Nice, that's a clean pattern for a "chaos comet" little brother. Let's wire Nox and Bryce into those episodes.
Below is a Season 1 appearance roadmap for Nox Mosby & Bryce Dallas Howard in the episodes you picked:
2, 4, 6, 8, 12–22. Canon stays intact; we're just threading them through it.
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S1E2 – "Purple Giraffe"
Canon core: Ted keeps throwing parties to "accidentally" see Robin.
Nox/Bryce integration:
Nox is introduced here as Ted's younger brother who just "dropped into New York for a few days" (translation: he was bored and hopped on a jet).
He shows up at the second party, raiding Ted's fridge, immediately clocking the situation:
"You threw three parties for one girl? Bro, that's not romance, that's a scheduling problem."
He's in casual-but-stupidly-high-quality Nyx Co clothes; Barney immediately notices the tailoring and starts grilling him about where he shops.
Bryce is mentioned but not seen yet – she's "on set," but Nox is texting her sarcastic commentary about Ted's love life.
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S1E4 – "Return of the Shirt"
Canon core: Ted tries to rekindle things with Natalie, the ex he dumped on her birthday.
Nox/Bryce:
Nox is at MacLaren's when Ted shows up in the "new-old" shirt.
Running bit: Nox keeps asking, "Is this about love or boredom?" every time Ted mentions an ex.
When Ted tells him about Natalie, Nox flatly reminds him, in front of the gang, "You dumped her on her birthday, Teddy. There's no rom-com cut of that."
Bryce pops in for one scene at the bar—Robin recognizes her as Bryce Dallas Howard, but the rest of the gang are like, "Is she in that… one movie?"
Bryce: "Yes."
Nox: "All of them. She's in all movies, just go with it."
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S1E6 – "Slutty Pumpkin"
Canon core: Halloween party on the roof; Ted waits for the Slutty Pumpkin.
Nox/Bryce:
Nox is in a lazy half-costume: incredible Nyx Co tactical jacket + fox mask he keeps taking off because it's annoying.
Bryce goes all in on costume—something slightly over-the-top but tasteful; the gang realizes she's actually famous when random people ask for photos.
Nox spends the night alternating between:
Roasting Ted for chasing a girl from four years ago, and
Casually A/B testing prototype Nyx Co wearables (like a tiny device that tracks noise and temperature at the party).
Barney tries to recruit Nox: "With my marketing and your tech, we could rule the nightlife."
Nox: "I already sell clothes and consoles in three countries. I think I'm good."
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S1E8 – "The Duel"
Canon core: Lily moving in triggers the "sword fight" over the apartment.
Nox/Bryce:
Nox is the voice of brutal practicality:
"You're all idiots. Just get a bigger apartment. I'll cover the broker fee if you stop dueling like 8-year-olds."
The duel still happens (because sitcom), but Nox and Bryce are:
On the couch, live-commentating like it's a pay-per-view fight.
After the duel, Nox quietly floats, "If this gets worse, Ted, I can buy the building and give you your own floor."
Ted refuses—he wants to be a grown-up, not Nox's dependent. That sets up their long-term tension: Ted's pride vs Nox's resources.
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S1E12 – "The Wedding"
Canon core: Ted brings Robin as a date to Claudia & Stuart's wedding; chaos ensues when she cancels last minute.
Nox/Bryce:
Nox and Bryce are invited too; Nox knows Stuart from some tech-adjacent thing (Stuart once tried a start-up, Nox invested a small amount then bailed).
When Robin cancels, Ted panics—Nox casually says, "Take Bryce, she's objectively hotter," earning a playful smack from Bryce.
To preserve canon:
Bryce already has obligations (press or filming), so Ted still goes alone, but Nox and Bryce show up at the reception later.
Tiny moment: Nox sees Ted staring at the dance floor and quietly clocks how lonely he looks despite being surrounded by people. That's fuel for his protectiveness later.
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S1E13 – "Drumroll, Please"
Canon core: Ted meets Victoria at the wedding, the mystery woman he tries to track down.
Nox/Bryce:
Nox and Bryce are on the periphery during Ted & Victoria's initial dance—Nox spots the chemistry instantly.
After Ted loses track of Victoria:
Nox is the one who says, "If it's real, you'll find her. Or she'll find you. Or you'll both be idiots and miss it. That's how this works."
When Ted starts obsessing over finding her, Nox pretends he doesn't care, but quietly uses Nyx Co connections (people, not surveillance) to help track the bakery/connection in the background—never explicitly stated, but hinted at via a throwaway line later.
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S1E14 – "Zip, Zip, Zip"
Canon core: Ted & Victoria's first "big" night together; Robin hangs out with Barney as his "bro."
Nox/Bryce:
Nox and Bryce have off-screen plans that keep getting delayed:
They were supposed to drag Ted out, but Ted cancels because of "big romantic night."
Brief scene: Nox and Bryce at MacLaren's, Robin swings by before Barney night:
They tease her about going out "as one of the bros."
Bryce nudges her: "You know that's how crushes start, right? Pretending you're not on a date."
This puts Nox in the role of relationship meta-commentator without altering canon events.
