There have been few friendships in sitcom history that have been termed as “goals” by fans, with How I Met Your Mother featuring Ted and Marshall in this regard. The two never had a big falling out or had any kind of drama, making them one of the best friendships we’ve ever seen.
However, that doesn’t mean the two didn’t get into arguments, and there were times where both the friends did things the other didn’t like. In this list, we’re considering “worst things” as those that kept either character from being mature or disregarded the other’s feelings when they shouldn’t have had. With that said, here are the five worst things each Ted and Marshall did to each other on How I Met Your Mother.
Marshall: Bet On Ted As If His Feelings Meant Nothing
Out of everything people know about Marshall, it’s widely accepted that he’s the guy you can count to never mess with your feelings, yet that’s kind of what he did with Ted. It was revealed in Season 7 that Marshall had a bet with Lily that Ted would end up with Robin, and had never really been in favor of his other relationships.
We even saw a flashback at the time of Ted’s wedding to Stella where Marshall still held out hope for the wedding to be a disaster just so he wouldn’t lose the bet to Lily. You’d think Marshall would’ve wanted Ted to be happy with the best girl rather than the one he’d bet on.
Ted: Attempt To Watch Marshall & Lily’s Tape
This was a joke that was just so wrong on so many levels. In Season 7, Barney learned of a tape of Marshall and Lily, even succeeding in finding it. He would then take it over to Ted’s so the two of them could watch it together.
Rather than point out how appalling this was, Ted instead headed straight into the kitchen to go make some popcorn! Marshall had made it clear how he never wanted anyone to see it, so this was Ted breaking all kinds of rules regarding their friendship.
Marshall: Kick Out Ted’s Date From His House
Ted had the sketchiest dating history we saw on the show, but that shouldn’t have given Marshall a free pass to be so mean to his date. Here, Marshall was outraged when Ted’s date ruined Lily’s birthday cake by misspelling her name and writing in an incorrect age, completely unleashing his rage.
Branding the woman a “stranger,” Marshall told her to get out of his house before he did something worse. Ted was clearly angered with how little respect his date had been given, but Marshall was more concerned with “Lily Day” than Ted’s feelings.
Ted: Make Fun Of Marshall’s Masculinity
Due to having the nicest family we saw on the show, Marshall was perceived as a goody-two-shoes by his friends. Barney and Ted, in particular, took this as an opportunity to make fun of him, which they did to embarrass Marshall.
Ted even came up with an imagined scenario where Marshall and his brother play fought each other like children before sitting down for some cocoa. We could see Marshall didn’t like the humiliation, but Ted had a big laugh at his expense along with Barney.
Marshall: Get Angry With Ted Over A Wedding Present
Although it’s customary to give a wedding present to the marrying couple, it’s still rather petty to hold a grudge over not receiving one. This what Marshall did, as he held Ted in contempt over this for years when he failed to get the present from Ted.
In reality, Ted’s wedding present had been stolen by Stuart, and Marshall kept dropping obvious hints to Ted for him to get that present even years after the wedding. When the time came for it, Marshall angrily confronted Ted over it, despite Ted having been a good enough friend for it not to be an issue.
Ted: Stop Marshall From Making Mature Decisions Numerous Times
Ted acted like an immature adult on more than a few occasions, even bringing in Marshall into this frequently. Since Ted was Marshall’s best friend, he would end up swaying the latter’s mindset and go through with making the wrong decisions.
At one point, we saw him attempt to get Marshall to decide against moving away, even though that would’ve been best for his family. In another instance, Ted joined Marshall in Minnesota, rather than bring Marshall back to end the latter’s grieving period over losing his father. Then, there were all the occasions where Ted guilted Marshall into choosing him over Lily because he felt left out.
Marshall: Fight With Ted To Get The Apartment From Him
Ted and Marshall had gotten the apartment together as bachelors quite a while before Lily had moved in, meaning Ted had as much as a say on who got to keep it. However, Marshall ended up thinking he deserved to keep it just because he was about to marry Lily.
Their famed sword fight followed up this exchange, and Marshall had already said some hurtful stuff to Ted by making it clear he prioritized his future with Lily over his friendship with Ted. Had Lily not made it clear she didn’t want to live in that apartment, Marshall would’ve been prepared to fight Ted for it and maybe even kick the latter out.
Ted: Get Marshall To “Eat A Sandwich”
Having “sandwiches” was something Marshall, Ted, and Lily had done a lot back in college, but that was when they’d been teenagers. As adults, it was extremely irresponsible of Ted to force Marshall into having a “sandwich” once again, especially when Marshall had told him he wanted to be mature now.
However, Ted ended up convincing Marshall to indulge, leading to the two of them making complete fools of themselves while under the influence. This came at a time when Marshall was about to become a father, so potentially getting him into trouble wasn’t a wise move on Ted’s part.
Marshall: Be With Lily While Ted Was Present
Maybe Ted was willing to watch Marshall and Lily’s tape because he’d been around for the live version a couple of times already. As it happened, Marshall and Lily’s first intimate time took place in their dorm room, where Ted was lying on the bunk above them.
Even after Ted asked them not to do it again, the two still went through with it; Marshall arguing that he’d given Ted his Walkman to drown out the sound. This then happened again on Marshall and Lily’s wedding day, as the two were together in a bathroom with Ted being in the adjacent stall.
Ted: Flaunt His Relationship With Robin While Marshall Was Alone
Although he tried to get Marshall over Lily when the latter had dumped him, Future Ted admitted he didn’t do his best since he’d gotten together with Robin at the time. This meant he and Robin were being an annoying touchy-feely couple right in front of Marshall during his grieving period.
At a time when he needed his friend the most, Ted was busy being rather reckless by effectively flaunting his newfound happiness in Marshall’s face. It’s strange that Barney was the one responsible for bringing Lily back, while Ted didn’t do much to help at this time.
