15 Best How I Met Your Mother Episodes

"My dad's dead? I'm not ready for this."

If this list has proven anything, it's that HIMYM is at its best when its breaking hearts. Neither Bad News nor Last Words is complete without the other, as they form a two-parter in which Marshall must face the death of his father.

As with Legendaddy, both episodes sum up season six's theme of family and parents. Bad News is harmless enough, as Marshall and Lily try for a baby and go through some tests to see if they can go through with it. But with its craftily placed countdown and ominous title, it's clear something's going to go wrong.

Only, it's nothing to do with the baby, but Marshall's beloved father, who has died off-camera from a sudden heart attack. Marshall's reaction to the news is tear-jerking as hell, improvised by Jason Segel. Segel then shocks again in Last Words, where he proclaims his confusion with the idea of death and tells his friends how much he loved his dad.

If it doesn't make you cry, chances are that you're not human.