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S1E15 – "Game Night"
Canon core: Barney's hippie backstory and "suit up" origin.
Nox/Bryce:
Nox and Bryce are fully at the game night.
When everyone shares their embarrassing stories:
Nox's story is something ridiculous like accidentally crashing his own product launch because he got distracted by a claw machine in the lobby.
He's the one who sees through Barney's bravado the fastest:
"So you got your heart broken once and responded by speedrunning a midlife crisis at 23. Respect."
Bryce actually empathizes with Barney's transformation—recognizing the "rebrand after heartbreak" pattern from acting and Hollywood.
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S1E16 – "Cupcake"
Canon core: Victoria gets a fellowship in Germany; Marshall interviews at Barney's firm; Lily wrecks a wedding dress.
Nox/Bryce:
Lily's $8,000 dress disaster?
It's a high-end design suspiciously similar to a Nyx Co experimental bridal line, and Nox gets a panicked call.
He calms Lily down and quietly arranges to eat the cost via Nyx Co, but only if she promises to stop feeling guilty and move forward.
Marshall's job struggle:
Post-interview, Nox tells Marshall: "You can survive a soul-sucking job for a while if it gets you where you need to go. Just don't stay too long and forget who you are."
With Ted/Victoria, Nox doesn't push; he just tells Ted, "Long distance only works if you both choose it every day. Once one person stops choosing, it's done."
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S1E17 – "Life Among the Gorillas"
Canon core: Marshall struggles with the toxic culture at Barney's firm; Ted's long-distance guilt with Victoria grows.
Nox/Bryce:
Nox visits Marshall at lunch in the corporate café:
Sees the "gorilla" coworkers and immediately goes, "Ah, yes. The natural habitat of fragile men in pleated khakis."
He offers Marshall an open door:
"If you ever want out, call me. Nyx Co always needs lawyers who still have souls."
This plants a long-term possibility: Nyx Co as an alternate path for Marshall in later seasons if you want it.
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S1E18 – "Nothing Good Happens After 2 A.M."
Canon core: Ted lies about his breakup with Victoria and goes to Robin's after 2 a.m., proving the rule true.
Nox/Bryce:
Early-in-episode MacLaren's scene:
Nox states the rule first: "Nothing good after 2 a.m. The only people awake are sad, horny, or criminals."
Ted ignores him and goes to Robin's anyway.
When it all implodes, Nox doesn't say "I told you so"—he just shows up at the apartment with food, sits on the couch, and lets Ted talk:
"Congrats. You just unlocked the achievement: Learning the Hard Way."
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S1E19 – "Mary the Paralegal"
Canon core: Robin's awards banquet; Barney convinces Ted his date is a prostitute.
Nox/Bryce:
Nox & Bryce attend the banquet as Robin's stylish friends; Nox is in a Nyx Co suit that makes Barney physically jealous.
Barney tries to rope Nox into the "Mary is a prostitute" bit:
Nox doesn't fall for it but decides to watch Ted squirm: "I'm not helping, but I'm also not stopping this. For science."
Later, when Ted finds out the truth, Nox is quietly pissed at Barney:
"Mess with feelings if you want, but don't make your friends feel unlovable. That's not a joke, that's just mean."
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S1E20 – "Best Prom Ever"
Canon core: The gang crashes a high school prom to scout a wedding band; Ted and Robin try to repair their friendship.
Nox/Bryce:
Nox is the logistics guy:
He's the one who gets the van or car and music equipment, using Nyx Co connections and "school donation" talk.
At the prom, Bryce blends in way too well; some kids recognize her and think the band is way more legit than it is.
Nox gives Robin a subtle push:
"You and Ted are trying really hard to pretend you're only friends. Might work. Might not. Just don't lie to yourself as much as he lies to himself."
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S1E21 – "Milk"
Canon core: Ted gets his "perfect match" from the matchmaking service but chooses Robin instead; Lily secretly applies for a fellowship in San Francisco.
Nox/Bryce:
Nox is fascinated by Ted's "perfect match":
"Algorithms are cute. People are messier. Place your bets."
After Ted bails on the perfect match, Nox is the only one who fully understands:
"You picked chaos over comfort. That's dumb. And honest. I respect it."
With Lily's secret:
Nox is one of the few people she could hypothetically have called to ask for money instead of a fellowship—but she doesn't. That's important: they're choosing their own path, not his wealth.
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S1E22 – "Come On"
Canon core: Ted does the rain dance and finally gets together with Robin; Lily leaves Marshall for the art fellowship.
Nox/Bryce:
Nox and Bryce see Ted mid-rain dance insanity:
Bryce: "Is he… summoning weather?"
Nox: "If this works, I'm hiring him as our new Head of Atmospheric Marketing."
Once it actually rains, Nox quietly acknowledges:
"Okay. Sometimes the universe rewards idiots in love. Noted."
After Lily leaves Marshall:
Nox and Bryce are at the apartment later that night.
Nox doesn't fix it with money, doesn't offer solutions—he just sits on the floor across from Marshall, sharing cheap beer and silence.
Bryce gives Marshall a simple, grounding line about grief and love that sticks with him into Season 2.