User Reviews

I am writing a short review on this episode as it had connected with me in a very meaningful way.

My mother passed away suddenly at the beginning of last August (2010). I was concerned for how this holiday season was going to turn out without my mom who was the light and joy behind every Christmas and made it what it was every year.

There has been some speculation on the fact that having this episode occur during one of the most difficult times of the year was somewhat cruel and perhaps inconsiderate.

I respectfully disagree with this opinion because I was able to connect to my favourite television show in a very personal way. How I Met Your Mother has definitely been a tool for escapism for me, in fact I play episodes through the night to help me sleep through this exhausting grieving process. But also in saying that, I greatly appreciated what Marshall was feeling in Bad News because it resonated with me and reminded me that I'm not alone in this. Many people who go through this process try to hide and/or run from their pain and they forget that any chance they have to release that pain is helping to move them forward through this process. So even if this episode made them cry or presented them with the opportunity to take another look at their feelings, I believe it could have been a positive occurrence for some.

I can understand completely that many people would be angry or annoyed towards this episode being placed at a sensitive and nostalgic time of year and it had the ability to bring up painful memories that some may have wanted to leave untouched.

The point I'm trying to make is that there just might be the same amount of people out there who, like me, were thankful for the experience they had when they watched this episode and were able to identify with Marshall as a character on a much deeper level.

I thank the writers for creating such a weighted and meaningful episode.

So well executed. A good sitcom is the one that can mix humor and some sad moments and do it well. This was a definite success in this episode. All episode even though worried about Marshall's fertility we laugh, and then at the end when we believe that it is all good and nothing to worry about anymore it strikes down with an even worse news than we were expecting. The last scene just brought tears to my eyes. Marshall is the character whom I like in the way that I find him adorable and always would like to hug and protect from anything that is bad out there. So having him be the one whose dad dies and especially at such a moment when he wanted to all him and give them the great news as he usually does is more devastating than it could be.

It is amazing how they managed to change the mood of the viewer in just a few seconds by 180 degrees. Before that they used a lot of the comedy techniques from the show to keep us on top of laughter with things like doppelganger (Lily really having trouble believing it was not Barney), Robin's embarrassing work past (now not just mall song) and the word play such as when Marshall was trying to fill the cup and his parents were talking.

Definitely a high class episode. Perfectly done.

i am absolutely speechless.This is why I love HIMYM so much. It intertwines the serious with humorous very well. Although, I will say I was a bit shocked at the end of the show last night. You go from laughing to just....sad.For anyone saying HIMYM is only a comedy, go back and watch from episode one... There have been true to life moments throughout the run of the series: Marshall sitting in the rain after Lily leaves, Victoria moving to Germany, Ted "cheating" on Victoria with Robin and having them find out, Ted and Robin, Ted being left at the alter, Robin and Don, Barney and his brother's meeting of one of their dads.

People get so wrapped up in Barney's funny over-the-top antics that they forget the show gained notoriety because of the "close to home, I remember when that happened to me" feel the episodes had. The death is just the most impactful to date. i think the thing that did it for me was when Marshell tried to put on that tough face for Lily and not cry in front of her, but then it hit him like a punch to the face and he couldn't hold back. I was welling up before then but when that happened I lost it.

And don't forget how much timeline jumping is done, the dad I bet, is far from gone in the series. You've made me cry twice now HIMYM.... When Lily left Marshall and Ted found him sitting in the rain is the only one to come closeThe count down was very misleading, as was said in one of last seasons episodes that when they saw Barney's dopple ganger Lily and Marshall would have a baby. I thought the count down was for Lily to tell Marshall that she was pregnant and my wife and I were even counting down to good news and then WHAM! completely surprised and devastated at the ending

This entire series has become one of my favorite TV shows ever. While each episode itself is intended to be funny overall, they also freely touch on many of the most important aspects of real human relationships: Ted's traumatic love life, Barney's search for his real father, Marshall & Lily's marriage and desire to have a child.

While this may not have been the funniest or even the most exciting episode, it did something none of the previous ones have. It took me on the most extreme emotional roller coaster rides I have experienced from a TV show. The last one I can think of that provoked this kind of response was Scrubs ep3-14 "My Screw-up".

