Depressing 'How I Met Your Mother' Series Finale Theory Might Prove To Be True

(987 AMP RADIO) - Fans of the hit CBS show "How I Met Your Mother" are getting worried that a longtime theory of how the show might end in tragedy could possibly be true.

In this week's episode, a flash-forward to 2024 finds Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) and 'The Mother' (Cristin Milioti) at the Inn sharing their remaining life tales with one another.

When they realize that they have no stories left to tell, they celebrate officially becoming an "old, married couple," marking the occasion with a well-deserved high-five.

Unfortunately, things quickly take a turn for the worse, when some seriously heavy hints are dropped that the long-awaited HIMYM series finale might hold the reveal that the love of Ted's life has died.

First, while Ted recalls how Robin's mother surprised her by coming to her and Barney's wedding last minute, his future (late?) wife responds, "Of course she showed up. What mother is going to miss her daughter's wedding?"

And in response to that…Ted starts to cry! 'The Mother' comforts him by saying, "I don't want you to be the guy who only lives in his stories. Life only moves forward." (See the GIFs at Buzzfeed.com).

Because the scenes of Ted talking to his son and daughter (David Henrie and Lyndsy Fonseca) are said to occur in 2030, could that mean that 'The Mother' has passed away and he is telling them stories to help them remember her?

Rumors of this particularly sad ending have been floating around the internet for quite some time, with many pointing to Ted's speech in the season 8 episode "Time Travelers" as being laden with clues, or the fact that Ted has never mentioned his wife in present tense while talking to their kids.

Also, in a 2012 interview with E! News, show runner Carter Bays explained that they've known how the show would end all along, and called the finale "really heartbreaking, and sweet and wonderful."

With only five episodes to go, the ending of HIMYM is still anyone's guess, but regardless of the conclusion, we recommend watching with a box of tissues nearby.