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This week’s episode of Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger’s Hulu Original/ 20th Television romantic comedy-drama sitcom series, How I Met Your Father, provides some reprieve from last week’s revelation.
Putting a pause on this big reveal, we follow Sophie (Hilary Duff) and Jesse (Christopher Lowell) as the two characters meet a man, a controversial “activist” who bought Sophie’s photo from the gallery. That is, the photo of Jesse repairing the car. Meanwhile, the rest of the gang go on separate double dates, with Sid (Suraj Sharma) and Hannah (guest star Ashley Reyes) accompanying Charlie (Tom Ainsley) on his first date since his breakup with Valentina (Francia Raisa), and Valentina goes on a double dinner date with Ellen (Tien Tran) and Rachel (guest star Aby James).
How I Met Your Father Season 2 Episode 3 is titled “The Reset Button”. The episode is written by co-executive producer Donald Diego and directed by executive producer Pamela Fryman.
Minor spoilers are ahead for those who have not yet seen the episode.
Dinner for Two: The Highs and Lows of Anxiety and Misogyny
Although most of the newly single members of the gang appear to be rather fine after last season’s tumultuous end, Ellen, despite having reconnected with her brother, surrounded herself with new friends, has begun dating Rachel. Ellen is the least visibly well-adjusted individual out of the whole gang, and by the end of the double date, both Rachel and Valentina suggest Ellen see a therapist for her anxiety.
Fans of the show’s predecessor will remember that, in How I Met Your Mother, Robin (Cobie Smulders) had also seen a therapist albeit for a very different reason. Instead of being ordered by the court, as Robin had been, Ellen is encouraged to see one by her friends out of genuine care for her well-being, which I found to be refreshing, as taking care of our mental health is extremely important.
On a Similar Note
While How I Met Your Father is by no means the litmus test for social commentary, I found it interesting this week, which issues the writers chose to elevate and which they chose to trivialize. Another interesting plotline this week was Sophie and Jesse’s meeting with the buyer of Sophie’s photo. As can be expected in sitcoms such as How I Met Your Father, the buyer was nothing short of eccentric, but unlike eccentric characters such as The Captain (Kyle MacLachlan) and the Dog Dentist in How I Met Your Mother, the buyer in this week’s episode has an air of controversy, as he is a “men’s rights activist.”
The situation Sophie and Jesse find themselves in involves controversial figures who embrace the “primal” diet, which includes eating raw meat a trivialized version of male and female misogynists. However, what the trivialization of this issue does is show viewers how ridiculous the movement really is, and though it does nothing to deradicalized young men and women currently caught up with this movement, this plotline serves as an illustration at how ridiculous and nonsensical both the people and the movement itself really are.
Final Thoughts on This Week’s How I Met Your Father
This episode does not, by any means, provide any kind of social commentary on the issue surrounding influencers and activists of this variety. Instead, it merely mocks this dangerous newfound movement by presenting us with a caricature of real-life figures, one of the most prominent today being Andrew Tate despite his recent arrest. The frivolity that the writers of How I Met Your Father present in the men’s rights movement is quite disappointing. Though violence against women is, unfortunately, nothing novel, incel-motivated violence has been on the rise as of late and has been growing and garnering more attention since Elliot Rodger published his incel manifesto and went on a killing spree in 2014.
However, despite my disappointment with how Sophie and Jesse’s misadventure appeared to be downplayed, I appreciated the light Ellen and Valentina cast, however slight, on addressing mental health issues and when it is best to seek out a therapist. I look forward to seeing what other issues the writers tackle.
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