‘How I Met Your Mother’ Foreshadowed This Character’s Death With Hidden Messages
While it wasn’t so obvious when the show was airing for the first time, fans have found lots of Easter eggs and hidden messages that foreshadow all sorts of major plot points in How I Met Your Mother. From revealing the mother’s name in the first season to foreshadowing the show’s ending in season 2, the writers loved to hide things in plain sight. Well, the same can be said for the death of a beloved character. If you watch the background leading up to his death, you’ll see his end foreshadowed.
The Death That Broke Fans’ Hearts
Lots of episodes had fans sobbing, but nothing beats the moment when Marshall finds out that his dad has died. Marvin Eriksen Sr. was a fan favorite. All of us wished he could be our dad. Showing such love and support for Marshall, he had an impact both in the story and on those watching.
Then, in the season 6 episode, “Bad News,” Marshall gets the worst news of his life. Lily finds him and says, “Marshall, you’re father, he had a heart attack. He didn’t make it.”
And thus, the hearts of the world broke. While it may have felt like this terrible news came out of nowhere, the show actually foreshadowed the death in the background.
The Countdown to Marvin’s Death
If you have a look at the background of “Bad News,” you’ll notice a countdown. Starting with Lily in the doctor’s office, you can spot a 50 on the doc’s desk. As the episode goes on, the numbers count down from there. 50, 49, 48… until they arrive at the ending.
Right when Lily shows up to give Marshall the bad news, she steps out of a cab with the number 0001. It all comes to this. Eagle-eyed fans watching as it happened might have been hoping for something good at the end of that countdown, but nope. Only the saddest episode of the entire show.
One How I Met Your Mother fan compiled every moment in the show that counted down to Marvin’s death. Check it out below: