Review: 'Cougar Town' - 'A Mind With a Heart of Its Own': They shoot horses, don't they?
A zip line, murder portraits and Co-MoH's lead to another funny episode
Busy Philipps and Christa Miller on "Cougar Town."
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A review of tonight's "Cougar Town" coming up just as soon as I have both formal and informal overalls...
One of the things I love about the evolution of "Cougar Town" is how it's become a crazy idea delivery system. It feels like every episode was born out of some late-night brainstorming session where no thought would be considered too stupid or outrageous: What if Bobby and Andy hug each other while riding a zip line really slowly across the cul-de-sac? What if Ellie vents her frustration with Andy by making him pose for gruesome murder portraits? What if Chick asked Grayson to shoot a horse as a test of his suitability to marry Jules?
And while I think the show would be very entertaining and funny if it was just that string of wacky ideas, these days they're always tied around actual character-driven stories, whether it's Jules being a people-pleaser(*), Bobby trying to be cool about Jules marrying someone else or Chick's guilt about not doing a better job of protecting Jules from Bobby. And while some gags were introduced early and then quickly dropped (like Laurie's short hook-up Ricky), others kept going until they all tied together at the end, with Jules zip-lining to stop Ellie from making Laurie feel bad(**) and then getting to chainsaw her to death while Travis watched.
(*) Though it's not like she doesn't have a pretty notorious selfish streak. Even within this episode, she has Tom on alert to redirect all conversation back to the wedding.
(**) And, before that, a good pay-off to the No Spoilers running gag with Jules assuming that "Semantics" was the title of a movie she hadn't seen yet.
The characters are just so locked in right, now, from the regulars (we're at a point where everything Laurie says and does is instantly funny) to recurring characters like Chick. (As we saw so many times on "Scrubs," Ken Jenkins is a great dramatic actor, so his lie about the horse seemed very convincing, and then made the reveal that he was punking Grayson that much funnier.)
The ratings weren't very good last week. Bill Lawrence has been trying to keep spirits high on Twitter, saying that the plan was to just get the show back on the air and get awareness up before "Glee" took a break and there was a chance for the numbers to rise. We'll see. The fact that ABC owns the show will certainly help it come decision time in May, and we knew that post-"Last Man Standing" wasn't a good timeslot for this show. Right now, I'm just going to enjoy what we're getting, because this show is on a hot streak at the start of this season.
What did everybody else think?
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All through his childhood, Alan Sepinwall's relatives told his parents, "All that boy does is watch television! How's he going to make a living doing that?" His career as a TV critic has been 15 years and counting of his attempt to answer their concerns. "What's Alan Watching" is a blog whose title is self-explanatory: Alan watches TV shows, then writes about what he watched. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com
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Comments
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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupIan
February 21, 2012 at 10:07PM EST Reply to CommentThe way you signed the post, "the ratings" gives off a very ominous vibe.
sepinwall Typo, left over from an earlier edit of the story.
February 21, 2012 at 10:49PM ESTTausif Khan I saw an ad from ABC calling the Last Man Standing Cougar Town pairing a hit. I don't know what that means.
February 22, 2012 at 2:46AM ESTNick
February 21, 2012 at 10:22PM EST Reply to CommentThis was a pretty big step down from the premiere on all counts for me. But that's mostly because I thought that was among the best they've ever done. Solid stuff overall, though it's hard to not be bummed by the fact that there's an incredibly small chance this is renewed now.
JeffK I agree -- this one why character-y, just didn't have the laughs like the others. This wasn't one of the eps shown at the viewing party in Tribeca, and I wonder if that's why...
February 22, 2012 at 10:14AM ESTJeffK "WAS" character-y, not "why"...
February 22, 2012 at 10:15AM ESTOmagus
February 21, 2012 at 10:23PM EST Reply to CommentI got a pretty good laugh out of Laurie's understanding of what happened in "Inception."
Brian To be fair to her, nobody really knows what happened in Inception. Which was spoofed incredibly well by South Park.
February 22, 2012 at 9:43AM ESTHK
February 21, 2012 at 10:42PM EST Reply to Comment30 minutes of raging contrived SH*T.
jcpdiesel21 That's a bit extreme.
February 22, 2012 at 10:40AM ESTsrpad
February 22, 2012 at 1:06AM EST Reply to Comment"Semantics" should be the title of a movie. I see Michael Douglas as the aging English professor and Emma Stone as the fresh faced co ed. It's gold!
leemats
February 22, 2012 at 1:50AM EST Reply to CommentInteresting. Before the premiere aired, Bill Lawrence did an interview on Marc Maron's WTF podcast and he said that based on the ratings they've been getting, he's confident the show will be around for a while.
LJA The key demo rating dropped below a 2 last week. I think he said as long as they maintain a 2, he's confident, so he wants to get that number back up to where it was last season.
February 22, 2012 at 3:30AM EST
February 22, 2012 at 8:37AM EST
February 22, 2012 at 8:37AM ESTLazycrockett
February 22, 2012 at 2:45AM EST Reply to CommentI thought the Ricky/Frodo crayon seen was great. Im still iffy on the wedding idea, cause it just doesn't bold well but I'm willing to see where they go with it. I don't think the glee hiatus will boost the ratings cause its two very different shows, though who knows glee has been a disaster this season imo and would love to see some audience love. Its just a really bad time slot for the show.
