# How I Met Your Mother 1/3/11 - Spoilers



## dthmj (Mar 12, 2002)

Did y'all notice the thing with the numbers?

While watching I noticed some odd placements of numbers, but didn't think much of it. Then finally around number 6 it hit me and I saw the countdown to 1. 

We rewound and went back to catch all the numbers.

Was this a special episode of some sort?


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## Paperboy2003 (Mar 30, 2004)

Just a plot device as a countdown to Marshalls father dying I guess. The numbers were a fun highlight. I noticed the 50 and 49 on the desk and then pointed out the 48 to my wife. Heck of a downer at the end.....this is supposed to be comedy


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## Donbadabon (Mar 5, 2002)

The Barney doppelganger was cracking me up. Especially at the end when Barney had on the beard.

How about Marshall's mom outside the door asking him 'Are you coming?'. lol


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## almoagnadna (Jan 4, 2011)

Ok, so I'm a little anal retentive at times, and from the moment I realized what was going on, I counted - that would be, back from 49  

I've even re-watched the darn thing, frame-by-frame, and I can't find number 38!! 

Please save me (or at least delay) my inevitable insanity, and give me a hint!

Episode saved, and queued for replay after 39's appearance. 

God I'm a dork. Hopefully someone else out there is too.


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## fireman9302 (Jul 1, 2004)

After Sandy Rivers says " WE've had sex" it pans to a woman in the office looking at the news paper on the back of the paper is 38 degrees


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## almoagnadna (Jan 4, 2011)

You're my hero, fireman


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

I noticed the number thing fairly quickly too and it somewhat distracted me from the episode as I was looking for the next number. I agree though, what a downer, I wonder what the significance is of this episode at this time as it just felt very out of place, especially with the countdown (which I also now assume was counting down the the death of Marshall's father).

Also did we know that Lily kept her last name? This is a fact I seem to have forgotten if it has been stated before.


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## YCantAngieRead (Nov 5, 2003)

I sort of got spoiled, via Facebook. I'm kind of glad. I would have turned it on tonight looking for something light and would have probably had a rough time with it.

I'll watch it when I'm feeling less weepy.


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## LifeIsABeach (Feb 28, 2001)

Einselen said:


> Also did we know that Lily kept her last name? This is a fact I seem to have forgotten if it has been stated before.


Maybe not officially. In the season one Thanksgiving episode Marhsall and Lily visit Marshall's family in Minnesota. Lily told them at dinner that she was going to keep her name when they got married (which they were not happy about). Classic episode which has been referenced in other episodes.


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## woolybugger (Nov 12, 2004)

As much as I love HIMYM, last night's ep hit way to close to home. I'm actually kind of mad at them. what a super sucky way to end that one. :down:


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## tiams (Apr 19, 2004)

when your number is up, your number is up.


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## loubob57 (Mar 19, 2001)

I didn't notice the countdown until the prominent 9 on the folder Barney was holding when he impersonated the fertility doctor. That was totally out of place.


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## Ment (Mar 27, 2008)

Gyno-Mite!


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## kettledrum (Nov 17, 2003)

I noticed the numbers right away, and found them interesting to look for, but very distracting from watching the show. 

I had been planning on saving the episode and going back to look for the numbers I missed, but after that ending I didn't feel like looking for the numbers anymore. So sad...makes me remember that it could happen to anyone at anytime really.


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## TAsunder (Aug 6, 2003)

I noticed and enjoyed the numbers and episode until the seemingly random downer at the end. What was the point of that? Seems really out of place for this show.


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## milo99 (Oct 14, 2002)

yeah, i didn't understand why they bothered with the countdown. Why would you do that?? makes no sense to me, especially since it was for something so sad. It wouldn't been one thing to make a countdown to when Marshall and Lilly conceived or something, but his dad dying? Just doesn't make sense.


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## Bardman (Aug 26, 2002)

I was so looking forward to it being a countdown to the final slap-bet payoff. The ending took me by suprise since I was waiting for a slap.

Still, loved them finding Barney's Doppelganger!


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## pjenkins (Mar 8, 1999)

Hated the ending, the show is supposed to be a comedy escape on Monday's not trying to be a Doogie Houser type sentimental heart puller


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## YCantAngieRead (Nov 5, 2003)

I didn't mind it. It's a realistic touch.

But the number thing-I know what they were trying to do, and I'm just not sure they pulled it off.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

I didn't notice the countdown. I saw the 49, the 36 and the 9, but that's all that stood out to me.

