How I Met Your Father – Season 2 Episode 3 “Reset Button” Recap & Review

Sophie’s First Sale

Episode 3 of How I Met Your Father season 2 starts with Future Sophie telling her son that friend groups can get a little incestuous. By 40, she had kissed all her friends! And so, sometimes, you have to hit the reset button.

Back in the present, Sophie tells Naomi that she still can’t believe someone bought her photo. Naomi tells her the buyers want to have her over to their penthouse for dinner so they can hear about the piece. They talk about how this is the start of her career. Naomi then mentions that the buyers also want Sophie’s model to come.

Jesse says no. He doesn’t want to be the unsuspecting fool who gets invited to some rich stranger’s house and then dies. Sophie tries convincing him, saying this could be big for her. Also, they’re friends and friends help each other out. If she has any points left with him, she wants to cash it in now. He agrees.

In his apartment, Charlie gives Valentina her stuff back. Ellen walks in and says she and Rachel got a reservation at a fancy restaurant but Rachel’s friends bailed and opted for the Flubber musical instead. Valentina is enticed by the restaurant and asks if she can come, if she can find a date. Charlie is a bit discomfited by Valentina’s readiness to move on. Valentina quickly finds a date for herself on an app. Charlie says he can do it too and comes across a couple of women before realises he’s using Ellen’s phone.

Hannah and Sid try to work out travel plans to see each other more often but the flights are too expensive and they don’t have any miles. Charlie arrives and asks them to join him on a double date with a woman he just matched with online. They still need to work on their plan but agree when Charlie begs them.

At the penthouse, Sophie and Jesse are welcomed by the rich couple, Warren and Mega. Megan offers them raw bison meat on a platter which Sophie and Jesse are forced to try. They pretend to like it but spit it out when the couple leave the room to get some drinks. Sophie knows this is odd but convinces Jesse to stay a little longer even though he’s convinced they are cannibals.

Sid and Hannah arrive at the restaurant and meet Alice, Charlie’s date. She seems a bit weird and keeps asking about free bread at the restaurant. They ask her what she does and she reveals she works in the airline rewards program. When she leaves to get some free bread, Hannah tells Sid this woman can be the answer to their problems if she gets together with Charlie and becomes a part of their friend group. Charlie arrives unsure about his attire and even more unsure about sitting through the date. Sid and Hannah convince him to stay, saying that Alice is an amazing woman.

Warren and Megan tell Sophie that her photograph spoke to them on a deep level…because of Jesse. They praise his physique and claim they had to see him in person. Warren calls Jesse the perfect example of an American male. Sophie realises they want to sleep with Jesse.

At the fancy restaurant, Rachel and Valentina seem to get along really well, which makes Rachel happy. The three of them, and Rando (Valentina’s date whose name Future Sophie can’t recall) sit down at a table and begin to talk. When Valentina mentions she moves on quickly from relationships as she’s an Aries, Rachel laughs. She, a psychology student, thinks astrology is nonsense while Valentina consults a Madam Debra for her psychic chart. They argue about it with Ellen’s attempts at distracting them going in vain.

Sophie tells Jesse to not leave and he agrees to stay for thirty more minutes. Megan and Warren declare they are going to give them a tour of the house. They tell Sophie to remain quiet but tell Jesse he can say whatever he wants.

Alice finishes reciting the layout of the monopoly board. Hannah and Sid keep talking her up. When Hannah and Alice go to the loo, Charlie tells Sid he doesn’t see what made them call this woman amazing. Sid says that’s because they have a lot in common…like being right-handed.

In Warren’s study, Sophie and Jesse see Sophie’s photograph hung behind his desk. Warrens says it makes a great backdrop for his content — videos about the war on men. He talks about how men are under attack. Megan says she would subscribe if she were allowed to have a phone.

