How I Met Your Mother S08E07 – The Stamp Tramp

How I Met Your Mother S08E07 – The Stamp Tramp

Marshall recommends his old law school classmate Brad for a job at his firm, but the interview goes awry, leaving Marshall to do damage control with his boss. Meanwhile, Robin helps negotiate Barney’s return to the strip club circuit.

While the gang are sitting at MacLaren's, Marshall walks in and tells them that he met Brad, his old friend from law school, outside his law firm. After finding out that Brad has been unemployed for two years, Marshall recommended him to his boss, Honeywell, which the rest of the gang disapprove. Marshall says that there is nothing wrong with him giving Brad his stamp of approval, but Robin tells him that he is a "Stamp Tramp"; he gives his stamp of approval to everything. Lily adds that Marshall sees the good in everything and everyone and that is why his stamps are total crap. Robin suggests that he be more like his wife Lily, whose "stamp" is gold. Ted points out that he is the one with the "Golden Stamp", but Barney says that he is a "Piggyback Stamper"; someone who gives their Stamp of Approval to something after someone else has already recommended it.

At his interview with Honeywell, Brad keeps talking about how he takes advice from his psychic, numerologist and astrologist on cases, which puts off Honeywell. When Brad makes fun of Honeywell's height (Honeywell has a short stature), Honeywell asks him to leave. Angry at Marshall for recommending Brad, he takes Marshall off the upcoming Gruber Pharmaceuticals case, as he can't trust his judgement. When he tells this to Lily and Ted, they tell him to earn Honeywell trust by "putting his stamp" on little things and working his way up. This works and Honeywell puts Marshall back on the case.

At the hearing of the Gruber Pharmaceuticals case, Honeywell and Marshall are stunned to see Brad there. Marshall thinks that he was recently hired by the Gruber Pharmaceuticals legal team, but Brad tells him that he has been working there for two years. He tricked Marshall to get an interview at Honeywell and Cootes, where he stole their case strategy. Furious at Marshall, Honeywell tells him that if he doesn't win the case, he will be fired.

Wanting to prove that he is not a "Piggyback Stamper", Ted digs up his video diaries from Wesleyan. After watching the tapes, Ted realizes that he is a "Piggyback Stamper" and is disappointed. However, Lily notices a tape of Ted talking to Marshall after his third date with her. Marshall tells Ted that he thinks that he is falling in love with Lily, and thinks he should see other people as everything is happening too fast. However Ted convinces Marshall that Lily is the one for him. After watching the tape, Lily is touched that Ted gave her his Stamp of Approval.

Meanwhile, Barney has come across a problem, Quinn, his ex-fiancee, has gone back to working at the Lusty Leopard, and now he has to look for another strip club. He tells the gang that all the strip clubs in town are after him and are sending him merchandise to woo him. When Robin suggests that Barney go visit a few strip clubs in Long Island, New Jersey so the strip clubs in NY can give him bigger stuff to woo him, Barney hires her as his strip club agent. When Robin picks a strip club with elderly women as strippers called "The Golden Oldies" - a strip club which they had already rejected - Barney realizes that the club had been bribing Robin and fires her. Robin apologizes by buying Barney his first lap dance, and Barney then announces that he decided to choose "The Mouth Beach" as his new strip club. After coming back from The Mouth Beach with Barney, a drunk Robin tells him that she missed her single life. She also tells Barney that she had fun time and he tells her that he always has fun with her. Barney then kisses Robin, who seems to be in to it for a moment but then pushes him away, telling him that "this can't happen" and leaves.