This does contain spoilers, so if you're watching it on E4 or the like, away with you now! As many of the rest of you will know, the season finale of US sitcom How I Met Your Mother caused one hell of a mixed reaction. The Robin and Ted fans of this world were delighted, but plenty of others were not happy when it emerged that the mother they had waited for so long to meet, had in fact died, and that essentially the story was really all about 'Aunt Robin'. Cue this reaction...
Actress and star of the show Alyson Hannigan (who played Lily) said however, that if fans had seen one particular scene from the final episode, they would have understood Ted's decision to be with Robin all the more. She told TVLine; “Honestly, if you saw that cut [of the funeral], it would be even more heart-wrenching than what the finale was."
"They were like, 'No, it's just too gut-wrenching'. And I was like, 'That's what I want. I want my heart ripped out and slammed on the floor and, like, stomped on!"
"[I think it] would have been better for the audience, so that then they can process, 'Oh, [Ted] mourned. He got closure' - and then they'd be happy that [he and Robin] got together.
“Rather than be like, 'Oh, wait. She died? What? They're together, huh?' And credits. That's what I think was too fast."
We would definitely agree, we spent NINE years waiting for them to meet, there should have been more time to mourn her dammit! Although, fans of the show were also delighted to hear that there would be an alternative 'happy' ending in the DVD box set, which will just be a re-edit of what's been shot already. Hmm... give us the funeral scene! We can handle it... probably.
Here's a reminder of how it all ended;