It's been eight years since How I Met Your Mother wrapped its run on CBS and the season finale of spinoff How I Met Your Father brought back an original star.
Hilary Duff's Sophie Tompkins made her way into McLaren's pub on Tuesday's season-ender and found herself getting some relationship advice from Robin Scherbatsky.
Yes, Cobie Smulders reprised the role, and it has got to be one of the stealthiest casting decisions in recent memory.
Far too often, big returns leak to the media several months in advance, but thankfully, this was a shocker kept well under wraps.
Ahead of the big meeting, Sophie questioned her relationship with Jesse after he told her that he loved her after they spent the night together.
“I once had a guy say ‘I love you’ on our first date,” Robin shared.
“Dude sounds like a real piece of work,” Sophie chimed in.
“You have no idea,” Robin tells her.
“But a good piece of work. Which brings me to my advice: Do not waste your time being scared, Sophie."
"Fear can make you run away from things that could be good — great even, things that are supposed to be a part of your story."
"So, really think about it: What did Jesse do wrong other than say everything you ever wanted a guy to say, just faster than you expected," Robin concludes.
Sophie goes back to Jesse's apartment, but is left reeling when she sees him kissing Jesse.
“If I’ve learned anything at all about love, it’s that timing is everything. Sometimes, timing’s a bitch," Robin says when Sophie fills her in about that part.
However, the two women agree to meet again in 20 years, which should be fun.
Bringing anyone back from the original series was always going to be huge for fans, and with the news that How I Met Your Father has been renewed for a supersized second season, we should probably expect more stunt casting.
“[Series creators] Isaac [Aptaker] and Elizabeth [Berger]’s inspired vision for How I Met Your Father has proven to be true appointment viewing that fans cannot get enough of week to week,” Jordan Helman, Head of Scripted Content at Hulu Originals, said in a statement when Season 2 was revealed.
“The lives of these characters, as portrayed by the immensely talented cast led by Hilary Duff, are just starting to unfold and we’re thrilled to bring more of this group’s journey to our viewers with a supersized second season.”
The spinoff catapults us back to the year 2021, where Sophie and her close-knit group of friends are in the midst of figuring out who they are, what they want out of life, and how to fall in love in the age of dating apps and limitless options.
Chris Lowell, Francia Raisa, Tom Ainsley, Tien Tran, and Suraj Sharma star alongside Hilary Duff.
What are your thoughts on the big return?
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