I found the end to be very well done and not out of place for this show at all. While HIMYM is primarily a comedy, it's also had some emotion at times and it deals with those emotional moments very well for a comedy. I felt really bad for Marshall.

But why didn't Marshall have his phone?


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

Somewhat spoilerish article (nothing major just talking about what air date the arc will be wrapped up) about how this episode came around from co-creator Carter Bays.

http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsideth...arter-bays-storytelling-requires-tragedy.html


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

milo99 said:


> yeah, i didn't understand why they bothered with the countdown. Why would you do that?? makes no sense to me, especially since it was for something so sad. It wouldn't been one thing to make a countdown to when Marshall and Lilly conceived or something, but his dad dying? Just doesn't make sense.





Bardman said:


> I was so looking forward to it being a countdown to the final slap-bet payoff. The ending took me by suprise since I was waiting for a slap.


It's a mental trick. As a fan of the show you know they hide things. So you catch on to the numbers and watch the show. Getting more and more excited wondering what they are counting down to. You might have even tried to guess what it was. Slap-Bet, meeting the mother, Lily announcing they were finally pregnant or the owl attack. And instead they hit you with the father dying suddenly.

They could have opened the show with the father dying. The actors would have shown the same emotions, but the audience would not have had the same response.



YCantAngieRead said:


> But the number thing-I know what they were trying to do, and I'm just not sure they pulled it off.


Is that what you were thinking?


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## Neenahboy (Apr 8, 2004)

I had the ending, but not the numbers, spoiled in advance. I loved the placement of the unexpected death, and Jason Segel was fantastic in that scene. 

However, the prominence of the numbers was unbelievably distracting (honestly, who puts a giant 9 on a patient file folder?) and ultimately inappropriate IMO. Counting down to that payoff just felt wrong, and I think it would have resonated more with me emotionally had I not had a "Cripes, just end the damn show already so I don't have to see these numbers any more!" attitude.

That said, I wasn't thrilled with the rest of the show either. I thought the Sandy Rivers nonsense was the worst arc of S1, so I wasn't happy to see him back. No one's that big of a dick. And, as Sepinwall pointed out, Ted and the toupee reveal reeked of Ross Geller-like behavior.

For me, it was certainly the worst ep of the season, and probably one of the series' worst, redeemed only partially by that much-needed flash of emotion.


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## djej1 (Jan 9, 2006)

Where was 15?


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

I thought this was one of the funniest of the season highlighted by Marshall trying to do the nasty with him mom and dad making those innuendo comments by the bathroom door. Yeah it was sophomoric but it cracked me up (C - O - X, cox, cox, cox!!) But the ending was a downer and not expected. I guess they have a name for the baby now.

I spotted the numbers at 49, and at 48 I said to my wife to keep an eye on the numbers, I think they are doing something with those. But I really wasn't sure what they were counting down to, and it seemed odd they would count down to Marshall's dad's death. My first thought was they were counting down to New Years, but I don't think that was it. I found it distracting but fun at the same time.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Someone made a GIF of all the numbers:

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/4917/himym50.gif.ban

Edit: I tried linking the .gif but apparently it didn't work, so just go to that URL and check it out.

The title of the episode was "Bad News." That's what they were counting down to. We were obviously supposed to think that the bad news was that Marshall and Lily couldn't have kids, but then Marshall found out he was fine with a few numbers left in the countdown, so then it had to be something else.


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## YCantAngieRead (Nov 5, 2003)

MarkofT said:


> Is that what you were thinking?


Sort of.

Getting news like this feels like a bomb went off. Your life changes in an instant.


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## Frylock (Feb 13, 2002)

We saw the numbers counting down through the episode. When the revealed what it was counting down to, I was pretty disgusted. Clearly, the writer never had to deal with this (since his Dad is still alive). For anyone who has gone through it, it's certainly not a moment I want to relive. Especially in a sitcom that I tune into that is supposed to be fun and lighthearted.


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

Frylock said:


> We saw the numbers counting down through the episode. When the revealed what it was counting down to, I was pretty disgusted. Clearly, the writer never had to deal with this (since his Dad is still alive). For anyone who has gone through it, it's certainly not a moment I want to relive. Especially in a sitcom that I tune into that is supposed to be fun and lighthearted.


I don't mind the fact that they wrote that Marshall's father died. I think counting down to it (especially using the gimmicky way they did it) was in poor taste.


