Bad News (How I Met Your Mother)
Encyclopedia
"Bad News" is the thirteenth episode of the sixth season of the CBS
sitcom How I Met Your Mother
and their 125th episode overall. It aired January 3, 2011.
and Lily
are anxious and worried about their chances of having a baby. After several months of trying to conceive without success, their doctor refers them to a fertility expert. As they tell Ted
the news at MacLaren's, Barney
arrives and announces to Ted and Marshall's dismay that he needs a partner for a laser tag tournament.
Lily goes to her appointment with the fertility expert, Dr. John Stangel (Neil Patrick Harris
), only to discover that he looks exactly like Barney, save for a beard and dark brown hair, raising her immediate concern that he is in fact Barney in disguise. When Lily confronts Barney, Marshall vouches for Barney, saying that they spent the whole day together. To convince her that Stangel and Barney are not the same person, Marshall attends Lily's appointment and also immediately assumes Stangel and Barney are the same person. Barney shows up, acknowledges the similarity, and leaves. Lily still thinks Dr. Stangel is Barney in disguise upon hearing him say "Scoot up". After getting Barney and the doctor in the room together throughout the procedure, Lily is convinced that they are in fact two different people.
When Lily's tests reveal that she is extremely fertile, Marshall is about to call his father with the good news, but stops when he considers that his sperm
may be the problem. He admits only talking about good news with his father and decides to get his sperm tested before calling him again. When Marshall is unable to produce a sperm sample at the doctor's office, he returns home to produce the sample, only to find that his parents have dropped by for a surprise visit. He eventually reveals to his parents his concerns about possible infertility, to which they reassure him that they love him regardless of whether he and Lily will give them grandchildren and suggest other options, such as adoption and sperm donors.
Meanwhile, Robin
's new job at World Wide News has started badly, beginning with the revelation that the network's lead anchor is her old Metro News 1 colleague Sandy Rivers. He promptly tells the entire office that they had sex and continues to harass her in front of her new co-workers with increasingly embarrassing stories from Robin's past. The group tells Robin to play along with the mockery, insisting that it will only get worse if she resists it. However, after an especially humiliating day, Ted decides to help Robin by confronting Sandy at his apartment. Ted learns that Sandy is bald and wears a toupee
; he snaps a picture, and tells Robin to use it to put him to shame. At work the following day, Sandy takes another shot at Robin. Instead of showing the office the picture of him, however, she pulls out her old Robin Sparkles denim jacket, embracing the mockery and moving on (with Future Ted telling his kids that while Robin never shook off the nickname of 'Sparkles', she went on to do great things while working for World Wide News).
Having spent the entire day anticipating bad news, Marshall receives good news about his fertility from Stangel (after a failed impersonation by Barney attempting to trick Marshall into becoming his laser tag partner). While at MacLaren's, he tries to call his father about his good news, but Mr. Eriksen does not pick up the phone. Marshall is shocked to learn from Lily that his father died of a heart attack. He is left holding Lily and saying, "I'm not ready for this."
and Craig Thomas
' desire to explore the issue of the characters experiencing such a loss. Bays said that "these kind of moments happen when you don't expect them. We wanted to shock the audience the way the characters were shocked. So much of what we love about the show is the relatability of it, and we try to create characters and stories that people see themselves in. As we've ticked off every milepost of young adulthood, sadly this is another one of those mileposts".
Segel and Hannigan themselves were kept in the dark about the final scene. Segel said the original script had Lily saying she was pregnant, but on the scene's actual shooting day, the producers revealed that the scene will turn out differently. He and Hannigan worked out a plan wherein Segel would only know that his cue to react would be on Hannigan finishing her line with the word "it". The scene was done in only one take.
