"How I Met Your Mother", Season 6, Episode 13, "Bad News"

Monday night's latest "How I Met Your Mother" episode, "Bad News," was a little disappointing. The show is well into its sixth season, and for the most part I have been a fan of all the episodes, but episode 13 just seemed off.

The episode revolved around Marshall and Lily trying to get pregnant. They have been trying to have a baby for a while, without success, so they went to consult a doctor to see if there was a problem. In typical HIMYM humor, the doctor turned out to be Barney's true doppelgänger, which of course led to some humorous situations with Barney.

In the meantime, Robin gets teased at work for past embarrassing moments caught on television, and Ted tries to help her with her problem. She ends up embracing the teasing and becomes accepted in her new workplace.

Marshall and Lily go through the overly done motions of getting tested for infertility. When Lily finds out she's not the problem, Marshall spends much of his time worrying and freaking out about the possibility that he may be infertile.

Marshall is very close to his father, but he only calls him when he has good news. Therefore, because Marshall is worried he won't be able to reproduce, he is afraid to talk to his dad, in case he disappoints him. Marshall's parents become worried about Marshall's well-being, and after two days of unreturned calls they decide to surprise visit him in New York. Of course the day they come to visit is the same day Marshall must masturbate into a cup to get his sperm tested. But because his parents are unaware of Marshall's situation, this leads to them making awkward and indirect sexual comments to Marshall while he tries to masturbate in his bathroom.

Eventually, Marshall tells his parents that he may not be able to have children. They are very supportive of him, and say they love him no matter what. And then, to wrap the episode up, Marshall learns that his sperm is actually very strong and he will be able to have children after all.

But then, as a sudden twist, Marshall tries to call his dad to tell him the good news, but he doesn't answer. After Marshall hangs up, he runs into Lily, who tells him Marshall's dad had a heart attack and did not survive. And that's how the episode ends.

Now, I have a few problems with this episode. First of all, it seems the show is taking a darker, more serious tone, which is not why I watch this sitcom. Secondly, that death came out of nowhere. I guess heart attacks are spontaneous and this could happen in real life, but Marshall's parents rarely appear in the show, so why now? Why in an episode when Marshall is trying to have a kid? Maybe the show was trying to show some sort of life cycle, but the ending was so abrupt and sad that it ruined the episode for me. Lastly, if neither Marshall nor Lily have fertility problems, why haven't they gotten pregnant yet? Why is that not at all addressed? Or are we to just assume they are being too paranoid?

I'm hoping next week will be a little lighter and funnier.