How I Met Your Mother episode hints at tragic demise for one of the main characters.

They wouldn’t… They couldn’t….. but perhaps they will?

The internet is abuzz this morning with conspiracy theories about what the creators of How I Met Your Mother have in store for the final episode. Specifically, a new they is being tossed around that the series will conclude with the devastating revelation that the ‘mother’ character is actually dead.

Let’s go back to the beginning and unpack this theory, shall we?

The premise of the show is that father Ted Mosbey is telling his teenage children the story of how he came to meet their mother; a story that spans about a decade in total. So far How I Met Your Mother has involved eight hilarious but painstakingly slow-moving seasons, that have led us to the point of finally meeting the character who will become ‘the mother’. There is one season to left to go.

This week, US viewers of the show were treated to the latest episode, ‘Vesuvius’. In it we flash forward 10 years to a scene where Ted Mosbey is telling his wife the story of his friend Robin’s wedding. He explains how everyone expected Robin’s mother not to attend but at the last moment she did.

Ted’s wife (the ‘mother’) says that this should hardly be surprising because after all “what mother is going to miss her daughter’s wedding?”

Cue: Ted’s sad tears.

And that, my friends, is what the internet/televisions conspiracy theorists are claiming is the clue. The clue to beat all clues. Why? Ted is crying remorsefully because his wife will never live to see her own daughter’s wedding. Because at the time Ted is telling his story of ‘how I met your mother’ to his kids, his wife is ALREADY DEAD.

Mind blown yet? Not quite….

The scene certainly isn’t conclusive proof of such a tragic ending to the series. It could, in fact, be a red herring planted by the creators to throw us off the real scent of a happily ever after conclusion. We’ll have to wait a few more episodes to find out…