When How I Met Your Mother debuted back in the fall of 2005 it stood out for a few reasons. One of the major distinctions of the show was it’s most unique and utilized tool, the flashback and flash forward. It wasn’t a revolutionary idea by any means, but when you pair that with the fact that HIMYM was a multi-cam show that did not shoot in front of a live audience, it made the show a bit more unique. On the surface, that was the most distinct feature of the show, but not the most important. From the beginning, creators Craig Thomas and Carter Bays have written a show that, as silly and off the wall as it got at points, was always grounded in real ideas and life lessons. Of course there were over the top moments and relationships and ideals that were completely romanticized such as Ted’s grand romantic gestures in any of his relationships, or Robin’s Canadian back story or any of Barney’s tall tales, but as an audience member we’re willing to go along with all of it because the story is being narrated from the future and the assumption is, over time stories are embellished. Each story though, had a sense of realism and emotion to it behind all the gags, flashbacks and ridiculously funny antics.  Some stories within HIMYM did it better than others, but most episodes or story arcs or seasons were able to bring their antics back down to earth and remind people that, at the heart of the story were people with real emotions who were just trying to navigate their way through life and find happiness and love. Though the finale had a lot of twists and turns and changed the character paths of growth and development for a few characters, (ultimately resulting in alienating a lot of fans and receiving a lot of backlash), it stayed true to it’s core by depicting real people with real life problems still navigating their way through life, trying to find love and let go of the past.

SPOILERS AHEAD

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