How I Met Your Mother - 4

[Newstar]

The one thing that isn't consistent at all with a dead mother are the kids' reactions.

Agreed. I might be able to make it fit with the death theory by reasoning that as it is a sitcom, even as it occasionally dips into some pretty serious territory (Marshall's father dying, Barney's brother getting divorced, etc. etc.), it would kind of kill the mood if the kids looked teary or noticeably upset as Future Ted was spinning his tale.

Ted being deadly ill makes more sense as far as the kids' boredom is concerned, since they'd have no reason to be sad about their mother and wouldn't know anything about their father's incoming death. That said, foreshadowing seems to work better if the mother dies, I suppose.

I've also seen the theory that "Future Ted" (Bob Saget) isn't Future Ted at all, but rather Future Ted's lawyer requested as part of Future Ted's testamentary instructions to read this long document to the kids upon his death.

Cobie Smulders' emotional reaction could really hint at such a bittersweet ending (either one), though.

It might not involve the Mother, necessarily. The tearjerking part could be that Barney and Robin don't stay married, although I don't see that as ranking with Ted or the Mother's death on the tragedy scale.

[The hairy bear]

I think the kids reaction alone dismisses the dead mother theory. But it's not only that: the tone of everything that future Ted has said emanates unrestrained optimism. If the mother was dead, once you rewatched the series I'm sure man of his comments would sound very silly.

Btw, we have passed the 200 posts. I'm opening a new thread.