Some quick thoughts on last night's "Cougar Town" coming up just as soon as I grow a weird mustache... After the last episode brought all the characters together for Jules' backyard BBQ, "Two Gunslingers"(*) goes back to segregating the men into one plot and the women in the other. And it therefore consigned the bigger laughs to the Travis/Grayson/Andy story(**).
(*) "Two Gunslingers" is one of the more apt Tom Petty song titles they've used so far, given what initially caused the friction between Jules and her old friends at the beach.
(**) Bobby's off on a "hunting trip," alas, as the show works around the usual budgetary issues that face most shows these days, where only a handful of actors are signed to appear in every episode of their shows.
But the ladies on a road trip to Siesta Key wasn't exactly wasted time. The Christa Miller/Busy Philipps combination is paying real dividends, and I like that the writers allowed the two to find common ground (a desire to protect Jules) without wimping out and turning them into BFFs. And Jules' fake date with Straight Trent was a nice capper to an episode where Jules spent so much time trying to pretend to be something (in this case, 34) that she's not.
Rachael Harris (almost unrecognizable without her glasses) and Alan Ruck (contractually obligated to appear in every post-"Spin City" show Bill Lawrence does, I believe) didn't get as much to do as I hoped, but since these characters live in a small town, I imagine we'll be seeing them again.
What did everybody else think?
I found this to be one of the funnier eps all season--even the parts with Jules on her own.
ReplyDeleteTravis fake-coming out to Grayson was wonderful, as was the rivalry between Jules' BFFs. Andy in a V-neck shirt was funny, too.
I like that Alan Ruck's character sees Jules' legs when he's sexing up his shrew of a wife, but not her face. The guys really do get the better lines on this show. And the defeated look on his face when his wife denied him his wish for a divorce was great.
Another homerun. The last two weeks have been very strong. I could watch Travis, Grayson, and Andy interact all day. I about died laughing when the girls called Andy "V-neck."
ReplyDeleteAlso, Andy asking Grayson if he gave Travis the "hit-that nod" was classic Lawrence. I'd love to have a beer with that guy. I love this side of Josh Hopkins, why haven't I seen him do comedy before?
Ellie and Laurie have great chemsitry, too. I love all the "slutty nicknames" Ellie throws out at Laurie.
p.s. Loved the ad for Scrubs during Cougar Town. Is it going to get the vacated-Hank slot? Seems like a perfect fit in the Wednesday night comedy lineup, but I'm not understanding why it is going to premiere on a Tuesday.
I thought it was okay, but the joke at the beginning with Jules saying ages and stopping to the the one she santed to lok like was used exactly the way in the last season of Scrubs with Elliot and the new interns. That kinda put me off for the rest of the ep.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was the most consistent of episodes of Cougar Town. It leaves me to believe there is hope for the show.
ReplyDeleteScrubs, I believe, is back 12/1 for an hour premiere. 12/8, it will be on Tuesday paired with Better Off Ted so it won't take over Hank's slot.
The entire Travis/Grayson story line, up to and including the torqued extortion at the end, was sheer delight.
ReplyDeleteThere wasn't actually anything I didn't like in this one. Cox continues to be the weakest link, but she wasn't off-putting and the interaction with gay Trent was terrific.
I continue to think the show's more than worth watching.
I just can't get into the show, despite being very patient with it and watching all the episodes. It doesn't help that the show is stacked with Modern Family, which is a 100x funnier and more clever in every regard. And Community is so much more engaging and charming. Yet, Cougar Town keeps getting all this mainstream Hot list praise. I just don't get it. I try and I try and yet i barely muster a laugh. Yet with Community, MF and an admittedly uneven The Office lately, I'm still howling at at least 2-3 jokes and smiling the rest of the time.
ReplyDeleteThe characters are all mostly vapid. (What was the point in having Travis do that to Grayson who was actually showing some decency in helping out Jules?) At least on Scrubs, every character had very obvious humanity underneath their crazy exteriors. Here, I feel like the actors are straining to be bitchy and self-involved, going way past the point of comedy and into unfunny parody territory. And the supposed "heart" underneath their exteriors is contrived and unconvincing.
But has anyone ever said "d-block" when they meant "cock-block"?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the episode, but I hate when TV shows come up with lame slang alternatives, like the infamous "fun buddies."
My high point: Andy's story that ended up being about potentially-fatal brownies.
ReplyDeleteI need your help, Cougartown viewers! My dad flipped across this show, heard a song he liked being played while Jules danced with some guy, and wants me to find out what the song is (typical request). I don't watch the show, but given the picture leading this post, I figure it's this episode he's talking about. So does anyone know what song played during that scene? Heardontv.com doesn't list anything at all for Cougartown, so I'm clueless.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I did try the obvious and watch it on abc.com, but the less sad about how poorly that went the better. Seriously, ABC, in a Hulu world, how can you justify that awful player?
ReplyDeleteI agree with eightiesologist - what was the point of the whole Travis gay-game? It's not like Grayson is such a horrible character that he needs his comeuppance. And the only thing that came of it was a "wtf" face when Travis kissed the girl? Seems like if you put on that elaborate a ruse, you would do it for some kind of payoff (Grayson letting girls sleep over because he thinks you are gay, etc.)
ReplyDeleteI guess I just find Travis to be the weak link for me - he's like that smart-mouthed 9-year old sitcom staple, but in a grown man's body. Are we supposed to think he's cute? Hot? Am I a perv for even considering his hotness? Scenes with Jules making sexual jokes with him just don't work for me. There was one where he walked in when she had pulled her shirt up and she made a crack about how it shouldn't bother him since she'd nursed him... am I the only one who finds that not funny? Again, probably because the actor looks 30...
The point was to make Grayson suffer for what he did in sending Travis's girlfriend away. We know by now how much Grayson hates having to listen to people talk about their feelings, and Travis trapped him in just such a conversation for a very, very long time, then showed him at the end that it was all a lie - and that Grayson therefore suffered through all of that for nothing.
ReplyDeletePlus, he extracted a humiliating story he could use against Grayson at a later date. As soon as Grayson told that story about kissing another boy, you could see Travis realizing he had all he needed and it was time to wrap things up.
I stumbled upon the show for the first time and caught Courtney Cox in a bikini in one of the opening scenes. Damn.
ReplyDeleteI don't normally go for older women but ... damn.