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## BeanMeScot (Apr 17, 2002)

I noticed the countdown immediately. I had seen the 50 and saw it change to a 49 so I followed the numbers through the rest of the episode. It's good to have Tivo for something like this. I had to go back a couple of times to see where the number was. 

I do think the countdown to the death was in poor taste. I was figuring it was a countdown to a pregnancy. I hadn't paid attention to the name of the episode (I try to avoid looking at the description as it sometimes spoils the episode).


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## uncdrew (Aug 6, 2002)

Hmm... I noticed the countdown immediately, was distracted by it, then was shocked at the ending.

Guess that's a win for the network.


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## kilcher (Mar 6, 2002)

I noticed the 48 on the condiment bottle toward the beginning but didn't notice them in rapid fire succession until around 24, which made me feel like a doofus because they were then easy to spot and I had apparently missed a lot of them.

I thought it was counting down to them finding out they were pregnant. I haven't felt this emotionally betrayed since Marley & Me (which I thought was supposed to be a comedy!). 

Neat idea but damn, that was a bummer.


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## Peter000 (Apr 15, 2002)

I knew what was coming, and it STILL got me misty when the countdown hit zero.

Other than that I thought it was a pretty funny episode.


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## stalemate (Aug 21, 2005)

I only noticed a few of the numbers and didn't realize there was a countdown.

I thought the ending was well done but I still hated it. I was laughing it up and having a good time and then at the end I actually cried. I get that's how life is, but I don't need the sucker punch from a 30 minute sitcom.


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## dthmj (Mar 12, 2002)

Steveknj said:


> I don't mind the fact that they wrote that Marshall's father died. I think counting down to it (especially using the gimmicky way they did it) was in poor taste.


If they had counted down to Lily saying "I'm pregnant" we would all be talking about how cool the whole episode was.

Instead, I think they really missed it by counting down to the death. They took something cool and left you with a bad taste.


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

As does life, sometimes. I thought it was an interesting way to juxtapose the anticipation of a new birth with the inevtiable reality of death. Which I guess was the objective.


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## sushikitten (Jan 28, 2005)

Peter000 said:


> I knew what was coming, and it STILL got me misty when the countdown hit zero.
> 
> Other than that I thought it was a pretty funny episode.





stalemate said:


> I only noticed a few of the numbers and didn't realize there was a countdown.
> 
> I thought the ending was well done but I still hated it. I was laughing it up and having a good time and then at the end I actually cried. I get that's how life is, but I don't need the sucker punch from a 30 minute sitcom.


This x 2.


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## Peter000 (Apr 15, 2002)

To me, this is what makes a TV show great. The ability to throw in some tragedy with the comedy. Or vice-versa.

When other sitcoms have gotten serious, it's always felt pretty fake to me. This felt like a true part of the show.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Having a parent pass away unexpectedly is a sucker punch to the gut. The only way for them to evoke that kind of feeling for the viewer is to make the viewer anticipate something good/exciting and then have the rug pulled out from under them. It was very well done.

Think about some of the other classic sitcoms that have dealt with unexpected death. The episode of M*A*S*H where Lt. Col. Henry Blake's plane was shot down is one of the most classic episodes of that series. The episode of Scrubs where Brendan Fraser's character dies is one of that series best episodes.


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## DreadPirateRob (Nov 12, 2002)

DevdogAZ said:


> Having a parent pass away unexpectedly is a sucker punch to the gut. The only way for them to evoke that kind of feeling for the viewer is to make the viewer anticipate something good/exciting and then have the rug pulled out from under them. It was very well done.
> 
> Think about some of the other classic sitcoms that have dealt with unexpected death. The episode of M*A*S*H where Lt. Col. Henry Blake's plane was shot down is one of the most classic episodes of that series. The episode of Scrubs where Brendan Fraser's character dies is one of that series best episodes.


Pretty much this.


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## stalemate (Aug 21, 2005)

DevdogAZ said:


> Having a parent pass away unexpectedly is a sucker punch to the gut. The only way for them to evoke that kind of feeling for the viewer is to make the viewer anticipate something good/exciting and then have the rug pulled out from under them. It was very well done.
> 
> Think about some of the other classic sitcoms that have dealt with unexpected death. The episode of M*A*S*H where Lt. Col. Henry Blake's plane was shot down is one of the most classic episodes of that series. The episode of Scrubs where Brendan Fraser's character dies is one of that series best episodes.


I totally agree with everything you said, I just don't need my fun distractions sucker punching me.


