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#10: The Girls’ Apartment Once Belonged to Tracy McConnell
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The first obvious connection between the two series was the delightful reveal that Jesse and Sid’s apartment once belonged to Ted and Marshall, wall swords and all. But what if the reoccurring settings don’t stop there? In the previous show, we learned that titular-mother Tracy was roommates with Ted’s ex-paramour Cindy. Curiously, if you study a photo of Tracy’s apartment alongside our new protagonist's residence, they look strikingly similar…almost like they could’ve been superimposed. Could Sophie’s new apartment also be The Mother’s old apartment? The layout doesn’t match exactly, but the building could have undergone changes over time. And it would be a nice bit of serendipity for our new leads to inhabit their predecessors’ homes.
#9: “How I Met Your Mother” Characters Will Appear
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“Him-Yim” creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas were like kids in a sandbox with the cameos on their show. “How I Met Your Father” showrunners Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger are big fans of their forerunners’ humor and style. It’s probably reasonable to imagine that they’ll find a way to bring back some of the cast and characters that we already know and love. Maybe the girls will find a Robin Sparkles music video on YouTube. Maybe Sophie will photograph Lily’s paintings at an art exhibition. Perhaps a side character like Ranjit will pop in. Aptaker has said he’d be lucky to get any of the original cast, so we hope he’s got a playbook of ideas to show us some familiar faces.
#8: Jesse’s Ex Will Return…Significantly
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Speaking of cameos, there’s a notable one that you might have missed. Hopeless romantic Sophie meets love cynic Jesse, whose heart got broken when his ex rejected his proposal in a humiliating viral video. The proposee in question is played by none other than Blair Waldorf herself: Leighton Meester. Such high-profile casting implies that we haven’t seen the last of Jesse’s ex, and Aptaker has teased that there’s more of her story to tell. We know she’ll reappear, but to what degree? She might be an on-and-off-again love interest for Jesse. Maybe she could go the way of Robin and become part of the gang…or she could be the unanswered question that keeps Sophie and Jesse apart from destiny. Discuss below!
#7: A “Sex and the City” Crossover
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If you’re not star-struck yet, “How I Met Your Father” features the welcomed television return of Kim Cattrall. In a slight inversion of the “How I Met Your Mother” formula, Cattrall plays an onscreen future, Sophie, replacing the late great Bob Saget’s offscreen narration. Having a former “Sex and the City” star onboard opens up entertaining cross-referencing possibilities. “How I Met Your Mother” loved to do this, like when Barney found that a coffee shop wasn’t as cool as a bar and when “Full House” alum Dave Coulier uttered the show’s classic catchphrase. We might hear Sophie remark that she’ll “try anything once” or see her reading The New York Star. It would certainly make up for the Samantha-shaped hole in our lives.
#6: Sophie Had A “Pineapple Incident”
One of Ted Mosby’s many adventures included the enigmatic pineapple that appeared the morning after a night of binge drinking. Observant fans of “How I Met Your Father,” may have noticed a pineapple-shaped cutting board hanging above Sophie and Valentina’s kitchen countertop. Though it may just be a callback to the original series, Future Sophie has suggested that she was no stranger to nights partying. It’s conceivable that young Sophie could have had a Pineapple Incident” of her own. Perhaps it resulted in the kitchen accessory being left behind rather than the actual fruit. Although a deleted scene eventually revealed the origin of Ted’s pineapple, it remained a delightful ongoing mystery. It would sure be fun if Sophie likewise faced a comical puzzle.
#5: Characters from Both Shows Could Be Related
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“How I Met Your Father” has brought with it a brand new gang of characters with some curiously coincidental quirks. Sophie’s a hopeless romantic like Ted, and the group seems to have Barney’s tendency to acquire catchphrases. Could these familiar traits have been inherited? We’ve already learned a little bit about Sophie’s party girl mom, and Jesse and Ellen are siblings. If we meet more of the group’s extended family, they could turn out to be some “How I Met Your Mother” characters we already know. Ellen’s adopted family in Iowa don’t live insanely far from the St. Cloud Eriksens, and some might say that Sophie’s new interest, Drew, bears some resemblance to Ted’s high school friend Punchy. What secrets might these family trees hold?
#4: Jesse is “The Father”
The “will they/won’t they” trope seems like a sitcom requirement, even in 2022. Although we were promised that Robin wasn’t the mother, she and Ted still provided that back-and-forth. “How I Met Your Father” gives us several options, like Sophie’s Tinder date Ian, with whom she faces a long-distance conundrum, similar to Ted and Victoria’s. The other obvious choice is Jesse, whose “platonish” position seemingly mirrors Ted’s to Robin. But if the long journey to “The Mother” taught us anything, it’s not to expect the obvious. Charlie and Sid are both currently taken, but who says those relationships will last? Still, Sophie and Jesse seem to mix like salt, pepper, and cumin…and they even have the same comfort song!
#3: We Haven’t Met “The Father” Yet
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And then there’s a chance for the proverbial rug to be yanked from under us. Though Future Sophie declaratively confirms, “that was the night I met your father,” this doesn’t mean that we have necessarily met the father. The magic of flashbacks means that we could still revisit that night to learn about new events and updated fortuitous meetings. “How I Met Your Mother” famously implemented this technique on episodes like “Daisy” and “How Your Mother Met Me.” Creator Elizabeth Berger has already hinted that “other stuff” happened that night. Unique framing devices give inventive writers freedom to let character development and fanbases tell them where the story should go. There’s no telling what exciting discoveries “How I Met Your Father” could unmask.
#2: It Won’t End like “How I Met Your Mother”
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We’re not saying we thought it was bad, but the “How I Met Your Mother” finale sure left some fans with a foul taste in their mouths. Given that ending’s divisive nature, we think it’s unlikely we’ll find out that the “father” in Sophie’s story was dead the whole time…or a ghost…or…you get the idea. Although, it is possible that Future Sophie is no longer romantically involved with the father in question. So far, she’s only appeared alone, and fans noticed the absence of a wedding ring on her finger. We hope that this show’s “Last Forever” won’t be predictable and will still find ways to surprise us. Aptaker and Berger will likely do their absolute best to keep their followers from feeling cheated.
#1: Barney is Sophie’s Father
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This is the incredible story of how Sophie met her son’s father. But what if that isn’t the only padre we’ll meet at the end of the teleplay? The old show wrapped up Barney’s story by introducing his daughter, Ellie. But with all the notches on his Armani leather belt, there could be other children that the Barnacle never knew about…including Sophie. The timeline isn’t perfect, but remember Future Ted was sometimes a forgetful and unreliable narrator, so we can’t be sure. Sophie grew up without a dad around, so maybe her mother never shared or was even sure of his identity. Barney’s return would be rewarding for returning fans, and who knows… he may still turn up yet.