Throughout the episode, numbers appear on ordinary objects counting down from 50 to 1. This is a countdown from the beginning of the episode to the eventual bad news, which is told right after the "1" is shown. The countdown was an idea taken from the 1988 film Drowning by Numbers
; through the course of that film, the numbers 1 to 100 appear in order, sometimes seen in the background, and sometimes spoken by the film's characters. According to Bays, it was used to give an early signal to the audience that something big was about to happen at the end of the episode.
gave the episode a C rating.
Robert Canning of IGN
gave the episode a rating of 9.5 out of 10.
DeAnn Welker of Television Without Pity graded the episode at A.
" which attracted 10.51 million viewers.
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
sitcom How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...
and their 125th episode overall. It aired January 3, 2011.
Plot
Future Ted tells his kids that MarshallMarshall Eriksen
Marshall Eriksen is a fictional character in the American sitcom How I Met Your Mother, created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas and portrayed by Jason Segel.-Character profile:Marshall is an easy-going, naive optimist from St. Cloud, Minnesota...
and Lily
Lily Aldrin
Lillian "Lily" Aldrin is a fictional character created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother, portrayed by American actress Alyson Hannigan. She is the wife of Marshall Eriksen and the best friend of Robin Scherbatsky...
are anxious and worried about their chances of having a baby. After several months of trying to conceive without success, their doctor refers them to a fertility expert. As they tell Ted
Ted Mosby
Theodore Evelyn "Ted" Mosby is the titular fictional character of the U.S. television sitcom How I Met Your Mother, portrayed by Josh Radnor...
the news at MacLaren's, Barney
Barney Stinson
Barnabas "Barney" Stinson is a fictional character created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother, portrayed by Neil Patrick Harris. The character has been extremely well received by critics and has been credited for much of the show's success...
arrives and announces to Ted and Marshall's dismay that he needs a partner for a laser tag tournament.
Lily goes to her appointment with the fertility expert, Dr. John Stangel (Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris is an American actor, singer, director, and magician.Prominent roles of his career include the title role in Doogie Howser, M.D., Colonel Carl Jenkins in Starship Troopers, the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold...
), only to discover that he looks exactly like Barney, save for a beard and dark brown hair, raising her immediate concern that he is in fact Barney in disguise. When Lily confronts Barney, Marshall vouches for Barney, saying that they spent the whole day together. To convince her that Stangel and Barney are not the same person, Marshall attends Lily's appointment and also immediately assumes Stangel and Barney are the same person. Barney shows up, acknowledges the similarity, and leaves. Lily still thinks Dr. Stangel is Barney in disguise upon hearing him say "Scoot up". After getting Barney and the doctor in the room together throughout the procedure, Lily is convinced that they are in fact two different people.
When Lily's tests reveal that she is extremely fertile, Marshall is about to call his father with the good news, but stops when he considers that his sperm
Sperm
The term sperm is derived from the Greek word sperma and refers to the male reproductive cells. In the types of sexual reproduction known as anisogamy and oogamy, there is a marked difference in the size of the gametes with the smaller one being termed the "male" or sperm cell...
may be the problem. He admits only talking about good news with his father and decides to get his sperm tested before calling him again. When Marshall is unable to produce a sperm sample at the doctor's office, he returns home to produce the sample, only to find that his parents have dropped by for a surprise visit. He eventually reveals to his parents his concerns about possible infertility, to which they reassure him that they love him regardless of whether he and Lily will give them grandchildren and suggest other options, such as adoption and sperm donors.
Meanwhile, Robin
Robin Scherbatsky
Robin Charles Scherbatsky, Jr. is a fictional character created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother, portrayed by Canadian actress Cobie Smulders.- Early life :...
's new job at World Wide News has started badly, beginning with the revelation that the network's lead anchor is her old Metro News 1 colleague Sandy Rivers. He promptly tells the entire office that they had sex and continues to harass her in front of her new co-workers with increasingly embarrassing stories from Robin's past. The group tells Robin to play along with the mockery, insisting that it will only get worse if she resists it. However, after an especially humiliating day, Ted decides to help Robin by confronting Sandy at his apartment. Ted learns that Sandy is bald and wears a toupee
Toupee
A toupée is a hairpiece or partial wig of natural or synthetic hair worn to cover partial baldness or for theatrical purposes. While toupées and hairpieces are typically associated with male wearers, some women also use hairpieces to lengthen existing hair, or cover partially exposed scalp...
