History YMMV / HowIMetYourMother

** When Barney gives Marshall relationship advice, everyone says they shouldn't listen to Barney and his advice is always awful. Sure enough, Marshall listening to Barney winds up getting him in the dog house with Lily and everyone agrees Barney's advice is wrong. Except...Marshall didn't listen to Barney's advice. He went completely off-script and that's why Lily got so mad.[[note]]To elaborate, Barney suggested Marshall tell Lily that he doesn't want to wash dishes to he can save his energy "after a draining work day" for "showering her with love". Marshall got flustered and said he shouldn't do them because he works harder and makes more money. Upon hearing this, Barney is shocked Marshall actually said that.[[/note]] While Barney's advice may not have been helpful, it's not his fault because Marshall didn't actually follow it.

** As a general rule, whenever a HIMYM star appears in something, the "Kids, in the summer of…" comment will soon follow. It's commonly a Top Comment if it's on Website/YouTube.
*** That, and/or "And that's the story of how your Aunt/Uncle (character) met ..."

** The Mother after her backstory is revealed in "How Your Mother Met Me", made it all even worse (MUCH worse) when her demise is revealed.

* SeasonalRot: Season 5 got a bit stale, most especially after Barney and Robin had their first break-up. The writers attempted to undo the damage in Season 6 by introducing the arcs on Marshall and Lily's efforts to conceive and Barney meeting his real father etc. Season 7 focused more on [[SpotlightStealingSquad Barney's and Robin's]] relationships which made Ted OutOfFocus for a while. Then, Seasons 8 and 9 managed to restore the balance by building up the first meeting between Ted and the Mother. Despite the efforts to increase the dwindling ratings and to prevent the show from getting cancelled, the later seasons are considered to be lackluster by critics and viewers due the mentioned examples of ArcFatigue above.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation/HowIMetYourMother Has its own page]].

** Ted admits to getting beaten up by one of his ex-girlfriends. Also, his last girlfriend Jeanette is profoundly unstable and exhibits many abusive tendencies, including destroying many of Ted's things. All these moments are PlayedForLaughs to some degree or another. The show was made around the tail end of the time where DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale could be played for laughs, before it was more widely accepted as serious socially that men can be victims of domestic abuse as well as women.** This is played with, however, for "Monday Night Football": despite the episode taking place in 2007, it isn't outright ''said'' what year it is. Also, because of Future Ted's poor memory about that particular Super Bowl, at no point are any team names mentioned.

