How I Met Your Father Fans Think Season 2 Episode 4 Felt Way Too Crammed
Whenever a continuation of a popular show makes it to series, comparisons are impossible to avoid. "How I Met Your Mother" aired on CBS for nearly a decade and is considered an iconic modern sitcom. The characters were specific, the jokes were tight, and everyone wanted to see who Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) ends up marrying. Of course, the series finale was not the "How I Met Your Mother" ending we really wanted, but that didn't sully the show's legacy as much as one might think.
A spin-off of the series came to fruition in 2022 when "How I Met Your Father" was born. Starring Hilary Duff as the relationship-seeking Sophie, the series has the same concept as its predecessor. In the future, future Sophie (Kim Cattrall) narrates her search for love to her son. She gets caught up in romantic machinations, including with close friend Jesse (Christopher Lowell), who carries a torch for her. While Season 1 had a decent reaction from fans, many find its sophomore season is a vast improvement. With a clear voice and more relationship bombshells, fans are excited to see who Sophie might end up with. But as strong as the first few episodes of the season have been, some report that Episode 4 has missed the mark.
Three plotlines is too many
In prestige television, serious shows can weave a nuanced portrayal of distinct characters over an hour. For a 20-minute sitcom, this isn't as easy. Episode 4, "Pathetic Deirdre," employs three separate storylines, which made Redditors feel claustrophobic.
"Didn't HIMYM usually follow only two storylines per episode at most? Sometimes only one!" u/pkfreezer noted. The episode begins with Ellen (Tien Tran) starting her new job. This causes Sophie and Valentina (Francia Raisa) to feel insecure that they haven't found success. The episode follows Sophie and Valerie seeking out an old friend, as well as Ellen's time at work. But there is also a third plotline that involves Jesse, who publicly reconciles with opportunistic musician girlfriend Meredith (Leighton Meester) via social media. Unfortunately, not all plotlines can be serviced, and there is always the weakest link.
"I kinda wish they split the Ellen [story] into two episodes," posted u/Justalittleconfusing. "It was all good and I enjoyed the actress, just ran a little long because they did too much with it." What could have been an interesting examination of Jesse's relationship with Meredith ultimately falls by the wayside. Even though it's obvious she only got back together with him to boost her music sales, Jesse refuses to see it and takes it out on Sid (Suraj Sharma).
U/Elijah_Cool hit the nail on the head of the issue, stating: "it doesnt allow any of [the plotlines] to go on long enough to be satisfying or memorable."