In the words of Hilary Duff’s Lizzie McGuire—this is what dreams are made of.
Naturally, I’m referring to the How I Met Your Father episode guest-starring 40% of NSYNC (and thank you so much to the sitcom writers for doing that math for me1), Lance Bass and Joey Fatone.
HIMYF Season 2 Episode 17 was peak millennial as it gave fans a punch of nostalgia while brilliantly summing up our generations existance: addicted to our cell phones and desperate to relive the ’90s.
Sophie and co. decided that they were going to try their best to have a no phones, no screens, no internet day, which, as you can imagine, was pretty tough for the people who rely solely on their cellular devices, compulsively checking it even when nothing is going on.
Sophie and Valentina did find the light at the end of the rainbow when they eventually realized that it allowed them to reconnect by opening up to each other. When you don’t have a screen in front of you 24/7, you can start getting in touch with your inner self—feelings, thoughts, and emotions. It’s scary but also pretty liberating. But mostly scary.
Without the ability to use a phone, they also explored some fine establishments like the bank—where they ran into NSYNC—and the library—in hopes of figuring out where the bologna factory is located.
Eventually, they were able to pinpoint it with Sid’s help (an NSYNC super fan who once wore the exact replica of Justin Timberlake’s iconic denim outfit), though there was sadly—for them and for fans–no signs of Lance or Joey anywhere.
Instead, they stumbled upon NSYNC lookalikes and simply figured the cellphone/internet detox got the best of them. Why didn’t they stick around and wait and see?! They were out of sync with NSYNC. What a shame.
It was only when they finally got their devices back at midnight that they saw Lance and Joey’s IG Story that revealed the guys were waiting around for them and even got “hall passes.”
Sid may have been a mere a sidekick but even with those few and far in between moments, each and every single one was comedic gold. And I loved how self-sufficient he was without his phone, and he didn’t cave even when they were begging him for it.
The night wasn’t a total dud, however, as Sophie ran into Ian and proceeded to meet his new girlfriend, Kiana. While it likely wasn’t the encounter Sophie was hoping to have, it is the closure that she needed to move on and put him in the rearview. And unless Ian and Kiana break up and his path crosses Sophie’s again, it does cross him off the potential father’s list. He’s popped in so many times that I’m almost ready for him not to return… at least for awhile.
It just wasn’t meant to be, though I know that’s not much of a consolation when you feel as though every single one of your exes is moving on while you just stay in one place.
Jesse’s name was added to the list as he had a rather successful first date with Parker, all hiccups aside. Jesse was so nervous about his date, and he wanted to impress the gym teacher so badly, that he forgot his wallet when he gave up his phone. He then spent the rest of the time ordering everything off the menu to come off as generous before coming clean. Parker ended up handling it like a pro, however. She wasn’t scared off, instead calling the waiter over and pointing out a rather large hair in her meal, resulting in a comped menu on the house. And that’s how it’s done.
I’ve been holding out hope for Sophie and Jesse, but I can’t lie—I love how spunky Parker is. I don’t know if they’re soulmates, but I do think she could balance him out and compliment his awkward nature.
Charlie and Ellen spent the day together, with the former trying to help the latter get over her ex, Rachel, with an at-home spa day. Ellen went rogue, escaping through the fire escape in hopes of getting her phone so she could check up on her former flame. In the process, she created a rather massive gas leak, and since Charlie was in a sensory deprivation, he didn’t hear the emergency crews clearing the building.
That’s when Ellen went full-hero mode—all the adrenaline just kicked in—as she went to save her best friend. It was a cute moment, and she looked totally badass carrying him out of that building, even if it didn’t add much to the storyline. They are one of the best team-up that continously provide so many laughs.
While NSYNC was definitely a welcome surprise guest, the episode felt more like filler, which isn’t overly problematic because it makes sense for a show like HIMYF that doesn’t take itself too seriously and can capitalize on the lighthearted nature of storylines. And staring down a finale just a few episodes away, it honed in on Sophie coming to the realization that she needs to be an active participant in her life rather than a bystander. Will she pursue Jessie? Will she tell him to the truth before it’s too late?
And I still can’t get over Charlie and Val not being soulmates, but if neither of them will have a change of heart, they need to move on. The same goes for Sid and Hannah—either she moves to NYC or they break up because the long-distance relationship, which is understandably hard, doesn’t do Sid’s character any favors and hinders him when it comes to fun plots.
In fact, when it comes down to it, we’re at the point where all of the characters need to hit refresh, including Ellen. She had to mourn Rachel, but she’s in the past, so lets leave her there.
It’s also necessary to shoutout some of the fantastic and subtle callbacks like Goliath National Bank (HIMYM) and Robert McGuire (Lizzie McGuire)! And the cherry on top was that seamless inclusion of Bye, Bye, Bye.
But before I head off to go listen to No Strings Attached, the album, what did you think? Do you want Sophie and Val to get it together or is that the whole point—to keep stumbling around until you finally land where you’re meant to be? And was this just the calm before the storm, or, the jam packed season finale?