Providing me a steady stream of laughs and sense of happiness and success for the characters and their finding out that the hope of having children is still a strong possibility, this episode then completely dropped me over the hill. It was a masterful stroke that silenced my laughing and satisfaction instantaneously. I was -literally- saying "No, no, no…." to the TV.

In a similar fashion I lost my own father when everything else in my life was going great. Taking what should have been a great time in my life and making it much less bright.

I am not so pompous that I believe everyone will be moved the same way, I just feel this event helps the show remain grounded and makes the characters that much more believable and subsequently more enjoyable to watch.

This has been one of the best episodes this season! I am a huge fan of HIMYM and have followed this show from day one. I hate how a lot of people are saying this episode was horrible because HIMYM is suppose to be a comedy and shouldn't contain sad things. I completely disagree. Yes, it may be a comedy but its so much more than that. This show has helped me through so much because I can relate to each and every character and most of their situations. The writers of this show are great at balancing the amount of happy and sad moments. I believe you need the sad to help you appreciate the good. The timing of Marvin's death was very well written. Throughout this season we have watched Marshall's relationship with his father and this shows us that anything can happen and to not take for granted the time we have with the people we love.

I must admit, i did not notice the countdown the first time I watched this episode because I was too focused on the characters. but I did notice it the second time I watched and I loved the countdown. It was fun to spot hidden numbers and sad because i knew what was going to happen when the countdown ended.

anyways, overall it was a great episode. I can't wait to see what happens next.

The first 95% of this episode is pretty average for this series. The doppleganger thing has always been a forced joke. The baby troubles were starting to drag. Sandy Rivers is a distraction. The flashbacks to Robin's past were a bit of a giggle. And Marshall coming out of the hospital knowing that they can have a baby is a good feeling for the regular viewers rooting for the characters.

And then, it bites, HARD! But if you didn't like this episode you shouldn't be watching.

The big thing about this series is that we get to see the highs and lows of their lives. If you don't suffer their lows you don't deserve to enjoy their highs. And if the next episode doesn't make you cry just as hard as the last 30 seconds of this one, then you are an emotionless freak who doesn't deserve to own a TV.

I would like to thank the writers and actors of HIMYM. I have been a fan of the show from the beginning. However, I was unable to watch seasons 6 and beyond due to personal problems of my own. So, recently I've been watching the series on Netflix and have been trying to catch up. I watched this episode, and cried. Now, Marshall is the character I identify with most on the show, and having his dad die a few months before I lost my own dad really brought the issue home for me. The whole episode I saw the numbers counting down, and thought it was leading up to Lily announcing she was pregnant, but when she told Marshall, with tears in her eyes, that his dad died. It just reminded me of when my mom came to me walking out of our house, with tears in her eyes, and telling me that my dad, who was my hero and best friend just like Marshall and his dad, had died. So, again I would like to give credit where it is due and let the HIMYM family know that I will always keep watching and stay with you for however long you want to stay.

Never have I given an episode of a sitcom a 10. While sitcoms may be witty at times or have excellent writing, a grade that is worthy of a 10 I have never seen before. Until now.

This episode is very good. It mixes humor, which sitcoms are all about with sadness, an interesting combo that is hard to make look interesting. The two are perfectly synchronized in this episode. I would have never thought a sitcom would make me cry. The ending to this episode is one of true brilliance. Marshalls last sentence "My dad's dead?" sent a shiver trough my body. The best episode of a sitcom I have seen so far, kudos to the writers and the cast, Alyson Hannigan and Jason Segel in particular for that last scene.

I have loved this show since the beginning. I have seen every episode. However, THIS episode was the worst ever. This is supposed to be comedy folks. We watch this stuff to ESCAPE reality. This episode completely let's us down. When it is over, and you are over the anger of what the writers have done, you realize this was little more than one of those old "Special Episode of Blossom's" where the haughty writers felt compelled to send us a message or teach us how hard life can be. Well I say, yuck. Keep it. No thank you.

