How I Met Your Father‘s Season 1 turned out as expected, but with giant twists that will definitely have giant repercussions for the future. As you may remember from the last episode, viewers were left with Sophie waiting for Jesse on their big date after finally giving them a shot. Charlie and Valentina were in a good place, while Ellen was in a bad place, and Sid and Hannah were on shaky ground. The characters all had different drama brewing in their lives, but the finale managed to turn that all on its heels, resolve a lot of issues, and leave an exciting premise for Season 2.
Coming into the finale, it seemed like Jesse and Sophie would be getting together, but then Ian came back to put a knife in the plan. Valentina and Charlie would become a stronger couple, while Ellen would find some sort of happiness, and Sid and Hannah would break up. Almost none of this happened, though. It gives fans a look as to how the team on How I Met Your Father is approaching the story, both intending to make it more interesting and to keep viewers in the blind. With most shows, I break down the play by play of the episode in terms of humor, drama, story…etc. That looks to be the wrong approach here, however. Instead, let’s break off each character’s journey as they are truly what makes this franchise great, and so we can see what works, and what doesn’t.
Let’s start with Charlie and Valentina. The two made great strides during the season, from being selfish and unwilling to change, to developing into a strong couple that seemed to be able to move past everything. Unfortunately, a serious conversation comes up with major repercussions for their future, which turned the couple from an amazing developing duo to one that might not know what’s next. While I came into the episode thinking they would end up in a happy place after a pretty great season for them, turned into some sad moments as we watched the pair have to face a serious reality. I loved this approach, even if a little borrowed, but I feel their story isn’t quite over.
Ellen’s ending was very sitcomy, and not in a good way. After going all season to a pretty dark place, getting used to a new city, not having friends, and being in a terrible situation with her love life, things just manage to magically work out in the end. I understand the season can’t focus on all characters equally, especially with only 10 episodes, but Ellen ended up being a glorified side character at the end of things. The only redeeming element for her story is that she is in a place to have a more interesting story in Season 2. Maybe we will see her blossom later on, but as of right now, she has potential as a character, but the story just isn’t there for her yet.
Sid and Hannah left off in a bad place. Finding out they had even more time needing to be away from each other, feeling a lack of trust and confidence, the pair definitely seemed to me as heading the route of Marshall and Lily and breaking up in the first season. This was the case even more at the start of the finale when wedding planning managed to set off their other relationship issues. However, throughout the episode, they don’t get a lot of screentime, but the pair makes a comeback with a pretty big moment for them at the end. Of course, it seems their story is far from over, and rocky water may be ahead, but as of now, they are in a good place. The two just seem so real with their issues, even if some parts are largely exaggerated, they are very relatable.
Finally, onto Sophie and Jesse. The two came into the episode strong, and I was sure that Sophie was about to get stood up on their date. This didn’t end up becoming the case, with the two going through a lot. The episode is titled “Timing is Everything” for a reason. It is a central theme in both the original and new show. As Robin says in How I Met Your Mother, “You got chemistry, you only need one other thing… Timing. But timing’s a bitch.” This rings true for the pair. No spoilers of course, but as the return of Jesse’s ex, Sophie’s new career developments, and Sophie’s two past relationships for the season, with Drew and Ian, timing is as important as chemistry, and the pair are left in a great place for their characters, but maybe not the best place with each other.
Thanks to some incredible story developments, amazing twists and turns, and a few pretty big cameos from How I Met Your Mother, the finale delivered on a great season. The show started off in a pretty rocky place, but throughout its 10 episode run, it truly managed to deliver a great story, with so much potential for the future.