Justin
February 22, 2012 at 2:58AM EST Reply to CommentAs a straight, mid-twenties guy...I have to say that CougarTown is one of the wittiest shows on television. Sadly, I was never a Scrubs fan, not from dislike but honestly just never catching it or wanting to. But the consistently funny dialogue and ability to make multiple jokes last the entire episode(gay trap, anyone?), instead of sticking with one-liners makes me want to go back and watch it. Cougar Town is the new Friends, aged a few years. Courtney Cox leads the fantastic ensemble cast with the same neurotic Monica-isms that made us fall in love with her in the first place. And the rest of the cast falls in line, many surpassing her comedic longevity. Let's keep this show on t.v. and get rid of the rest of the fodder out there.
"PENNY CAN!!!"
So Cal Amen sir. Late 20s straight dude and I watched Scrubs, but goddamned if this isn't right up there with Parks and Rec as my favorite sitcom of the moment
February 22, 2012 at 3:52AM ESTOmagus I'm confused. Are straight guys not supposed to be able to enjoy the show? I've pretty much enjoyed every Bill Lawrence show, and Cougar Town is right up there with Spin City and Scrubs in making me laugh.
February 22, 2012 at 4:09AM ESTJustin No, straight guys SHOULD be watching this show but the show title and original premise are very off-putting. The dynamic the show embodies now reminds me, somewhat slightly, of several Judd Apatow films. 40 Year Old Virgin and the extremely quotable "Know how I know" and "Waxing" scenes come to mind. Hell, The Hangover even! I feel like I wanna watch episodes multiple times to incorporate their humor and vernacular into my everyday life. (Yeah, I'm one of those guys. A movie quoter.) The less funny Happy Endings is fairing better amongst my demographic and shouldn't be. The awareness of this show needs to be raised and needs to become..."cool". I'm sorry but I just don't see my buddies posting, "Just laughed my ass off watching CougarTown! Funny shit!" on my Facebook feed. However, replace CT with Family Guy or The Office, both of which make me want to punch a baby, then you've got the near-sighted comedy acceptance I see among my circle of friends. I've got a friend who posts quotes from the Simpson's everyday! EVERYDAY!!! CT isn't socially acceptable comedy amongst young males primarily because it's chick-driven and terribly named. Return it to it's old time slot behind Modern Family and amp up the commercials and maybe the cult following can persuade the dissenters to give it a chance. I really don't want to see it snuffed out before its time. Arrested Development, anyone? Titus? Was Titus a stretch?
February 22, 2012 at 6:15AM EST"Penny Caaaan!!!"
brian Another mid-twenties guy here. Have to agree. When I tell my friends I like "Cougar Town" and they should check it out, they look at me like I'm crazy. Its just such a terrible title.
February 22, 2012 at 9:49AM ESTOmagus "No, straight guys SHOULD be watching this show but the show title and original premise are very off-putting."
February 22, 2012 at 11:31AM EST--
Oh, ok. I understand what you're saying now. And now that I actually think about it, you're right. None of my buddies watch the show; I can only discuss it with a couple of female friends (although not many of them watch it either).
LJA
February 22, 2012 at 3:31AM EST Reply to CommentI could have watched Travis, Grayson and Chick all night. They were golden together.
So Cal
February 22, 2012 at 3:55AM EST Reply to CommentAnyone interested in ratings should visit tvbythenumbers.com daily. for Serious
bearcouch
February 22, 2012 at 5:59AM EST Reply to CommentI can't breathe! Haha that was awesome.
raylanfan
February 22, 2012 at 9:25AM EST Reply to CommentBobby is hot!
JDP
February 22, 2012 at 9:43AM EST Reply to CommentI love this show. I really hope it makes it. Best gag from last night: "Thanks babe!" ABC please give this show the love--and time slot--it deserves!
Brian
February 22, 2012 at 9:47AM EST Reply to CommentSurprised there was no comment from Alan on the alternate names they gave in the intro. I think Mid-Life probably fits the show the best.
sepinwall The Drinking Age was my favorite of those. That, or Cougar City.
February 22, 2012 at 2:14PM ESTDouglas123
February 22, 2012 at 12:01PM EST Reply to Commentmy friend's aunt makes $80 every hour on the internet. She has been out of work for 8 months but last month her check was $8721 just working on the internet for a few hours. Here's the site to read more... LazyCash10.com
Clevelle
February 22, 2012 at 1:56PM EST Reply to CommentLOVED the spoof of the woman in that Youtube clip who fell from a platform while trying to stomp grapes and made some dog-like "arf" noises during a news interview. Jules made a similar noise after she hit the ground.
chuckie Glad I'm not the only one who thought of that!
February 28, 2012 at 1:01AM ESTJack
February 25, 2012 at 11:12AM EST Reply to CommentLoved this episode. The only thing I didn't like was Ellie showing Jules the hanging gruesome murder pictures, when in the previous scene she was worried Stan would see her "killing" Andy. Pretty sure Stan would see the pictures on the wall.