10 Devastating TV Show Moments That Came Out Of Nowhere
2. Marshall’s Dad Dies - How I Met Your Mother
One of the most famous moments in How I Met Your Mother’s run, this reveal comes at the very end of the episode ‘Bad News’. Throughout the episode a big deal is made around Marshall and Lily’s attempts to conceive a baby, and in the closing moments, Lily tells Marshall she has some news. Understandably, we expect it to be relating to the baby, but instead, she tells him that his father has suffered a heart attack and died.
The episode is famous for its ‘countdown’ sequence, with numbers appearing throughout the episode counting down to the tragic moment, and it’s pulled off fantastically by Alyson Hannigan and Jason Segel. Most cutting is Marshall’s line when he hears the news:
"My Dad’s dead? I’m not ready for this."
Anyone who’s suffered a loss in the immediate family will recognise the feeling of helplessness when facing the news. It’s an intensely powerful moment that rises above the show itself, and proof that HIMYM has the capacity to be a great deal more than the middling sitcom some people write it off as.