Man With a Plan – The New Old School

By: Ujjyani Banerjee

It’s nighttime and Adam (Matt LeBlanc) is surprised to find Andi (Liza Snyder) in the kitchen while he was patiently waiting for her in bed. Andi’s distracted as she needs to gather baby pictures of Emme (Hala Finley) for her school project but can’t find any. They’ve got plenty of Kate and Teddy’s though. Suddenly, she remembers they might be in Kate’s closet and they stealthily walk up to her room. Just as Andi’s about to enter the closet, she spots Kate (Grace Kaufman) sneaking in through the window.

Andi kicks off the interrogation asking why she sneaked out- was it boys, booze or both? Kate says she was at Shelby’s as both like 8554U. Adam asks if its a drug and Kate says it’s just a band and that she knew they’d freak out as it’s a school night. She feels like a prisoner. Adam informs her that the sentence in this jail is eighteen years and sends her upstairs. Andi feels sorry for Kate. She feels they need to practice modern parenting. Adam despises it and accuses that to be the ruining force behind today’s generation. Andi is torn between being too hard on her kids and letting them off too easy. She asks Adam to take the “old school parenting” route and lead on.

The next day Andi and Lowell (Matt Cook) make Emme sit and explain why they didn’t find any baby pictures of her. Andi tells her that their babysitter stole them and sent them to a modelling agency because she’s so darn cute while Lowell dismally tells about the agency being swallowed by a giant whale which is why she shouldn’t go look for them. Emme gives them a look. They make her wear a hat and binky and decide to photograph her from far away so that she looks small. Having had enough, Emme walks off. Simultaneously, Kate squeals as Adam and Don (Kevin Nealon) carry down the very door to her room as this way they can track every move of hers. Adam wants to know what she’d slam now. Kate slams the front door and walks out.

Later, Adam overhears Kate giggling through her doorway. Andi spots him and comments on his “modern parenting” going real smooth. Adam is angry that Kate’s still happily chatting away with her friends inside her closet and swings it open to unhinge this door too. Andi suggests just taking away her phone. He likes this idea better and confiscates Katie’s phone. But she needs to speak to her friends regarding a group project in Spanish. Adam makes an exception for school work and arranges a landline alternative. Coincidentally, Joe (Stacy Keach) looks for his landline that’s disappeared and Bev (Swoosie Kurtz) says Adam tooks it as he had some work. Joe hopes his son’s not calling long distance!

The next morning Kate’s glued to the phone receiver and she coils, uncoils, twists the cord and irritates Adam on purpose. Adam takes it in hoping it’d all bear sweet fruits in the end. Kate steps up her game and Adam shifts her to their backyard, still connected by the her new favorite cord. Adam and Andi argue about his old school parenting going wrong. Soon, Joe walks in having spotted Katie speaking Spanish on his phone and bewares Adam that he’ll be paying if it. It turns out to be an international call.

Adam explains to Joe how they’ve unhinged Kate’s door and confiscated her phone as bits and bobs of his old school parenting program. Joe contradicts that back in the daythey didn’t even know if Adam had a door. Now that’s old school. Beverly agrees. Emme comes in to take the baby picture that apparently Bev had with her. Andi and Adam watch their little Emme being all resourceful. This puts Adam in thought as he realizes how he “modern parented” Kate to the max and went easy on Emme who, by the way, is turning out great! He also realizes he’s got to correct his parenting modus operandi with Kate ASAP.

Adam and Andi go to Kate’s room and tell her that she’s free to do anything. Kate’s initially surprised, but later she is happy as she can now go to 8554U’s concert on Thursday. Adam says that she’s free to go provided she’s ready to embrace her future. Given she’d be up all night on Thursday, she would have zero concentration at school on Friday. This would make it tough for her to get into a decent college. Soon, she’d be some milky-eyed drifter sleeping in a boxcar. He wishes her luck and walks off.

Later Adam and Andi try watching some TV, but Andi’s worried about Kate and needs to know her whereabouts. She asks Emme the name of the band. Emme recalls it perfectly. Andi looks up the internet and finds out “8554U” actually means “Ass For You” and that the band is playing at a college. Thinking about college boys and how they have their own beds, both parents freak out and try calling Kate but it rings in Adam’s back pocket. Adam had forgotten to return it to her. Thinking of Plan B, they wonder which adult would like to go to a concert of this type? Of course, it’s Lowell. Adam feels Don should tag along too, given that he’s really tall and can see everybody from top like a human Google Earth. Upon reaching the venue Lowell thanks them for tickets as apparently 8554U is his workout jam. Adam asks him if they’ve spotted Kate. Don says he hasn’t and loses Lowell while he’s on phone.

Kate gets back home pretty soon. Adam and Andi are relieved and happy that she learned her lesson. Kate reveals she still wanted to go, but her other friends weren’t allowed as their parents were against it. Moreover, they thought her parents were crazy and might even call. She finally asks about the plans from here on – is she allowed to do whatever she wants or is its the stone age parenting again? Adam and Andi are hellishly confused themselves but act cool in front of her. Adam says this was their plan all along as they wanted her to keep guessing from “crazy strict” to “Super Easy.” He asks her to go upstairs and do whatever she wants.

Adam and Andi have some wine looking back at the eventful day. Soon Lowell arrives looking fazed and decked on with LED necklaces. Adam asks if he’s okay. Lowell reveals how a college dude gave him a breath mint that made him love everybody. Adam and Andi are stunned. Kate comes down to wish her parents goodnight. Seeing her Lowell excitedly whispers that he found her! Adam and Andi are out of words. They were worried about Kate but Lowell’s the one who got 8554U’d instead!