The series finale of How I Met Your Mother could've been legen -- wait for it -- dary.
Though the CBS sitcom ended last March, an apparent alternate ending has leaked online. Back in April, it was announced that a DVD box set of the show, coming out on Sept. 23, would include the clip. But last night, some fans reported that the clip had leaked early on the video sharing site Vimeo (it has since been removed, but users posted it on YouTube as well), though CBS has not verified or commented on the leak.
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Fans of the comedy were surprised when the nine-season arc ended with the reveal that (spoiler alert) the mother had actually passed away. Then, Ted grabbed the ever-present blue French horn and went off to woo Robin. Reactions ranged from lukewarm to outright anger, and viewers took to social media to trash the polarizing ending. Some even created their own endings.
The backlash was harsh enough that show creator Carter Bays took to Twitter to explain the reasoning behind the ending. Apparently, the show writers came up with two endings, ultimately going for the one that aired.
We chose the ending we chose and we stand by it. But we loved the other version too.— Carter Bays (@CarterBays) April 4, 2014
Now it appears that alternate ending has seen the light of the Internet.
This new ending is worlds apart from the one that aired last March. The clip, almost five minutes long, has Ted rehashing nearly the entirety of the show's journey. Then he sees Tracy (the mother) and does "the stupidest, most impossible thing in the world" -- he goes up and talks to her. No Robin, no blue french horn, no mysterious death.
And that, kids, is how he could have met the mother.