How I Met Your Mother: The Olive Theory, Explained

The main characters on How I Met Your Mother have many inside jokes and unique ways of looking at the world, including the olive theory.

Summary

• The olive theory is a popular concept from How I Met Your Mother that represents compatibility in relationships.
• Ted initially believed that the olive theory demonstrated perfect balance in a relationship, but later learns that it is about love and putting effort into making the other person happy.
• The olive theory foreshadowed Ted and Robin's reunion in the series finale, showing that their love story isn't finished despite their previous breakup.

Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) searches for his soulmate throughout How I Met Your Mother, and at the beginning of the series, he brings up the olive theory to explain perfect relationships. The 2000s sitcom focuses on Ted's friendships as the main characters hang out in New York and talk about their lives at their favorite pub MacLaren's. While all the characters have their own relationship journeys, the main point of the series is Ted telling his children the story of how he fell in love with The Mother, Tracy McConnell (Cristin Milioti).

Ted is a hopeless romantic who believes that everyone he dates could be his one true love. His relationships and the relationships of his closest friends form the basis of the story he tells his children. From the beginning of the sitcom, he looks up to Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan) and Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel) because they have a strong, long-term romance. Because his friends think that the olive theory is why they are so happy together, Ted thinks that Lily and Marshall's HIMYM relationship is flawless, but this idea ultimately shifts his perspective on love.

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The Olive Theory Is Meant To Show How Compatible Two People Are

The olive theory is discussed in the very first episode of How I Met Your Mother, and it's something that is brought up more than once in the series. Since the airing of the show, the olive theory has become a big part of pop culture, even gaining traction on social media platforms like TikTok as users share videos about their first date experiences and how they relate to the theory. The entire idea behind the olive theory is that it's meant to show how compatible two people really are.

Initially, it's presented as one partner in a relationship disliking olives, and the other liking them. The idea seems as though it would reference opposites attracting, or of two people being halves of a whole. That, however, isn't really the point How I Met Your Mother makes with the olive theory as Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) makes a big reveal about the olive theory after the fact.

Ted understands that Marshall hates olives and Lily loves olives. Any time there are olives in their food, Marshall gives his to Lily. What Barney later explains to him, however, is that Marshall actually likes olives, but gives his olives to Lily because he knows how much she loves them. While the olive theory is initially presented as a sign of compatibility, in reality, it's a sign of how much love there is in a relationship: Marshall gives up the olives because he loves Lily and wants her to be happy.

Watch all 9 seasons of How I Met Your Mother on Hulu

Ted Believed The Olive Theory Demonstrated Perfect Balance In A Relationship

When the first HIMYM episode presents the olive theory, which is that Lily loves olives and Marshall dislikes them and that makes them compatible, it makes sense that Ted is drawn to this sentiment. Ted always tries to make love seem logical and believes that things like this are examples of that. He wants his perception of the olive theory to be true because it justifies his logical approach to love - testing his attraction to the women he meets, or trying out the olive theory on dates, etc.

The olive theory proves Ted's naive personality and how he sometimes wants to believe that something is true instead of looking at all the facts or being realistic. While one of Ted's best traits is that he's optimistic, he doesn't always see reality. In the pilot episode of HIMYM, Barney shares that Marshall doesn't hate olives after all, and it turns out that Lily and Marshall are both fans. However, Lily isn't bothered by this information and doesn't see it as a contradiction to the olive theory. This is an important early story that shows Ted needs to realize that after the initial stage of attraction and chemistry, both partners need to put in time and effort if a relationship will succeed.

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The Olive Theory Foreshadowed Ted & Robin Ending Up Together

Ted eventually finds out that Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders) changed her mind and while she didn't like olives before, now she is content to eat them. The olive theory is crucial to Ted and Robin's romance as her changing her mind about olives could be a sign that she might change her mind about him. He feels comforted by the fact that she has shifted her opinion. Just like Ted and Robin's break up was foreshadowed, the olive theory hints at the couple reuniting in the series finale. But before that can occur, Robin opens her heart to Barney, and Ted is heartbroken.

Robin changes her mind about olives in How I Met Your Mother Season 9, Episode 9, "Platonish."

While they split up because Ted wants to get married and have children and Robin doesn't want to become a parent, How I Met Your Mother never lets go of Ted's hope that they will find their way back to each other. While the timing isn't right just yet, Ted is right that their love story isn't finished. Although he once thought that his love of olives and Robin's hatred meant they were perfect for one another, he lets go of this theory and accepts that they might be happy in the future.

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  How I Met Your Mother

  Cast:

  Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan, Bob Saget

  Release Date:

  2005-09-19

  Seasons:

  9

  Genres:

  Comedy, Drama

  Writers:

  Carter Bays, Craig Thomas

  Story By:

  Carter Bays; Craig Thomas; Rob Greenberg

  Network:

  CBS

  Streaming Service(s):

  Amazon Prime Video

  Directors:

  Carter Bays

  Showrunner:

  Craig Thomas

  Season List:

  How I Met Your Mother - Season 1, How I Met Your Mother - Season 2, How I Met Your Mother - Season 3, How I Met Your Mother - Season 4, How I Met Your Mother - Season 5, How I Met Your Mother - Season 6, How I Met Your Mother - Season 7, How I Met Your Mother - Season 8, How I Met Your Mother - Season 9