If we’re being honest, I really didn’t like How I Met Your Mother. I wonder sometimes if it was because I didn’t live in New York, but I don’t think that’s it. I think it’s that I couldn’t relate to the stories. I didn’t feel like I was living those moments or a part of that time. How I Met Your Father is different. It makes everything relatable. It makes sense.
It feels like it could be our lives.
New York is a magical jungle that is sometimes more nightmare, but it’s a place that when you find your people, you find them. And you sometimes have to be on a journey that is complicated and hard, but you get through it.
For Sophie and her friends life is complicated. They are all looking for love. They are all doing everything that they can, so they think. But the reality is that “everything” isn’t being done, because doing everything is a lesson in opening up.
Jesse wants to join Tinder, but he gives up. He’s given up before he’s even started, resorting to a life of being alone and just hanging out with his friends. He thinks that apps are ridiculous. Sophie is talking him up, telling him that he would crush the apps. But Jesse is thinking that he will always be defined by one moment in his life, his proposal fail. Even his Instagram has turned into people roasting him.
But trolls are everywhere Jesse. They are cruel and mean and miserable. Sophie, in every sense, is always optimistic. And I think that’s a beautiful thing. New York can jade you. Life can jade you. But Sophie just doesn’t stop believing in love. She doesn’t stop believing in the greatness of things.
She is determined to make Jesse’s life better. She’s determined, that after her courage to go on 88 dates (thank you Sid, for that reminder of Ian) that if she’s not going to give up, either is he. But if there is one thing those dates her time on Tinder have taught her, it’s the she knows how to make a good profile, one that will make girls swipe right.
“Today is the first chapter of my next great love story.” She wants Jesse to say that. He says he never will, but you should never say never.
Charlie meets everyone at the apartment and he’s frustrated. Living without his trust fund isn’t easy and he doesn’t know how “you poors” do it. First of all, Charlie is an asshole. But second of all, he’s the character I like the least and normally a British accent will make me fall to my knees.
Charlie is just too stuck up and too boring. But what I do hope is that his character evolves, because right now he’s just not adding anything to this story for me. He’s just a testament to the person who not to be. The person who thinks that everything can be solved with money and uses his money to define himself and it’s just not something I have felt.
The gang suggests that Ellen and Charlie move in together. Ellen says she’s not the roommate type. Long story short – she lied.
Sophie figures that she can solve Jesses issues with apps by taking a great profile picture. She meets him the next day at work to take pictures and well, lets just say that he doesn’t know how to take a picture at all. Small town boy has spent way too much time listening to his Mama who puts his ego above all.
The only time that Jesse is calm and natural is when kids are around. That is an issue though, because taking pics when kids are there, on school properties is going to get Jesse in trouble. The whole situation is weird, because it’s weird. But what does happen is it leads to the introduction of Drew. He’s Jesse’s boss, and he and Sophie just vibe. He’s adorable and also cheeky when he tells Sophie that she needs to leave the premises. Sophie gets it.
Jesse wants to give up, but Sophie isn’t going to let him. So she takes him out to a bar. And things are going great. He finds a girl and everything goes well. That is until Sophie hears the girl on the phone texting everyone that the “proposal fail” guy has been hitting on him. Sophie isn’t having this shit. That’s her friend. The girl is relatable and Sophie says she doesn’t get to be relatable. And girl says I was texting my friends but I was still gonna sleep with him. But now it’s all off the table.
Poor Jesse.
This whole thing leads Jesse and Sophie to being closer. Sophie admits that her life wasn’t the life that Jesse guessed. As a kid she bounced around homes, she was more like her Mom’s sister than daughter. She was always good at fixing her Mom, until she wasn’t. And that’s the role she’s always taken on with everyone else – fixed, because she can’t fix herself.
“Today is the first chapter of my next great love story.” Jesse tells her to repeat.
It’s too early to make guesses on who the father is, but everything in me hopes it’s Jesse. I want them to have that happy. Both of them – Sophie and Jesse are both so scared and jaded in their own way that you want them to be okay and feel the love.
Jesses subway stop arrives and he leaves her so he can head home. You just see by the look on these two’s faces – something has changed. The two give each other something for “when they are ready” and who knows when that will be. Sophie is definitely going to be ready before Jesse, but they’ll be in it together.
The end of the day and Ellen gets back to Sids bar, where Charlie is. They’ve both had a bad days. Charlie’s money was stolen, and Ellen’s identity was stolen. They decide that living together may not be a bad idea.
Meanwhile as this whole day has gone on, Valentina has been spending time with Sid. Sid received a package with a sex toy. Hannah wants spice up their relationship, but this is a lot for Sid. She’s putting herself out there, Sid needs to also.
Can I just say – side note – I love Valentina. The girl is a no holds back, put it all out there, live your best life kind of girl. She’s the friend you want to have.
But back to Sid. Valentina helps him with everything, setting up the room, good lighting, making sure that he tries. But it goes wrong and it’s just not him. Long distance relationships suck. But I do believe that they can work.
Hannah is screaming at him that at least she’s trying. And when he goes to return the lighting to Valentina, she helps him make the big gesture. She gets him to Los Angeles so that he can tell Hannah that he’s trying too.
How I Met Your Father is a show you can’t miss. Seriously, this cast, these characters are everything. It’s smart, fun, and catchy. And in all honesty, it fits in todays dates and times. It’s open – and maybe that’s why this episode was fitting, because we found all the characters opening up.
And hey – that was something refreshing to watch.
New episodes premiere every Tuesday on Hulu.
