After watching the pilot for the first time since the finale, I think it clarified some things for me and it muddied some things for me as well. I get the concept of bookends for closure and the blue french horn brings the show full circle which is the "proper" way to do things. It happens all the time in book/movies/tv/etc all the time, so I understand and can appreciate the completeness of the series. I like the concept of knowing something (Ted meeting his wife, Anakin becoming Vader, etc) and following the process of how that happens. It is a different way of telling a story, in my opinion. However, when that process gets nullified or that process gets overpowered by GL trying to shoehorn every stinkin' character into the prequel, the point is lost. I thought as a whole the series was great, but it wasn't the story that I wanted. For 9 years they made me invested in knowing more about the mother, not who Ted wants to spend the rest of his life with.