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The sixth episode of How I Met Your Father Season 1 is titled “Stacey”. It is written by series co-executive producer Donald Diego and directed by Phill Lewis (The Suite Life of Zack & Cody).

Plot Summary

Suraj Sharma, Ashley Reyes, Josh Peck, and Hilary Duff in Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger's Hulu romance comedy-drama series, How I Met Your Father, Season 1 Episode 6
Pictured from left to right: Sid (Suraj Sharma), Hannah (Ashley Reyes), Drew (Josh Peck), and Sophie (Hilary Duff) in Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger’s romantic comedy-drama sitcom, ‘How I Met Your Father’ Season 1 Episode 6— “Stacey” (Photo credit to Patrick Wymore/ Hulu).

This week’s episode of Hulu’s How I Met Your Father kicks off with Sophie (Hilary Duff) comparing herself to Drew’s (Josh Peck) ex-girlfriend while on a trip with Sid (Suraj Sharma) and Hannah (Ashley Reyes) to a potential wedding venue. There, the latter couple rehashes an old argument. Similarly, back with the rest of the gang, an argument about exes and an awkward connection erupts at a dinner hosted by Charlie (Tom Ainsley) and Ellen (Tien Tran) at their apartment.

Following the trend of previous episodes, the plot kicks off with the gang together before each of the gang pairs off and sets on their own misadventures. For the first time since the pilot, all of the characters (except for Drew) reunite at The Pemberton. As far as the plot goes, there is nothing that stands out in particular, however, this is not to say that the story has gone bad. While there is no such thing as a new idea, according to Mark Twain, originality is not what we measure this episode by.

Depth by Conflict

Francia Raisa in Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger's Hulu romance comedy-drama series, How I Met Your Father, Season 1 Episode 6
Valentina (Francia Raisa) in Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger’s romantic comedy-drama sitcom, ‘How I Met Your Father’ Season 1 Episode 6— “Stacey” (Photo credit to Patrick Wymore/ Hulu).

While the basic plotlines of this episode are not necessarily new to long-time viewers of rom-com sitcoms, the twists the writers weave in and the depth they add on to members of the gang is refreshing. Didacticism (take a shot every time this word pops up) remains present throughout the episode, but unlike Episode 105, it is less “in your face” and it runs deeper this time around.

If we are to compare the last episode to this episode in terms of didactic execution, this episode maintains subtlety yet keeps things dynamic. If we were to compare the two side by side, the development in Episode 105 came from a kind of self-realization, whereas the developments we see in this week’s episode come from conflict and the resolution that follows. Additionally, the direction of the story and the development we see this week is more dynamic than what we saw last week because the conflict has not previously been alluded to in other episodes.

Final Thoughts on This Week’s How I Met Your Father

Suraj Sharma and Ashley Reyes in Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger's Hulu romance comedy-drama series, How I Met Your Father, Season 1 Episode 6
Pictured from left to right: Sid (Suraj Sharma) and Hannah (Ashley Reyes) in Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger’s romantic comedy-drama sitcom, ‘How I Met Your Father’ Season 1 Episode 6— “Stacey” (Photo credit to Patrick Wymore/ Hulu).

This week was a welcome refresher because we are treated to some further development with Suraj Sharma’s character, Sid. While his and Hannah’s trip provided the setting for Sophie’s misadventure with the idea of Drew’s ex-girlfriend, we were given significant insight into Sid’s childhood and what led him to become the owner of The Pemberton. Outside of the character development in this episode and without spoiling you, dear reader, the dinner at Ellen and Charlie’s apartment was not only hilarious but we were also treated to the new development between Charlie and Valentina (Francia Raisa).

At a glance, How I Met Your Father sets itself apart from its predecessor in the way that the gang, save for Jesse, has paired off into long-term relationships, instead of the brief flings that we saw in How I Met Your Mother. The monogamous relationships we are shown at the very start of the series impart a different tone to this sequel. Whereas Ted in HIMYM searched New York City for Tracy through various flings and a few long-term relationships, Sophie does not, or at least she has not done that yet. By revealing who the father may be in the first episode we did lose some of the mystery, but recalling my previous reviews, this show is more about the journey and what happens on it than the destination, and I look forward to being on this journey with Sophie and the rest of the gang for the rest of the series.

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