Okay. Enough of this. I'm trying to be more positive LOL
The ending riled me up real bad for multiple reasons I've already mentioned, and we can't change it. It is what it is. But they gave us a lot to be happy about in regards to Tedbecca in the last episode. I see hope in the way Ted seemed incapable of saying anything. His usual chirpy-self, who was always babbling on, filling the silence at every turn, disappeared when Rebecca was concerned. Because he knew that he was hurting her by leaving. Which in turn hurt him. Because that's what love is. The writers might have tried to avoid making it romantic, but they had created a monster. Lemme explain.
Short answer: They were soulmates, they said. No need for it to be romantic, they said. It can be platonic, they said. Men and women can be friends!! they said.
BUT.
Ted and Rebecca were not friends. And that's the catch right there. That's the mistake the writers made.
And that's why this was a love story, no matter how hard they tried to squash the idea.
Long answer:
Rebecca was quite far down on the list of Ted's go-to people by the time season 3 landed. He had Beard of course, the Diamond Dogs, Dr. Sharon, even Keeley was admittidly closer to him by that point.
Rebecca was in a league of her own. They were both navigating their life separately but somehow showing up for one another at a time when nobody else would do. Understanding each other on a level that can't even be articulated.
And when it was time for him to leave, the only one he could not quite face and say goodbye to was her. Because there was something there, unacknowledged, unsaid, looming over them. Even BH alluded to this in his infamous reddit debacle. About saying I love you to one another. I had to read that section back. What I wouldn't do for you people? :D
In my personal opinion, in the airport scene they are both struggling with whether or not to say it. But they both know instinctively that if they do, it could open a floodgate they’d rather not open.
Had they been the BFF that a lot of people mistakenly painted them as, this would have been a no-brainer for them. But they couldn't. Because there was something there. That is something the writers did to themselves.
I blame and thank deeply Hannah W. for this. She instilled so much care and fondness and tenderness towards Ted in season one; Rebecca always liked him, even when she was trying real hard to hate him. And the chemistry was just off the charts.
So she carved a very special place for Rebecca in Ted's orbit, that even the writers could not help but lean into. Resulting in the soulmate idea which didn't take root until season 2.
And BOOM. They fucked themselves over. Because Ted and Rebecca were now bonded in a way that could not be undone, and could not even be strictly defined. But one thing is clear: they are destined to be together if they want a real shot at happiness. It's just the truth that the writers established without trying to. Because they make each other better. They understand each other in a way that is beyond words. They can kiss each other's bruises without judgement or fear of judgement. And yes, in a way that would not have been undermined by also wanting to have sex with one another, contrary to popular belief. As two straight people who enjoy sex, it would have been the logicial last piece of the puzzle.
So the ending is fucking sad, because Ted left without really wanting to, letting yesterday be in the way of today, as Rebecca put it. But the last episode also proved once and for all that Ted and Rebecca are fucking IT for each other. Even if they were not ready to let themselves go there yet.
