- Ted is livid when he discovers that the man Stella left Ted for at the altar wrote a blockbuster movie about the incident, and portrays Ted as the bumbling, mean-spirited bad guy.
- Ted has just started dating a woman named Royce. Like all the other relationships he's ever had, he's waiting to learn what baggage Royce is carrying that will ultimately ruin the relationship. When Ted and Royce go to see a movie called The Wedding Bride, Ted learns that he too carries some baggage, namely that he was once left at the altar. What makes this baggage worse is that the movie, which is now a big hit, was written by Stella's husband, Tony Grafanello, about Ted and Stella's relationship and break-up where the Ted character, named Jed Moseley, is painted as the bad guy and the Tony character the good guy. Perpetually happy Marshall helps Ted understand how to deal with his baggage.—Huggo
- Future Ted discusses with his children how everyone in their thirties tends to have "baggage," which then manifests itself in Ted's mind when he discovers it, and labeled baggage is shown on screen. Like "Still in love with their ex". Ted is still wary of women with baggage since he ignored Stella's baggage and she ended up leaving him at the altar. He talks about dating a girl named Royce (Judy Greer) who seems to have no baggage, despite several false starts in his apartment. At various points Ted thinks Royce worked in Porn, killed her brother, but they all turn out to be Royce's unfinished sentences while she was sipping her wine.
Barney says that emotional baggage is the bedrock of America's most important cultural export: porn. Only women with major baggage go into porn. Best kind of baggage: hates her dad and thinks she is fat, but isn't. Angry sex on the first date and is gone the moment you mention breakfast.
The gang discuss their own baggage; even Marshall has baggage (mother issues and grandmother issues) - he is just too nice and trusting. Everytime Marshall leaves his house, he makes it a point to be nice and warm to everybody he meets on the streets. One day he helps some guys load their van, and finds out that he just helped them rob an apartment. That was hard to explain to the police. He actually lent the burglars gas money.
Ted then sees a new movie called The Wedding Bride with Royce and discovers it is based on his relationship with Stella (Sarah Chalke) and was written by Tony (Jason Jones), the man Stella left him for, and his character, "Jed Mosely," is portrayed in a negative light (and one of the actors is even heard to call him "Ted Mosby" at the end of the film). He is portrayed as an arrogant and corrupt architect, who is mean to his team and subordinates.
He points out several of the aspects which were initially romantic, but twisted so that he comes off as a jerk. In the movie Jed is forcing her sweet finance to give up her life in New Jersey and come live with him in New York, above a bar. No-can-dos-Ville baby-doll and wears the red cowboy boots. Tony, according to the movie, cares about Stella's happiness and trains underprivileged kids for free. Stella tells Tony that her sex life with Jed is a disaster, one time he slept on top of her, while doing it. Ted's 2 minute date with Stella was changed into a quickie. Ted's proposal to Stella was changed into a jerky reaction from Jed, who stole a toy kangaroo from a kid and gave it to Stella just to shut her up.
Royce also helps him realize that he has his own baggage: being left at the altar. His friends also tell him that he should tell Royce the truth, but Ted believes he can ignore it despite the movie becoming the 5th highest grossing movie of all time. Ted becomes angry and upset as the movie goes on to become a hit, and when Royce's friends talk about going to see the film again (Royce even comments that she can't get why Stella would want to marry a guy like Jed Mosley in the first place) he finally snaps and walks out on her (when Royce mentions that Jed Mosley had it coming, and he will live out a long life knowing that he blew his shot at being together with someone).
Marshall ultimately helps him cope with it, reminding Ted that he is fundamentally a nice guy. Ted rushes to the cinema where Royce is again watching the film and admits the film was based on his being left at the altar. He kisses Royce in front of the screen displaying a kiss scene from The Wedding Bride and takes her back to his apartment for pancakes. Royce then reveals her "baggage" - left at the altar three times, has a gambling addiction, and shares a bed with her brother. Ted asks her to leave.
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