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This episode of Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger’s Hulu Original/ 20th Television romantic comedy-drama sitcom series, How I Met Your Father, picks up immediately after the previous episode, with Jesse (Christopher Lowell) on tour with Meredith (guest star Leighton Meester) and the gang gearing up to meet at the first show.
Similar to the previous episode, the gang starts off somewhat splintered with Jesse being on tour and the rest of the gang convenes without him at Sid (Suraj Sharma) and Jesse’s apartment. The group then soon splits off, with Sophie (Hilary Duff) and Valentina (Francia Raisa) off to the latter’s parents’ place, Ellen (Tien Tran) and Charlie (Tom Ainsley) heading to meet with Jesse backstage before the performance begins, leaving Sid alone in his apartment to cope with his fallout with Jesse.
How I Met Your Father Season 2 Episode 5 is titled, “Ride or Die”. The episode is written by co-executive producer Owen Ellickson and directed by executive producer Pamela Fryman.
Minor spoilers are ahead for those who have not yet seen the episode.
Analysis
Unlike past episodes, there is quite a bit that was packed into this episode, with Ellen attempting to get Jesse to see how Meredith is exploiting painful moments in their relationship; Charlie desperately cobbling together a plan to fix Jesse and Sid’s friendship; and Sophie and Valentina scheming to teach Valentina’s overbearing parents a lesson.
The shenanigans the gang finds themselves in this episode are more reminiscent of the show’s predecessor, How I Met Your Mother. Although, the writers of How I Met Your Father manage to keep things different enough to distinguish themselves and the show from its originator. Ardent fans of How I Met Your Mother who remember the intricate and over-the-top voice-over playbook type of scheme appear for the first time in How I Met Your Father in two forms. The first lies with Charlie’s over-the-top plan to play Bromancer and patch up Sid and Jesse’s relationship, along with Sophie and Valentina’s scheming against her parents.
The style and overall tone of this episode, with so much development packed into it, is all at once more familiar and different because, until recently, each member of the gang usually pairs off for separate misadventures that do not have any real impact on the group dynamic. Rather, in this episode, the majority of the gang, Sophie and Valentina excluded, made it a point to take care of Jesse, who was being exploited by Meredith. This change in the group dynamic is refreshing and hopefully spurs plotlines and arcs cut from this cloth.
Final Thoughts on How I Met Your Father Season 2 Episode 5
The overarching plot of How I Met Your Father is, of course, Sophie’s journey toward finding love. However, thus far, that arc has not been making much progress, which decentralizes the overall story, at least for Season Two. As a result, the writers have taken the opportunity to further flesh out storylines with other members of the gang at the center. This season, as of now, places Jesse in the limelight, receiving more attention and nuanced development from writers than other characters so far.
Season Two, as it stands seems to be setting up major character development for characters such as Ellen, who is coping with anxiety and finding her footing in New York while also entering into a relationship, as well as Valentina, who is still holding a candle for Charlie as they both hook up with other people. All of this is the groundwork that feels more appropriate for a first season. However, with this show’s actual first season being so short with only ten episodes compared to the twenty episodes slotted for this season, the direction and slower pace that the writers are taking make sense. Especially with the change in the group dynamic in this episode, I look forward to seeing how each of these characters develops and how their friendship deepens over time.
This article was edited by John Tangalin.