The Darkest Episode of How I Met Your Mother 

HEAVY SPOILERS: How I Met Your Mother, Community LIGHT SPOILERS: The Office, Friends sorry i forgot to put this before the video!

This episode, Marshall’s father dying, and the episode where Robin is talking to the kids she will never have are truly some of the most devastating things I’ve ever watched

I think the Episode with Robin talking to her “kids” was one of the saddest

A common theme in How I Met Your Mother is how setbacks and failures can often lead to something far more incredible than success could, but we just can't see it in the moment. That's what this episode was all about.

This episode actually gave me goosebumps! It hit me hard when barney said "Look around Ted, you're all alone"! And then you realize that, the whole gathering was nothing but only Ted's imagination. The ending of this episode was really heartbreaking!!

This epiode was brutal, you spent like 20 minutes with jokes and sudenly enter a very dark space, specially when Barney said "Look around Ted, you're all alone"

"Look around Ted, you're all alone" will always be the rawest line in any sitcom

This is a very intelligently written episode. Ted’s character is well-developed as a sappy, overly emotional romantic character by this point, so when he runs to the mother’s apartment to meet her earlier, it’s very much in keeping with his personality. However, the writers knew she was going to die when they wrote this. You’re being tricked into believing it’s simply the act of an overly romantic character. When you rewatch it knowing she died, his wanting to capture every moment with her is a completely different gut-punch.

I remember watching this episode and I can still remember the tears rolling down my cheeks, when Ted confesses to “the mother” how we are going to meet and fall in love in 45 days and how he wants those extra 45 days.

The episode was dark at the time, but only after the series ended did we see how dark it truly was. Ted is all alone at the bar, and in his voiceover said he'd rather run to his wife's place and introduce himself, and at the time what he said at her doorstep sounded crazy, but when we find out in the finale that she died of cancer, it hits home so, so hard. He'll never get those extra six weeks to spend with her, and he realized that no matter how lonely he was then, it's nothing compared to missing his wife. He's telling this to his kids, that he'd give anything just for a few more weeks with their mom. That makes this the darkest episode of the show.

This always hits me like a truck. Like Robin finding out she can't have kids and Marshall's dad dying. Heartbreaking

He didn't meet Tracy 1 year later. He met Tracy 45 days after The Time Travelers episode. Everything that happened after that day, to the Wedding night, was only 45 days. Which makes this episode even more sad, because after knowing Tracy's destiny, all what he wanted was at least 45 more days with her, to that day when he felt alone.

Even back in Season one: Marshall sitting in the rain on the steps outside their apartment building, looking forlorn and holding Lily’s engagement ring after Lily had dumped him to go to San Francisco. That was pretty sad. This series is filled with hard hitting sad episodes.

What makes this episode even darker is that the episode’s most heart warming moment, where Ted imagines what he’d say if he went to see the mother right then, was also the moment that many of us were (correctly) convinced that the Mother was definitely dead.

I've always appreciated the fact that HIMYM was willing to show a lot more emotional heart than other shows. Marshall losing his dad, Barney dealing with his dad, Ted losing Tracy, Robin finding out she couldn't have kids, etc., all made for really heartbreaking and gripping moments that made the characters feel real. This episode especially was the peak of the shows emotional risk taking.

You have no idea how much this episode changed my life when I binged HIMYM in college. The amount of people I have told about this episode is embarrassing. It is so deep and beautiful and went completely unnoticed by most. I still sob every time

I feel like there are 3 episodes that hit you the absolute hardest. "Bad News" is the biggest shocker in the series. It was actually a pretty comforting episode and then it just hits you like a truck. "Symphony of Illumination" overall was packed with this empty feeling, that got to a new high at the end of the episode. "Time Travelers" seems to be the one that really plays with your feeling by playing with the basic premise of the show. All three episode are heartbreaking, but each in a different way.

You forgot to mention the aspect of the kind of teased death of the mother in this episode! Ted says he would never go to robots vs reslers that night and he wants even the few month with his wife and we later completely learn why.

