Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for HIMYF episode 4.
Although How I Met Your Father has been partial to introducing HIMYM connections, the spinoff missed the perfect opportunity to continue a party tradition from the original series. Along with repeating Robin and Ted’s love interest dynamic with Sophie and Jesse, making Drew the new Victoria, and taking Barney and James’ sibling confusion for Jesse and Ellen, How I Met Your Father has continued another HIMYM dynamic for its main characters: they love parties. In only the first four episodes of How I Met Your Father, the characters throw two big parties and attend a confusingly-named night club.
How I Met Your Mother’s series was notable for its many parties, holidays, and various celebrations that involved the characters gathering with each other and a slew of unknown acquaintances. In just the second episode of HIMYM season 1, Ted threw three different parties at the apartment in an attempt to see Robin. The apartment would later see plenty more parties hosted by the gang, many of which took place on the apartment's rooftop.
The first major connection between HIMYM and HIMYF was revealed in episode 1 of the spinoff series, which disclosed that Jesse and Sid are now living in Ted and Marshall’s old apartment. Considering this specific apartment was home to most of HIMYM’s parties, it’s curious that none of How I Met Your Father’s big festivities have taken place on their iconic rooftop. Instead, How I Met Your Father’s engagement party for Sid and Hannah was hosted at the bar, while Sophie’s birthday party was hosted at her and Valentina’s apartment. Although Sophie’s party did feature a rooftop scene when she and Drew escaped the chaos of the celebration, it was only the two of them, and the moment took place at Sophie’s building, not Ted and Marshall’s.
Just like many How I Met Your Father viewers, Sophie’s date Drew (Josh Peck) asks her why they didn’t host her 30th birthday party on the rooftop instead of having so many people crammed into their small apartment. This is a valid question, which suggests that future parties hosted by Sophie and Valentina will move up to their rooftop, but it still fails to continue the iconic party tradition of How I Met Your Mother. Sid and Jesse’s apartment is far bigger than Sophie and Valentina’s, so it would’ve made much more sense to host it at their place and allow for a dual apartment-rooftop party in the tradition of Ted and Marshall. Failing to use the rooftop as a party location isn’t even a matter of How I Met Your Father’s 10-episode season being set in the winter, as HIMYM would repeatedly see the gang attend or host parties on Ted and Marshall’s rooftop in the freezing cold.
By not utilizing HIMYM’s old apartment rooftop for parties, How I Met Your Father is also missing out on the opportunity to attend the same building-wide parties that the gang would frequent. The best example is the apartment building’s Halloween parties, which were hosted every year on the rooftop where Ted would wait to reunite with the Slutty Pumpkin. Ted and Marshall’s roof was the location of some of HIMYM’s best moments from season 1 to the series finale, whether they were heartbreaking confessions, revelations, or parties, so it seems that if How I Met Your Father should maintain one small tradition from the original series, it should be the rooftop as a recurring party setting.