How HIMYF Episode 4 Sets up Drew and Sophie as a Couple

We are just four episodes into the story of how Sophie met The Father and she is already dating a new guy. As she should! Craig Thomas and Carter Bay, creators of How I Met Your Mother and now its spinoff, are not known to follow a linear narrative.

Like its predecessor, HIMYF also follows the stream of consciousness narrative technique, where the narrator recalls events as and when it comes back to them.

The advantage of using this narrative style is that you can reveal clues and drop in incidents relating to something you said much earlier without having to follow a strict chronology.

HIMYF used this technique to its advantage when they revealed another contender who might be the father—Jesse’s boss, Drew. Sophie reveals that Drew was also one of the men she met on the night she describes as the one where she “met the father”.

So, as of now, we have five choices, out of which one is probably the father—Sid, Jesse, Charlie, Ian, and Drew. In Episode 4 of How I Met Your Father, the creators set up Drew and Sophie for a potential relationship.

Now, what is this supposed to signify? Is it a hint towards the identity of the father? Here’s everything I feel about this development and also some parallels connecting it to HIMYM. Brownie points if you’re a fan of both the shows.

Drew and Sophie: Mature vs Carefree

There are certain cinematic tropes that we all just know when we see after having watched so many shows and movies. The mature vs carefree trope is one of them.

Episode 4 of HIMYF focuses on how Drew is the ‘mature’ and ‘responsible’ one in the relationship. Sophie is still living her life fully and has a carefree attitude towards it.

While Sophie loves popular stuff and might enjoy some things solely for entertainment, Drew apparently has a more ‘classy’ taste.

Sophie suspects this might spell disaster for them as a couple. But by the end of Episode 4, they were both clear on the fact that they like each other despite being so different from each other.

The episode hints at the Drew being Sophie’s first proper boyfriend in the show. Though they did not explicitly state that they were dating, it was implied since the two kiss in the rooftop.

In short, they took their relationship to the next level pretty quick, as is always the case in sitcoms. I think this will be one of Sophie’s many relationships we will see in the course of the series.

Drew is more of a nuanced, sorted person but knowing Sophie, she probably still wants some fun in her life. It can also be that Drew turns out to be more fun than expected since we see him groove with Sophie to a Christina Aguilera song.

It is too early to say whether Drew will have a more important role to play in the show because the makers are well-known for giving out false hints. Throughout HIMYM, they kept teasing the appearance of the mother in various episodes but do not end up showing her until very late in the show.

In HIMYF, they play it a little tricky by narrowing down our options. I have had some discussions about whether at all this was the right way for the makers.

But here’s the deal: the father may be one of the five men Sophie met in Episode 1, but it could also be someone who has not yet been introduced.

Sophie said she met the father that night. She never said he was introduced. If you’ve watched HIMYM, you know these tricks already.

Remember how they kept making Ted meet the mother but yet did not introduce her? Case in point: losing the yellow umbrella, the Econ 305 incident, the roommate situation, and many more!

Just like Drew was introduced later on and Sophie revealed he was also one of the men she met that night, keep expecting more additions to the list. For all you know, we missed the yellow umbrella.

Are Drew and Sophie the new Ted and Victoria?

I know you are wondering how far-fetched this is, but hear me out.

For those of you who have not watched How I Met Your Mother, Victoria was the first proper girlfriend that the protagonist Ted Mosby had in the series.

The beginning was similar to that of Drew and Sophie, in the sense that the two clicked pretty well and Ted took the decision of searching for Victoria.

She had similar feelings for Ted as well. There are no clear signs of whether the relationship will proceed in the same way. I’m only comparing them on the grounds that Drew can be the beginning of Sophie’s first proper relationship on the show.

Since Drew was also portrayed as one of the people who could be the father, I’m guessing he will stick around.

Victoria and Ted also had a similar thing. They broke up but reconciled a few seasons later to give their relationship another go. Also, the creators have said that she was the backup mother in case the show got canceled after a few seasons. A lot of fans also had high hopes for her being the mother.

Nevertheless, I do agree if you all think this is a far-fetched conclusion. But one point is clear: the show is progressing like a typical spinoff where there are multiple references to HIMYM and similarities with its storyline.

So, the only way we can predict what is coming up next is by drawing parallels to How I Met Your Mother. Now, that is not to say that the show has nothing new.

If you ask me, the show in itself is not bad as of now. It is fun and is progressing like sitcoms usually do.

Could Drew be the Father?

It is too early to say if Drew is the father. Once again, looking back at the OG show of which this is a spinoff, it will take a considerable time for the father to be revealed.

I know they teased that one of the five men who are series regulars is the father, but I still think it could be a trick.

In HIMYM, Ted had mentioned multiple times that he had a connection with the mother on various days but he never actually interacted with her until the last season. So, expect Sophie to keep adding more potential names to the list as the story progresses.

As for Drew, he may or may not be the father, but I don’t personally think he is. I think Drew was just added to the list to confuse us. Having said that, it is still too early to dismiss anyone from the potential options.

So, let us just wait and watch. As Tracy, better known as The Mother, said, “Funny how sometimes you just find things.” Also, as the legendary Barney Stinson would say—wait for it!

About How I Met Your Father

How I Met Your Father (HIMYF) is a spinoff series of the incredibly successful CBS show, How I Met Your Mother. The original show ran for nine seasons, from 2005 to 2014, quickly making its mark with a dedicated cult-like fanbase.

HIMYF was announced to start production in April 2021 with the Lizzy McGuire star Hilary Duff playing the lead called Sophie, narrating her journey to her children in the future.

The show’s flashbacks will start from Sophie and her close friends navigating love, life and struggles in the modern era of dating, paying bills and more, in 2021.

Created by writers Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger of This Is Us fame and directed by the original show’s director, Pamela Fryman, the first season of HIMYF is revealed to have 10 episodes. No further details have yet been released.