Being late 30s and the only single friend in my group, this episode always hit deep, realising everyone is moving on with life and you're still in the same shit state you were 15 years earlier just wishing you could change your life

The series is filled with sad episodes like this, but this one just breaks you, easily one of the best and relatable episodes on tv

Time travelers had me in tears.. iv seen the show a good 60 times and it hits every time. Lot of life lessons were taught through out the show. Show was absolute perfection even the ending.. it was inevitable in a way.

i also think that the girl at the bar represents ted's anxiety. i think she was indeed there, but her future versions were obviously hallucionations from him - he overthinking what would happen if he talked to her. at this point of the series, he had so many failed relationships that he's scared of being alone (the "i grew tired of you" ending), but also dont trust himself anymore to dont mess things up with someone special (the "you grew tired of me" ending) at the same time. she could very well be the one, but he dont have confidence to try anymore. this is probably the lowest we see ted in the entire series

I don’t think some people understand that dark doesn’t automatically mean there’s this super edgy and creepy episode of HIMYM and it can be more like, there’s this really deep, lonely and emotional episode of HIMYM, that for certain people could be even downright unsettling.

Marshall’s dad dying hit me the hardest as i’d just lost my own dad a few months before I binged the show.

The worst episode was when Marshall's dad died. I've had the friend group and I was the female Barney and I'm still single and 44. I had a high pressure career that actually afforded me my apartment in NYC and I worked long hours everyday. I make a difference, I'm not in finance but in law working with victims so the hours are purposeful. I've lost siblings and friends to tragedy. I lost my mom. But my dad was my rock and when Lily tells Marshall his dad didn't make it, I felt my heart stop. The show did such a good job with the storyline with all the characters. The last message on Marshall's voicemail, I have one as well. It's nothing epic, he's telling me to stop at Whole Foods and not to forget dog food but at the end he says I love you. After my sister died young we always told each other 'I love you' on the phone or when we left so if anything happened our last words wouldn't be in anger or something stupid. I know when the episode comes on within the first seconds but I always watch. I'll never get over my dad's death but I'll get through it. And a good cry never hurt anybody.

When you said Dark Episode, I was sure you were talking about this one. I felt so uncomfortable watching that episode, I cried instead laughing. And you don't cry while watching a sitcom. End of the sitcoms are always sad but it was so scary and awful to relate to Ted's loneliness.

I watched that episode for the first time alone after I missed alot of activity invitations and friend hang outs and plans, boy how it hit me hard and made me cry my heart out Ended up replaying it and watching it everyday for the next week Really a masterpiece of a work

Well, I found out about this series six months ago and just finished watching it today. Of course I'm shocked by the ending. Of course I began to google all the information about this series. And I came across this video. ... Just no comments. Words can't describe the depth of my feelings. This series touched me. I live in Ukraine and I have a war literally outside my window. I don't have a job for several months, I often don't have electricity and internet. And this series is all that I have now and all that has supported me for the last months. And now it has come to an end. I can't hold back the tears. How I Met Your Mother is an outstanding series. One of the best I've ever seen. I would like to express my gratitude and respect to the authors and actors. And thank you, the author of this video. Rest In Peace, Tracy McConnell. Ted loves you. Ted will always love you. To the end of his days. And beyond.

This episode comes at the right time for us all, we've all felt that feeling of being "behind" our friend's.

"Look around Ted, you're all alone" Barney, of all people, said this to Ted. It must've been a huge blow to him since he's been doing the same thing for over a decade without any change at all. The same useless process of trying to find the love of his life, where he could've used that time to spend more time with the actual love of his life.

When I first watched this episode in college, I was worried I'd end up like Ted in the episode. Little did I know I'd end up being in Marshall and Lily's shoes and be the first of my friends to have a baby. Surprisingly enough though, I found out being the first one to "advance" in life out of your friends can be equally as lonely and scary. Having a baby often made me feel left out and miss my past life while all my other friends kept doing the stupid shit we always used to do together. All part of growing up though! I think this episode really touched on something we all go through at one point or another in our lives.

