The third episode of “How I Met Your Father” Season 2 was about Sophie and Jessie bringing back her photograph, which had been sold to a highly misogynistic man. They’d purchased the photograph with the hope of meeting Jessie and spending a night with him. Ellen and Rachel, on the other hand, had gone on a romantic double date with Valentina, which ended in disaster when Valentina and Rachel realized they didn’t get along with each other. Amidst their argument, Ellen had a sort of self-realization that she always avoided being part of an argument. She always tries to run away from the conflicts instead of confronting them like a mature person. Meanwhile, Charlie requests that Sid and Hannah accompany him on a date he is going on after breaking up with Valentina. Hannah and Sid are trying to get some additional miles to make sure their commute between Los Angeles and New York City becomes cheaper; luckily for them, Charlie’s date, Alice, is a loner but someone who works for an airline. Hannah and Sid try to salvage whatever it is they think can make it work between Charles and Alice.
Spoilers Ahead
Toxicity Is In The Air
Ellen is too excited to start her first day at work. She’s got herself a new set of clothes thanks to Valentina, and this is one of the good things that has happened to her since her breakup with her wife. Valentina and Sophie are happy for Ellen but not too happy because they are human beings; they are jealous of the fact that Ellen is sorting out her life even after a monumental change that shook her existence. Sophie and Valentina are struggling to find a foothold in terms of career prospects and personal lives. Sophie and Valentina’s reaction to Ellen’s excitement right after she leaves for work is a classic example of the sort of existential crisis they feel when they realize their professional and personal lives have come to a standstill.
Jessie and Meredith are at Sid’s bar, trying to make an announcement on Meredith’s social media about her tour, with Jessie joining him, and the big news is they both have gotten back together. Jessie is not comfortable making his life public so soon, but Meredith wants to make sure her fans know that her breakup with him is the inspiration behind her successful album, and she would like the world to know about them getting back together. Sid, on the other hand, is not keen on seeing Meredith and Jessie. His disapproval is palpable, but he chooses to remain quiet because he knows Jessie loves her, and they will probably end up living together.
Charlie, though, slept with the last girl he met at the bar and considers himself to have achieved a milestone; for the first time, he has experienced a one night stand; and he intends to continue to have this lifestyle. To commemorate his successful unemotional physical relationship, he sends a gift basket to his date Courtney to thank her for having made their night memorable. Sid warns him that the gift basket would send the wrong message about the date, but Charlie, being himself, ignores the advice.
Season 2, Episode 4: Ending Explained
As predicted, Sid’s concern turned out to be justified because Courtney showed up at the bar where Charlie works with a gift basket, expecting Charlie to go on another date with her. Charlie has no idea at this point how to reveal what the gift basket represents. Courtney starts being all lovey-dovey with him, and Charlie has found no way to reject her moves toward him. Before Courtney had shown up at the bar, Charlie had placed an order for plenty of gift baskets for those women with whom he will be spending memorable nights. All of this comes from the right place, only for Charlie to realize when Courtney shows up that the gift baskets indicate something altogether different. As he tries to make Courtney understand the intention of his gesture, his gift baskets get delivered, only for her to conclude that the gift basket is a thank you from him for the one-night stand. She walks away from him, and Charlie ends up keeping all the gift baskets he had ordered. Charlie, though, is new to dating, all this while he has been only in committed long term relationships. Dating is a new ballgame for him, and he is slowly learning to deal with it.
Meredith and Jessie have reached a point in their relationship where Jessie feels she is taking over. But he does not let it become a topic of conversation between them, for he is not a typical man’s man who would get offended over the fact that his partner is more famous than he is. When they announce they got back together as a couple, Jessie feels she is overshadowing him as a partner and a fellow bandmate. Meredith politely makes it clear that she is the main musician, so she will always be at the forefront. Jessie is taken aback by her words, which Sid realizes is affecting Jessie as a boyfriend. Sid offers support, but he also makes it clear that she will always be at the forefront, and because she is famous, she will always think of herself first. Jessie is taken aback by his words as well. He never expected his best friend to speak ill of his girlfriend. Jessie knows Sid and Meredith don’t like each other, but he expects his friend to be understanding and supportive of his decision to be with Meredith. Jessie politely asks Sid not to come to his concert with Meredith if he cannot be a supportive friend. Sid feels dejected, but he knows their friendship will come around.
Ellen gets to work on time, only to get stuck on the stairway and be forced to walk up to the 51st floor. Even on the 51st floor, she gets locked in an attic room, and she manages to get into the A/C vent to get to her new workplace. She ends up falling from the vent to her office, leaving everybody in the new workplace bewildered by her entry. Ellen had to resort to all these antics because she was supremely excited about this work, and she did not want to make a bad impression on the first day. Inadvertently, she ends up having a horrible first day.
Sophie and Valentina, just to feel good about themselves, end up calling their one friend Deirdre, whose existence makes them feel better about their lives. As per their description, Deirdre is a loner who has no life of her own and lives in New Jersey, which is far away from the happening New York City. They judge her for the lifestyle she leads and feel better about themselves. They have repeated this pattern of meeting her every time they feel bad about their lives. This time around, they learn of a book reading Deirdre is doing for her new book about toxic people in her life. Soon they come to know the book Deirdre has written is about Sophie and Valentina, with just their names changed to avoid getting sued for libel by both. Sophie and Valentina are livid to hear such judgmental statements made by Deirdre in her book, which makes them confront her. Deirdre confesses that she always felt Sophie and Valentina led a shallow life, and she always met them to make her feel better about herself. Deirdre, though she showcases herself as someone who ran away from female friendships and the toxicity they bring, ends up showcasing her toxic side to Sophie, Valentina, and the entire audience, proving that Deirdre has not lost her toxic side either. Sophie and Valentina, though they feel sad that Deirdre looked down on them just as they looked down on her, realize she is as bad as they are, and no book can change that fact. Sophie and Valentina will probably learn their lesson of not indulging in any sort of toxic talk and probably mind their own business from here on.
What To Expect From Episode 5 Of ‘How I Met Your Father’ Season 2?
Episode 4 of “How I Met Your Father” Season 2 will explore the dynamics Sid and Jessie share now that Jessie knows how he feels about Sid. Sid will try to make amends because they have both been friends for a long time. Meredith and Jessie’s relationship will be tested too, and Sophie and Valentina will surely have more tales to tell about their single lives.
Final Thoughts
The fourth episode of “How I Met Your Father” Season 2, to put it harshly, is a slugfest. The episode was only 21 minutes long, but it managed to churn out nothing in terms of narrative, storytelling, or humor. The show is supposed to be based on humor, but it delivered nothing in terms of laughs for the audience to savor and enjoy. I’m hoping the upcoming episodes will provide more in terms of good stories and comedy that land.