; he snaps a picture, and tells Robin to use it to put him to shame. At work the following day, Sandy takes another shot at Robin. Instead of showing the office the picture of him, however, she pulls out her old Robin Sparkles denim jacket, embracing the mockery and moving on (with Future Ted telling his kids that while Robin never shook off the nickname of 'Sparkles', she went on to do great things while working for World Wide News).
Having spent the entire day anticipating bad news, Marshall receives good news about his fertility from Stangel (after a failed impersonation by Barney attempting to trick Marshall into becoming his laser tag partner). While at MacLaren's, he tries to call his father about his good news, but Mr. Eriksen does not pick up the phone. Marshall is shocked to learn from Lily that his father died of a heart attack. He is left holding Lily and saying, "I'm not ready for this."
Production
The twist ending of Marshall's father's death was the result of show co-creators and producers Carter BaysCarter Bays
Carter Bays is an American television writer. Along with writing partner Craig Thomas, he is best known as creator, writer, and executive producer of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother. He has 70 episodes of the show under his belt from 2005-2009, and has been nominated for six primetime Emmy...
and Craig Thomas
Craig Thomas (screenwriter)
Craig Thomas is an American television writer, he, along with writing partner Carter Bays, has written episodes of American Dad!, Oliver Beene, Quintuplets and the hit CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, which they created in 2005. He has been nominated for six primetime Emmy Awards...
' desire to explore the issue of the characters experiencing such a loss. Bays said that "these kind of moments happen when you don't expect them. We wanted to shock the audience the way the characters were shocked. So much of what we love about the show is the relatability of it, and we try to create characters and stories that people see themselves in. As we've ticked off every milepost of young adulthood, sadly this is another one of those mileposts".
Segel and Hannigan themselves were kept in the dark about the final scene. Segel said the original script had Lily saying she was pregnant, but on the scene's actual shooting day, the producers revealed that the scene will turn out differently. He and Hannigan worked out a plan wherein Segel would only know that his cue to react would be on Hannigan finishing her line with the word "it". The scene was done in only one take.
Throughout the episode, numbers appear on ordinary objects counting down from 50 to 1. This is a countdown from the beginning of the episode to the eventual bad news, which is told right after the "1" is shown. The countdown was an idea taken from the 1988 film Drowning by Numbers
Drowning by Numbers
Drowning by Numbers is a 1988 British film directed by Peter Greenaway. It was entered into the 1988 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:The film's plot centers on three women — a grandmother, mother and daughter — each named Cissie Colpitts. As the story progresses each woman successively drowns her husband...
; through the course of that film, the numbers 1 to 100 appear in order, sometimes seen in the background, and sometimes spoken by the film's characters. According to Bays, it was used to give an early signal to the audience that something big was about to happen at the end of the episode.
Continuity
- References to Robin's previous career as "Robin Sparkles" are brought back, having been in various episodes, including "GlitterGlitter (How I Met Your Mother)"Glitter" is the ninth episode of the sixth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 121st episode overall. It aired on November 15, 2010.- Plot :When Lily becomes obsessed with babies, Robin becomes distant from her...
", "Sandcastles in the SandSandcastles In The Sand"Sandcastles in the Sand" is the 16th episode in the third season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 60th overall. It originally aired on April 21, 2008.- Plot :...
", and "Slap BetSlap Bet"Slap Bet" is the 9th episode in season 2 of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on November 20, 2006. This episode was originally titled "Robin Sparkles."- Plot :...
". - Sandy Rivers is brought back, having been in various episodes in season 1. He also brings up Robin's various on-air gaffes, including the Hansom carriage incident from "Return of the ShirtReturn of the Shirt"Return of the Shirt" is the 4th episode in the first season of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on October 10, 2005.- Plot :...
