One Brilliantly Crafted Easter Egg in HIMYM That None of Us Ever Noticed

The hit sitcom featured a lot of running gags and hilarious storylines, but it also had quite a few plot twists that made fans bawl their eyes out – Robin’s inability to have kids, the Mother’s death, Barney’s broken heart, and many more.

One of the most devastating episodes in the show’s history is the season 6 episode Bad News, which shocked the audience with its unconventional ending. While viewers did expect some unpleasant revelation, as the title suggested, everyone thought that it would be connected to Lily and Marshall’s conception problems. Instead, fans found out that Marshall’s dad unexpectedly died.

Marvin Senior was just 51 years old when he tragically passed away from a heart attack, and there were hints at his impending demise throughout the entire episode – in particular, there was a countdown starting at 50 and ending at 0.

Here are all the numerical Easter eggs in the episode (via Screen Rant).

• 50 is featured on the pamphlet in the doctor’s office in the intro scene.
• 49 appears on the same pamphlet months later.
• 48 can be seen on the hot sauce bottle that Marshall uses.
• 47 refers to Barney’s 47th Bi-Annual Laser Tag Tournament.
• 46 can be spotted on the certificate in the doctor’s office.
• 45 cents is the price of the hot wings at McLaren’s Pub.
• 44 is both how many beers are on tap at McLaren’s Pub and the number on the guy’s jersey.
• 43 is featured on another pamphlet that Marshall is reading.
• 42 is shown on the other side of the same pamphlet.
• 41 turns up on the race car on the poster in the doctor’s office.
• 40 is in the title of Ted’s book New York’s 40 Greatest Landmarks.

• 39 is displayed on the office ’s door that Robin is standing in front of.
• 38 degrees is the temperature reported in the newspaper.
• 37 Recipes for Holiday Leftovers is the name of the article that Lily is reading.
• 36 references the title of Marvin’s beer Old Number 36.
• 35 and 34 are numbers that describe the stock market’s rate – it is up 35.34.
• 33 miners are rescued, according to Robin’s news screen.
• 32 to 27 are the winning lottery numbers.

• 26 Home Improvement Shortcuts is what Marshall’s dad is reading.
• 25 Greatest Bridges is the title of Ted’s textbook.
• 24 appears on the cover of the sports magazine that Robin’s colleague is holding.
• 23 refers to the title of the local channel Metro News 23.
• 22 can be spotted during Robin’s Japanese broadcast.
• 21 is on the calendar in the doctor’s office.
• 20 is the room number in the doctor’s office.

• 19 is part of the title of the article called Top 19 Nekkid Girls Countdown in the patient’s room.
• 18 is the apartment number of Marshall and Lily’s home.
• 17 and 16 can be seen on Marshall’s specimen cup.
• 15 is how many vitamins and minerals there are in Robin’s cereal.
• 14 and 13 are the numbers on Sandy’s door.
• 12 Days of Christmas, which is a book, is featured behind Marshall.
• 11 references the name of Ted’s book America’s 11 Greatest Water Towers.
• 10 is part of the design of the Robin Sparkles jacket.

• 9 is written on the folder that Barney is holding.
• 8 is the number on the door of the doctor’s office.
• 7 can be spotted on Marshall’s champagne bottle.
• 6 is what the folder with the number 9 looks like upside down when the doctor is holding it.
• 5 refers to Barney’s high-five to Lily.
• 4 Layers of the Uterus is the poster in the doctor’s office.
• 3 can be seen on the McLaren’s sign that read “Open till 3 am.”
• 2 is the time on the clock in Marvin’s woodshop.
• 1 is the cab number that Lily arrives in.

• Expired is what the sign on the parking meter says seconds before Marvin’s death is announced.

We bet you’ve never paid attention to this countdown happening right under your nose! How I Met Your Mother has always been known for building these barely noticeable connections between events or characters that all come together and start making sense in the end, and yet the series has truly outdone itself in this episode.

It’s safe to say that these Easter eggs are so subtle that only the most hardcore fans can even spot all of them. We wonder what else we still haven’t discovered about this mystery of a show…

Was there any countdown leading up to Tracy’s death that we haven’t pieced together? If there was (and fans knew about it), they might have been less pissed at the creators for that abomination of a finale!

Source: Screen Rant