Episode 5 of “How I Met Your Father” Season 2 tested the friendships of everyone in the group. Valentina’s bond with Sophie, Sid’s reaching out to Jesse, and Charlie trying hard to bring Sid and Jesse back together so that the group can go back to being their normal selves and not be an awkward bunch of people not wanting to discuss actual problems. “Ride or Die” made sure to bring the group back together as they were. It did a good job demonstrating their dynamics and how strong their bond is as friends. Sophie ends up meeting Oscar; Jesse and Meredith break up again, making him quit the tour and her group.
Spoilers Ahead
Sophie And Oscar
Sophie and Oscar have a good time on their second date until he shows her something that she does not expect a person like Oscar would carry with him all the time. Sophie feels something on his chest. Hoping it would be some medical-related device, it turns out it is a necklace with a giant drop-shaped diamond locket, which shines brightly during the night. Sophie is taken aback by what she sees and wonders if he is a weirdo. She also wonders if this is a deal breaker for her because it seems abnormal for a man like Oscar to wear a giant necklace like that. She does not know why the necklace is bothering her this much. She asks Ellen if she can convey this concern of hers to Ellen’s therapist. Sophie is the kind of person who is freaked out by tiny things, and a giant necklace like Oscar’s starts bothering her because she is having a good time with Oscar, and he might be someone she might consider being in a relationship with. Sophie is confused about how to proceed further regarding this matter, and that’s why she begs Ellen to make sure to bring her concern to the therapist. Sophie has no insurance, which means she cannot afford any therapy with the money she earns. Depending on Ellen is the only way out.
Valentina And Jesse
Valentina has a big job coming up with her boss, and she will be swamped with work that week, and in pursuit of getting plenty of work done, she posts online the requirement for an assistant who will help her the coming week. The assistant turns out to be Jesse, who is in desperate need of work. Since he no longer has the option of joining the school again as a teacher because of Drew, he joins Valentina to help her with a busy week. Valentina suddenly realizes she is Jesse’s boss, temporarily, and she starts making the best of the situation. Half the instructions which Val lets out, Jesse is unable to follow because he is a novice to the world of fashion. Valentina never thought she would be the boss, which makes her feel powerful, and Jesse is trapped in a job, even though it is a temporary one.
Ellen’s Therapy
Ellen must go to therapy because she has deep people-pleasing issues among a plethora of others since her marriage broke up. But other than talking about her issues with relationships and commitment, she ends up talking about Sophie’s issues, which Ellen passes off as her own. Ellen, in the hope of not people-pleasing her friends, ends up being a pushover and lets Sophie do what she wants to do instead of asking her to understand Ellen’s problems. Ellen reveals what the therapist tells her: Sophie might be freaking out over how much she likes Oscar, and her first instinct is to back out at the first sight of intimacy between them. Sophie takes the advice of Ellen and pursues Oscar. Ellen, on the other hand, has a tough time talking about her issues with the therapist. Her concerns are about the fallout from their relationship, and she does not get any time to discuss the matter for which she has joined therapy. The fact is that she lets herself get carried away by Sophie’s pleading, even though Sophie should be the one who is understanding and mature enough to comprehend Ellen’s matters. But Ellen ends up falling victim to her people-pleasing tendencies once again and gets carried away in the pursuit of helping Sophie.
Sid And Charlie’s Wine Misadventure
Sid was away in California, and Charlie ended up taking care of the business for a short period. Sid, on coming back, notices a big shipment of rosé wine bottles stocked up in the storeroom. Charlie confesses to having purchased the bottles from a beautiful representative on a busy day. On tasting the wine, they come to know it tastes like mint. Sid and Charlie hate the taste of the alcohol, which is now stored in bulk, thanks to Charlie’s mishap and his weakness to the charms of a representative. Charlie is to blame for this blunder, but they have to find a solution to make sure people purchase these wine bottles. Charlie and Sid have no clue how they would do that. They are out of ideas on how to dispose of the shipment without running into losses.
Season 2, Episode 6: Ending Explained
Ellen provides Sid and Charlie the idea of selling the alcohol by pairing the name of a famous person with the bottle; people would come running to their bar for the said drink. Attaching the celebrity’s name turns out to be the idea Sid and Charlie were looking for. After a careful brainstorming session with each other, they decide to rename the alcohol Judy Juice, which is a reference to Judge Judy. Ellen is elated to see her plan working out, which makes her think she can understand what people want when it comes to their buying habits. Judy Juice becomes an instant hit, and Charlie starts posting the same on social media for the product to gain more traction. The traffic to their bar for Judy Juice is so high that Sid considers buying more of the same alcohol to meet the demands. The fact that people would buy anything if a celebrity’s name were attached to it is the bigger picture showcased about America’s marketing strategies and the willingness of the people to buy anything that is marketed well. People at Sid’s bar end up enjoying the mint-flavored Rosé, and the sole reason for that is the name “Judge Judy” on it. Judge Judy finally ends up making an appearance at their bar. The boys let her know that the alcohol in her name is a big hit. Judge Judy ends up purchasing the rest of the stock from them and selling it as her own. Charlie and Sid are honored to have had her at their bar, but their plan works out, which makes Judge Judy come to their establishment. Sid and Charlie’s are elated, and they end up gaining a lot of profit by selling the said drink by using a celebrity’s name.