I mean, the episode where Robin was talking to her fake kids was pretty dark. “And that’s why I’m happy you don’t exist” was on of the most chilling lines ever

what makes himym truly great is the writers’ immaculate storytelling. the techniques they use.. the time traveling, the point of view as being told to his kids in the future, the interconnecting storylines, among so much else. as a writer & a watcher, this show has both inspired me & made me return & binge countless times over the years

The fact that it gets more depressing when Ted goes to see Tracy and breaks down the moment he sees her, saying he'd like one last moment to see her if given the chance, explaining the same to his kids

In this episode, Barney became what Ted always wanted, i.e. somebody who found "The One" and is about to settle down. And, Ted is trying to be like Barney, i.e. someone who is not settling down, but seizing every moment that presents itself.

After rewatch HIMYM 10 times, i love Marshall. He is a man of family. Also is the best friend whom anyone want to have. He never made mistake with wife, friends...

ive watched this show more times than im proud to admit. literally every time i get hit with either seasonal depression or regular depression i watch this show because the theme of "dont judge yourself by anybodys timeline. no matter what. it gets better and things turn out okay", really gives me hope. this episode is always hard to watch because it accurately describes the root of most of my anxieties. the very dreadful feeling of "this is your life you messed up and you should be terrified", hurts but the ending where he talks to tracy and tells her hes appreciative of their time always gets to me and makes me feel better due to the fact that ive found my tracy and life has gone no where but up since then. dont give up friends. life is absolutely what you make it and theres so much more potential then where you are at in this moment.no matter how bad you feel in the moment you will be okay and it will work out and i hope everyone reading this realizes they are loved and are capable of truly great things

I don't hate the ending of HIMYM because of the definitive closed ending. I hate it because I felt bait-and-switched by the Barney/Robin divorce and Tracy's death.

Community's ending was quite interesting given their aim was "Six seasons and a movie", so I mean having it go on makes sense so that the movie can feel familiar.

ive seen this show i dont know how many times and this episode (along with others like marshalls dad dying) always hits me right in the gut. the writers of this show had an uncanny ability to have everything come together in the end and make you go holy shit

One of the best episodes in the series. I cried every single time I saw the scene, and you know what, it hurts that they hinted that the mother died here subtly considering Ted was technically saying if he would be around even just for 45 days with the mother, he would as he loves her until the end of the days.

The “look around ted, youre all alone” line hit me harder than a truck, I didn’t see it coming at all but it was beautiful

This is my favorite episode of the whole show. It is excruciatingly painful to watch every single time and I am always left sobbing. But it also gives me a weird sort of hope that has carried me through some very difficult times. The idea that what I’ve been striving for may be only 45 days away…it may not happen in 45 days, but it also might. And it gives me a reason to keep going for 45 days to see.

"look at yourself Ted, your all alone" is the hardest hitting saddest line of all time. it broke my heart

The worst experience I had watching this show for the first time was the Countdown episode. I spent that whole episode waiting eagerly for the countdown and anticipating what the big thing would be. Lilly got out of that cab and said that Marshall's dad died I cried for nearly an hour. It was the saddest episode of any show I've ever seen

How traumatic and very real was this episode? I read the title and knew exactly which one you were going to be talking about. Thought maybe Robin's kids or Marshall's dad, but no, "Because I'm not here" hits harder than almost any other moment in the series.

This episode was an absolute masterpiece, I'd go as far as to say it's one of the all time great pieces of culture ever created. The emotion and relatability it provokes as well as how it challenges convention and forces you to confront an uncomfortable reality is just *chef's kiss*

As prolly the biggest fan of this show, this is the most emotional episode. Last words I cried but “you’re all alone” hit different 😢

This episode hits WAY harder the second and third time you watch the HIMYM series all the way through.💔

Man, this show, and especially this episode, hit me hard. When I first watched it, it was the end of the summer right before I went to college. The group of friends I had in high school were extremely tight knit. Other than family, I have never been closer to another group of people. We spent our summer together like we always had. They were some of the best days of my life. But my college began a month later than theirs, so they moved away and I was left alone. It was hard watching them leave me behind. It still stings a little. I miss those guys. I no longer have many friends at all, let alone ones as close as that. It's too difficult. Being an adult just gets in the way. Times change. People change. They aren't the same as they were 8 years ago. Neither am I. It's sad to say, but we can never go back. Maybe that loneliness is just something we all have to get used to.

