How I Met Your Mother: The Countdown

I have always been a regular viewer of How I Met Your Mother, it’s one of my favorite shows on TV, along with the Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, and new to my comedy line-up, Mike and Molly.

Last nights HIMYM started like any other, and was most definitely funny throughout. However, as I sat watching, I noticed numbers here and there. Seemed a bit odd to me, so, a little late in the episode, I started paying a little more attention. My brain, which is normally quite tired by the time I hit the show with my Tivo, took me a bit to catch on. (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!) Toward the end however, I noticed the numbers I was seeing was counting down in succession: 10, 9, 8, 7… Had this been going on the whole episode? Must have I thought. Then, with the end of the show came the reason for the countdown. The countdown to the bad news. The bad news itself almost made me forget the whole number business. That’s when my son came in (an avid watcher of the show as well) and I told him that it was kind of a sad episode. Well, he wanted to watch, so I started it over again. This time however, I was ready for the number game.

As I watched on the second go around, I noticed the numbers began right off the bat, with the number 50 on a pamphlet on Lily and Marshall’s Doctors desk. Next scene, a 49. Yes, there were a couple times I had to rewind to catch a number, but as my son was now playing the find the number game with me, he didn’t mind. I don’t think I have ever watched one comedy episode so long as I did last night.

To the producers, writers, creators of the show, bravo. It was ingenious. The perfect build up to a very dramatic moment in what is normally a light and whimsy show. Also, bravo to the actors for pulling it off. It was seriously a sensational moment in a sitcom.

I will not spoil the episode for anyone who has yet to see it, but get to it! You won’t be sorry. If for any reason your DVR or Tivo missed it, you can view it online HERE. Don’t forget to come back and let us know what you think below, or in our FORUM.