Inside Television with Alan Sepinwall

Review: 'Cougar Town' - 'Damaged By Love': Rollerskate skinny

Ken Jenkins returns, and Nia Vardalos flirts too much with Andy

By Alan Sepinwall Thursday, May 12, 2011 11:22 AM

Real-life husband and wife Nia Vardalos and Ian Gomez played in-laws on "Cougar Town."

Credit: ABC

A quick review of last night's "Cougar Town" coming up just as soon as I put a question mark at the end of a sentence???

Bit of an uneven episode last night, with several running gags that worked some of the time but not others. Grayson's rollerblading ineptitude, for instance, was funny at the beginning and then got way overplayed until it turned into some kind of leftover JD gag from the later seasons of "Scrubs." And I enjoyed Ellie's frustration at her sister-in-law's flirting with Andy (particularly her various insults to Laurie, like her half-whispered "Sometimes, you look like a dude") far more than I enjoyed watching Nia Vardalos get creepy with her real-life husband. On the other hand, the gag about Andy not speaking Spanish did have a good payoff in the tag, and was the one time I laughed at his sister-in-law's inappropriateness.

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On the other hand, Ken Jenkins remains a perfect fit for this show's mix of goofiness and sentimentality, and the journey to the low-rent, understaffed(*) strip club as an unsuccessful attempt to shake Travis out of his funk was as funny and mortifying as intended. ("Three-dollar drizzle." Heh.)

(*) Destiny, the lone stripper on duty, was played by Crista Flanagan, who will always be Lois the runaway lawnmower driver from "Mad Men."

Not great, but amusing enough.

What did everybody else think?

Alan Sepinwall
Sr. Editor, What's Alan Watching

Alan Sepinwall has been reviewing television since the mid-'90s, first for Tony Soprano's hometown paper, The Star-Ledger, and now for HitFix. His new book, "The Revolution Was Televised," about the last 15 years of TV drama, is for sale at Amazon. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com

Related Searches: Cougar Town, Alan Sepinwall, Courteney Cox, Busy Philipps, Dan Byrd, Christa Miller, Ian Gomez, Josh Hopkins, Brian Van Holt

Waiting for the Community moment on this show is getting to be like waiting for the other end of the outrigger shootout in Lost.
May 12, 2011 at 11:26AM EST Reply to Comment
- Ralphie Did you catch Laurie and Travis in the paintball crowd on Community tonight? Alan's screen cap from the ep shows both...Dan Byrd is just visible but Busy is clear as day.
  May 12, 2011 at 11:37PM EST
Recognised immediately who she was.

I think Christa Miller is probably the most improved actress on this show since it began. She never really managed to figure out the softer side of Jordan on 'Scrubs', but with Ellie she seems to have finally gotten it.

I'm also really glad they didn't leave the episode on a note where Grayson is having doubts about his and Jules' relationship. I could see it going there, and was pleasantly surprised to be wrong.
May 12, 2011 at 11:34AM EST Reply to Comment
A-ha, THAT'S who "Destiny" was!
May 12, 2011 at 11:40AM EST Reply to Comment
Johanna Lapp

Was it just me, or was Michael McDonald as the wine bar pwner (two episodes back) a spiritual twin to Abed of Community? Unflappable, deadpan, prescient, meta-commenting Abed but grown a few years older?
May 12, 2011 at 12:00PM EST Reply to Comment
- DonBoy Actually, I thought that guy was a Perry Cox substitute, especially when he went on some rant that I've now forgotten.
  May 12, 2011 at 12:23PM EST
LJA

Ellie keeping her hate on the DL was great. And like Christa Miller has toned Jordan down to become Ellie, I like the way Ken Jenkins has toned Kelso down to play Jules sweet yet semi Kelso-like creepy-horny father. Good to see Flanagan is still playing women who are a hot mess.

In other Cougar Town news, my autographed Penny Can arrived yesterday. I got through on the Penny Can Phone from a few weeks ago, and this is what they sent out as a prize.

May 12, 2011 at 12:00PM EST Reply to Comment
Good episode. 3 dollar drizzle was great. Thanks for pointing out where the bartender was from. Travis reference to himself as a "pale freak" always in need of sunblock was hilarious.

What's the deal with Mr. Sunshine? Loved it and hope it stays on.
May 12, 2011 at 12:05PM EST Reply to Comment
Yep, I loved the main plot (especially the sad stripper) and the Ellie/Laurie interactions, but wasn't much into the rest of the episode (though I did like Grayson trying to figure out whether or not the kid was real).
May 12, 2011 at 12:33PM EST Reply to Comment
John

Loved seeing Nia Vardalos and Ian Gomez on screen together. I was in line for a show at The Second City last week, and one of the photos on the wall was of the two of them long ago on stage in the middle of a scene. Quite a couple.
May 12, 2011 at 1:03PM EST Reply to Comment
- LJA Yeah, their chemistry is palpable.
  May 12, 2011 at 1:49PM EST
belinda

THANK YOU. I was wracking my brain trying to figure out who the stripper was.

