HIMYM Theory: Did Ted Murder The Mother?
More than anything, "How I Met Your Mother" is known for its series finale, which is one of the most divisive endings to a series in recent years right alongside those of "Lost," "Dexter," and even "The Sopranos." As fans very well know (and as some may wish to forget), the "HIMYM" series finale sees Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) finally finish telling the long-winded story of how he met his kids' mother, Tracy (Cristin Milioti), only for it to be revealed that she gets sick and dies six years before Ted sits down to tell his kids the story. His kids then tell them that he told them the story because he wants their permission to go out with "Aunt Robin" (Cobie Smulders) who they can tell Ted is still in love with.
The divisive ending has remained a talking point amongst fans since the series wrapped up in 2014. In fact, they have since come up with one wild and intriguing theory: maybe Ted killed his wife on purpose. It's definitely way darker than the tone of the sitcom, but some fans think it has its merits.
What if Ted didn't know how to leave his wife but wanted to be with Robin?
On Reddit, someone posed a question wanting to know other fans' favorite conspiracy theories about the show — and naturally, the one about Ted poisoning his wife came up. One user, u/philobouracho, wrote, "Ted poisoned Tracy because he figured out he was better off with his friend and didn't want to admit the quest was more thrilling than his marriage. But to keep face, he just couldn't leave her, especially for the Kids. HIMYM is the cover story of his crime."
Other fans immediately responded with their approval of the dark and far-fetched theory. One fan, u/nicmdeer4f, pointed out how a major flaw of Ted's corroborates this theory, writing, "Throughout the entire story we realize that Ted never really wanted to be married, he just wanted to chase after his perfect, unrealistic version of happily ever after, preferably with Robin." Meanwhile u/BugFleep even posited that the poison could have been in the hangover drink that Ted made for Tracy.
This theory also came up years earlier in another Reddit thread, in which u/germangrandson44 wrote, "How can we disregard the theory. Ted now seeing the window of opportunity he's always hoped for at his grasps, decides to take action like the romantic he is and poisons the mother (in the name of love of course) in order to finally be with Robin!" However, another fan, u/rebelphoenix83, pointed out that it doesn't make sense for Ted to have waited to be married for years before enacting such a plan.
And u/GeorgeDanton cleverly joked, "Well, she did die of Having an Existence That Interfered With a Plot Development That Was Inconsistent With The Entire Thrust of The Show. Whether this is a disease or the result of poisoning I leave to your imagination."