On a side note, think how inconsiderate this was from a timing perspective. Everyone loses loved ones all of the time. But there are people out there who get a double whammy and lose someone during the holidays. So, what does this show decide to do? Just as these folks may be recovering from their shock and grief and are finally ready to sit down for a good bit of escapism with one of their favorite shows, they air a show that throws that reality back in their face. If they were going to air this schlock, they could have had the decency to wait until later in the season. Geesh. (For the record, I did not lose a loved one this holiday season. My rage against this episode is purely subjective.) If this is where the show is headed, we will look back on this episode of the moment when Fonzie jumped the shark. Let's get back to comedy folks and leave the tragedy for real life.

Alexis Denisof, most notable as the husband of Alyson Hannigan and one of the stars of Joss Whedon's "Angel" played one of the most shockingly wonderful characters in television. He was an excellent guest star back in Season 1, and this episode, rightfully re- introduces him.

Most of the episode is very good. Sandy Rivers is certainly a plus, and Denisof is brilliant at the character's idiosyncratic humour. The episode makes you laugh at Robin, as much as it makes you pity her a bit, a remarkable feat seeing as how I don't care for the character usually.

The baby troubles is certainly dragging, and Neil Patrick Harris as Barney's doppleganger was terrific. That plot was still entertaining, if not, slightly slow. I did enjoy Judy's very disturbing description of her revealing clothing to Marshall, as he was attempting to collect a urine sample! By the way, why is Marshall's mother also named Judy? Like the same as Ross and Monica's mother!? I get that HIMYM was influenced and inspired by "Friends", and mostly comes off as a two dimensional version of a better series, but could they not come up with a different name for the mother? Plus, Christina Pickles (Ross and Monica's mother) plays Lily's grandmother! Geez!

Now the final scene is one that most people seem to love, praising the acting and the writing. Whilst Alyson Hannigan oozes with brilliance, the writing is downright atrocious. A distraught Lily reveals that Marshall's father had a heart attack, and didn't survive it. A shocked Marshall then says, "My dad's dead?" which would not reflect a person's response to such a moment. It would have been more poignant had Marshall not being able to complete the sentence. And then, he says "I'm not ready for this", which sums up how anyone would react to death. Death is sudden, unpredictable and shocking, so naturally, those affected by the death would not be ready. It is not something a person would SAY in a situation like that, as it is more an idea. Death is sudden, and it is especially sudden to those affected by it. We as a viewer should have been allowed to experience Marshall's shock and his disorientation to realizing his father died. In short, that final scene features some unrealistic dialogue on Marshall's behalf and as such, the emotional impact was lessened for me.

"Bad News" features a wonderful return by Alexis Denisof, and features many entertaining moments. The episode is a little hurt by the ending, which comes off as a bit stiff and wooden as far as emotional resonance is concerned.

HIMYM has ups and downs until this time. Sometimes writers could not produce as funny as before or they did some repetitive things. But also, they were doing a fine job about entertaining audience. I should confess this I hate all dramatic episodes of HIMYM, for example Ted-Stella thing has never worked out and she left him at the altar, that was dramatic and may be good for other shows, but this is a comedy! And finally, writers decided not to write funny things anymore. It was not already as funny as before, now they are trying to make us cry and they fail! Heart attack, is that the pure and original thing that you can find! I want to laugh when I watch HIMYM. Actually, I want to laugh until I fell off the couch. I want to laugh until neighbours get annoyed. I want to laugh until I said "Enough, I do not want to laugh anymore.". Because, I used to laugh just like that in previous seasons. But now, they are trying to make us sad. This is pathetic! Cancel this show or it is going to be sillier than ever.

Worst episode ever. We were following the countdown and waiting for something "clever" to happen and in the end we got a very sad surprise. In my opinion, it is better not to have any more episodes of HIMYM than having episodes like this one. This should be a wake up call to the screen writers, people loved HIMYM because it used to be clever & funny. i am very disappointed. Will this be the end of HIMYM as we knew it ? But even if they make good episodes from now on this one will always be a big mistake. If they wanted so much to "kill" him they could do it earlier and at least end the episode differently. I just saw the episode and now i have to see at least one episode of Modern Family to change my mood!!! I am very disappointed.