How I Met Your Father Just Repeated A Big Joey Problem From Friends

Sid’s reluctance to accept Jesse’s girlfriend in How I Met Your Father season 2 looks set to risk repeating a major Joey problem from Friends.

Warning: spoilers ahead for How I Met Your Father season 2, episode 2.

Sid’s conflict with Meredith in How I Met Your Father season 2, episode 2, looks like a similar situation to one involving Joey in Friends, and it will likely end the same way. Now that Jesse is back with Meredith in HIMYF season 2, all of his friends have to get on board to keep him happy, but this is a little harder for Sid, who hates her completely. If this HIMYF storyline feels somewhat familiar, that may be because a comparable predicament rose between Joey and Chandler in Friends.

In How I Met Your Father season 2, Jesse revealed he wanted to try things again with his ex-girlfriend – the one that humiliated him by turning down his public engagement. None of his friends were pleased about this, but tried their best to accept it. Sid, however, seemed to have a personal vendetta against Meredith. After being as petty toward her as he could, Meredith convinced Sid that getting along was best for Jesse. However, HIMYF season 2, episode 2 revealed that Sid hated Meredith for more than just breaking Sid’s heart before – he had overheard her making clear she did not care about Jesse after all. RELATED: How I Met Your Father Repeats A Problematic HIMYM Joke

Sid Has To Swallow His Hate For Meredith in HIMYF (Just Like Joey & Janice)

How Sid feels about Meredith in How I Met Your Father is precisely how Joey in Friends season 3 felt about Chandler’s cackling girlfriend, Janice. Joey ultimately chose to swallow his feelings and let his friend be happy – until seeing Janice kissing her ex-husband put him in a tough spot. Joey did his best to support Chandler by spending time with Janice, but such a robust and loud personality was hard for him to come around to. In Friends season 3, episode 1, “The One with the Princess Leia Fantasy,” Joey decided to pretend he liked Janice and bite his tongue.

Joey later caught Janice cheating on Chandler with her ex-husband, and had to decide whether to keep his mouth shut or tell Chandler the woman he loved was bad news. Sid in How I Met Your Father season 2 is now faced with the same question. He knows Jesse thinks he is happy, but recognizes that Meredith will only break his heart again. He overheard her belittling the things Jesse enjoys, and believes his friend deserves better. Sid has resolved to let Meredith and Jesse’s relationship alone by the end of HIMYF season 2, episode 2, but if Joey’s situation in Friends proves anything, this silence won’t last for long.

Jesse & Meredith Are Likely To End Similarly To Chandler & Janice

In Friends season 3, Joey ultimately decided to tell Chandler that Janice had been cheating. His best friend’s heart was broken, but he knew he had done the right thing when Chandler confronted Janice, and she admitted she was still in love with her ex-husband. If Joey had not come forward with the truth, his friend’s relationship could have gone even further and suffered an even messier ending. Chandler and Janice broke up, and his relationship with Joey was all the better for it.

Sid’s conflicting feelings about Jesse’s relationship with Meredith will likely end much the same way. How I Met Your Father has already set up Jesse to be Sophie’s main will-they-won’t-they relationship. Given the circumstances of Meredith’s return, she is unlikely to be Jesse’s endgame pairing. Of course, that will not make Sid’s secret knowledge any more comfortable to either keep to himself or share. Meredith will continue growing more unlikeable as a character, and just like Joey, Sid will be forced to tell his friend the truth. All that can be hoped is that, also like Joey, the truth does not hurt Sid and Jesse’s relationship.

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