Man With a Plan – Wife-Proof

By: Ujjyani Banerjee

The episode begins with Lowell (Matt Cook) and Don (Kevin Nealon) stumbling in upon Adam (Matt LeBlanc) who is wife-proofing the office as he’s nervous about Andi (Liza Snyder) finally joining their team. He takes work beer as an example – wives find it illogical but cans at NASA’s mission control didn’t deter their moon mission, did they? Lowell cringes. Adam cleans up food wrappers as his wife needn’t know about breakfast 2.0. Don says a “wife” 2.0 would be upsetting, but Adam argues that she’d simply presume that he’s swallowing feelings. He finds women trying to delve deeper into the universal simple-minded shallow man-pool. The trio next decides on what to do if they wrap early in Andi’s presence. Don suggests hitting batting cages and having some hot dogs, as usual, while Lowell suggests a lunch 2.0. Adam decides on them being fake surprised having wrapped early for the first time ever and being overjoyed to have etched out more family time. Don says it sounds nothing like them, but according to Adam he thinks Andi won’t be questioning why he needs to hang out with guys and not family. He also asks Don to take down his tool girl calendar (a/k/a Donnie’s angels) as Andi would wonder if Marcy’s not enough for him.

In the kitchen, as Adam preps to leave for work, Joe (Stacy Keach) reminds him that he’d see his wife all day every day and it won’t be easy as she’d see everything! Adam says he’s got it covered, thanks to wife-proofing. Just then, Andi walks down all excited wondering if she can hold his hands at work. Adam holds her hands right away while Joe gives a sarcastic head nod. The kids come down and hand mom-dad lunch boxes to the pair as they leave for the day. After closing the door, Kate (Grace Kaufman) bets $20 that they won;t make it a week. Joe concurs.

Adam arrives at the office in advance signaling Don and Lowell to applaud while welcoming their new interior decorator. Andi feels welcomed, but is soon astonished to see such a clean office and Don’s calendar missing. Don says he’s grown tired to be looking at half naked ladies but Andi smells wife-proofing. When Adam acts all puzzled, she assures him that she’ll fit in just fine and no changes are needed. Relieved, Don placed his calendar back but as Adam had warned, Andi starts with the destined Marcy question. Don blurts out that maybe Adam was right being worried about her joining in. Then, he tags Lowell along and they immediately escape the awkward air.

Adam reveals that he was worried about Andi’s digging into things nature and that won’t jive well given that the guys like to keep it nice and quiet at work to help concentrate. Andi says can get mellow and finally settles in to work. Just then, she finds a lease to an apartment rented about a month ago on Lowell’s desk. For the family man that he is Andi smells marital separation and asks Adam to talk to him. He is pissed. By evening, the pair return home still quarreling on Lowell’s matter. Seeing the Day 1 bicker, Joe asks the grandkids to pay up.

Adam eventually agrees in spite of showing reluctance and visits Lowell. He’s shocked to learn about the impending divorce and is doubly alarmed at the tiny depressing apartment he’s living in with bare minimum walking area, zero furniture, no TV and a kiddie sleeping bag for a proper bed. The sleeping arrangements are apparently okay with Lowell as he sleeps in fetal position these days. Adam feels sorry for him and gets him to stay at his place. Andi is happy on her husband’s decision, but Adam is pissed as his zone got disturbed with all the probing, knowing, feeling and caring. He tells Andi that this is the reason he doesn’t need to know stuff as it translates to caring. It is also the reason why he switches to other channels when UNICEF commercials pop up as it drives him to donate a goat to some kid every other time. Andi tells that she coaxes him because he’s a sensitive loving guy at heart. Adam finds this statement a low blow and grunts out into the living room to fix Lowell.

At the family therapy session Lowell says he’s fine and the separation is only temporary. Adam completes it for Andi and Don saying that Lowell’s basically giving space to his wife Jen, who’s busy sleeping with her horse riding instructor. Don wonders why he even wants her back. This puts Lowell into thought and finally he reveals that though he’s been a great husband, Jen’s never a good wife. She never replaces toilet paper rolls – an action he now thinks was purposefully done to have him duck-walk around the house with his pants hanging around his ankles. He realizes that he deserves better. Adam suggests packing stuff up, moving on for real and shocking Jen. Lowell says it won’t be possible as she’s changed the locks. Adam next suggests breaking in as it’d have a bigger meaner shock factor. Lowell loves it.

At night, Lowell, Andi, Adam and Don break in. Seeing Lowell hide the TV remote to make life harder for Jen, Andi asks them to hurry up. But Adam says it’s okay as they were sneaky as ninjas. Just then police flashlights hit the group thanks to Don’s light-up shoes, which were apparently a safety measure for his and Marcy’s power walking scheduled for later. Lowell opens the door and he says he’s got to look out for Jen as it’s a matter of divorce and asks them to leave. Amidst this ruckus, Adam sneaks out somewhere else.

At home, Andi says she never imagined Adam ditching them as it was more of a Don thing. To this Don says that he couldn’t as the shoes would light brighter if he ran any faster. Lowell is mad at his stupid payback quest as people love searching for the remote. He basically just made life exciting for Jen. Suddenly, Adam gets home with a big cloth bag revealing that he was busy hiding in the closet like a ninja. Andi asks him not to suffix the “ninja” phrase after normal actions because it’s as ridiculous as saying, “I ate a meatball sandwich, like a ninja!” Dusting her comments off, Adam shows Lowell that he picked up every toilet paper in the house and now Jen would be doing the duck-walk regretting her decision as there would be no one to replace it anymore. Lowell is ecstatic. Andi is elated as well and is glad about their toilet paper savings. Lowell gives Adam a hug and says he hugs like a ninja. Adam thanks him, giving a side eye to Andi!