How I Met Your Father season 1 episode 3 recap: The Fixer

This article contains SPOILERS for How I Met Your Father season 1 episode 3.

Sophie helps fix up a date for Jesse, and Valentina helps Sid with his long-distance relationship in this week’s episode of How I Met Your Father season 1.

Catch up on everything from the last episode here!

The third episode of How I Met Your Father season 1 opens with Future Sophie explaining to her son the importance of a good profile photo — especially for dating apps. In 2022, as they are hanging out in the all-too-familiar apartment, Jesse is dragging his feet when it comes to joining Tinder, giving his lack of good photos as being the reason. Luckily for Jesse, his new friend Sophie is a photographer and will help him create an appealing profile. She wants Jesse to say, “today is the first chapter of my next great love story,” but Jesse emphatically refuses.

Just as Sophie and Jesse make plans to have her take photos of him during his lunch break, Charlie storms in like a modern Cosmo Kramer. The transpacific transplant has struggled to find an apartment given his lack of access to his trust fund now. Ellen expresses how her move to New York City has had a rocky start, too, because of the lack of her own place and rooming with the inconsiderate Jesse and Sid. Ellen declines since she is not a big roommate person, which only makes Charlie feel sadder.

How I Met Your Father season 1 recap: Sid and his new toy

The next day, Sid receives a package from Hannah that he assumes is their HelloFresh box so the two can do their weekly video call and cooking session. The box is then revealed to be a strange tube-like device that Valentina explains to the bar owner is an adult sex toy. It turns out Sid’s fiancée bought it for him so the newly engaged can be intimate over video call since Hannah has a corresponding toy, and both can be controlled with an app. Sid is hesitant due to his lifelong disdain for toys, but Hannah convinces and actually helps Sid set up for his sensual night with Hannah.

Charlie is then seen apartment hunting, where he runs into Ellen. He is excited since it looks like they have similar tastes in apartments, but that quickly goes away when a man introduces himself as Ralph, Ellen’s new roommate. It turns out Ellen went to Craigslist to find a roommate since she wants an experienced New Yorker and Charlie is far from that. The Brit takes offense to that and storms off to look at the apartment. He returns later to buy the apartment out from under Ellen and Ralph since he can pawn a literal gold spoon he has had since his infancy.

Sophie is at Jesse’s job as a part-time music teacher so she can take some amazing pictures. After Sophie finds out Jesse has an awful signature pose, some kids come back from their lunch, and Sophie goes for some candids that Jesse can’t pose in and mess up.

The vice-principal Drew (Josh Peck) then comes out, understandably curious about a stranger taking pictures of the children he is responsible for. The two have some banter about Jesse’s bad posing. Drew goes on to say Sophie looks familiar, but the two are unable to place it. The two flirt some before Drew “asks” her to leave the premises immediately, but Sophie ignores it so she can focus on getting Jesse a date.

How I Met Your Father season 1 recap: Sophie is Jesse’s wingwoman

That night, Sophie and Jesse go to a bar so Jesse can find someone. Jesse gets a text from Drew asking for Sophie’s number, but Sophie wants to focus on Jesse tonight. Sophie feeds Jesse a charming pick-up line that he gives a woman named Camilla sitting alone. Jesse ends up having some word vomit that is basically more charming to the potential romantic interest, and she lets Jesse buy her a drink.

In their respective bedrooms, Sid and Hannah begin their intimate night. Sid has some technical issues since the internet is bad in his room. After going out to the couch, Sid’s toy turns out to have a speaker connected to it, and it begins playing a podcast. The mood is finally ruined when Sid says he is struggling, which Hannah is upset about because she feels like she is the only one trying.

Back at the bar, when Jesse gets up to go get another round, Sophie overhears Camilla voice-texting her friends saying she was at the bar with Proposal Fail Guy. Standing up for her new close friend, Sophie confronts Camilla, saying she is focusing on the wrong thing when it comes to Jesse since he is a true catch. This comically leads to Sophie spiraling about her own love life and that ends any chances of Jesse getting lucky with Camilla.

How I Met Your Father season 1 recap: Another candidate enters the picture

As the two head home, Sophie reveals Jesse’s presumptions from the pilot episode were way off. In actuality, Sophie acted like a protective big sister for her single mom, who kept getting her heartbroken during Sophie’s childhood. This led to Sophie being a “fixer” by default, especially when she wants to ignore her own romantic shortcomings. With her sharing, Sophie and Jesse flip roll and he has her repeat “today is the first chapter of my next great love story” before they go to their respective homes.

The episode ends with Ellen and Charlie both failing alone to get an apartment so they team up to take on the city together. Sid is seen in California surprising Hannah and making an effort in their relationship. Sophie sends Jesse a good portrait for his dating profile, and Jesse sends her Drew’s phone number. Sophie pulls a baller move by calling Drew first.

The two make plans to go on a date — but not before the VP informs Sophie that they met on the same night as Sid and Hannah’s engagement party, the same night that Future Sophie states is the night she met her son’s father.

Will Sid and Hannah be able to keep their romance alive long-distance? Will Jesse ever learn how to pose naturally for a photo? What do you think Ellen and Charlie will get themselves up to as roommates? Let us know your thoughts and answers in the comments below!

Stream the new episode of How I Met Your Father Season 1 next Tuesday, only on Hulu!