Minutes ago, it was revealed that Ted Mosby's children's names are Penny and Luke. For the last 9 years, we've seen countless reaction shots from his long-suffering, nameless kids. And now, I'll never be able to look back at past episodes without knowing who they are.
It's starting to hit me that in a few weeks time, I'll know how Ted met the mother. There will never be a time when I don't know how the story came to be. There will never be a "but we'll get to that" story that I won't know the ending to. I've finally realized how the full impact of the show coming to an end, and it's surprisingly painful.
A lot of fans, and even more haters, have said for a while that they want Ted to meet the mother sooner than later, but I've never been a part of that group. I've always enjoyed the journey, even when we go down some roads a few times over (Robin. I'm talking about Robin). I've been excited every step of the way for every piece of new information, every clue, but I've still enjoyed the journey. And now that it's almost over...I'm more sad about it than I care to admit.
I haven't gotten into too many mystery shows over the years. Veronica Mars is one that comes to mind, and Pretty Little Liars is a new one I've gotten into (though it's still on the air). Up until now, I've never thought of HIMYM as mystery because I already know the outcome: Ted meets the woman of his dreams, marries her and has two kids. I never knew that the journey itself could be the biggest journey of all. It'll be weird going back and watching all of those clues, all of those red herrings and finally knowing the truth. As of now, there are still unanswered questions, but the time on that is running out fast.
I'll have a lot more to say once the finale airs, and it will probably be less eloquent than what I've written. But I wanted to take a minute and really appreciate how much fun it's been, waiting for clues. Searching for that yellow umbrella. Waiting to meet the mother. I wanted to say all of that while I still can, while there is still some mystery left. Because soon, there won't be anymore. Ted will have met the mother and we will have no more theories to discuss, no more surprises to discover, no more calves to glimpse in the doorway. I appreciate every bombshell that gets dropped - hey Luke and Penny - but it also means we are one step closer to the end. I want to savour it and reflect on how much I've loved this show.
The finale airs March 31st. Like I said, I will have a lot to discuss once it airs....
...but more on that later.
