How I Met Your Father 1×10 “Timing is Everything” Spoilers Ahead
Timing is indeed everything as How I Met Your Father‘s Season 1 finale brings us to the kind of close we expected, are frustrated by, and yet, thoroughly understand the purpose. There’s a reason we got here this way, and it’s a good one, especially considering the cameo from Cobie Smulders’ Robin Scherbatsky.
For a sitcom to succeed, it needs its ups and downs, specifically if there isn’t a concrete picture or an endgame in mind. It’s why the aftermath of “The Perfect Shot” is both frustrating and entirely amusing because most of us likely predicted it’s too good to be true anyway. Even the most incredible couples like Parks and Recreation‘s Ben and Leslie and Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s Jake and Amy, take time to get together. Suppose this season’s thematic arc rings around the idea of timing; in that case, next season could benefit from breaking everyone apart individually to put them together in ways that’ll be more beneficial to both the plot and the characters.
The real work isn’t happening tonight, and it organically allows the characters to sit with their emotions for a bit longer, even if we don’t see it on our screens just yet.
Compromise
The couple who compromises together stays together, and that’s the gist of what we get in How I Met Your Father 1×10 “Timing is Everything.” Because for Sid and Hannah, time isn’t on their side, and neither is money. With two extravagant weddings becoming more and more challenging to plan, the two reveal to their friends that they’ve eloped, showing the audience that right now, more than anything, they’re trying to make long-distance work.
And to have one solid couple is always a plus to show us (and the characters) that it’s possible. You come to decisions together, work hard to maintain everything as one, and where need be, you both figure out where to compromise. Sid and Hannah have that figured out, and while we didn’t see the beginning stages of their relationship, perhaps there are still ways to show more development between them.
Not Now, Not Tonight
Sophie and Jesse are such a fascinating pair, and How I Met Your Father 1×10 giving us moments of transparency is where it deserves commending. Neither Sophie nor Jesse hides any part of their feelings for one another, including their reservations. Sophie has every right to feel like this is all happening too quickly, and Jesse has every right to feel frazzled in the dismissal.
Should he have gone back to Meredith so quickly? Probably not. And as frustrating as it is, considering Sophie was about to confess to her feelings after speaking with Robin, I’m not entirely mad about it. Not tonight. Timing is everything, and right now, it’s not on their side. For what it’s worth, Jesse means a lot to Sophie—he’ll always be her perfect shot, and we could see that in the photograph that’s still hanging in her house. He might not be the father, but he means more than most. And sometimes, the bigger picture matters more this way.
We don’t know what this big picture looks like, we’re looking at one photograph as opposed to the entire gallery, but we know with utmost certainty that the two of them care. When the time is right, they’re going to show up—even if they’re late. And Ian’s (Daniel Augustin) arrival indicates that sometimes, you need second chances to be sure. I don’t want Sophie to be with Jesse because Ian left, and I don’t want Jesse to be with Sophie because Meredith left. As mentioned in the penultimate review, “Jay Street,” they should be together because they choose each other not as a last resort but as the only option.
Maybe Someday
Opposing viewpoints about children isn’t how I imagined Charlie and Valentina to break up, but it’s a pivotal situation to consider. Charlie is a massive part of this friend group now—despite his failed attempts, he’s a part of the bigger picture, and this platonic love story is just as important as the romantic ones. He shouldn’t go back home (and he probably won’t), but he and Valentina need to figure out how they’re going to move forward with both their differences.
Charlie’s reason for not wanting children is entirely understandable, but as is Valentina’s deep desire to be a mother someday. This isn’t a minor issue that can heal with a bandaid on—it’s an issue that demands looking into the deeper wounds. And learning more about who they are outside of the relationship is as important as figuring out who they are together. This is where the work needs to happen because the feelings are clearly still there.
How I Met Your Father 1×10 “Timing is Everything” is a sold season finale that’s allowing us to hope in this show’s future. At the beginning of the season, I voiced how I wish it diverges from the original series, and Robin’s cameo almost ensures they’ll do that. They can’t go down the same route, even with the inclusion of older stories such as the Captain and the pineapple.
This arc is different from the original, and it’s promising that the friendships are already more solid than in How I Met Your Mother. The problem with the ending of that series meant that not only were relationships destroyed in the aftermath of the finale but friendships too. This finale at least shows us that we can get to a stronger place by having everyone show up for Sophie’s exhibit despite the troubles. Their meeting might’ve been serendipitous, but they chose to stay in each other’s lives.
How I Met Further Thoughts
- ELLEN’S NEIGHBOR SECOND CHANCE AU, LET’S GO!
- I love nothing more than a cute animal making things happen.
- The photograph looks so good!
- Sophie’s son being as invested in the story as I am? A big mood.
- Tom Ainsley and Francia Raisa crushed me in the gallery as they looked at one another from a distance.
Now streaming on Hulu: What are your thoughts on How I Met Your Father 1×10 “Timing is Everything?” Let us know in the comments below.