How I Met Your Father – Pathetic Deirdre

By: Gladys Luna

Ellen (Tien Tran) is excited as she is at Sophie (Hilary Duff) and Valentina’s (Francia Raísa) apartment getting ready for her first day of work since she arrived to New York. Let’s remember that a few episodes ago she was hired by Goliath Market and now she is finally prepared to hit the ground running. The other two women are so thrilled about their friend that they excitedly share some jokes about how she has now joined the corporate world, as well as they dance and sing about it and tell her how awesome they think she will be on her new job. After Ellen leaves the apartment, Valentina and Sophie continue the conversation about it until it begins to take a different turn and they somehow start to wonder whether if her friend will manage to be successful or not since they know the struggles that a city like New York might offer, something they feel related to as they have had some of their own. The mood between them changes and suddenly they recall what they used to do in their college days when things weren’t exactly good and they needed some boost of encouragement. It is there when they think of an old friend that they had nicknamed “Pathetic Deirdre” (Eden Sher), a woman who always managed to cheer them up when they used to listen to her tragic life. Then, suddenly, present-day Sophie (Kim Cattrall) is brought to our screens and takes the lead as she explains her son what it used to be like in those days, a behavior that her son does not seem to agree with. Afterwards, we see a few different moments in time when the two friends used to meet with Deirdre while she would tell them about her future plans that would always end up making them laugh as they found them to be ridiculous. Back to the present we see Sophie and Valentina laugh at the memory of those gatherings and they decide to ask their old friend to meet with them since the whole situation with Ellen has left them a little discouraged. However, little do they know that a whole new surprise is waiting for them.

Meanwhile, at Sid’s (Suraj Sharma) bar we see Jesse (Christopher Lowell) and Meredith (Leighton Meester) possibly reconnecting quite well after they decided to give it another chance to their. Sid watches them from afar not believing at all in the sudden repentance of Meredith. The couple is attempting to shoot a video where the woman plans to inform her fans that her and Jesse are back together again and they are going on tour together. While they are still deciding what to do, Charlie (Tom Ainsley) arrives to the bar and sees the reunited couple getting all cheesy with each other. He then notices the discontent in Sid’s face who is quick to tell him that even though he does not agree with Jesse’s decision, as his friends they are compelled to support him no matter what. Despite the situation, Charlie appears to be in a very good mood and soon he confesses that he has started dating again or, rather he must say, he is planning to have a series of random hookups. Sid does not feel so comfortable with the way Charlie has made his confession but in the end, he lets it slip as now he is more concerned in trying stopping his friend from getting heartbroken again as he is the one to pick up the pieces after all.

Back to Ellen, she is experiencing her very own musical on her way to work turning everything around her as part of her reverie until she finally arrives to the Goliath building and greets the doorman (Mark Anthony Williams) in a very cheerful way. She requests a pass to access the building and while she is waiting she realizes that her boss Mark (Kevin Sifuentes) is about to get into the elevator. So, she asks the other man to hurry up so she can catch him up, but the man advises her not to do that. Therefore, she decides to take the stairs instead; however, as soon as she begins her walk towards it, she realizes that her office is placed in the 51st floor. Off she goes without knowing about the challenges she would be facing right ahead and that eventually would make her have a very impactful entrance to the room where she is supposed to gather with her colleagues for their first meeting of the day.

Deirdre has declined Valentina and Sophie’s lunch invitation saying that she will be attending a book reading later that day at a certain location, something that awakens the curiosity out of the two women. They decide to show up at the place her friend mentioned only to find that is actually Deirdre’s book presentation. As soon as Deirdre takes the stage and begins to read a chapter of her book, they realize that it is very likely that the characters she is talking about might actually be them. The reading goes on and when things aren’t exactly going the way they expect it, the women attempt to flee. Unfortunately, they end up causing a scene as they bring down the books placed neatly over a table nearby on their way out. Deirdre notices and invites them to join her on stage and confesses to her audience that the women she was reading about were actually them. Sophie and Valentina unwillingly join her and she starts to tell the story of the three of them and how she used to meet with them just to give a little boost to her ego. It seems that the story Deirdre remembers about them is completely flipped to what the other two friends had imagined all along. Unfortunately, the encounter does not end up as well as it was supposed to.

At the bar Charlie has determined to send a gift basket to every woman he randomly manages to spend the night with as a thank you. He starts with the woman he slept with the day before, so he orders twelve gift baskets with that purpose. On the other side of the bar Jesse and Meredith are ready to shoot the announcement video, but much to the man’s surprise when the camera is on his girlfriend does not leave any space for him to talk. When the video ends, he mentions he felt left out but she manages to convince him about her “benevolent intentions” behind what she is doing and, once again, Jesse believes her. Sid watches the whole situation from the other side of the place and feels frustrated for how the woman is treating his friend so he expresses what he truly thinks of it making Jesse upset about it to the point that he leaves the bar in a haste. Still at the bar a woman named Courtney (Shalini Bathina) shows up to thank Charlie for the lovely gesture he did by sending her a treat basket, totally mistaking the real intentions behind his actions. She confesses she would like to know him better, but in that moment a delivery man (Erik Estrada Loaiza) walks in carrying a cart full of other baskets like the one she has making Courtney realize Charlie’s true agenda. This leaves him no choice but to confess the truth about it. Courtney gets very angry about it and immediately leaves.

Later on Sid returns to the apartment when he sees Jesse packing his bags since he is about to leave on tour and tells him that he is planning to gather everyone, get a car and take them to see his Long Island presentation. However, Jesse asks him not to do that. Sid appears to be taken aback by his friend’s response. Jesse tells him that he would feel more comfortable if when looking at the audience that he would be able to find Sid among the crowd, the people who actually support his relationship with the woman he loves. He then leaves the place while busting the door behind him.