How I Met Your Father 2×07 “A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Valentine’s Day” Spoiler Ahead
How I Met Your Father Season 2, Episode 7, “A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Valentine’s Day,” is a mouthful. Both in the title and the content of what we get with a bunch of stories that ensure the characters are even more ridiculous than we thought. And it’s not necessarily a bad thing, per se, at least not until the very end…Or is it? So much of how the endgame is perceived will likely depend on who viewers are rooting for, and the added angst between Sophie and Jesse is currently making their relationship better.
But what about that ending? We still don’t know if adult Sophie is with the father, but at least we know he’s alive, which makes the eventual conclusion better than How I Met Your Mother’s. He has to be, right? Otherwise, Sophie wouldn’t say, “go ask your father.” The decision to kill off Tracy is the worst part of how the show’s predecessor handles the reveal, making all the build-up feel worse when we barely get to know her as the audience. Still, did How I Met Your Father 2×07 boil down the choices to two people, or is this something that writers will retcon later?
How I Met Your Father 2×07 | Father Reveal-ish?
Before we head back to the past, Sophie tells her that son that his father always had a soft spot for Valentine’s Day. But that’s clearly not Jesse, considering the holiday has been his least favorite since childhood. It could be Sid, sure, but as a supposed player in his past? It could work. We know for a fact that Sophie met “the father” during that first night, which then, judging by this episode, would narrow it down to Josh Peck’s Drew and Daniel Augustin’s Ian—unless, of course, there was someone else that night.
But by the end of “A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Valentine’s Day,” Sophie’s son states that “he wasn’t even in this story.” Except each of them was there, to a degree, except maybe Ian. Still, it’s hard to believe the show would make something this obvious so early on, which begs the question of whether it’s either going back on previous facts or changing the game somehow. Could “dad” and “father” be different? Is that fishing for too much? Frankly, How I Met Your Father 2×07, making me do mental gymnastics like this, wasn’t on my bingo card, but here we are.
Special
Sophie Tompkins is special. She’s far more intriguing as a character than Ted Mosby ever was, but beyond that, her light continues to be a beauty to follow, and it’s primarily because of Hilary Duff. Still, hearing Jesse confirm that she is special because the “I love you” to her was different is everything I needed to hear to know that whatever role he plays in the future, it’s still vital. We know that it was hard for him to feel comfortable around someone after what Meredith did, and that’s a tangible change we see clear as day during his time with Sophie. But the audience seeing something versus the characters is different. And, at this moment, Sophie had to understand that though the declaration initially made her uncomfortable, it still meant a great deal.
There’s also something to be said about how, when Sophie opens up about her parents on-screen, it’s mainly with Jesse. We know certain things because of what Valentina says, but we hear the more vulnerable stories through her conversations with Jesse. And that alone tells me that their friendship is worth something and incredibly important in their character journeys. And so much of the reason it’s easy to root for them as a couple is because of moments like this that showcase an authentic comfort they have with one another that they have to work too hard for around other people. Their ease and chemistry are natural—they don’t have to fight to be someone they aren’t because every part of them, even the ugliest sides, is accepted by the other. But whether that means they’re compatible or if they’ll go back and forth before finding forever, only time will tell.
How I Met Your Father 2×07, “A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Valentine’s Day,” is undoubtedly something in all that it accomplishes. It’s hilarious. It’s meaningful where it matters for characters like Ellen, whose romance with Rachel is one of the few saving graces. And all the bonkers stories, including the small but essential detail about Sid’s past, work incredibly well to allow us to understand the character more.
Further Thoughts
- LIZZIE MCGUIRE FLASHBACK!!!!!!!!
- Once again, I am too invested in Sid and Hannah’s relationship, and I need them to last.
- I completely forgot that Drew and Hannah knew each other until this episode.
- Sophie’s story actually broke me?!?!?
- I’m going to need Tom Ainsley to now star in a historical as a marquess. Or an earl. A viscount could work too. I just need him as the romantic lead. Period.
Now streaming on Hulu: What are your thoughts on How I Met Your Father 2×07 “A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Valentine’s Day?” Let us know in the comments below.