Why Does ‘How I Met Your Father’ Hate Hannah?

Hulu‘s How I Met Your Mother sequel series, How I Met Your Father, kicked off Season 2 by celebrating Sid (Suraj Sharma) and Hannah’s (Ashley Reyes) wedding. The gang threw an impromptu celebration at Pemberton’s, Sophie (Hilary Duff) attempted to sing “When A Man Loves A Woman” in their honor, and the episode ended with everyone busting a move to Sid’s beloved “Electric Slide.” It was a night jam-packed with love for this longtime couple. So why can’t I shake the feeling that How I Met Your Father hates Hannah?

When Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger’s series premiered in 2022, Hannah and Sid’s love story was a major focus of the pilot. Thanks to an Uber ride and a phone mixup, Sophie found herself at Pemberton’s watching Sid propose to Hannah. When Sid uttered the words, “I believe we can make it through anything together” during his proposal, I genuinely bought them. And for a moment it seemed like their relationship could be half as strong as — dare I say — Marshall (Jason Segel) and Lily’s (Alyson Hannigan).

But after taking a closer look at Hannah’s scenes and realizing how little love actor Ashley Reyes gets from the show, I’m fully convinced that Hannah isn’t sticking around. Heck, I’m officially Team Sid Might Be The Father at this point. Hear me out…

We quickly learn that Sid and Hannah met in med school and are making long-distance work while Hannah carries out her surgical residency in Los Angeles. After the two get engaged in the pilot, Hannah swiftly departs for emergency surgery, giving us our first look into their many relationship struggles. Throughout Season 1, Sid and Hannah face classic long-distance challenges related to intimacy, finances, and incompatible schedules. But when they’re together, they frequently fight about wedding planning stress and the uncertainty of their future. In Episode 6, after Hannah gets mad at Sid for renting The Eternals without asking her, we learn she’s still angry at him for abandoning his medical career to buy a bar without consulting her. The two work it out, but they have a flurry of other fights before the season’s end. Then, Hannah reveals she’s been offered a year-long fellowship in Los Angeles, which would extend their long-distance strain.

When the couple announces they’re no longer slammed with wedding plans in the Season 1 finale, we’re convinced they’ve called it quits. But no, they got married! They ignored all of their very real relationship problems and jumped. And though they share genuinely romantic moments and the idea of becoming a “bi-coastal power couple” sounds badass, I’m simply waiting for these two to crash and burn.

Now, I understand that Reyes is in fewer episodes than the rest of the cast because Hannah lives in Los Angeles and is a supporting character. But she’s literally MARRIED to Sid, so why does she still feel like an outsider? She’s known Jesse for years, yet I don’t see a lick of chemistry or history between them. (Unlike Sid and Jesse’s ex Meredith, played by Leighton Meester.) Hannah barely bonds with Sophie, Valentina (Francia Rasisa), or Ellen (Tien Tran). And we don’t know much about her character outside of what Sid has told us. I know Sid and Hannah’s time together is limited, so they want to make the most of it when she’s in town. But let her have a storyline without him in it! Let this girl have her own personality! Let her build genuine friendships based on who she is rather than default friendships based on her association with Sid. There are basic steps the show’s writers could take to flesh out this main character’s wife and make her storyline more compelling, unless — UNLESS — Sid and Hannah aren’t endgame after all, so they don’t feel a pressing need to explore her character.

In addition to in-show red flags, there are a number of off-screen clues that indicate Hannah may be a temporary character. I find it interesting that two seasons in, Ashley Reyes isn’t included in How I Met Your Father promo shots. She didn’t attend the official TCA panel and set visit for the series, nor was she even mentioned in the discussion. But you know who was mentioned? Delightful How I Met Your Father guest star Josh Peck, who star Chris Lowell called “the unofficial seventh member of the cast” in AN EPIC HANNAH SNUB. While we’re at it, is Hannah even in the How I Met Your Father opening credits sequence?! I sure don’t see her!

Have the clues been there all along? Is How I Met Your Father giving itself away with a lack of Hannah love? Are fans supposed to look at ALL this evidence, Sophie and Sid’s smoldering hallway scene in Episode 6, and Sharma’s gaze in this promo photo and believe that Sid and Hannah will be together forever? Yes, I watched everyone celebrate their wedding at the start of Season 2, but until How I Met Your Father starts fully investing in Hannah the character and embracing Reyes the actor, I have no choice to believe they’re foreshadowing a breakup, and perhaps even a father-related plot twist.

How I Met Your Father is currently streaming on Hulu. New Season 2 episodes air weekly on Tuesdays.