** Some of the show's politics solidify it as a product of the mid-2000s. Starting with the mid 2010s, Ted's behavior towards Robin comes off less as love and more of a nasty case of EntitledToHaveYou. (i.e., Ted seems more like a self-proclaimed "Nice Guy" than an actually nice guy.)
** Barney's LovableSexManiac antics were already a bit iffy, and he wasn't exactly considered a great guy for them in-universe, but evolving views on consent, respect (he once recounts possibly selling a woman!), and even rape progressively dated some of his conquests and made them come off as almost monstrous while in the show, no matter how terrible they were, they were played as a joke. Equally Ted is not exactly blameless in this regard, occasionally aiding Barney and once lying about being a Vietnam War veteran in order to seduce Barney's sister.
** Ted admits to getting beaten up by one of his ex-girlfriends. Also, his last girlfriend Jeanette is profoundly unstable and exhibits many abusive tendencies, including destroying many of Ted's things. All these moments are PlayedForLaughs to some degree or another. The show was made around the tail end of the time where DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale could be played for laughs, before it was more widely accepted as serious socially that men can be victims of domestic abuse as well as women.
** The show has quite a few gay and transgender jokes that rely on stereotypes. The transphobic jokes in particular have ''not'' aged well, especially not the one that implies being a trans woman is on the same level as being a puppy-killer, and the one where Zoey outright uses the word "tranny," which is considered a slur when used by anyone outside the trans community. The show was made in the last era where [[QueerPeopleAreFunny jokes at the expense of LGBT people]] could still be made, and it shows.
** This is played with, however, for "Monday Night Football": despite the episode taking place in 2007, it isn't outright ''said'' what year it is. Also, because of Future Ted's poor memory about that particular Super Bowl, at no point are any team names mentioned.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
** Is Barney a selfish and contemptible {{jerkass}} who [[LaserGuidedKarma deserves what happens to him]] (i.e. being temporarily abandoned by Ted for sleeping with Robin, and getting banned from laser tag for assaulting children)? Or are his actions justified based on his [[FreudianExcuse crappy childhood]] and rejections, among other issues that make him fragile? His shrink thinks the latter, calling him "A narcissist with severe attachment disorder."
*** In the finale, was his regression to TheCasanova just an AuthorsSavingThrow, or is it justified because sleeping around is his only coping mechanism? He handled his first major break-up (with Shannon) by suiting up and becoming a player, and after breaking up with Robin, he immediately created Bang-toberfest, so there is precedent.
*** Is Barney given a fair depiction or is Ted an UnreliableNarrator who exaggerates, embellishes and even straight-up lies about his friend's exploits? The finale implies that [[spoiler:the birth of his daughter caused Barney to forever change his ways]], which would explain to Penny and Luke why the stories Ted tells of Barney don't seem to go with the uncle they know and love. However, it is possible that [[spoiler:Barney was the post-Ellie guy all along, except he liked to party and was a flirt before he became a father]]. The reason why Ted might be lying about Barney is that [[spoiler:he wants his kids to root for Robin to choose ''him'' and not Barney.]] This can be supported by the alternate ending, which implies that [[spoiler:there is hope yet for Barney and Robin]]. Co-creator Carter Bays gives fuel to both interpretations, [[https://www.reddit.com/r/HIMYM/comments/vtm75p/comment/if8gdg7/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3 saying]] that Barney ''was'' a womanizer but that [[https://www.reddit.com/r/HIMYM/comments/vtm75p/comment/if8u8vn/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3 fans can choose to believe certain elements are exaggerations]].
** Is Ted really an all around NiceGuy with both positive and negatives aspects of the trope? Or is he a BitchInSheepsClothing who only puts on a [[DoggedNiceGuy friendly facade to impress women?]] Keep in mind Ted frequently prioritizes his own wants and desires over his friends, not caring about how it would affect them. Such as in "Moving Day" when he took all of his things from his apartment while moving in with Robin, leaving Lily and Marshall struggling without their basic necessities. The finale only adds further ambiguity to this as shown below.
** When Future Ted revealed all the amazing things Robin did over the years for his children, [[spoiler: was it to fill the void of not having kids of her own, or did she do them just because she was being a good HonoraryAunt]]?
** Lily's seen in-universe as a kind-hearted TeamMom (with {{Chessmaster}} tendencies), but an alternate interpretation sees her a self-centered BitchInSheepsClothing with an InformedAbility of intelligent scheming.
*** Similarly, Marshall and Lily's relationship is sometimes seen less as sugary sweet perfect romance it's canonically considered and instead the pairing of a shrill harpy and a doormat settling for the first woman to sleep with him.
*** As suggested InUniverse, did she come back from San Francisco because she realized she made a mistake or did she just settle for Marshall after failing to make it as an artist?
** Was Robin's anger at the group for assigning porn tropes to her old show ''Space Teens'' anger at them for insulting her show or was it misdirected anger at herself for not realizing that she was essentially on a lecherous teen show?
** Lily subjecting women the Ted dated to the Porch Test. Were they really unsuitable for Ted as she claims? Or is the Porch Test rooted in Lily's unconscious desire for a perfect family with a perfect father figure, something she never particularly had growing up? Considering that Ted often takes the role of the TeamDad in their group dynamic, it's hard not to see Lily's actions as being like a young child acting out and developing an irrational hatred of their parent's new partner. Or does it have to do with [[spoiler: her and Marshall's bet about whether Ted and Robin end up together]]?
