Not really sure if you can spoil a 30-minute sitcom, but I figured I’d be safe and write this paragraph as to not reveal spoilers in the mouseover. I learned this during the war. We used to wear onions on our belts. It was the style of the time.
So in the latest episode of HIMYM (2.13.2012) Robin and that guy from House (don’t know his name, Blandy McBland from Blandsylvania maybe?) broke if off because she doesn’t want to ever have children. The character in past episodes has stated that children would hamper her career, but this is the first time she has stated, with no uncertain terms, that she never wants to have children. I can’t for the life of me recall a character that doesn’t want a child, in a popular mainstream show, not change their mind at some point. I’m thinking the writers will chicken out before the show ends and Robin will want a child or accidentally get pregnant and decide to keep it.
Well, I’m pretty sure the writers are going to stick to the fact that she won’t ever have her own children. That whole plot arc this season would be a huge cheat and make no sense if they changed it, (especially the episode where she was talking to the kids that she’ll never have,) so no ‘accidents.’
They might have her change her mind on the adoption issue, but I’d probably bet against that one too. It’s a choice that makes sense with her character, and they can finish the show with it that way. Considering that Lily and Marshall are going to be parents within months, and Ted’s always talking to his future kids, it’s not like they’d be accused of sending an anti-children message or something.
No way I can predict, but I have to say I hope the writers stick with this character trait. Lots of people in real life don’t want children and don’t change their minds. My wife and I are two of them.
Besides, babies ruin sitcoms. I already dread the impending appearance of Baby Ericskon.
This issue has been a soapbox thing for me for a while now - mainstream tv and movies seem to be really loathe to have any truly childfree characters. Even Robin doesn’t qualify as childfree, if she is not having kids because she can’t have kids. One of her lines from the last episode really grated on me, too - “I can’t have kids. Who would want me now?” or something like that. Hello, Hollywood writers - about 40% of the population are childfree* - only millions and millions of guys would still want her! And another newsflash - not being able to have kids is not a tragedy to millions and millions of people, too! Wake up and smell the changing demographics!
Okay, I’ll hop down for now.
*A highly debatable figure, of course, but the main point is that it is much higher than people think it is.
I don’t see them undoing this. What a strange season so far…
1- Ted’s kids know her as Aunt Robin, so there is no way she will have Ted’s kids. Whether she has any kids is uncertain but unlikely.
2- Ted’s declaration of love for Robin- what’s up with that? We already know she isn’t the mother. This looks to derail Ted’s quest for the mother for at least the rest of the season.
3- Barney went from head over heels with one girl, then dumps her to have another chance with Robin, who doublecrossed him and now he’s serious about someone else?
4- Lily’s father- what a useless character. They need to get rid of him. At least Marshall’s dad was likeable.
5- I agree, their baby will not be good for the show.
6- The therapist was not a good fit with the show. Good riddance.
I don’t understand why if she doesn’t ever want kids why she was so damn sad that she is not capable of having them. She should be thrilled that she doesn’t have to worry about getting knocked up. So yes, what Cat said above.
But the unwritten rule on TV is that no one ever has an abortion and no one is ever thrilled that they can’t reproduce.
It will be stretch to call it a ‘baby’…it’s it’s like any other Ericksons, it will come out bigger than most toddlers! They’ll have to get a three-year-old to play the part!
Yeah, every woman who doesn’t want kids would be thrilled to find out they have a serious medical problem. :rolleyes:
I think that episode handled it fairly well…Robin said she didn’t want any, never had any inkling that her opinion wold change, but it’s still a big deal to have that choice forcefully taken from you for no reason whatsoever, even if it essentially doesn’t really change your life.
I missed the part where the doctor mentioned that she had a life-threatening condition or even a condition that would lower her quality of life. As far as we know the only thing affected was her ability to have kids.
I got a V last year but would have being fucking thrilled if it had happened naturally. Would have saved a whole lot of money and avoided what was somewhat a uncomfortable procedure.
Have you been watching every episode of the show? She’s said more than once across many, many seasons that she doesn’t want to have children (e.g., “I don’t want to have children in Argentina” v. “I don’t want to have children in Argentina.”). Also, in earlier seasons, Ted, when talking to his kids, hinted that she never did. It was washy enough to give the writers an out if they changed their minds, but firm enough that it was obvious they conceived the character of never having children - which is one of the reasons why the episode where she found out she couldn’t have kids was so weird.
I can understand why she was a bit sad at not being able to have kids. It’s one thing to choose not to go down a path, it’s another to have that path closed off to you.
Robin has always been a doesn’t-want-kids type. She and Ted went back and forth about it early on. He seemed to think she’d change her mind, but she was pretty adamant.
As far as her not being able to vs not wanting to, yeah, it’s a matter of knowing that a choice was taken from you. Even if you know what you want, if you find out your choice didn’t really matter at all, it feels pretty hollow.
Agreed. That was one of the worst episodes of the series, by far. We already knew Robin didn’t want kids - so why make such a big deal out of it? Her initial conversation with Blandy of “I can’t have kids” should have been “I never want kids, ever - so thank god my uterus is a rocky place where no man’s seed can find any purchase”. We also know that Ted isn’t marrying Robin (or at least, Ted doesn’t end up with Robin somewhere down the line and have kids with her) - so this rooftop declaration of love is just more treading water.
I’m hoping that they’ll start the next episode with this exchange -
Robin - “What?!?”
Ted - “I love you.”
Robin - “We’ve been down this road before. What the hell are you talking about?”
Ted - “Sorry, old habit. I just mean that I love you as a friend, and I was trying to make you feel better.”
Anything else (i.e. them getting back together again) is going to piss me off mightily.
My husband suggested that maybe Barney isn’t going to see Quinn - that the someone he was talking about in the cab was Robin. I was a bit disappointed with the episode as well and checked out in the last few minutes. Was there any indication that he was definitely on his way to visit Quinn?
I haven’t seen every episode, but I got the sense that, up until now, the reason she doesn’t want children is because she wants to have a successful career first. As you said, it’s been washy enough to give the writers an out if they changed their minds.
Did you see the episode a few weeks ago when she found out she can’t have kids, and the final reveal was that she’ll never have kids (adopted or otherwise)?