Rachel accuses Valentina of disliking therapy because she’s afraid of what she’ll find out about herself. Valentina says Rachel chose psychology so she can get paid to lie on a couch. They demand to know which side Ellen is on but realise that she would never be able to decide. They begin making fun of that instead, much to Ellen’s relief.

Warren and Megan leave the room to set up dinner. Jesse and Sophie watch a video of Warren talking about why women shouldn’t be astronauts and if wiping your butt makes you gay. Sophie doesn’t want her photo associated with the men’s rights movement and Jesse doesn’t want his face to be associated with it either. Sophie says they have two options. The first is to start a podcast that defies his content while also giving opinions on celebrity hairstyles. The second is for Sophie to distract them while Jesse grabs the photo.

Alice and Hannah come back from the loo to reveal that Alice carries her own portable toilet cover everywhere. Charlie asks her what she likes to do for fun to which Alice says she likes dancing. After a few seconds of Alice doing a little jig at the table, Charlie can’t take it anymore and says that doesn’t think they would be good together. He then asks why Sid and Hannah said they would. Alice reveals that Sid is after her airline miles, she knew from the first second they met. At least, she now has a new best friend — Hannah. Hannah pretends to agree and the two women leave to go to Alice’s place and hang out. Charlie is disappointed with Sid for basically pimping him out for airline miles.

Sophie tells Warren and Megan that she’s been inspired by them and has decided to throw away her career and find a husband instead. Warren heartily approves and invites her on one of his videos, of course as a woman she’ll have to wear a bikini. Megan happens to mention how she used to be the mayor of Baltimore. This makes Sophie snap and she calls Warren out for being a joke. She and Jesse confront them and Warren tells them to take the photograph away.

Ellen tells Rachel and Valentina to keep talking about the silly things she does to avoid any conflict. She mentions how her heart was beating super fast and she felt like she was going to pass out when they were fighting. Rachel mentions she might have some issues around conflict. Valentina recommends going to a psychiatrist and almost immediately catches herself but then admits that sometimes it is necessary. Future Sophie narrates that Ellen then found a therapist although, the three of them never hung out again.

At the bar, Hannah and Sid apologise to Charlie and gift him the perfect first date outfit as an apology. He forgives them. Hannah says she got some miles for the next few months but tells them not to ask how.

Sophie and Jesse walk down the street with Sophie’s photo in hand and laugh about the whole thing. Sophie says they work well together, as friends. Jesse agrees. He then says that if he knew she was going to come back he never would have called Meredith. Sophie says she understands Meredith’s the love of his life and he has to give it a shot. Future Sophie says that this is how you set the reset button…sort of.

Jesse steps away to take a call from Meredith. As Sophie waits, she puts the photograph on top of taxi and scrolls on her phone. The taxi suddenly drives away, along with the photograph.

At home, Sophie tells Valentina how her day went. A naked man comes out of Valentina’s room and Sophie asks her how she can move on so quickly when she was in love with Charlie. Valentina admits that she thinks she and Charlie are meant to be together and they’ll find a way back to each other eventually. Future Sophie says that meanwhile, Charlie was hitting his own reset button. At the bar, Charlie walks up to a beautiful woman and begins talking to her.

The Episode Review

What a fun episode! I have to say that all three storylines this episode were highly enjoyable and all of them in different ways. Sophie and Jesse’s escapades with the rich couple were definitely the winning segment though.

As Sophie says, she and Jesse do work well together and it’s a treat to watch. The episode also comes with an interesting reveal about Charlie and Valentina at the end, leaving us with enough to eagerly wait for the next episode.

Also, the 1500 word count of this recap goes to show just how much story the writers are able to succinctly fit in the 25 minute episodes. I love how conversations are packed with humour and plot moving dialogue while also being to the point. And this quick pace of the show never actually shows to the viewer, it’s more of an afterthought.

It’s testament to some good, crisp writing and some solid editing skills as well. A shout out to when Future Sophie says, “This is how you set the reset button… sort of.” Those last two words say it all.