** Robin. Were her failed relationships a result of unfortunate circumstances or was she a shallow, want-what-she-can't-have woman who just rushed headlong into a relationship to get the man she wanted with no consideration for the future? In the series her relationship was explored almost as extensively as Ted's and she was shown with both a caring, loving side and a clear case of IfICantHaveYou. Her relationship with Barney and Ted are always followed this very unhealthy formula: UnresolvedSexualTension, she completely denied it, he understood, moved on with other women; she had GreenEyedEpiphany and realized she really like them now that they're taken; IfICantHaveYou kicked in and she tried to sabotage his relationship before quietly gave up; [[MasterOfTheMixedMessage Mixed message]] was sent and the guys realized they still loved her, broke up with their girlfriend to be with her; they were happy for awhile before their differences drove them apart; they broke up.
** Did Tony (and Stella) write ''JustForFun/TheWeddingBride'' as a TakeThat to Ted or did it just suffer from an InUniverse ExecutiveMeddling because the film studio higher-ups wanted a CardCarryingVillain for their film?
*** Alternatively, it's possible that Stella was a bit insensitive when talking about Ted in front of Tony. GreenEyedMonster kicked in and Tony twisted her words in the worst way possible. "As fast as they can" supported this view, as Tony went out of his way to "make up" to Ted, including giving him money and jobs and then broke up with Stella when he thought she still had feeling for Ted. Ted had to assure Tony about it to get them back together.
*** Yet another possibility was that Tony's guilty conscience over his role in breaking Ted's heart continued to bother him, and he ended up mentally rewriting history to make himself feel better.
*** Also, does Ted remember the movie accurately, or was it actually a complex movie that showed Jed's positive sides as well, but Ted hated it because it made him re-experience being left at the altar? There is a clue in which Royce complains that (in her mind) the movie's only flaw was that Jed was such an irredeemable jerkass that it made no sense that Stella would be with him in the first place. It is also possible that Ted is the one lying about certain aspects of his relationship with Stella, and as his friends noted, some parts of the movie were actually accurate?
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_d6dccVlYw The Take]] adds a further theory that Ted's villainous portrayal in the movie is how Stella ''genuinely'' remembers him. When you strip away Ted's SympatheticPOV, how he treated Stella for their entire relationship wasn't that great: he badgered her into dating him, complained when things weren't moving fast enough, then abruptly dumped her when she started moving faster. He then proposed out of the blue, expected her to uproot her daughter's entire life to keep his New York bachelor apartment, invited both their exes to the wedding without consulting her, which rekindled her feelings for her child's father. Ted later turned up in her life, badmouthed her to Tony so badly the latter temporarily broke up with her, and then initially refuses to fix the mess he made. From Stella's POV, Ted probably ''was'' that villain.
** The finale implies that Ted [[spoiler: redevelops feelings for Robin after spending six years mourning the death of his wife. However to some viewers, it looks like Ted might have been in love with her all along and just ''waited'' a few years before asking her out because it's more sociably acceptable.]] This has led to the following interpretations:
*** Ted is a ManipulativeBastard whose plan all along was to [[spoiler:use another woman to have the children he always wanted (due to the fact that Robin didn't want nor can have children), wait for the inevitable divorce between Barney and Robin, and then find a way to ditch his wife after Robin finally realized that she and Ted were "meant" to be together. Tracy's death was a fortunate turn of events in Ted's master plan.]]
*** Alternately, Ted is an UnreliableNarrator who [[spoiler: exaggerated Barney's womanizing behavior and painted himself as the DoggedNiceGuy to his kids so they would root for him and Robin to be together even when he told them about how he couldn't let go of her when she had rejected him and fallen in love with Barney.]]
*** A more favorable interpretation posits that Ted is a BrokenBird who feels conflicted about his emotions, [[spoiler: seeing as he is [[InconvenientAttraction reluctantly infatuated]] with Robin in the wake of Tracy's death, and is [[JustIgnoreIt in denial]] about the aforementioned infatuation. This makes sense if one considers his initial negative reaction to his children telling him that they believe him to be infatuated with Robin, the fact that he doesn't paint Robin in such a flattering light compared to Tracy overall, and the possibility that because Ted's romance with Robin has failed multiple times, the factors in their breakups may give him legitimate reasons to want to overcome his infatuation towards her. Additionally, it could be suggested that Ted legitimately misses Tracy, and even if he believes he should recover, part of him does not wish to do so.]]
** Ted's children are also subject to different interpretations:
*** Are Ted's children, [[spoiler: Penny and Luke, the real, insensitive, {{Manipulative Bastard}}s who want their father to reunite with Aunt Robin for selfish reasons, and to that end, sit through his story before trying to convince him to move on? Or do they just want Ted to move on from Tracy's death because they believe his bereavement to be dragging him down?]]
*** Additionally, [[spoiler: in conjunction with the interpretation that Ted is reluctantly infatuated with Robin, are they ignoring the fact that Ted portrays Tracy in [[ManicPixieDreamGirl a more favorable light]] than even ([[SelfDeprecation or especially]]) himself, while he portrays Robin with [[GreenEyedMonster prominent]] [[HairTriggerTemper personality]] [[BrutalHonesty flaws]]? Or do they sincerely believe that Robin's flaws should be overlooked.]]

