“How I Met Your Mother” Counts Down to “Bad News,” Tragic Death

Though CBS comedy “How I Met Your Mother” has never shied away from dramatic reveals–both legitimately touching and excessively sappy–nothing in its six seasons could have prepared viewers for the final moments of Monday’s “Bad News.”

In one of the most heartbreaking moments on all of network television–comedy or drama–within the past several years, “How I Met Your Mother” ended its first episode of 2011 with a tragic death. Despite coming within the boundaries of a half hour comedy, the emotional final scene even rivaled the stunners built into the final seasons of “Lost” and “24.” It was an artistically-beautiful scene that instantly restored “Mother”‘s crown as the network comedy to watch. It remains nowhere near as funny as “30 Rock” and “Modern Family,” or even “The Office” and “Glee,” but it showed once again that it can accomplish things like no other sitcom on television.

Some will say the death, that of Marshall’s father, was forecast. After all, the main plotline of the episode was essentially designed as a recap of the strong relationship Marshall had with his parents. Combined with the fact that there was literally a “countdown” to that final scene, the revelation that Marshall’s father died of a heart attack was technically not unpredictable.

But even if it seemed possible, it could not have seemed likely. Sitcoms rarely even tackle the issue of death, let alone the sudden death of a loving character in the final moments of an otherwise-upbeat episode. The structure was far more like the aforementioned “Lost” and “24” death episodes (see the one in which Renee Walker died); it was not a “sitcom death.” The fact that the build to the death included that cutesy countdown, in which “numbers” appeared in random spots throughout the episode, was simply haunting. It was an expert storytelling device that would have logically been a fit for something along the lines of Lily finally getting pregnant, Barney reconnecting with the man he learned was apparently his father, or even Ted finding a key piece of the “mother” puzzle. Its “gimmicky” nature sharply contrasted the horror it would represent.

“Mother” writers have always found value in contrasting drama with Marshall’s usual goofy charm. Season one, for instance, ended with the juxtaposition of Ted finally landing Robin just as Marshall and Lily call off their engagement. But none of that heartbreak can even compare to the idea of Marshall losing his father. Their relationship, after all, was one of the truest examples of love on the show–and a breath of fresh air for a group of characters that almost all have “daddy issues” (or at least estranged relationships with their fathers).

Set against the backdrop of Marshall and Lily exploring the possibility that one of them was infertile, the message here was to “steer into the skid.” For Robin, it meant embracing the fact that her new coworkers saw her embarrassing reel of history–from falling in horse manure on Metro News 1 to “Let’s Go to the Mall” to her degrading stint as an anchor in Tokyo. For Marshall, that meant finally admitting his possible infertility to the parents he felt wanted a grandchild more than anything in the world.

It was, of course, hardly unexpected that Marshall’s parents were fine with the news. No one who had seen their previous interactions could have possibly felt their love for their son hinged on his ability to provide another member for the Eriksen clan. It was similarly predictable when it was revealed that Marshall (and Lily) does not, in fact, have any issue with his sperm production (especially since the news came from a doctor who was Barney’s actual doppelganger–meaning the universe is now TRULY ready for Marshall and Lily to have a child).

What was not as obvious, however, was the fact that this was not going to be a “we love you for who you are” sapfest. Instead, Marshall’s new understanding of his parents’ love would be the final memory he shares with his father.

The hard-hitting episode again reveals the brillance of the character dynamic Carter Bays and Craig Thomas created. They surprisingly did not serve as the main writers for this game-changing episode, but the excellence of this episode would not have been possible without their vision. It is clear that for all the flack the show has received for its uneven past few seasons, the characters still matter. The relationships still matter.

The show, like it or not, continues to near that “untouchable” state in which laughs almost cease to be relevant. The show is not the funniest comedy on television by a long shot, but it almost does not need to be. Viewers might not want a long, drawn-out relationship tease for Ted, but they are undoubtedly connected to the lives of the five central characters. And instead of taking that connection for granted, the writers showed the stakes they are willing to wager. Sometimes, they will allow the characters to find love and personal satisfaction. Other times, in a move espoused by almost no modern comedies, they force the characters to work through heartbreak.

Things often work out for good people, as evidenced on “Mother” by Robin’s successful integration to her new job and the news that Marshall and Lily are very likely to conceive.

Other times, they must face devastatingly “Bad News.”