In the third episode of the second season of How I Met Your Father, Sophie (Hilary Duff) and Jesse (Christopher Lowell) team up to impress the buyers of Sophie’s portrait, while Val (Francia Raisa) and Ellen (Tien Tran) go on a double date with their respective love interests. Meanwhile, Charlie (Tom Ainsley) forces Sid (Suraj Sharma) and Hannah (Ashley Reyes) into a double date in reaction to Val’s new relationship.

The episode, titled “The Reset Button”, explores the theme of starting over and making changes in one’s life. Sophie and Jesse, who have been friends since college, decide to pretend to be a couple in order to charm the wealthy art collectors who bought Sophie’s painting. However, their plan backfires when they realize they have feelings for each other and end up kissing. Val and Ellen, who have been struggling with their careers, try to spice up their love lives by going out with two guys they met online. However, they soon discover that their dates are not what they expected and end up ditching them. Charlie, who is jealous of Val’s new boyfriend, tries to make her jealous by setting up Sid and Hannah with two random women he met at a bar. However, his scheme fails when Sid and Hannah bond with their dates over their shared interests and hobbies.

The episode ends with a cliffhanger, as Sophie receives a phone call from Ian (Daniel Augustin), her ex-husband who left her at the altar in the first season finale. Ian tells Sophie that he wants to talk to her and asks her to meet him at a coffee shop. Sophie agrees, but does not tell Jesse about it. The episode cuts to black as Sophie leaves Jesse’s apartment and heads to the coffee shop.

The episode received mixed reviews from critics and fans. Some praised the chemistry between Duff and Lowell, as well as the humor and heart of the show. Others criticized the clichéd plotlines, the lack of originality, and the unrealistic portrayal of dating in the age of apps and social media.

The episode also featured some guest appearances from familiar faces. Neil Patrick Harris reprised his role as Barney Stinson, the legendary womanizer from How I Met Your Mother, who appeared in a flashback scene where he gave Jesse some dating advice. Paget Brewster played Lori, the owner of the art gallery where Sophie had her show, who offered Sophie a job as an assistant curator. Kyle MacLachlan returned as The Captain, the eccentric millionaire who bought Sophie’s portrait, who invited Sophie and Jesse to his yacht for a party.

The episode was written by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, the creators and showrunners of How I Met Your Father, and directed by Pamela Fryman, who directed most of the episodes of How I Met Your Mother. The episode aired on February 7, 2023 on Hulu, and was watched by 2.3 million viewers.

The episode was the third of the second season of How I Met Your Father, which was renewed for a second season in April 2022, after a successful first season that won two Primetime Emmy Awards. The second season consists of 14 episodes, and follows Sophie and her friends as they navigate their personal and professional lives in New York City in 2023.

The show is a spin-off of How I Met Your Mother, the popular sitcom that ran from 2005 to 2014 on CBS, and starred Josh Radnor, Cobie Smulders, Jason Segel, Alyson Hannigan, and Neil Patrick Harris. The show told the story of Ted Mosby (Radnor), who narrated to his children the events that led him to meet their mother. The show was known for its clever use of flashbacks, flash-forwards, and nonlinear storytelling, as well as its humor, romance, and mystery.

How I Met Your Father follows a similar format, but with a gender-swapped perspective. The show is narrated by Sophie (Future), voiced by Kim Cattrall, who tells her son the story of how she met his father in 2021. The show features a diverse cast of characters, each with their own quirks and personalities. The show also references and pays homage to How I Met Your Mother, with occasional appearances from the original cast members and nods to the iconic moments and jokes from the original show.