- Marshall gets in the doghouse at work after he recommends a friend for a job, Robin helps Barney find a new strip club, and Ted is embarrassed after watching his video diary from college.
- Marshall runs into his law school buddy Brad, who now seems to be down and out, and a bit of a deadbeat. Since he was a friend, Marshall can't help but try to help him by getting him at least a job interview at his law firm, Honeywell & Cootes. Lily and his friends don't think it's such a good idea as nice guy Marshall is already seen as being a bit of a "stamp tramp" - a person who provides his stamp of approval on anything and everything, which over time renders that approval meaningless - and this could prove to hurt Marshall, especially if Brad is indeed a deadbeat, and as Honeywell, who would be conducting the interview, is already hard enough on Marshall. Marshall's stamp of approval of Brad has a slightly different effect than he imagined. In the discussion of stamp tramps, the gang believes Ted is a "piggyback stamper" - someone who believes his stamp of approval is his own idea, but only really approves something somebody else has already approved. Ted goes on a long quest for something on which he's placed his original stamp of approval. Meanwhile, Barney feels he has to abandon his regular strip club, the Lusty Leopard, since Quinn has gone back to working there. He gets an unexpected person to act as his agent for his lucrative strip club patronage.—Huggo
- Marshall reports to the gang that he chanced upon his old law school classmate Brad (Joe Manganiello) while going to work. Noting that Brad has been a bum for the past two years (and has applied to be a hot-dog outlet mascot and is eating food out of a trash can), Marshall decides to recommend him to his bosses as an associate partner. The gang is displeased with what Marshall did because he always gives stamps of approval to everyone and everything that comes his way. This way Marshall only devalues his own stamp of approval. Lily notes that this has already earned him the ire of a senior partner, Mr Honeywell (Joe Lo Truglio), after treating his colleagues to food from a restaurant with unsanitary health ratings. She warns him that this could even affect his performance in the case against Gruber Pharmaceuticals. Honeywell holds a grudge as he is defensive about his height. Marshall says that back in St. Cloud Minnesota, they believe in people. Even the town wino like Gudren Olsen who became Mayor. Robin says that Lily's stamp of approval is Gold. In fact, Mr. Honeywell is not impressed with Brad's attitude (Brad says how he was fired from retail jobs for telling inappropriate jokes and his strategy for the case involves consulting with Astrologers and Numerologists) and later removes Marshall from the case when Brad makes fun of Honeywell's height. Marshall gets back in Honeywell's good books with Ted and Lily's help, by putting his stamp of approval on little things like funny videos and caramel & cheese popcorn.
Taking off from Marshall's story of stamping approvals, Ted tries to dispel Lily's claim that he has never sealed his own stamp of approval and piggybacked on everybody else's ideas. He pulls out his old video diary tapes from college to prove a point. Lily is touched when she sees one video entry where Ted approved of her as Marshall's potential soulmate after they went out on their third date.
Barney has discovered that his ex-fiance, Quinn (Becki Newton), has returned to stripping at the Lusty Leopard. Since appearing there would make things awkward for both of them, Barney decides to find a new strip club. He says that due to his free spending ways the Lusty Leopard was able to take over the soup kitchen right next door. Soon enough, numerous strip clubs woo him over even as a Lusty Leopard employee begs him to stay; Barney is one of the club's most loyal patrons. Barney is wooed with T-shirts, beer cozies, and breast shaped hand Sanitizer dispenser. When Robin suggests further options to turn those beer cozies into Rolexes and fur coats, Barney lets her negotiate with the strip clubs. Her dealing results in Barney being the next patron of the seniors' joint "Golden Oldies" (even though its owner claimed that their GILFs have class and a mind-blowing flexibility that comes from advanced hip Dysplasia). He fires Robin when he learns that the strip club - which both he and she earlier rejected - bribed her with gifts. They reconcile by getting drunk at Barney's new strip club, the Mouth Beach, which he announces at MacLaren's. Barney and Robin reflect on what happened and he kisses her - she momentarily returns it but soon rebuffs him and leaves.
At the hearing, Marshall and Mr. Honeywell are stunned to see Brad among Gruber's lawyers. The company, which had actually hired Brad during those two years he told Marshall he was unemployed, planted him as a bum to spy on the law firm. Brad admits that when he insulted Honeywell in his own office, he was left alone in the conference room, and he took photos of their entire strategy against Gruber Pharmaceuticals. Honeywell warns Marshall that he will be fired if Gruber - now well-informed of the plaintiff's battle plan - wins the case. Future Ted says there will be more of the case later.
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