Plot
Ted (Josh Radnor) is at the clinic to remove his tattoo, where he is attracted to his doctor, Stella (Sarah Chalke). They agree to go to a movie, but Ted does not realize Stella had brought her friends along with her, and it was not a date. At the next session, Ted suggests waiting till his ten sessions are over before asking her out, but Stella tells him she will still say no. Ted still feels that over ten weeks, she will start to like him, so decides to keep trying. Even though the first five sessions go well, Stella confirms her answer is still no. Ted decides that being nice to the receptionist, Abby (Britney Spears), would be a good way to let Stella see his good side, but instead, Abby starts to show interest in him. Upset that this didn't work, Ted tries using a self-help book he saw in Stella's clinic. When he tries talking to her about this, she reveals it isn't her book, and she detests it, while Abby confirms that Ted was reading the book in the reception.
Robin (Cobie Smulders) suggests Ted give up on Stella and instead focus on Abby. Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) agrees, as he made an appointment with Stella to check what she was like, and discovered she had a condition where she is only attracted to men with mustaches. Although Ted does not believe him, he still tries to grow a mustache, which Stella laughs at (a year earlier, Barney had made a ten-dollar bet with Ted that he could get him to grow a mustache). Upset, Ted says he gives up, but Lily (Alyson Hannigan) tells him to try again, as Stella is interested in him, though she says she has not been to see her. It is then revealed that Marshall (Jason Segel) had gone to see Stella to talk up Ted, and found out Stella had a crush on him. Happy that Stella is interested in him, Ted asks her out after his last session, but she says she does not have a time for dating because she has a daughter.
After a while, Ted realizes she didn't actually say the word 'no', just that she didn't have time, and so decides to take her out on a "two-minute date" - to dinner at a table at the café next door to her practice and a "movie" in clips at the electronics store two doors down, with help from Ranjit (Marshall Manesh). The date goes well, and Stella promises to call if she ever has time. Finally, Abby sees Ted outside the clinic holding flowers he tried to give to Stella, and chases him down the street. She is then seen at the reception telling Barney about how he toyed with her emotions, after which they go out to have sex.
Read more about this topic: Ten Sessions
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