34 year old here, this episode is way too goddamn relatable.

My favorite dark HIMYM Episode remains the one of Robin talking to the Kids she'll never have. I've been talking about it regularly for years. Robin doesn't feel like she can talk about it to anyone, because she never wanted kids so it's hard to explain why she's still heartbroken. It's because she wanted to have a CHOICE. I to this day feel like whoever wrote this episode went though a Lot, it feels so specifically Personal. The conflict is so complex and deep for a TV Show.

Excellently put. I’ve always known how heavy this episode is, but I was never able to put it into words. This is poignant and great. Also I love how you ended the video with that awesome rendition of The Longest Time to lift our spirits just like that episode did.

This is why this is one of my favorite episode: 1 - Involves time travel in some sort. 2 - Involves the eternal and internal battle that Marshall always struggled with, wich is his masculine energy vs his feminine energy. 3 - Involves one of the greatest lessons of ALL TIME: Live your present moment, thats all we have, today, now, because time does pass really fast.

I think there’s another part of Time Travellers that is even harder to watch, but only with the hindsight of the end of the last series: Ted fantasises about using that time to spend a little longer with Tracy. When you first see it it’s just kinda sweet, but with what happens in the last two episodes of the show it becomes even more of a tear-jerker.

In my first watch, the ending of this episode gave me chills- I thought how sweet it was he wanted to get their lives started already. Second watch (and all subsequent watches) after knowing the ending, made me BAWL MY EYES OUT

HIMYM ended when I was in my early 20s (in fact I graduated from college the same year it ended, 2014) and I LOVED the show, it was just a relatable, fun sitcom that I have rewatched many times because it's so comforting. As I get ready to turn 31 this year, I find myself relating more and more to this amazing show. The ups, downs and twists and turns of life are so unpredictable and shows like this make you appreciate any semblance of stability you can maintain (i.e. the presence of friends and/or family) amidst the chaos. Thanks for an AWESOME explanation of a really sad episode.

The fact you didn't even mention the final part of this episode which is arguably even the saddest part

I started college 4 weeks ago and I feel so much like Ted in this episode. I'm finding it hard to let go of my bestfriend whos going far away. I don't know how to move on and I already miss them so much. A lot of my highschool life has already ended and I find myself clinging onto those memories too.

This is one of my fav episodes and I love the roller coaster it takes you on…I revisit the moments that Ted realizing to the run to the moms and his speech with tears in his eyes and the incredible score they provide ❤

I cried when Marshall's dad died, but nothing comes close to this. This is the most heartbreaking episode in a comedy show ever. I've seen a lot of sitcoms but nothing ever comes close to this

It doesn’t matter how many times I will re watch this episode, I cannot watch it and not cry, it just hits me too hard

This is one of my favorite episodes ever because of how sad it was. It was the most relatable thing ever.

Your explanation of why we love and rewatch sitcoms so much is spot on. Ive always felt like that but never knew how to put this feelings i to words..well done!

i’m so glad someone made this video i have always thought this was one of the deepest and darkest episodes i’ve ever seen it’s really stuck with me it was so beautifully done and i cant watch it

With community I think the fact that Jeff stayed at Greendale actually showed change. The fact that Jeff was able to be happy at Greendale showed he wasn’t the same person anymore

That one episode where he's on a date with the mom and he just stands there and she asks "what are you doing?" And he says "remembering this". That part really got me.

Man I haven´t seen such a good video in a long long time. I feel like you are some of the few people that kind of feel about all this iconic, sad, happy, funny moments in the show just the way as I do.

Beautifully put. And I don’t think it was depressing at all,you literally said everything I love about this show.

