Man With a Plan – Dirty Money

By: Julie Mante

When Adam (Matt LeBlanc) returns to the office, he complains to his brother Don (Kevin Nealon) how expensive this mini mall job is turning out to be. The brothers are not going to be paid until they actually start working and Adam is surprised that the preparation costs are more than he expected. Adam tells him that they will have to use their personal money to pay for the things they need for the job until they start getting paid. When Andi (Liza Snyder) arrives home, she is surprised to see Adam cleaning the pantry. Now that he is strapped for cash, Adam is noticing that there is a lot of food sitting there uneaten. He tells her that they need to be frugal for a while until he starts getting paid for the mall job. Andi tells him that everything will be fine and they will loan their money to the company for a while. He tells her that he already loaned all their money to the company. Andi reminds him that she needs money to send their three children to summer camp. When Adam says that the kids should not go to camp this year, she emphasizes that the camp is not for the kids but for them. They get to have kid-free days at home and they have the option of walking around the house with no pants. When Adam remembers that he tells her that the kids will be going to camp, but they have to eat everything in the house before buying more groceries.

Adam’s parents Joe (Stacy Keach) and Beverly “Bev” (Swoosie Kurtz) are at the house for dinner. Bev tells the couple that she will be hosting Don’s birthday party are her home. Andi tells her that Don’s wife Marcy (Kali Rocha) is planning his birthday party. Bev thanks Andi for letting her know. She is determined to find a way to host her son’s party. Joe is unhappy to be served a hot dog with no bun and rice for dinner. Andi tells him that the family is on a budget for a while. Joe reminds him that he warned his son of the risks of starting his own business, but Adam assures him that he has everything until control. Joe offers to loan them money. Andi and Adam answer him at the same time. Andi accepts. Adam declines. They do this twice. They decide to talk privately so they can have the same answer. Inside the pantry, Andi tells Adam all the good reasons to accept the loan: not worrying about expenses, money for camp, and most importantly having the option of not wearing pants when the kids are away. Adam believes it is a bad idea to borrow money from family. Besides, he and Joe have a complicated history and he feels that this will only make their relationship worse. She assures her that this is the right move.

The next day, Adam is startled to see his dad at work. Joe tells his sons that since he gave Adam a loan, it is only fair that he sees their workplace so he can see what his money is paying for. Adam quickly realizes that he made a mistake. Joe starts hovering over Adam’s shoulder and looking at all the invoices Adam is spending for the company. Joe believes Adam is wasting his money while Adam tries to tell him that his spending is fine. When Joe leaves to count the wood they are buying, Don tells Adam that he needs to get rid of Joe. Adam points out that Don was pretending to be okay with the situation when their dad was in the room and now he is honest when he is gone. Don says he is the favorite while Adam is not so it is Adam’s job to get rid of their dad. Lowell (Matt Cook) tells Don that Marcy donated Don’s laptop for the library charity drive that Lowell is hosting. He stopped by to give Don a receipt. Don freaks out because he thought Marcy did not know where he hides the laptop. Lowell assures him that everything on the laptop will be deleted before the public sees it, but Don is determined to get his laptop back.

Andi returns home from grocery shopping and sees Adam hard at work. She is feeling pretty good about the loan, but Adam tells her that he had to work from home to escape his nosy father. Joe enters the house saying that the couple’s credit card bills are too high. He asks his son if he is using his fifty dollars per month gym membership. Adam admits that he has not had time to go lately. Andi agrees with Joe. The gym is a luxury that Adam should cut back on. The tables turn quickly on Andi when Joe notes that she spends five dollars a day on coffee, which is a major expense. When Joe points out that buying Starbucks coffee every day costs almost two thousand dollars a year, Andi wants to change the subject. Joe decides that he wants the couple to go on a budget. He will look over their bills and decide what expenses need to be cut. When the couple is getting ready for bed, Andi is not happy that she may have to give up her lattes. When Adam points out that this whole situation is her fault, she admits that he was right. They both agree that they need to stop Joe from putting them on a budget. Andi wants him to tell his dad to back off but Adam insists that they have to do it together.

When Andi, Adam and the kids arrive at Bev’s and Joe’s place, they try to use the kids to soften Joe up so they can let him down easy. Bev and Marcy cannot agree on who should be hosting the party so Andi suggests that they pick a natural location. Bev tries to get Adam on her side, but he thinks that Marcy should do it. Bev reluctantly agrees. Don gets a call from Lowell about his laptop. When Marcy asks him where he is going, he decides not to answer and leaves. Before Joe starts going through their bills Adam and Andi thank him for the loan, but tells him that they will make their own spending decisions. Joe brings up that Adam has never listened to his advice so why should now be any different? Joe recalls that he had set up Adam with a job fixing trucks like he did, but Adam turned it down because he thought he could do more. Adam says he never acted like fixing trucks was beneath him and asks his dad why he is acting like this. Joe tells Adam that he has poor judgment. Adam decides he has enough of his dad’s criticisms and goes to another room to calm down.

Don and Lowell are at the library when Don notices that the librarian (Amy Farrington) is not at the desk. As Don goes into the bin to retrieve his laptop, the librarian returns and asks him what he is doing with the library’s laptop. He tells her that the laptop is his, but she is skeptical. Besides, there is no way to prove that it is his. Don tries to charm the librarian by calling her beautiful and she likes the comment, but she quickly dons her professional hat and refuses to let him walk off with the laptop without proving it is his. Reluctantly, Don turns the laptop on and shows her and Lowell why he was trying to get it back. Lowell is expecting something dirty, but it is rather innocuous. Embarrassing but innocuous. Lowell and the librarian see Don playing a banjo pretending he has a loving audience and groupies. The librarian lets him know that she liked it. When she asks him about his relationship status, he admits that he is married and he and Lowell leave with the laptop. Adam has had it with his dad and tells Andi that they have to find a way to pay Joe back. When he asks her about their emergency rainy day fund, she tells him that they already spent it all. Bev stops by and scolds her son for treating Joe badly. Adam is incredulous because Joe is the one treating him badly. She tells him that all Joe wants is to be needed by his sons. He wants to feel important to them and like he still has something to contribute. Andi tells her that all Adam wants is for his dad to be proud of him. Adam apologizes, but Bev does not think that is good enough. She wants something in return. Adam and Andi are forced to tell Marcy that they believe that Bev should be hosting Don’s party.

At Don’s birthday party the family is celebrating. While Bev brags about how amazing the party is, Marcy announces that she will be hosting a Christmas party. When Adam offers Joe a piece of cake, Joe declines. Andi and Bev try to encourage Adam to try connecting with his dad again. When Adam sits down next to Joe, Adam asks him if he will help him fix an old motorcycle that he and Don are working on. Joe agrees to help, but feels that his son does not need his help. In the kitchen, Bev and Andi are motioning for Adam to hug Joe and Joe notices. He tells Adam that if they hug, they will have to repeat it in the future. Adam agrees not to hug. In the closer, the birthday boy gives his family a performance with his banjo.