How I Met Your Mother: 10 Things That Make No Sense About Ted

It’s been over six years since How I Met Your Mother finished and fans are still mourning the loss of Tracy. For years, fans waited to see the love story between Ted and Tracy blossom. They had really been looking forward to seeing at least one of Ted’s relationships work and getting to know the mother of his children.

There were plenty of inconsistencies and plot holes about How I Met Your Mother that did make it hard to understand. Look at Ted’s arc for example; not everything made sense.

10 Why Did Ted Tell The Story In The First Place?

Most people will agree that the whole point of Ted’s story was one thing that didn’t make sense. For nine seasons, fans were led to believe that they were hearing about the love story between Ted and Tracy. For years, they endured Barney’s plays, Ted’s many romances, and Robin’s pining – all because they wanted a glimpse of The Mother.

So imagine everyone’s disappointment when they found out that not only was Tracy dead but Ted had only told the story because he wanted permission to date Robin again. He could have just sat them down and asked them – saved everyone nine years. It was a little bit of a letdown.

9 When Did He Find Out He Was Allergic To Bacon?

Another thing that didn’t make much sense was Ted’s discovery that he wasn’t allergic to bacon. As many fans know, Ted was shocked to discover that his parents had lied to him about being allergic to bacon (“Rally”). Future Ted then revealed that this was the first and only time he had tried bacon.

However, in a deleted scene from the season 6 episode “Cleaning House,” Ted reveals that he found out he wasn’t allergic to bacon while in college. It seems like the writers forgot they included this scene.

8 Why Would Ted Need Piano Lessons?

Most fans will also agree that Robin and Barney’s rehearsal dinner was full of plotholes. However, one that was glaringly obvious was when Ted said he was taking piano lessons again. Although this was a pretense for his ice skating lessons, fans thought it was a little weird that Barney and Robin never pulled him up on it.

Why? Because Ted was seen to be playing the piano back in the season 1 episode “Drum Roll” and the season 7 episode “Tailgate.” So why would he need to take up piano lessons again when his friends know how talented he is on the keys. He could have ruined Barney’s whole surprise with that lie.

7 How Long Did Ted Date Cindy?

Another detail that the writers seemed to have forgotten is the length of time that Ted dated Cindy. As fans remember, Ted ended up going on a date with Tracy’s roommate, Cindy, while he was teaching at Columbia University. This was their only one as Cindy broke up with Ted after discovering the policy against teacher-student relationships.

However, in “Band or DJ?” Cindy revealed that she and Ted had dated for a month. It’s not a major plot hole but it doesn’t make much sense. It just makes Ted look more like an unreliable narrator.

6 Why Did Bob Saget Narrate Ted?

One of the more obvious elements that confused fans had to be the inclusion of Bob Saget. For nine years, Bob Saget had provided the voice of Future Ted. His narration was quite prominent in the first couple of seasons but dwindled near the end.

However, in the season 9 finale, Future Ted was still played by Josh Radnor. While Saget said that it was only right for Radnor to finish the journey, it does make fans question why the writers didn’t just have Radnor narrate in the first place. Saget basically got a free paycheck.

5 Why Does Ted Still Use A Drafting Bench?

One aspect that has also confused fans is how Ted performed his job. As many fans know, Ted was an architect. They had seen him spend hours at his desk drawing buildings and creating models. However, this was one of the things that didn’t make much sense to people.

If someone asked an architect how they create their designs, a lot of them would say they do it on the computer. There are plenty of software programs that generate an image for them and save a lot of time. Ted even has a computer in the corner of his office. Yet, fans never see him use it. So what was with the old fashioned technique?

4 Ted’s Fighting Style

The writers also seemed to mess up a little when it came to Ted’s fighting style. In the season 6 episode “Bad News,” fans heard Ted say that he was more of a kicker when he was discussing his fighting style. However, this was seen to be contradicted several times.

Firstly in “Best Prom Ever,” when Ted tackles a student after he attacks Marshall with nunchakus. The writers also contradicted this in “Bass Player Wanted” when Ted punched Darren in the face after he made him drop the scotch. It may not have affected the plot but it did affect his character’s personality a bit.

3 The Age Of Penny

A lot of fans have also noticed a major inconsistency in the timeline was the age of Penny. When the viewers first met Penny, it was back in the season 7 episode “Trilogy Time,” during a flashforward. At this point (2015), Penny looked to be only a couple of weeks old.

However, there seems to be an issue with the timeline come “Unpause.” In this flashforward, the fans jump to Luke’s birth, which was in 2017. Many fans have pointed out that Penny didn’t exactly look two years old here. Nevertheless, most fans let this one slip since it didn’t impact the narrative much.

2 The Trudy Situation

Another storyline that didn’t make much was the whole Trudy situation. When fans first met Trudy, she and Ted had briefly hooked up. Since Ted was still obsessed with Robin at this point, Trudy ended up sneaking down the fire escape. At the end of the episode, Future Ted did say that he left a message for Trudy but she never called him back.

However, two seasons later, Ted ends up meeting Trudy again in MacLaren’s. What’s even weirder is that Ted said he didn’t leave her a message because he felt embarrassed. A minor plot hole but it is still inconsistent.

1 Why Did Ted’s Family Not Come To The Wedding?

One of the things that didn’t make much sense to the viewers was why Ted’s family didn’t appear at his wedding. Like Marshall, Ted was extremely close to his family. He was seen to regularly visit their houses, went to lunch with them, and went out drinking with them too. Ted even helped his sister out when she moved to New York.

The weird thing was, none of them were at Ted and Tracy’s wedding. It’s fair to say that Ted’s parents may not have been able to make it because they didn’t live in the city, but was Heather’s excuse? Missing the wedding of a close relative is quite a big deal and yet, Ted doesn’t seem too bothered.

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