I'm SOOO glad someone made a video on this episode. we have rewatched this show so many times, and this episode never fails to make an impact. I've almost considered making a channel myself just to make a video on this episode because of how impactful and unique an episode like this is in a sitcom. You can even expand on everything you said to give it that much more context. ever since the Barney/Robin engagement happened, the show started teasing how hard this was for Ted. Marshal and Lily had already started moving on to their next stage in life, and Ted went through his last, heartbreaking rejection by Robin not too long ago. The feeling of loneliness and emptiness was only growing within Ted ever since then. His longtime best friends had become parents, his new friends had chosen each other over him, he truly was alone in this stage of life. and this was all blown wide open for Ted and the audience in that single, gut-punch of a line. "Look around Ted, you're all alone" AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT, the ending shows that not only was he too far past the stage where they were all just friends hanging out, BUT he also was too early for the stage where he meets the love of his life, losing out on precious time with her before she dies. he was stuck in this empty middle ground by himself. the audience is just left with such a hollow feeling from the last couple minutes of the episode, especially once you know the significance of the ending.

This was a brilliant episode, it HITS you. For me, it addresses a very real fear of mine. I didn't have much in the way of friends when I was younger, and now my two best friends are married to each other. I identify with Ted a lot, being a hopeless romantic (though possibly burnt-out). I've adored HIMYM since I started watching it, I've watched through the series about three or four times now. But I will never approve of the ending: The group drifting apart, Tracy dying and Ted just going to Robin. I just believe that all of that build-up should have ended in a happy ending for Ted, everything that happened and all the heartbreak leading to meeting Tracy on the platform. Part of my objection is that we turn to television, especially stuff like Friends and HIMYM, to escape from how ridiculous real life can be. Is it so much to ask that one guy in a TV show that spends the entire time looking for the love of his life get exactly that and have a happy ending?

Thank you for such a thoughtful discussion of this episode. I think HIMYM is a rarity, a sitcom that is a unified work of art. There are so many things in the first few episodes that let you know the mother is already deceased. To me it was obvious. Fifty years ago, my father told me a story about how he met my mother. I can compare many similarities and many more differences in the how and why the stories are being told. One thing about the last episode is that Ted has been ambivalent about why he is telling the story. His motivations are complex. This is one of the things that makes the series compelling. We are seeing everything through Ted's eyes but there is ultimately an honesty in his telling his story.

This episode was absolutely brilliant. And it made me cry more than once. "Look around, Ted. You're all alone." will forever be etched into my mind. While it's the opposite of a comfort episode, it's by far my favorite.

JD’s “Where do you think we are?” line in Scrubs hit much harder. But yeah this was dark for HIMYM.

This episode is actually one of my favorites in all series, and whenever I watch it, it touches me deeply. I like how you focused on the part where he realizes he's all alone, and that everything that is actually funny in the entire episode is only a figment of his imagination, even if part of it actually happened 5 years ago. I don't know why you didn't mention that he actually imagines, yet again, going to his future wife's apartment and telling her that he would meet her 45 days from that day and that he wants those extra 45 days, which we later understand was a foreshadowing for her death. Maybe you didn't wanna add to the already-bleak episode, but I think it would have been the cherry on top of the cake, and I bet it would have made some shed tears.

Thanks for tackling this more difficult topic. This kind of depth is what sets HIMYM above your run-of-the-mill sitcom.

You executed the video so well, the concept, the editing. Loved it

I know that most people prefer the earlier seasons, since they’re funnier (which I agree with btw).. But this episode is one of the examples of why I love the latter seasons more.. The show isn’t afraid to get real and emotional, and it hits hard.. HIMYM is amazing and my favourite sitcom..

“you can’t cling to the past because no matter how tightly you try to hold on, it is already gone”

I really enjoyed your video! Just wanted to say I love the choice in music you used towards the end of the video… you put together my favorite artist and my show

This episode broke my heart when I first saw it, and it still does every time I see it, it went from being almost any HIMYM episode to being easily one the saddest and most impactful ones, which hits even harder going back to it after seeing the finale. The acapella at the end brings is just a warm ending to such a depressing episode it makes my eyes water every time. HIMYM is no doubt one of the best TV series.

When this episode came out I was convinced that Ted would die at the end of the series and he was telling the children this story essentially at his death bed because it defined so much of his life that he wants his kids to learn to pursue happiness the way he did or whatever. To this day I still think that would have solved a lot of issues that people had with the real ending, that the alternative ending from the blu-ray release didn't address.

