Man With a Plan – Couples Therapy

By: Ujjyani Banerjee

Lowell (Matt Cook) is practicing yoga in the office. Adam (Matt LeBlanc) and Joe (Stacy Keach) catch him off guard and he falls. After dusting himself off Lowell reveals about Don (Kevin Nealon) taking an off day to attend couple’s therapy with Marcy (Kali Rocha). Adam; however, has bigger news to share – he’s bought a boat which is due to arrive in a week! The only issue is that Andi (Liza Snyder), who has turned this idea down in the past, hasn’t been informed yet and he needs to figure out a way to break it to her. Joe suggests making it seem like it was her idea. Soon father and son start reminiscing about their fishing days from the past. Adam and Joe join Andi and Bev (Swoozie Kurtz) for drinks at home. Adam begins complaining about stress and how water-related activities would help him feel lighter. Suggestions start pouring in. Bev believes that sex would help while Andi mentions a walk by the lake could do wonders. Joe feels that ducks are the most stress-free creatures on this planet. Adam takes pointers from there and tells Andi that he needs to be “on the water” as opposed to being on the side of it.

Just then Don and Marcy return from their therapy session. They look deeply in love and Don especially stands out in his morbidly tacky, purple silk shirt. Both rave about the therapist Dr. Chuck. He apparently asked Marcy to go easy on Don and be less judgmental. Now she doesn’t feel like comparing Don to an unemployed pimp when he wears the tacky silk shirt. She even shares Dr. Chuck’s card with the family. Andi is happy for them and starts considering it seriously as it could even help Adam deal with stress. Adam says no and tries steering the conversation to boats but fails.

The guys gather for a barbecue later. Don suggests couple’s therapy to his dejected brother, but Adam compares it to visiting a shrink and says how it’s bound to end in his nuts being sealed in a box. Don explains that he met Dr. Chuck, a recent divorcee, at the gym and how finding flaws in women is his default mode now. On the other side, Marcy reveals to Andi and Bev that even though the doctor pointed out plenty of imperfections in her she’s learned to come to an acceptance with it. Joe too suggests therapy now, but Adam wants to try out all his options before taking for the shrink route.

Adam brings a brownie for Andi and directly asks her about the boat, even agreeing to name the vessel after her. Andi says no. Adam, who had the kids rehearse as his failsafe option, calls them in the living room to sell the idea to their mom. Unfortunately, the whole show about how “boats can be good for growing children” bombs. Finally, Adam decides to take Don’s advice and agrees on couple’s therapy. He promises to drop the whole topic if the therapist agrees with her. Andi is impressed and agrees with him. She shares about Adam agreeing on therapy with Marcy and Bev. Bev desperately needs Joe to go for a session as the man wanders around in his underpants attracting unwanted attention from their neighbors. Marcy feels she’s had enough of Dr. Chuck. Joe comes to take Bev home, but his wife looks pissed. Joe wonders if it’s the underpants again. Bev and Andi say yes. Joe follows Bev looking confused. Marcy sulks and continues on how according to Dr. Chuck every outrageous thing that Don ever does somehow becomes her fault. Andi finds it odd and smells something fishy when Marcy reveals that it was Don who found this doctor.

The ladies figure out that they’re getting played by their husbands and now decide to pay them back. Adam and Andi go for therapy and Adam is shocked to find a different doctor, Dr. Felicia (Merrin Dungey), instead of Dr. Chuck. He starts rethinking his decision, but it’s too late. He goes in morose and comes out looking miserable. He soon learns that Andi knew about Dr. Chuck being a ringer the whole time. Just then, the boat arrives and Andi is furious that Adam lied to her about “simply thinking” of buying a boat. Adam is pissed that the boat arrived this early. As it turns out, it was Don’s idea as he wanted to take it out for a ride with the whole family the coming weekend. He and Lowell even get champagne to celebrate, but are informed by Adam that it isn’t the best time. Andi is appalled to know that all this time Adam was simply trying to sell his boat idea to her. Adam hates how her “no” always weighs more than his “yes” and it’s not fair as marriage is 50-50. When Andi argues that her “yes” is what keeps the house balanced, Adam reminds her that he built the very house while she simply decorated it with pillows. He immediately realizes that they went off track and that he has offended Andi.

Adam and Andi go for their second session. Dr. Felicia realizes that Adam’s passion for the boat pisses Andi off and it is posing as a major problem. In order to circle in on the cause, she asks Adam if there’s a personal memory associated with boats. Adam reveals that boats take him back to the days when he and Don used to go fishing with Joe and how that one fun-filled day used to serve as an escape from their daily monotony of life. Adam determines that he wants the same fun times with his kids and Andi now and the boat seems to be a big part of it, especially with the kids growing up so quickly. Andi is moved. The next day Don and Marcy go to meet Dr. Felicia. Don misses Dr. Chuck. He goes in donning the purple silk shirt and comes out in his vest. Marcy dumps the shirt in the trash as Don looks at it longingly. He gets back in his flannel and finds Adam putting the boat up for sale. Adam realizes that it’s for the best, but Andi now thinks otherwise. She agrees to keep the boat and have more family time with it. Joe has better luck than his sons as he and Bev get Dr. Chuck. They go in for the session and on their way out Joe is a happy man. Bev has been made to believe that her comments on Joe wearing underpants outside his house is unnecessary smothering on her end and that she shouldn’t be doing that anymore!