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## Jstkiddn (Oct 15, 2003)

YCantAngieRead said:


> Sort of.
> 
> Getting news like this feels like a bomb went off. Your life changes in an instant.


That's exactly what I was thinking. Aren't family deaths sometimes just like that? There is no foreshadowing. They hit like a lightning bolt out of nowhere. Boom!

That's what I thought they were trying to convey.


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## woolybugger (Nov 12, 2004)

stalemate said:


> I totally agree with everything you said, I just don't need my fun distractions sucker punching me.


I agree with this. My dad died unexpectedly from a heart attack at the age of 58. My kids were, at the time, 3 and 5. Watching that episode brought back all the sadness. Not only was my daddy gone, he won't be able to watch my kids grow up or anything and that's tough for me.

I understand that that is reality. I understand people die unexpectedly all the time. I also watch HIMYM to laugh and escape from reality. Major downer.


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## LifeIsABeach (Feb 28, 2001)

I loved when Marshall's father (and the rest of his family) appeared on the show. Will miss his character for sure.

She asked me if I lost height. Not weight, height!


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## Maui (Apr 22, 2000)

In keeping with my user title I will admit to never noticing any of the numbers and therefore I missed the countdown completely.


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

DevdogAZ said:


> Having a parent pass away unexpectedly is a sucker punch to the gut. The only way for them to evoke that kind of feeling for the viewer is to make the viewer anticipate something good/exciting and then have the rug pulled out from under them. It was very well done.
> 
> Think about some of the other classic sitcoms that have dealt with unexpected death. The episode of M*A*S*H where Lt. Col. Henry Blake's plane was shot down is one of the most classic episodes of that series. The episode of Scrubs where Brendan Fraser's character dies is one of that series best episodes.


Totally agree. When Henry's plane crashed at the end of that episode, it was SO totally unexpected, and I think that might have been the first TV show (or movie) that I ever cried at the end. The story goes that the cast had no idea it was going to end that way, and that the emotions shown during that last scene in the OR was real. Radar (Gary Burghoff) really looked like he was crying.


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## scooterboy (Mar 27, 2001)

Steveknj said:


> The story goes that the cast had no idea it was going to end that way, and that the emotions shown during that last scene in the OR was real. Radar (Gary Burghoff) really looked like he was crying.


Actually, Radar was the one who came in and made the announcement so Gary Burghoff was the ONLY actor who knew it was coming.


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## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

LifeIsABeach said:


> I loved when Marshall's father (and the rest of his family) appeared on the show. Will miss his character for sure.


I always thought that using Bill Fagerbakke as Marshall's dad was cool since he played Dauber in "Coach" which took place in Minnesota. Nice subtle tie-in.


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## Frylock (Feb 13, 2002)

woolybugger said:


> I understand that that is reality. I understand people die unexpectedly all the time. I also watch HIMYM to laugh and escape from reality. Major downer.


Exactly! Dealing with the loss of a loved one? Fine. Doing it in this manner? Totally poor taste.


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## YCantAngieRead (Nov 5, 2003)

scooterboy said:


> Actually, Radar was the one who came in and made the announcement so Gary Burghoff was the ONLY actor who knew it was coming.


From what I understand, Alan Alda knew as well. But they were the only ones.

The difference between HIMYM doing something like this and MASH doing something like this is that MASH often did serious shows. You're just not expecting it with a sitcom that is rarely ever serious.

I still can't decide if I liked it or hated it.


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## scooterboy (Mar 27, 2001)

It didn't really bother me at all. That could be because I was estranged from my father since age 13, and wrote him out of my life since that time. He died not too long ago, but he had already been dead to me for so long it didn't really affect me when I heard.

So it didn't bring up the same feelings for me as it did for some of you.


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## markz (Oct 22, 2002)

I read that the show's creator said that they had told us there would be a major bomb dropped in this episode, so they had a countdown to it going off. He said they knew from the very beginning of the series that they wanted to emulate Family Ties or Cheers with a character's death.


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## 2004raptor (Dec 31, 2005)

markz said:


> He said they knew from the very beginning of the series that they wanted to emulate *Family Ties* or Cheers with a character's death.


I have to ask. Who died in Family Ties? My memory must be bad because I know I watched it when I was younger. Google didn't help me either.


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## busyba (Feb 5, 2003)

2004raptor said:


> I have to ask. Who died in Family Ties? My memory must be bad because I know I watched it when I was younger. Google didn't help me either.


