Episode 9 of “How I Met Your Father” Season 2 had Sophie getting the biggest perk she ever received as Val’s best friend: an invitation to the premiere of a musical. Val styled one of the celebrities in the musical, and thus she was invited, and she asked Sophie to join her. Sophie ends up meeting Robert, and they hit it off instantly. Meanwhile, Jessie has been only on one date with Dana, but he wants her to meet his friends. When they refuse to do so, he invokes the welcome protocol, forcing his friends to be nice to Dana, and he wants them all to say good things about him to her. All of these come full circle for all of them, especially Sophie and Jesse. Though Sophie and Robert end up liking each other, Jesse ends up breaking up with Dana because that is what he wants to do to get over Sophie. How will both move ahead from here?
Spoilers Ahead
Sophie Is In Love
Sophie and Robert have started dating, and all has been going well for her so far. Sophie is having the best weeks of her life with Robert, and she cannot not stop gushing about it. Sophie is happy to know Robert is a romantic, and she loves all the attention that he is showering on her. By the looks of it, Sophie has never been so sure of a date, since the man makes sure to be attentive to what she needs and wants. Sophie seems to be the happiest she has been in a while, and she can’t wait to introduce Robert to her friends. Sophie feels Robert makes a day out of their dates, and she can’t wait to go on further dates with him. Even though he is a lot older than she is, the age difference does not bother her that much. Sophie is happy to see a connection they share and the fact that she finds all his stories cool because he has been around longer than she has. Her friends, though, make jokes, and the punchline is “Robert is old.” Sophie is being tolerant because she knows he is the man she might fall in love with, so it is worth all the jokes being thrown at her. But she also knows all her friends will be in for a shock when they meet the actual man. Jesse, Ellen, Charlie, and Sid are shocked to see how young Robert looks. They are blown away by the fact that the man has such stunning features and a remarkable physique. Something like how Joey and Chandler felt about Richard in “Friends.”
Val Goes On A Date
With Sophie not spending time at their home anymore, Val ends up spending a lot of time alone doing all the chores at home. Val does not like the fact that Sophie is spending a lot of her time with Robert, but she is also happy to find out Sophie has found her special someone in Robert. Val is finding it hard to convey her issues, but she soon reveals that Sophie has not been around to help her with the spring cleaning of the apartment. Val soon admitted that her alone time led to her becoming active on dating apps, and she has been seeing a guy for the last few days. Sophie is happy for her too, but she is shocked to know why Val didn’t let her know about it. Val conveys rather politely that since Sophie has been busy with Robert, Val made sure to keep herself busy too. Sophie and Val seem to be on opposite ends of the spectrum, which is rare for two people who have been best friends for a long time. But they avoid any silly argument over this, as Val goes on a date with a guy named Swish.
Jesse’s Predicament
Just like the rest of them, Jesse was enamored by how good-looking Robert was. He had hoped Robert would be a typical old man with sagging skin and hearing problems, but it turns out Robert seems far healthier than all of them. Ellen, who knows Jesse still has some feelings for Sophie, tries to be there for her brother. Even though she is also struck by Robert’s handsomeness, she wants to be there for her brother in his time of crisis. Thankfully, Jesse doesn’t try to break up Sophie and Robert just out of spite and jealousy.
Is Sophie Robert’s Swish?
Jesse is still upset over the fact that Sophie and Robert are hitting it off like a perfect couple. Ellen, on the other hand, is trying to be there for him this time. Jesse is upset about his breakup with Meredith, and ever since then he’s been hung up on Sophie. He has not been able to convey his feelings to her. Jesse is conflicted about how to approach her, which makes Ellen sad. She has never seen her brother this helpless, and that’s why she decides to spend the day with him now that her girlfriend Rachel has been out of town for a while. Unfortunately, Rachel shows up in New York way before her scheduled arrival, and Ellen is conflicted about whether she should spend time with her brother or her girlfriend. Ellen is a supportive sister who has never let her brother down. Since they were separated after their parents’ divorce, both want to be there for each other as much as they can, hoping not to be estranged like before. Jesse is also excited to be spending the day with Ellen for the same reason. Their sibling dynamic is becoming better.
Jesse comes back from getting a pizza for his sister, only to see her and her girlfriend in his bed. He feels disgusted. Ellen feels guilty for pulling this on her brother, knowing the phase he is going through. She and Rachel promise to help him find a date at Sid’s bar downstairs. Jesse reluctantly agrees to their plan. Ellen is being as supportive as she can, but Jesse is being too nervous about approaching any women he sees. He finally asks a girl out, but that also quickly falls apart after he gets her to his place when he becomes all nervous. Jesse is a nervous wreck and is head over heels in love with Sophie. He just can’t find the right time to confess his love. Timing is such a thing when it comes to confessing one’s love, and Sophie and Jesse keep missing out.
Sophie plans to invite Robert to her place this time, and she is adamant about making a date out of it. For the last few times, it was Robert who made sure to make Sophie feel weak in the knees, but this time she is determined to put together a splendid date out at her place, hoping to create a nice ambiance for him and try to do just what Robert did the last few times. As Sophie prepares dinner for Robert, Val comes by with Swish, making an entry and hoping to have a date night with him. Sophie is trying to make some sense of Val and is requesting that she go out for the night. Val refuses out of spite and the fact that Sophie has not been home helping her with chores. Though Val tries to present Swish as someone she is serious about, Sophie knows it is a lie.
Sophie and Val start playing mind games about who is more mature as Robert comes by for dinner. The fight escalates to the point where Val lies and says she loves Swish. Sophie knows Val does not love him, but Swish overhears Val’s words and is happy. Val and Sophie know each other very well, and Sophie knows Val has better taste in men than to fall for someone like Swish. Val reveals that she doesn’t love Swish, but she likes the fact that he idolizes her because she is older. Sophie realizes that she feels the same about Robert, wondering if she is his Swish. Someone who is enamored by the other for having more life experience. Robert also comes out and reveals that he has a set schedule because of his age, and he hates the fact that he has to make himself seem younger in front of Sophie. Sophie understands that Robert has some inhibitions because of his age, just as Sophie has some because of her age. She concludes that she is not his Swish because there is respect and understanding. Robert and Sophie finally find common ground and decide to spend a weekend together so that they can get to know more about each other. Swish, on the other hand, takes Val’s “she loves him” words seriously and proposes to her. Val accepts because she doesn’t want to hurt Swish. Val is the type of woman who takes things as they come and never says no to anything if she feels good about it. Though she is sure Swish is not serious, she still wants to see how things would go from here.
What Can We Expect From Episode 11?
Episode eleven of “How I Met Your Father” Season 2 will be all about Sophie and Robert trying to get to know each other better as they plan to spend a weekend away from the city. Though Robert is way older than Sophie, she finds a sense of comfort with him that she’s never found with anybody else. Their date would be the highlight of the episode. Jesse, too, will pine for Sophie, just in some other way. As the show is reaching a mid-season break, the next episode will end on a hopeful note.
Final Thoughts
The tenth episode of “How I Met Your Father” Season 2 nailed all the elements the show needed to keep it interesting and engaging. The humor in this episode worked well, and the actors also landed the jokes. This proves that, if presented with the right kind of humor, any decent actor would be able to deliver comedy well. With the addition of Aidan Shaw as Robert, the series did well with his casting because he has been a hoot to watch in both the last episode and this one. Hilary Duff and Aidan Shaw have good chemistry in the show, which means the direction is fantastic. This episode does everything right when it comes to delivering enough drama and humor. I’m looking forward to watching the final episode of “How I Met Your Father” Season 2 before the show takes a mid-season break.