" and her Robin Sparkles videos. - Lily and Marshall's contract with the universe is brought back from the season 5 finale, "DoppelgangersDoppelgangers (How I Met Your Mother)"Doppelgangers" is the 24th and final episode of the fifth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 112th episode overall. It originally aired on May 24, 2010.- Plot :...
". - The show continues the running joke that doppelgängerDoppelgängerIn fiction and folklore, a doppelgänger is a paranormal double of a living person, typically representing evil or misfortune...
s exist for the main cast. Prior to this episode, everyone but Barney's doppelgänger had appeared: Stripper Lily, Mustache Marshall, Lesbian Robin (all in "Double DateDouble Date (How I Met Your Mother)"Double Date" is the second episode of season 5 of the sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 90th episode overall. It originally aired on September 28, 2009.- Plot :...
"), and Mexican Wrestler Ted (in "Robots Versus WrestlersRobots Versus Wrestlers"Robots Versus Wrestlers " is the 22nd episode of the fifth season of the CBS situation comedy How I Met Your Mother and 110th episode overall. It aired on May 10, 2010.- Plot :...
"), although Barney tried to pass himself off as one in the episode "DoppelgangersDoppelgangers (How I Met Your Mother)"Doppelgangers" is the 24th and final episode of the fifth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 112th episode overall. It originally aired on May 24, 2010.- Plot :...
". - When Lily suspects that the doctor is actually Barney, she says that Barney must be in the room. Barney wears the Sensory Deprivator 5000, which Ted created in the episode "Monday Night Football".
- Robin says, "but, um," which she has been prone to do in the past, as mentioned several times in "JenkinsJenkins (How I Met Your Mother)"Jenkins" is the thirteenth episode of the fifth season of the CBS situation comedy How I Met Your Mother and 101st episode overall. It originally aired on January 18, 2010...
". - Marshall tries to call up his father, whom Lily dislikes for poking too much into their affairs, as seen in the episode "Big DaysBig Days"Big Days" is the first episode of the sixth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 113th episode overall. It originally aired on September 20, 2010.- Plot :...
". - Marshall is also seen with a viking lamp as mentioned in "Last Cigarette EverLast Cigarette Ever"Last Cigarette Ever" is the eleventh episode of the fifth season of the CBS situation comedy How I Met Your Mother and 99th episode overall. It aired on December 14, 2009.- Plot :...
". - Due to the countdown, the footage of Robin at Metro News 1 became Metro News 23.
Cultural references
- Marvin Eriksen refers to former Minnesota Vikings kicker Fred CoxFred CoxFrederick William Cox is a former National Football League kicker who played for the Minnesota Vikings throughout his career . Fred was raised in Monongahela, PA, where his family owned a grocery store...
. - Judy Eriksen, Marshall's mother, claims looking at her breasts is like having front-row seats to the Minnesota TwinsMinnesota TwinsThe Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
. - Barney states that an abandoned JC Penney outlet is a laser tag venue.
- Robin states that her co-workers at her new job call her "Sherpoopy." This is a reference to ShipoopiShipoopi“Shipoopi” is a song in the 1957 musical The Music Man by Meredith Willson. The song is sung by the character Marcellus Washburn, friend of Harold Hill...
, a song from The Music ManThe Music ManThe Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town with...
.
Critical response
Donna Bowman of The A.V. ClubThe A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
gave the episode a C rating.
Robert Canning of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the episode a rating of 9.5 out of 10.
DeAnn Welker of Television Without Pity graded the episode at A.
Ratings
This episode achieved the second highest ratings of season 6 so far, bringing in 10.15 million viewers, just behind the episode "Last WordsLast Words (How I Met Your Mother)
"Last Words" is the fourteenth episode of the sixth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother and the 126th episode overall. It aired on January 17, 2011.-Plot:...
" which attracted 10.51 million viewers.