Sophie, on the other hand, learns from Oscar that the diamond is his mother after she was cremated, and that to make sure she stays close to him, he’d put her last remains into a diamond locket. Sophie is again wondering if this is good or creepy behavior. She again pesters Ellen to find out about it from the therapist. Ellen obliges Sophie’s request. Ellen again reveals that that is his way of dealing with the tragedy of losing his mother. She should leave it up to him if he wants to keep it close to his heart or away from it. Sophie shares her thoughts on the said diamond pendant with Oscar. Before that can happen though, she and Oscar end up sleeping with each other, which turns out to be one of the best nights for her. On informing Oscar about it, it is his choice whether to wear the necklace or not, for he is grieving the way he has to; Sophie cannot judge him. Oscar ends up removing the necklace, but the opposite effect happens in bed. Sophie wonders if the necklace had some power that made Oscar perform well and if its removal led to a negative effect. Sophie is further confused because she has no idea how to deal with Oscar from here on. Not that he is a mean person or that he misbehaved with Sophie, but she has no idea how to get him to wear the necklace all over again. Sophie, as usual, is in a tough spot from here on and wonders how to convey her feelings without hurting Oscar’s. Her dating life had taken a step back before Oscar, and now Oscar’s situation regarding the diamond necklace is making Sophie wonder how to move ahead. She again requests Ellen to speak to her therapist, and Ellen reverts to Sophie, saying that making her feelings clear to Oscar will help her make a better decision, which will decide for her and Oscar what is their deal breaker. Sophie builds up the courage to reveal why she thinks he should wear the diamond necklace, and Oscar immediately breaks up with her. Sophie’s quest to make it work using Ellen’s therapist’s advice goes in vain, and she is left single again. Sophie wanted to find the right solution to the problem she was facing, and in the process, it would help her understand herself better. With Oscar leaving her, Sophie has no choice but to go back to her single life.
Valentina acts exactly like her boss, which makes her difficult to be around, with her not making any instructions clear enough for anyone to understand exactly what he wants. Valentina’s behavior makes Jesse all worked up because this is the face of Valentina he has not seen before. Jesse is also wondering why he takes jobs at places that eventually let him behave like a recluse. Valentina and Jesse end up bothering Ellen to get an opinion from her therapist. Ellen feels overwhelmed by their issues. But Ellen, being a friend, comes back with solutions to their concerns. She asks Jesse to go back to a job that makes him happy and validated, and the solution she finds for Valentina is to quit her job and work with someone who is not toxic, which will rub off on her as an employee as well. Jesse goes back to Drew and requests that he hire him back as a music teacher because he loves teaching kids and loves the fact that the kids look up to him. Valentina makes a speech about wanting to work with a better stylist, but she ends up staying at the job because she is now promoted. Jesse and Sophie are the only ones who benefit from Ellen’s therapist’s words, but Valentina ends up making the most of the opportunity. Ellen, on the other hand, loses her therapist because the said therapist claims she’s ended up showing symptoms of a bigger issue. Sophie, Jesse, and Valentina help her get her old therapist back, repaying the debts they owed her by loading her therapy sessions with their problems. Ellen is the one who deserved therapy the most; the rest of them could have figured out the solutions to their problems rather easily if only they had reflected on what they wanted more. Stay and solve the problem, or run away from it.
What To Expect From Episode 7 Of ‘How I Met Your Father’ Season 2?
Episode seven of “How I Met Your Father” Season 2 might give us insight into Sophie and Jesse and the odds of their feelings reigniting for one another. It will also be interesting to see who Valentina and Charlie date eventually, or, as Valentina states, if they are destined to be together, and it is just taking time for them to find their love. At some point, we will also see why Barney Stinson is making an appearance this season. Will any other cast member from the prequel make a cameo?
Final Thoughts
“Universal Therapy” turns out to be much funnier than the previous episodes when it comes to comedy writing. The show is picking up on good humor and storytelling style, and just like the previous episode, it does not disappoint. Writers are steadily becoming accommodating with blending in the right humor, which lands, and it is not making the show flat-out uninteresting. Looking forward to the next episode of “How I Met Your Father” Season 2 and wanting to know what is in store for Jesse, Sophie, Valentina, Charlie, Sid, and Ellen.
