Summary
Sophie is a romantic dreamer who can’t seem to find that perfect someone, but she might just have found her soulmate in a group of new friends.
This recap of Hulu’s How I Met Your Father season 1, episode 1 contains spoilers.
Read the season 1 review.
How I Met Your Mother (and its protagonist) was obsessed with the concept of the one. No, not in the Matrix sense, but in the idea that somewhere out there you have a soulmate, and you have to keep meeting people until you find them. Apparently, the concept of gradually developing a deep affection for someone never occurred to Ted Mosby, nor to Sophie, the protagonist of How I Met Your Father.
That’s pretty much the first thing we learn about Sophie, other than that she is still alive in 2050 (played by Kim Cattrall), and apparently has nothing better to do on her evenings than call up her son to tell him longwinded stories of her youth (the show wisely decides to show Cattrall rather than just have her speak in voiceover).
How I Met Your Father season 1, episode 1 recap
In 2022, where the story begins, Sophie is constantly using apps. Seriously, the plot functions around Tinder and Uber, it feels like the show is sponsored. Her Uber driver is Jesse, who’s brought along a friend, Sid, who’s about to propose to his girlfriend (via a terrible plan involving pretending he has Beyonce tickets).
Via some clumsy cutaways we learn that Sophie has been on numerous failed Tinder dates, but believes she’s finally found the one, Ian, which we see through a montage of the two texting each other — not the most visually compelling material, but then again, neither is three people looking forward in a car.
When she finally meets Ian he reveals he’s moving to Australia (tonight!), and just wanted to meet her before he goes. And they depart without a kiss.
Back at her apartment, she dishes to her roommate Valentina, who is not alone, much to Sophie’s surprise. A handsome, naked British man named Charlie (for convoluted reasons) now lives with them. Charlie, despite acting as if he came from another planet, has moved across the world to be with Valentina, which convinces Sophie to give Ian another shot, but at this point (at this point!) realizes that during the Uber ride she somehow swapped phones with Sid.
The other two accompany her to the bar where Sid’s friends are gathered to surprise his soon-to-be fiancé, although they initially believe Sophie to be Sid via that phone mishap. Here they meet Ellen, Jesse’s recently divorced sister from Iowa, who moved here to “ask out Kate McKinnon,” which is definitely something resembling a joke.
Jesse, we learn, is the yang to Sophie’s yin. He doesn’t believe in love or is at least burned by a recent proposal gone wrong (somehow a viral video? As if the proposal fails are something everyone’s tuned into in 2022). Sophie tries to share in her optimism, telling him her plan to walk the Brooklyn Bridge once she meets her soulmate. In response, Jesse believes he can read her, pinning her down as someone whose parents “never fell out of love” yada yada.
Beyonce disappointment aside, Sid’s girlfriend Hannah (who is doing her residency in LA) accepts his proposal, but suddenly has to make a flight back to LA (another sweaty plot-point involving a last-minute organ transplant). Coincidentally Sophie has also decided to go to the airport, to give Ian another shot, and thus the newly formed gang all head to JFK. (Valentina comes because she starts to suspect she hates Charlie. Buddy, what took you so long.)
The ending
At the airport, Sophie gives a heartfelt romantic speech, but Ian reminds her of his situation, telling her that long-distance is impossible. Realizing she can’t wait, Sophie decides to walk the bridge, the love of her life beside her or not. Little does she know, as future Sophie tells us later, that very night she met the love of her life, although the real story was how they got together. (Although it could just as easily be Ian, or someone at the surprise party, as Jesse.)
On the bridge the other characters work out their problems, Valentina and Charlie decide they can make this work and Eleanor that she can start dating. But Jesse learns that his read on Sophie was entirely wrong; deadbeat dad, “party girl” mom. “The only magical thing about Sophie’s life is that she still believes in love at all,” Valentina tells him, and Jesse looks ahead at who the show is clearly teeing up to be his soulmate.
The newly formed gang decide to have drinks at Jesse and Sid’s place, which they got from two other Wesleyan grads who “even left us the swords.” As they settle into Ted and Marshall’s old place, our protagonists seem ready to start a show together!
Additional notes
- Why does Sophie think that she, as a woman, can’t ask a guy out? It’s 2022 girl.
- Not going to look up “fruit play.” I’d rather remain in ignorance.
- “I freeze under pressure. This is why I’ve been hit by three city bikes!”
- Stalls are “where we keep the ponies,” says Charlie — I’m genuinely not sure how he met Valentina as from his lines it seems like he’s only ever lived in a palace.
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