Holy crap, I'm on this episode right now of my 20th time binging the show!

I don't know how I got here but I'm definitely glad that I did. Thank you for the reflection about HYMYM, about sitcom's and ultimately about life.

Commenting in the middle of the video because the description of comfortability of sit coms is amazing. It puts into words what i have been trying to tell friends for years. Also has even more underlying meaning of my anxiety and why i love sit coms. There is security in a hood sit com

I remember watching this episode live. I was excited for a pre season finale episode called the time travelers. The lessons were so raw. Then Barney and Ted end with drinking at the bar and then the end happens. The end shook me to my core because a little over a year later i knew what was coming. Watching Ted realize he was grieving alone was such a reset in tone.

It hits deep for real this episode, and it hits more now feeling like I’m in that exact same boat, all my friends are with someone and I’m just still there alone

Damn.. this episode hit me so hard on personal level that I fell into depression for weeks. "Look around Ted, you're all alone" felt like he was saying that to me, to us, the viewers. I have a love hate feeling about the show's ending but overall it was truly one of the best sitcoms in history.

HIMYM was a comedy show but it often hits dark moments. Except of hanging out together all the time, the stuff inbetween was very relateble, f.e. Lily about making mistakes that needed to be done anyway, Barney angry at his dad for being a lame dad because that's what he wanted

I swear, this episode was amazing when I was watching the full series a yr ago. I had to rewatch it after it finished because of all the hints that showed the past tense moments.

i rewatched it like 15 times and i always get so nostalgic when the characters drift apart. Especially around the time of this episode. I always get so happy when i watch it again. The first season when everyone was happy and full of hope

Saw the original air of this episode. It stuck with me for a decade. Loved the feelings that hit at the end. Cool to see a video about it

This video is the truth! This episode is hard to watch because of how true it rings for the viewer.

I'm so glad you made a video on this episode, it's one of my favourites given how sudden the shock hits you. Not to mention him telling his kids how he'd like nothing more than to get even one more look at his tragically doomed wife, heartbreaking.

I have watched this video several times and it still gives me chills. For me also, HIMYM will be the favourite of all SITCOMs and have watched it 7-8 times. Thank you so much for showing such dedication in creating this content.

This just popped up in my feed. Totally agree, this is my favourite episode because it is so devastating.

How I Met Your Mother is a show about moving on. From the first moments of the show Ted decides that Robin is the woman he will marry and settle down with. Despite all the rejection it never really hits him until this episode that he can't decide his fate. Now that Robin is engaged to Barney, the one constant that Barney would never change is twisted, making Robin no longer available. This episode is essentially Ted reflecting on how he needs to move on from his past life and accept his situation. It's not that Ted can't find the right person, it's that he thinks he can't. He doesn't approach the girl because he thinks she'll either get sick of him or he'll get sick of her. He still thinks Robin is the only person for her. Like Lily says to him in later episodes, Ted is still in love with Robin, and this episode is Ted realizing that he needs to move on from that.

the last 5 minutes of this episode is the period of time that i cried the most watching HIMYM. Especially remembering that Tracy died on the last episode, seeing Teddy running through NYC to find her at her apartament so he could have some more time with her in his lifetime is so heartbreaking... i just can't watch this shit without lay down and cry

So I've watched this video so many times cause this episode is so deep and this video just hits every point and i love it. I see this on my suggestion page all the time and every other time I click on it because its soo good. So what I want to say thank you for this deep dive! And how I understand the yearning that one need for their other half

I love this episode so much. I think it does a great job of show casing the points of moving on like you said. I first watched HIMYM in my early to mid twenties and this didn’t really resonate with me but in my mid thirties now this hits hard but is so true. I’ve lost touch with most of my friends over the last decade as I’ve gotten married and had a child that this is really easy to see, especially for my friends that had the “Barney” mentality, they are alone most nights and don’t really understand where their friends went. This episode is also the biggest growth moment for Ted because you se him make the conscious choice to move on himself, and a year later meets his future wife. My head canon ends the series with them, Robin/ Barney, and Marshal/Lilly having family BBQs and helping their kids grow up together.