Representation of Love

As my summer has now well and truly began, I think about all the tv series which I long to watch in the near future. All of which I have seen before but part of me still desires to relive the experience the magic of getting so intensely gripped on a fictitious storyline. It's so odd how you get so emotionally attached to a show yet you go a few weeks without watching it and you forget how you felt while watching it. Over the summer, one of the main series I want to watch all over again is one my all time favourite series. An artwork of emotions, How I Met Your Mother.

The show itself finished over a year ago with an incredible yet controversal ending. Personally, I thought the ending was brilliant and so well thought out, even if the majority of viewers disagreed with it. I began watching the show a couple of years ago, and 10 minutes in to the first episode I was gripped. I know it is not considered by many to be one of the greats but I feel as though it really should be.

The storyline is an amazing thing and the structure is outstanding. It's clear from the first season that the way that Ted feels about Robin is serious. I think that it is extremely hard to hate Ted, even with some of actions he carries out, due to him being such a broken man. The amount of comedy in the show sometimes overlooks the hurt that is shared with many of the characters throughout the 9 seasons. When watching the show, I feel so connected with Ted and as an audience, people get to experience his life as he lives it, involving the audience in the show.

To me, the main theme is clearly love. The love that keeps Marashall and Lily together. The love that Ted continues to have for Robin. The love that the group share with each other. This being the theme would turn most people off liking the show as it could be seen as too cute, happy and romantic. But you really don't have to watch much to see the real way love is presented. It is not used to show a kind, loving and caring relationship but rather the immense pain which love can cause. The pain which doesn't go away, the pain which is always there even when not visible.

The fact that the show is presented mainly through the eyes of Ted makes the audience even more connected with him, his life and his feelings throughout everything which happens. Personally, I felt such hurt when Ted realised that him and Robin wouldn't work because you could see how much he craved it to. Being such a strong character, he realised that he couldn't stop feeling the way he was feeling and tried time after time after time to help Robin out. He always offered a hand where possible and couldn't bear the fact of her being upset.

This is another reason I adore Ted as a character, his selfless attitude. The way he does everything for Robin with no expectation to get anything back. He does everything purely to see her happy, representing what love is all about. Ted always puts her first, not worrying how it will make him feel. I don't think that there is ever a moment when he is convinced that he is over her, as he knows he never is and never will be. My absolute favourite quote is from season 8, in a scene with Ted and his ex, Victoria. Coming to the realisation that Robin is all Ted has ever wanted, she tells him 'I really hope you get her someday'. I find this quote so heartwrenching as Ted has tried to convince himself he can live without her but deep down he knows that she will make him so much happier than he has ever been. It is this line which makes me physically ache with the pain Ted must have felt at this moment in time.

There are many morals to learn from this show, lessons which I will always carry with me. But I think the major lesson is that love doesn't care about many aspects of life. It doesn't stop because people disagree. It doesn't stop because you don't talk to the person. It doesn't stop ever, as the feeling is too strong. The final episode of the show consists of Ted and Robin getting together which allowed me to really feel closure with the show as I always hoped they would work things out. This is why most people disliked the ending, as they got together following the death of Ted's wife. But to me, it just shows that even if you think you are with the right person or doing the right thing, it may not always be what you truly want. I think it just to show that things can take a long time to work themselves out, but when they do, there is no doubt it will be worth it.

--- Aimee ---