** Creator/AprilBowlby, way beofre ''Series/TwoAndAHalfMen'', ''Series/DropDeadDiva'', and ''Series/DoomPatrol2019'', appeared as Barney's crazy stalker Meg.

*** A more favourable interpretation posits that Ted is a BrokenBird who feels conflicted about his emotions, [[spoiler: seeing as he is [[InconvenientAttraction reluctantly infatuated]] with Robin in the wake of Tracy's death, and is [[JustIgnoreIt in denial]] about the aforementioned infatuation. This makes sense if one considers his initial negative reaction to his children telling him that they believe him to be infatuated with Robin, the fact that he doesn't paint Robin in such a flattering light compared to Tracy overall, and the possibility that because Ted's romance with Robin has failed multiple times, the factors in their breakups may give him legitimate reasons to want to overcome his infatuation towards her. Additionally, it could be suggested that Ted legitimately misses Tracy, and even if he believes he should recover, part of him does not wish to do so.]]

*** Additionally, [[spoiler: in conjunction with the interpretation that Ted is reluctantly infatuated with Robin, are they ignoring the fact that Ted portrays Tracy in [[ManicPixieDreamGirl a more favourable light]] than even ([[SelfDeprecation or especially]]) himself, while he portrays Robin with [[GreenEyedMonster prominent]] [[HairTriggerTemper personality]] [[BrutalHonesty flaws]]? Or do they sincerely believe that Robin's flaws should be overlooked.]]

* AudienceAlienatingEnding: The series finale is one of the most controversial, love-it-or-hate-it endings on record. [[spoiler:Barney and Robin get divorced after only three years; Barney goes right back to his womanizing ways and fathers a child with one of his one-night stands; Tracy (a.k.a. the Mother) is revealed to have died in 2024; the kids encourage Ted to go after Robin yet again]]. The meltdown among fans and critics was big enough to make the news and is likely to haunt the series for years to come, although some fans have been mollified by the alternate ending released with Season 9's [=DVDs=] (which basically just leaves out the unpopular bits at the very end).

** The writers continued to head back to the well with the Ted[=/=]Robin romance, long after the majority of fans had tired of it. That this was still going on in the eighth season, which was ''originally'' going to be the final season before being renewed once again, led to some of the more fed-up fans beginning to call the show "How I Was In Love With Your Aunt Robin For 8 Years Before Settling For Your Mother" whilst other fans have commented that Ted[=/=]Robin make [[Series/{{Friends}} Ross and Rachel]] look like a one-night stand. [[spoiler:But then, in the series finale, we learn that the Mother has been dead all along, and the reason Ted spent so much time telling his children about Aunt Robin under the guise of telling them how he met their mother was because he wants to know if they'd be okay with him dating "Aunt Robin." Your mileage may vary on whether this is FridgeBrilliance or the writers returning yet again to the tired old Ted[=/=]Robin romance.]]

** After the very vocal negative reaction to the ending of the series, the revelation that the DVD releases will have an alternate ending to the series is likely intended to be one. Whilst the actual inclusion of the ending probably isn't intended to be one, the timing (less than a week after the finale aired) is being viewed by a portion of the fans as an attempt to placate those angered by the endings. For the record, the alternate ending [[spoiler: has Ted and Tracy's wedding and a summary of the series]] and has been well received so far by fans.

*** The fact that the [=DVD=] releases feature an alternate ending to the series. Whilst some fans are pleased about this, there are others saying it's too late for Bays and Thomas to try and WinBackTheCrowd since they've already decided the show's canon ending, others accusing it of just being pandering to sell [=DVDs=] and get people to watch, those who liked it say the creators should stick to their original ending. And the new ending, despite being well-received, has created its own break, between those willing to now cut the creators some slack, and those mad this ending wasn't just used in the first place… and there are those who actually liked the original ending and consider the new one to be a sugarcoated happy ending made just to please those who hated the original ending. The question of whether the finale managed to provide [[spoiler: enough closure to Barney and Robin's divorce, or is simply too vague to infer anything is another major point of contention.]]

** Stella became this after "Shelter Island". And just when "As Fast As She Can" allowed to some to [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap forgive]], "The Wedding Bride" threw her right back to Scrappy. Whilst it was her husband who wrote the film, many details could have only come from Stella. So she dumped Ted at the altar and then helped her husband slander him as the villain in a hit movie. That's ''[[BitchInSheepsClothing stone cold]]''.

** Barney's LovableSexManiac antics were already a bit iffy, and he wasn't exactly considered a great guy for them in-universe, but evolving views on consent, respect, and even rape progressively dated some of his conquests and made them come off as almost monstrous while in the show, no matter how terrible they were, they were played as a joke.