I can't remember who it was, but I remember that there was a whole "artsy" episode that they did about Alex being in therapy to deal with the death.


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## busyba (Feb 5, 2003)

scooterboy said:


> Actually, Radar was the one who came in and made the announcement so Gary Burghoff was the ONLY actor who knew it was coming.


I've always wondered about that scene, with the bulk of the cast not knowing... did they at least get a heads-up that there was going to be _something_ "unscripted" that was going to happen and they should just go with it? Because otherwise I can totally see someone breaking character and saying something like, "wtf? are we being punked?" and ruining the take.


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

Back when MASH was filmed they used professional actors and actresses. As long as whatever happened was within the show, they would have held character.

The Family Ties episode was originally aired on March 12th 1987, if I read the article right.


> Extended extreme anguish is rarely depicted in TV drama in a meaningful way, even more rarely in comedy.
> 
> That's where Thursday's special hour episode of NBC's "Family Ties" (8:30 p.m. on Channels 4, 36 and 39) comes in. Always one of TV's funniest shows, "Family Ties" this week is also one of its most sensitive and thoughtful as self-centered Alex Keaton (Michael J. Fox) is traumatized by the death of his close friend, Greg (Michael McNamara), in a car crash.
> 
> ...


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## woolybugger (Nov 12, 2004)

Comparing HIMYM to M*A*S*H or Family Ties is, to me, like comparing apples to oranges. M*A*S*H was a serious show with comedic overtones. Family Ties, while a sitcom, almost always had serious morals. HIMYM, to me, is my Monday night escape. I laughed out loud for 29 minutes. I cried for 3 days. Not a good thing, IMO


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## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

woolybugger said:


> Comparing HIMYM to M*A*S*H or Family Ties is, to me, like comparing apples to oranges. M*A*S*H was a serious show with comedic overtones. Family Ties, while a sitcom, almost always had serious morals. HIMYM, to me, is my Monday night escape. I laughed out loud for 29 minutes.* I cried for 3 days. Not a good thing, IMO *


I think that's not a sad thing really. I cried a bit cause it made me miss my dad and I'm fine with that. I'm ok with remembering my dad and how much I miss him. I'd actually be sad if I didn't miss him. I like remembering him cause it brings back all the good times.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

busyba said:


> I've always wondered about that scene, with the bulk of the cast not knowing... did they at least get a heads-up that there was going to be _something_ "unscripted" that was going to happen and they should just go with it? Because otherwise I can totally see someone breaking character and saying something like, "wtf? are we being punked?" and ruining the take.


One of the actors (one of the nurses IIRC) actually drops a scalpel during the scene, IIRC.. I remember reading about that and I think hearing it.

But I also vaguely remember reading (someone may be able to prove me wrong) that they really DID tape another take.


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## USAFSSO (Aug 24, 2005)

2004raptor said:


> I have to ask. Who died in Family Ties? My memory must be bad because I know I watched it when I was younger. Google didn't help me either.


A friend of Alex's committed suicide. The episode was "artsy", as previously stated. And IIRC it was basically Fox in a one man show. He was talking to a shrink who was off camera. It was all done on a dark stage with Fox in a spotlight.

_The friend was not even a previously seen character, not Skippy._


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## DeDondeEs (Feb 20, 2004)

I noticed the number 48 on the condiment jar then the "Old Number 37" beer, but didn't catch on to the whole countdown thing until the number 6 on the medical chart. I too rewound to see all of the numbers. 

I was wondering if the countdown was in hours? Or was it just a general countdown? That was a total let down at the end, thinking the countdown was heading towards them having a kid, not a death of a family member. It will be interesting to see how they handle the mix of comedy and seriousness with whole death thing in the next episode, they could easily hit a home-run or a foul.


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## loubob57 (Mar 19, 2001)

I saw NPH say that they actually had a scene in the script for the end where Lily announces she's pregnant. The script page where Marshall's father dies was kept secret until they got ready to shoot it.


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## busyba (Feb 5, 2003)

USAFSSO said:


> A friend of Alex's committed suicide. The episode was "artsy", as previously stated. And IIRC it was basically Fox in a one man show. He was talking to a shrink who was off camera. It was all done on a dark stage with Fox in a spotlight.
> 
> _The friend was not even a previously seen character, not Skippy._


I think that in addition to the one-man scenes, there were some regular scenes that were flashbacks to things being discussed in the therapy session.


