is talking about their mother. Even if her name is Tracy I don’t think they will cast her as a character named Tracy.
luke | December 15, 2009 @ 8:11 am
another thought towards the tracey side of things os that, and excuse me for not knowing her name, the actor that she is played by is a rather well known one (austin powers, etc =])
Mike | December 16, 2009 @ 12:35 pm
There has never been any indication that the biological mother and the maternal mother are the same person.
Colin | December 17, 2009 @ 6:45 am
One other thing I came across on a message board revolves around Ted and Robin. Let me first say that I do not support the Ted/Robin marriage, although I do like them as a couple. I just think it would be a bad twist if they did end up together.
Nonetheless, someone pointed out an interesting clue in that episode Ted was dating the purse designer who he met online. He couldn’t remember her name and referred to her as Blah Blah.
She got upset upon learning Ted used to date Robin. At one point, she says something along the lines of Ted likely to forget her name the moment he gets back with Robin.
And sure enough, he did forget her name.
nic | December 28, 2009 @ 9:22 pm
i think we havent met the mother yet. because ted says that he met the mother in his teaching class (which is why stella would be vital- because tony is the one who got him the teaching job).
Hilary Yates | January 15, 2010 @ 8:20 pm
FOR PEOPLE SAYING THAT THE SHOW WILL LOSE VIEWERS IF THEY DON’T REVEAL THE NUMBER NOW THATS JUST STUPID BECAUSE LETS FACE IT, WE WATCH THE SHOW BECAUSE IT’S AMAZING AND HILARIOUS NOT ONLY BECAUSE WE WANT TO FIND OUT WHO THE MOTHER IS. DON’T LET YOUR CURIOSITY GET IN THE WAY OF JUST ENJOYING THE SHOW BECAUSE I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT IT WILL END ONCE THEY REVEAL WHO THE MOTHER IS AND WE DON’T WANT IT TO END SO LET THEM STRETCH IT OUT AS LONG AS THEY WANT!
Jeff | January 19, 2010 @ 5:00 am
I’ve read all the theories on here, but everyone seems to have a theory based on a fan’s point of view and not a writers point of view. The underlying theme of the show has been misdirection. Lets use the season 1 finale as an example. At the end of season 1 we are lead to believe that Marhall and Lily are broken up and Ted and Robin will live happily ever after. By the end of season 2 we know that’s not the case. This same theme of misdirection has been repeated dozens of times. The narrator often says things like “but it wasn’t” or “that’s what we should have said”. The writers trick you into thinking one thing while it’s actually another. I’ll use one more example to prove this point. In an episode in season 2 at the beginning of the episode Barney hears Marshall crying over Lily and instantly leaves. We as the audience are tricked into believing that Barney is being insensitive and doesn’t want to hear about Marshall’s problems. However at the conclusion of the episode we learn that he actually flew to San Francisco and convinced Lily to come back.
So where am I going with all this? The writers have tried so hard to convince us that it can’t possibly be Robin, and have even given us hard evidence….or have they? Lets use the St. Patricks day episode as an example. Ted says to his future kids that their mother was at the St. Patricks day party but he didn’t know it. Well hold on a darn second, Robin was with Marshall and Lily all night!…or at least of what we saw of it. It was also set up in that episode that Ted’s phone had been dialing Marshall several times that day. Marshall says something along the lines of “that’s the 4th time Ted’s butt has called me today”. We also see Ted get punched in the face in that episode and fall on his butt. Who would be in his contact list that may get called upon falling on said butt? Perhaps Robin. So then why would Robin not say something the next day. Because the writers know that would blow the surprise.
I could go on and on with little nuances like this but lets close with one final piece that theorists can’t seem to get over. Future Ted refers to Robin as “Aunt Robin”. That could possibly be the best misdirection play of all. Just because he refers to her as Aunt Robin, doesn’t mean that is not the mother. He could simply be playing a trick on his kids, or trying to see if they could pinpoint from his stories that “Aunt Robin” is actually their mom. Further, people will be quick to jump at that Robin’s character has been set up as afraid of marriage and kids, although those issues have been addressed in various episodes.
Basically it comes down to this. As a writer you don’t set something up without payoff. Thus setting up Robin and Ted as an item right from the get go was no fluke. Showing Ted and Robin with other partners is done for nothing more than to make you think the mystery is headed another direction, when in actuality the answer was in front of you right from the first episode…
Leon | January 24, 2010 @ 12:23 am
Jeff, I love it when a fan can bring interesting arguments for Ted & Robin. I’m all supporting of the “answer was in front of you the entire time” perspective.
Against all odds, it would make HIMYM the biggest twist on television.
Fans can always argue on points on who the mother is, but the fact remains, this show is abundant with misdirections.
Fingers crossed!
Hannah | January 28, 2010 @ 8:09 am
I am surprised people think that Robin and Ted will end up together. Have you learnt nothing from Ted.
He has a belief in love. He believes that there is someone out there who is the love of his life and the mother of his children. It’s going to be forever. And it’s not Robin.
Also, I think that people forget that the show isn’t Who Is Your Mother but How I Met Your Mother and as Ted points out he is telling the kids about the paths he took and decisions he made that lead him to become the man he did so that he could find that love.
As for the comments about the mother now being dead – we saw in the Stella episode how she popped her head in in the future scene. People don’t have to be dead to be discussed…
Hannah | January 28, 2010 @ 8:15 am
Jeff, you have used about 2 points to present your theory when there are many many more which wouldn’t make sense for Robin. The most obvious being Robin didn’t do economics in college and live with a girl who Ted dated.
Brendan | February 7, 2010 @ 12:51 am
While I do not know who will be the mother, please let me post a detail that has been overlooked
“Right Place, Right Time” Ted mentions Tony’s movie “the Wedding Bride” which is set for May 2010. He then goes on to famously say “but more on that later.”
as far as I can see, Tony AND Stella will be back, this spring, only bringing everything closer to figuring it all out