How I Met Your Father‘s Connection to HIMYM Revealed — Grade the Premiere
It’s nearly 24 minutes into the How I Met Your Father pilot before its connection to the Mother-ship is made clear.
After walking the Brooklyn Bridge, Sophie, Valentina and Charlie follow new friends Jesse, Sid and Ellen back to Jesse and Sid’s place. When they open the door, it’s revealed that they live in the same apartment that once was home to How I Met Your Mother‘s Ted (Josh Radnor), Marshall (Jason Segel) and Lily (Alyson Hannigan).
According to Jesse, he and Sid got the place “from this old married couple who posted it on the Wesleyan alumni group,” which suggests they’ve been subletting from Marvin and Daisy’s parents. (As you’ll recall, Marshall and Lily realized they needed a bigger place in the HIMYM finale, upon the return of the mystical cockamouse and prior to the arrival of Baby No. 3.) It also implies that either Jesse or Sid (or both) attended the same alma mater as three-fifths of the former friend group — albeit years apart.
And while the apartment has received a fresh coat of paint, something that belonged to its original occupants remains: Ted and Marshall’s swords, which first came to use in the HIMYM episode “The Duel,” and now hang over Jesse and Sid’s fireplace.
According to series co-creator Isaac Aptaker, the decision to tie the sequel series to its predecessor using the apartment — not as a primary set, but as a secondary one — came after careful consideration. And for the same reason they chose not to have Sophie living there, they chose against repurposing MacLaren’s Pub in favor of establishing a new hangout spot, Pemberton’s.
“For them to hang out at MacLaren’s, it would make it a little bit too much like, ‘Oh, we’re watching the same show,'” Aptaker explains. “We like the idea that they have their space and that one of our characters is a new business owner and is trying to turn this classic New York bar into something of his own. The guys living in Ted and Marshall’s apartment felt like just the right level of connection — that it wouldn’t be [Sophie’s] apartment, it would be two friends she meets along this journey.”
MacLaren’s, of course, remains directly downstairs from Jesse and Sid’s apartment, so anything is possible. When asked if Sophie & Co. might wander in there before season’s end, fellow co-creator Elizabeth Berger kept her answer vague. “There’s a chance,” she said.
Grade How I Met Your Father‘s first two episodes below, then drop a comment with your full review.
They walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and then to the Upper West Side? Long night!
I loved the first two episodes. Sure it’s not perfect and it’s not the best sitcoms ever but I really enjoyed it. I’ll definitely be watching.
I actually liked the show. Hilary is a delight! And I have always loved Chris Lowell! The writing was funny and lighthearted. Also I liked that it was current and diverse without being too inyour face with it like some other reboot/re-qual/spin offs have been lately. So I think i’ll stick with it.
However the only low point for me which will probably get me some flack was Kim Cattral. I thought she was stiff and over acted. I’m hoping she’ll loosen up and relax into the role but with two episodes so far I’m hopeful.
To be fair to Kim Cattrall, she’s never really done a half-hour sitcom before. Sure, she did Sex and the City, but that was more a comedy-drama than a sitcom. A four-camera sitcom is something completely new to her.
That is fair…that’s why I’m hoping she loosens up a bit as the series progresses!
It wasn’t half bad. I found the second episode funnier than the first so hopefully it will continue to get better. Kind of wanted the guys bar to have the name of Ted and Barney’s imaginary bar just to through it out there that maybe they did end up having their own bar.
I was hoping for more of a connection, but that’s pretty awesome. I don’t have Hulu, so haven’t seen HIMYF, but I predict that Sophie ends up with Jesse. He won’t be the Father, but they’ll end up together in the future. I mean, I assume he becomes her best friend. He just has Ted vibes.
I could be wrong, but was Tracy Mosby’s ex, Lewis, in the first episode when she was describing her Tinder date in the cab?
I looked it up. Short answer, no.
Long answer… Louis Ferrigno Jr , played Louis is HIMYM. The character in HIMYF is Evan played by David Terry. They do look very similar though so kudos to you!
Thanks for the info!
It may be secondary now, but come on, we know if it runs long enough everyone’s going to spend some time living there.
Let’s hope this group doesn’t share one toothbrush.
I enjoyed it! I feel like some of the dialogue they gave Chris Lowell and his sister was a little stilted but hopefully that improves. Hillary Duff shines in this. I’m hoping the bar owner gets more screen time, all his scenes were spot on. Oh and Francia Rasia was fun to watch. Oh and it’s SO good to have Kim Catrall back on TV!
at the end, it will all be about how they can get loosen up in their roles and the relationship they manage to have as a gruop of friends. HIMYM, while did have a great start with the actors they cast, it really came to be when the running jokes started to happend and they settle into the characters and the humor the show will do
I liked it. I didn’t love it. There were no laugh out loud moments for me. But I really like the idea that the Father is (probably) one of those four guys we meet in the premier. (My vote- one episode in, admittedly – goes to Ian. I really enjoyed that character.)
I freaking loved it. I love the cast more than the OG (outside of Marshall and Lily). I like the OG tie ins but I’m looking for the fresh story. I’m tired of people complaining about it and giving it a bad rap. It’s cute, great cast and I’m excited. Also – I hope it’s Jesse.
We’re calling the inevitable Chris Lowell/Hilary Duff pairing Pizzie Maguire, right?
Well I chuckled
So enjoyed HIMYM other than the bad ending (yes it was the story but still bad). I’ll give it a chance.
Lmao I loved the ending. But I was also into the Robin and Ted storyline. I thought it was cute. A little pathetic on his part but cute.
I thought it was cute enough that I’ll watch next week. I’ve always preferred “Friends” type sitcoms about adults hanging out vs. family & children or workplace sitcoms though, so it wasn’t a hard sell for me. So far the characters all seem likable and entertaining.
This is actually the first place where it not has been completely shunned by people. But maybe that’s also because now people have actually watched it :D?
As for me, I still have to watch it. But as someone not from the US, it will be a bit more tricky. Also… I remember HIMYM needed many episodes for me to really click. I found the first 10 episodes or so to be rather meh. I will totally give this a chance.
And one thing I always wondered about the series in the first place is also adressed. Instead if showing the son, they show “old” Sophie, right? I always wondered before how the father is gonna be kept a mystery when they have guys with different skin colors as potential dads… It would have been a dead giveaway otherwise.
When they said they got the apartment from an “old married couple” it really upset me. Lilly and Marshall would only be 44 years old. The writers and actors don’t realize that alot of the fan base is this age. This is not old people. There is already way to much age discrimination out there. To those under 40 who will roll your eyes, you will find out when you see how much more difficult it becomes to find a job once you reach 40.
Someone here on the site (under the different article about the premiere though) suggested that under ”the older married couple” they might have meant Lily’s Dad and Marshal’s Mom who (if I remember it right got together in the original) might have lived in Marshal and Lily’s apartment after they moved out. I agree that it would be rather silly to call M&L an ”old” couple :-)
I kept my expectations low, but I totally loved it! It really captured the same feel (I’m sure that’s all Pamela Fryman). It made me happy, and then I smiled later on that night when I happened to hear Drops of Jupiter again elsewhere. I also got surprisingly emotional when they were in the hallway outside Jessie and SId’s, because I totally realized what was going to happen.
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