It's hard for shows to keep a tight lid on story lines in the media these days, but bravo to the HIMYM team for keeping this heartbreaking development on the down-low. In a last-minute shocker, Lily tells a giddy Marshall, who's trying to deliver good news to his father, Marvin Sr., that his dad had died of a heart attack. There were subtle and not-so-subtle signs in the episode-long countdown from 50 to the number 1 on Lily's cab. Fun fact: Jason Segel didn't know what Alyson Hannigan was going to say when she got out of the cab and ad-libbed "I'm not ready for this."

In a ripped-from-the-headlines story, Kurt endured months of Slushie attacks and hallway tirades from Karofsky over his homosexuality. But just when fans wrote Karofsky off as an ignorant, one-dimensional jerk, a moment of truth led him to lean in and give Kurt a less-than-stellar first kiss. Unfortunately, the lip-lock only worsened Karofsky's temper, and Kurt soon transferred to Dalton Academy, away from his beloved New Directions. The move did, however, put Kurt in the orbit of soon-to-be boyfriend, Blaine.

After a man in the waiting room starts to get rowdy, Charlotte casually, but sternly, tells him to wait his turn. Later, she is shoved into her office and sexually attacked by the same stranger.

Old habits die hard, right? After enduring a medical scare that turned out to just be a benign tumor, Cuddy learns that House was taking Vicodin while she was hospitalized. Realizing that he is incapable of openly dealing with pain and duress, she dumps him... which only drives him to pop more pills.

Just as Olivia and Bolivia returned to their rightful universes and fans thought the worst was behind them, Bolivia reveals that she is pregnant with Peter's child. As if Olivia didn't have a hard enough time grappling with Peter's tryst with the other version of herself.

White Collar — Neal finds billions of dollars worth of treasure No Kate? No music box mystery? No problem! Fans' biggest burning questions were all answered in the Season 2 finale when Neal found out what the music box led to (a World War II submarine full of art and jewels) and why Kate was killed. But as soon as viewers had time to ask what's next, Neal discovered an anonymous benefactor had stolen the billions of dollars worth of treasure from the sub for him and only him.

Kalinda and Blake have been after one another all season long, but Blake proved that he had the one card to trump everything else. After digging into Kalinda's mysterious background (who knew she had a husband?!), Blake ultimately revealed that Kalinda once had a one-night stand with Alicia's husband, Peter. We can't wait to see how Alicia reacts to that little bombshell.

Tragedy strikes on the cop drama when Nate and Sammy stop to chat with a group of gang members and Nate is suddenly attacked by the mob, suffering a fatal blow to the head with a metal pipe. If that weren't tearjerking enough, Sammy has to hopelessly drag his dead partner back to their car.

Beckett and Castle finally lock lips — with a twist. Trying to distract a guard, the two pretend to be a drunk couple before Castle goes in for an unplanned and very sexy smooch. It ends, though, when Beckett pistol-whips the goon. "That was amazing," Castle says. "The way you knocked him out, I mean."

After Arizona told Callie not to come to Africa — essentially ending their relationship — Callie dives into a depression that lands her in Mark's bed. And just when Arizona returns and begs for forgiveness, Callie drops the bomb that she's pregnant — with Mark's child.

Redneck racist Merle Dixon is left handcuffed to a pipe on the roof of an Atlanta department store when one of the survivors drops the key. Rick eventually insists the campers go back into the city to try to save Merle, who, by all accounts had probably already become zombie food. When Rick & Co. make it back to the roof, however, we all learn just how tough Merle is: He sawed off his own hand to free himself and has vanished.

Big Love — Bill learns Margene was 16 when they got married With only a handful of episodes left in the series, Margene drops a bombshell on Bill: She was only 16 when they married. On one hand, this explains a lot about Marg. On the other, it felt like an unnecessary monkey wrench thrown in the show at a moment when Alby's on a rampage, Barb's out for the priesthood and Bill's embattled in the Senate. It did, however, prompt Nicki's excellent response: "Congratulations, Margene. You've just ruined Christmas."

Is Chang Shirley's babydaddy? After a one-night stand with Chang during the zombie apocalypse, Shirley is caught with a home pregnancy test marketed to black women (You Know, Girl!), but she doesn't announce that she's eight weeks pregnant until two months later when her ex-hubby/new beau, Andre, returns. And if you do the math, Senor Chang is most likely a Padre Chang.

In the Braverman clan, every action has consequences. So when Crosby slept with Max's behavioral aide, Gaby, it solidified his split from Jasmine and pushed Gaby to quit working for Adam and Kristina. A loud argument between Adam and Crosby soon ensues, and Max overhears his father yell to Crosby: "Your nephew has Asperger's" — something they had hoped to tell Max in about, oh, 10 years.

It only took four seasons for the CW series to exhaust every imaginable romantic pairing on the Upper East Side. Rather than put Dan and Serena together again, the Brooklyn scribe traded in S for B in a move that included a crazy road trip, French films and lots of scheming. Although the two have long disdained each other, producers found a way to make fans root for their slow-burn affection and eventual kiss.

The drama's most functional couple is dealt a blow when Scotty admits that he cheated on Kevin months ago when he felt distance from his husband. After a handful of arguments, buckets of tears the couple opts to work things out.

Desperate Housewives — Beth commits suicide to give Susan her kidney Beth Young may have looked normal on the outside, but anyone who agrees to marry a man like Paul has to have a few screws loose. Surprise! Beth was the daughter of Felicia Tillman and was only with Paul to take him down. But when Paul discovered the truth and Felicia subsequently disowned her, Beth could only find purpose in donating her kidney to save Susan's life — by taking her own.

Michael's soupsnake, aka "soul mate," Holly, returns to Dunder Mifflin, immediately awakening the jealous ex in him when he learns she's still with A.J. But luckily, A.J. can't commit and it's just a matter of a few more episodes before the quirky duo gets back together.

In what could be the series finale of the ABC show, literally no one was safe. Anna kills her own mother, Ryan's daughter kills him and Erica's son Tyler is murdered by Lisa's new evil twin (so to speak). On top of that, Anna and Ryan's daughter blissed the entire world, leaving nearly all of the humans at a standstill.

As Roger Sterling put it best upon of learning of Don's sudden engagement: "Megan out there?" Up until the Season 4 finale, Don seemed to be making major progress. Writing in a journal, drinking less and confessing his true identity to then-girlfriend Faye. Rather than commit to Faye, however, Don went to Disneyland with his kids and his secretary, Megan, who he fell "in love" with at the drop of a milkshake.

In an episode of milestones — Ellie and Awesome welcome daughter Clara — Chuck steals the thunder when he proposes to Sarah in the hospital hallway. She accepts with a kiss. The sweet scene is devoid of dialogue, proving once again that actions speak louder than words.

After drinking spiked champagne before their Hangerover-esque bachelor and bachelorette parties, Clark wakes up in a tux. Unfortunately, his beautiful bride in white is not Lois, but Chloe. Finding only half a marriage certificate with Chloe's name on it, the pair initially fears they tied the knot. But it turns out Oliver is holding the other half. Wanting to make a go of the relationship, the pair moves to Star City.