May 12, 2011 at 1:52PM EST Reply to Comment
Kevin

Don't watch this show, but is this an Old 97's reference in the title?
May 12, 2011 at 3:12PM EST Reply to Comment
- jsjohnson22 Holy crap another Old 97's fan! They are my favorite band, always nice to see other fans. The song "Rollerskate Skinny" was a reference to a line in "The Catcher in the Rye," so I'm guessing that's what Alan was referencing
  May 12, 2011 at 5:02PM EST
- sepinwall No, it was an Old 97's reference.
  May 12, 2011 at 5:11PM EST
Strunkette

After having watched last week's the day before this one, I was a bit disappointed. Last week's episode had me in stitches throughout and bursting out with laughter multiple times. I enjoyed it, it just wasn't as good.
May 12, 2011 at 5:15PM EST Reply to Comment
Liz

Now the reason why Nia Vardalos was a guest star makes more sense. Out of all of the guest characters they have had on the show, I thought she added the least. However, as others have said, her storyline was a good opportunity to humanize Ellie. I actually liked the Ken Jenkins storyline enough that I thought this was one of the stronger episodes of the season (along with the Halloween episode and Valentine's Day). This show is better when it tries to tell some type of story and I've felt like a little too often this season, it has just been a funny but somewhat pointless show.
May 13, 2011 at 8:59AM EST Reply to Comment
Nadia

Wow, I totally had Nia Vardalos' character confused with the one on "My Boys" and, for a very long time, couldn't understand why nobody thought it was weird that Andy's coworker married his brother.
May 14, 2011 at 5:40AM EST Reply to Comment
G-Money

Does anybody know the name of the song that plays when they are in the strip club??? The only line I can make out is "got me where you want me this time".
June 26, 2011 at 7:52PM EST Reply to Comment

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Review: 'Cougar Town' - 'Damaged By Love': Rollerskate skinny

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Comments

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Option 2

Option 3

Waiting for the Community moment on this show is getting to be like waiting for the other end of the outrigger shootout in Lost.

Ralphie Did you catch Laurie and Travis in the paintball crowd on Community tonight? Alan's screen cap from the ep shows both...Dan Byrd is just visible but Busy is clear as day.

A-ha, THAT'S who "Destiny" was!

Johanna Lapp Was it just me, or was Michael McDonald as the wine bar pwner (two episodes back) a spiritual twin to Abed of Community? Unflappable, deadpan, prescient, meta-commenting Abed but grown a few years older?

DonBoy Actually, I thought that guy was a Perry Cox substitute, especially when he went on some rant that I've now forgotten.

Good episode. 3 dollar drizzle was great. Thanks for pointing out where the bartender was from. Travis reference to himself as a "pale freak" always in need of sunblock was hilarious. What's the deal with Mr. Sunshine? Loved it and hope it stays on.

Yep, I loved the main plot (especially the sad stripper) and the Ellie/Laurie interactions, but wasn't much into the rest of the episode (though I did like Grayson trying to figure out whether or not the kid was real).

John Loved seeing Nia Vardalos and Ian Gomez on screen together. I was in line for a show at The Second City last week, and one of the photos on the wall was of the two of them long ago on stage in the middle of a scene. Quite a couple.

LJA Yeah, their chemistry is palpable.

belinda THANK YOU. I was wracking my brain trying to figure out who the stripper was.

Kevin Don't watch this show, but is this an Old 97's reference in the title?

jsjohnson22 Holy crap another Old 97's fan! They are my favorite band, always nice to see other fans. The song "Rollerskate Skinny" was a reference to a line in "The Catcher in the Rye," so I'm guessing that's what Alan was referencing

sepinwall No, it was an Old 97's reference.

Strunkette After having watched last week's the day before this one, I was a bit disappointed. Last week's episode had me in stitches throughout and bursting out with laughter multiple times. I enjoyed it, it just wasn't as good.

Nadia Wow, I totally had Nia Vardalos' character confused with the one on "My Boys" and, for a very long time, couldn't understand why nobody thought it was weird that Andy's coworker married his brother.

G-Money Does anybody know the name of the song that plays when they are in the strip club??? The only line I can make out is "got me where you want me this time".

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Johanna Lapp

Was it just me, or was Michael McDonald as the wine bar pwner (two episodes back) a spiritual twin to Abed of Community? Unflappable, deadpan, prescient, meta-commenting Abed but grown a few years older?

Good episode. 3 dollar drizzle was great. Thanks for pointing out where the bartender was from. Travis reference to himself as a "pale freak" always in need of sunblock was hilarious.

What's the deal with Mr. Sunshine? Loved it and hope it stays on.

John

Loved seeing Nia Vardalos and Ian Gomez on screen together. I was in line for a show at The Second City last week, and one of the photos on the wall was of the two of them long ago on stage in the middle of a scene. Quite a couple.

belinda

THANK YOU. I was wracking my brain trying to figure out who the stripper was.

Kevin

Don't watch this show, but is this an Old 97's reference in the title?

Strunkette

After having watched last week's the day before this one, I was a bit disappointed. Last week's episode had me in stitches throughout and bursting out with laughter multiple times. I enjoyed it, it just wasn't as good.

Nadia

Wow, I totally had Nia Vardalos' character confused with the one on "My Boys" and, for a very long time, couldn't understand why nobody thought it was weird that Andy's coworker married his brother.

G-Money

Does anybody know the name of the song that plays when they are in the strip club??? The only line I can make out is "got me where you want me this time".

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