WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for How I Met Your Father Season 1, now streaming on Hulu.
In the penultimate episode of Hulu’s How I Met Your Father entitled “Jay Street,” Sophie decided to end things with Drew, even though he was her first real boyfriend in a long time. Stars Hilary Duff and Josh Peck may have had great chemistry and it was fun to watch their characters together — but many fans knew the relationship wasn’t going to make it through Season 1. While opposites usually attract, Sophie and Drew were too different for him to be the titular father.
Sophie is someone who goes with the flow and is a classic example of a right-brained creative. At the other end of the spectrum is Drew, a left-brained middle school vice principal who already has a planner for 2024. Fans will certainly miss Peck’s presence in Season 2, but his character’s exit is a smart move for both characters, because Sophie and Drew’s breakup was inevitable and it’s better that they’re going their separate ways.
Sophie and Drew’s meet-cute set the tone for an odd relationship. When trying to help Jesse (who is not HIMYF‘s version of Robin) get the perfect profile picture for a dating app, Sophie used several of Drew’s students as models and assistants. That was one early example of how the two of them look at the world differently. Where Sophie wasn’t even aware of the optics of taking pictures of children on school grounds without permission, Drew’s first thought was about the situation’s ethics.
In the third episode “Dirrty Thirty,” fans got their first sense of how wrong Sophie and Drew were for each other. While both are relatively the same age, Sophie considered herself the less “adult” of the two after their first date because Drew preferred a finely aged wine while she would choose the cheapest well liquor. It was simply a difference in taste — but this realization sent Sophie into a tailspin, trying to change her 30th birthday party to impress this man she went on one date with. Thankfully, the situation worked itself out, but the fact that it even occurred didn’t bode well for the couple.
How I Met Your Father‘s eighth episode “The Perfect Shot” was where Sophie and Drew’s relationship self-destructed. While attempting to get her perfect career-changing shot, Sophie took a tumble and chipped her front tooth. She found an emergency dentist so she could look presentable for Drew’s fundraiser and meeting his friends. In classic sitcom fashion, Sophie ended up going to the fundraiser with the chipped tooth anyway because she wanted to support her partner. However, her arrival was met by Drew making a demeaning comment about not being able to afford a dentist and that someday people need to let pipe dreams go.
This further highlighted the fundamental difference in perspective between Sophie and Drew. Sophie believes that someone should do what makes them happy, regardless of what tax bracket it puts them in. Drew views the world through a pragmatic lens, where if your dream doesn’t work out, you move on to something that can pay the bills regardless of whether or not you enjoy it.
“The Perfect Shot” ended with Sophie literally leaving Drew and running into Jesse, who responded to the situation with “Well, maybe he’s not the guy for you” and a kiss. That moment ended Sophie and Drew’s relationship as How I Met Your Father dedicated her whole story in the next episode to trying to break up with him. While things may not be perfect with Jesse — he’s headed out on tour — it was clear from their first meeting that Sophie and Drew would never make it to the finish line.
How I Met Your Father is available to stream on Hulu.
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