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## photoshopgrl (Nov 22, 2008)

I watched Family Ties but don't remember that much about it. This episode was a huge downer for me. I don't even have a story to relate to on the death aspect but just having them end it like that sucked. I literally went "NO! They can't do that crap!" when it went down. 

Have to go back and watch the countdown. Wasn't spoiled and don't remember seeing anything but I was only half watching it while I worked on my mom's virus ridden computer. Now I'm glad I didn't delete it yet.


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## TheDewAddict (Aug 21, 2002)

I was too young for MASH, but was a loyal viewer of Scrubs. While Scrubs was a comedy, it mixed drama into the show quite well. As someone else mentioned, the ep where Brendan Fraser's character died is one of my favorites of all time. It sucker punched you, but then you realize you should have seen it coming all along. While I didn't have the emotional reaction to this episode of HIMYM that some of you did, I didn't expect anything serious like this to be in this episode, wheras with Scrubs, even though 95&#37; of the story was comedy, they did drama often enough that it wasn't usually so out of character for them, like it was in this ep.


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## Robin (Dec 6, 2001)

I loved the ep. We noticed the numbers very quickly...47 or 48. I hadn't formed any theories about what it was counting down to, but when Marshall called and his dad didn't answer I gasped "he's dead."

When your numbers' up, it's up.


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## Mikeyis4dcats (Oct 2, 2003)

woolybugger said:


> Comparing HIMYM to M*A*S*H or Family Ties is, to me, like comparing apples to oranges. M*A*S*H was a serious show with comedic overtones. Family Ties, while a sitcom, almost always had serious morals. HIMYM, to me, is my Monday night escape. I laughed out loud for 29 minutes. I cried for 3 days. Not a good thing, IMO


I hope you're overstating...if you really cried for 3 days over a tv character dying, you might consider talking to someone about what is REALLY going on in your life.


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## YCantAngieRead (Nov 5, 2003)

Mikeyis4dcats said:


> I hope you're overstating...if you really cried for 3 days over a tv character dying, you might consider talking to someone about what is REALLY going on in your life.


She very recently and suddenly lost her own father. I think she's allowed.


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## markz (Oct 22, 2002)

TheDewAddict said:


> I was too young for MASH, but was a loyal viewer of Scrubs. While Scrubs was a comedy, it mixed drama into the show quite well. As someone else mentioned, the ep where Brendan Fraser's character died is one of my favorites of all time. It sucker punched you, but then you realize you should have seen it coming all along. While I didn't have the emotional reaction to this episode of HIMYM that some of you did, I didn't expect anything serious like this to be in this episode, wheras with Scrubs, even though 95% of the story was comedy, they did drama often enough that it wasn't usually so out of character for them, like it was in this ep.


Very powerful episode! It's weird to rewatch since you "see it" now!


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## woolybugger (Nov 12, 2004)

Mikeyis4dcats said:


> I hope you're overstating...if you really cried for 3 days over a tv character dying, you might consider talking to someone about what is REALLY going on in your life.


Forgive me for not being more clear. I cried on and off for 3 days because it brought back all the emotions of losing my own dad. It was NEVER about the character. 



woolybugger said:


> I agree with this. My dad died unexpectedly from a heart attack at the age of 58. My kids were, at the time, 3 and 5. Watching that episode brought back all the sadness. Not only was my daddy gone, he won't be able to watch my kids grow up or anything and that's tough for me.
> 
> I understand that that is reality. I understand people die unexpectedly all the time. I also watch HIMYM to laugh and escape from reality. Major downer.


He died 3 years ago.


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## Mikeyis4dcats (Oct 2, 2003)

sorry to hear that Wooly. I lost my brother and grandmother this past year, so I can empathize.

I understand your point of view, but I still thought it was a bold and brave move for the writers. I don't really think the countdown was used effectively, but since many didn't even see it, I think the plotline is the more important aspect here.


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## YCantAngieRead (Nov 5, 2003)

I just saw, via Twitter, that Jason Segal didn't know what "Lily" was going to say to him in that last scene. And that it was a one-take scene.

Which reminds me. Did anyone else get the feeling they overdubbed "I'm not ready for this"? I have an SD TV, so I wasn't sure, but it sure felt that way.


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

YCantAngieRead said:


> Which reminds me. Did anyone else get the feeling they overdubbed "I'm not ready for this"? I have an SD TV, so I wasn't sure, but it sure felt that way.


I agree, I felt like it was an ADR/dubbed in line. Very slopily done too as usually you want that to seem unnoticeable.


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