As a huge "How I Met Your Mother" fan, one of my ultimate favorite aspects of the show was the authentic relationship between Lily and Marshall. The married college sweethearts, played by Jason Segel and Alyson Hannigan, provided a model for a real, but loving relationship, even when the other characters in the show faced their fair share of heartbreak. For every cheesy gesture that Ted attempted, Lily and Marshall were there to point out that the real thing is as complicated as it is sweet. Here are seven reasons why Marshall and Lily are TV's best couple.
1. They respect each other’s goals and dreams.
Lily and Marshall encourage each other to pursue their most cherished goals even when their finances might suffer. Lily urges Marshall to quit his corporate job and practice environmental law. Marshall wants Lily to work in the art world and, after a big fight, agrees to put his own judgeship on hold to honor her wished-for year in Italy.
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2. They are very close to their friends and have individual relationships with them.
Both Lily and Marshall have one-on-one friendships within their group of friends. Oftentimes, Ted, Robin and Barney will just call one of the two for advice. When they have their first baby, they decide to take back previous insistence that the others only come to them with “eight or higher” grade problems, because they realized that they’ve missed out too much on their friends’ lives.
3. They’re Lily Pad and Marshmallow.
They have a signature high-five that even the other couples on the show begin to imitate. They have given each other a goofy pair of nicknames, and Lily sleeps with a pillow called "Marshpillow" when Marshall is gone. These are goofy signifiers of their long-term relationship and among their single-and-searching friends.
4. They’re never tempted to see other people.
While Lily and Marshall talk openly and honestly about being attracted to other people, the show’s creators, Craig Thomas and Carter Bays never threw another woman or man in the way of their relationship. Competing careers, interfering in-laws and bad sleeping habits (Lily smacks Marshall in her sleep) are bigger threats to their stability together than other men and women are.
5. They're best friends who are comfortable around each other, but still have an intimate relationship as lovers.
Early on in their relationship, Lily worries that peeing in front of Marshall will ruin the air of mystery between them. However, they became more familiar with each other's bodily functions and realize that they love each other no matter what. Sometimes Marshall may dress up as Fay Wray and Lily as King Kong, but they’re pretty regularly in the mood.
6. They experienced their college years together, and even after maturing, they still know how to have a good time.
In "How I Met Your Mother," Ted refers to smoking marijuana as "eating a sandwich." We quickly learned that Ted, Marshall and Lily frequently ate sandwiches in college, and frequently went out to parties. Although they left their party days behind, they always managed to have a good time together. Lily gets tanked at their wedding, Marshall is trashed the night of their son’s birth, and they even separately sneak out of a wine-and-cheese party with other married couples to go to the club with the rest of their friends.
7. They break their wedding vows but are still role models for true love.
In the episode where Barney is about to get married, he confronts Lily and Marshall with his knowledge of how they have broken most of their wedding vows over six years. This made them make a more realistic set of vows. They promised to follow the vows for a reasonable percentage of the time and update regularly, because as Marshall said, “one set [of vows] can’t cover a lifetime of growing and changing with you, of raising children with you, falling more and more in love with you every day.” Isn't that sweet?
