That's the nail on the head right there. They tried waaay too hard to shove as much drama into the thing as possible, while trying to make the entire series a red herring. The show is no stranger to red herrings, but those always have a great payoff. This one didn't. Seemed like a cheap shot to get Ted and Robin together after all, another thing that completely erases every moment of heartwarming the series was about. The reveal wasn't as heartwarming as they thought it would be. It just served to tick the audience off.I like last episodes, though sometimes they can go too far, such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show cast getting fired, the cast of Dinosaurs facing extinction, and How I Met Your Mother trying a bit too hard to be sad in the last episode (and wasn't it said that the gang never missed Robots vs. Wrestlers? I thought it meant all of them, not all but Robin).
When I read the title "finale," I got so depressed, thinking they junked the series. But it was a very good ending. Which brings me to a strange thought. Cartoons are getting better finales than live action adult television shows. Closure in cartoons was rare. I mean, Teddy Ruxpin had Tweeg run off and join his father as a surfer. The ONLY thing that ever closed off an 80's cartoon, while the Kidd Video gang and Captain N never got back to Earth (ticks me off that Cyberchase will probably end that way). Oh, wait... then there's Galaxy High which at least had end of series awareness. Not really an ending, but they knew that a second season wasn't gonna happen.The Amazing World of Gumball's 2nd season finale reminded me so much of Seinfeld. Pretty much everything the family did came back to bite them hard. Of course, it's getting a 3rd season, but I like those Series Fauxnales where they give it just enough closure to make it feel like a final episode.
My favorite cartoon series ending has to be Batman: Brave and the Bold, though. Batmite getting ticked off at the lighter version of Batman, and trying to screw it up, then getting depressed when the show actually ends... and the OH CRAP moment when he realizes he won't fit into any other continuity? Brilliant.