REVIEW: ‘How I Met Your Father’ Episode 4 – “Dirty Thirty”

How I Met Your Father Episode 4, “Dirty Thirty,” premiered earlier this week. In last week’s episode, Sophie (Hilary Duff) offered to help Jesse (Christopher Lowell) with his Tinder profile picture. She convinces him to let her take new pictures at his job, which leads her to have an unexpected connection with one of Jesse’s coworkers, Drew (Josh Peck). All the while, Valentina (Francia Raisa) helps Sid (Suraj Sharma) maintain his long-distance relationship with Hannah (Ashley Reyes) when Hannah decides to liven things up. Finally, Charlie (Tom Ainsley) attempts to find a new roommate.

In “Dirty Thirty,” Sophie goes on a first date with Drew and quickly discovers how put-together Drew’s entire life is. Sophie worries that he’ll back away from a potential relationship if he sees how she lives her life. This leads Sophie to drastically change Valentina’s plans for Sophie’s 30th birthday party to impress Drew. Jesse and Ellen (Tien Tran) attempt to bond as siblings but find it more difficult than expected. Finally, Valentina and Charlie try to spice things up rather than defying their relationship.

I was glad to see Ellen and Jesse’s brother-sister relationship be given the spotlight. Viewers are granted more information about how they became siblings and what ultimately split them up. It’s clear that they both care for one another but aren’t sure how to show it. Jesse wants to help his sister get back out there and date but doesn’t know much about her. Ellen shows anger towards her brother and the situation that the two were put in. This sort of development between the two gives their relationship importance rather than just being the background for  Sophie’s story. I just hope that their relationship isn’t automatically fixed. The fact that they were estranged for more than 20 years is bound to bring up multiple instances of uncertainty from both of them.

Part of what made How I Met Your Mother entertaining was how the show was able to develop its side characters while still focusing on Ted’s story. Sophie’s story is undoubtedly important, but there’s only so much that can be told without making it seem like she’s overshadowing the entire show. Ellen and Jesse’s sibling relationship deserves as much development as possible since they haven’t gotten much focus as a pair. Having younger brothers, I’m always on the lookout for shows that include sibling relationships and give them prominent arcs. I’m interested to see where the show takes their arc.

I was extremely excited upon hearing that Josh Peck would be joining How I Met Your Father for its first season. Since his days on The Amanda Show and Drake and Josh, I’ve been a fan of his. Even though his character was introduced in last week’s episode, he wasn’t given much to do other than a brief conversation between Sophie and Jesse. “Dirty Thirty” gives his character a much more prominent role as Sophie’s first major love interest. His character fits nicely into the part of someone who has their life put together very well. It will be interesting to see if he has any hidden secrets that will affect his relationship with Sophie. He fit well with Sophie’s friends and proved to be a great addition to the show overall.

However, it’s rather disappointing that his full introduction was associated with Sophie changing who she is for him. This is a tired trope that I wish wouldn’t be included in shows any time a new significant other is introduced. It’s utterly predictable since it will either result in the couple breaking up or accepting each other for who they are. Drew accepting Sophie was wholly expected, especially since someone like Peck wouldn’t just show up for a single episode. While they make an adorable couple, it isn’t easy to root for them since it was revealed that one of the four men introduced in the pilot episode is the man that Sophie marries and has a kid with. I understand that the show wouldn’t just have Sophie get together with her future husband, but it takes away any real reason to root for any of her romantic relationships outside of the show’s four main men.

Ultimately, “Dirty Thirty” is an interesting episode that officially introduces Drew and further develops some of its side characters. There are six episodes left of the season, which still gives plenty of time for other side characters to be given a more prominent focus. Drew could also make a much bigger impact on the show related to his relationship with Sophie and how him being around more will affect her friends. I just hope the series doesn’t completely let their relationship dominate the season.

How I Met Your Father Episode 4 is streaming now, exclusively on Hulu.