Review: 'Cougar Town' - 'Money Becomes King': Fifty-fifty vs. 100%
Jules and Grayson go to couples counseling, Laurie starts a business and Andy pranks Bobby
Travis tries to give Laurie some advice on "Cougar Town."
Are you a fan of Cougar Town?
Sign up to get the latest updates instantly.
A quick review of tonight's "Cougar Town" coming up just as soon as I find enough courage to pull a tab off the "Drummer Wanted" poster...
"Money Becomes King" opens with an homage — or outright copying, if you prefer — of one of my favorite "Cheers" intros, where the bar sings a lullaby to a baby by telephone, then prematurely celebrates and wakes the baby up. It's such a good joke, though, and close to 30 years old, that I'm okay with doing it pretty much beat-for-beat, particularly since the show is already doing more with integrating Tampa/Jill into the crew's life than ever happened with Stan as a baby.
And one of the things that the third season of "Cougar Town" has handled well is how much more complicated everyone's life has gotten. Grayson has a baby, and he and Jules are getting married, and they need to figure out whose house to keep. Stan is getting older and has turned into a monster due to some combination of his mother's example and her neglect. Travis is figuring out what he wants to do with his life. Laurie is starting a business. Etc. Things aren't as simple as they used to be, and for the most part, the show has done a good job wringing both jokes and pathos out of that.
Though most of "Money Becomes King" worked — particularly anything involving Laurie as the charismatic queen of the pathetic CoffeeBucks regulars — I will say I didn't love some of the material involving the return of Nicole Sullivan as Jules' therapist Lynn. On the one hand, it's amusing that Jules keeps dragging everyone in her life into couples counseling whenever they cross her in the slightest. On the other, her interruptions of Lynn's other sessions, claiming domestic abuse to get Lynn to make a house call, etc., feels like one of those things from the Bill Lawrence canon — see also the way Turk and J.D. drove Hooch crazy, or on this show how the gang treats Tom —where the central character just starts to seem like an asshole after a while. Having the gang treat Tom the way they do is one thing, but having them start trampling on other people in the same way doesn't sit right.
(It worked in the Laurie plot because of the bit where Travis asks why all these people are working for free, and Tom speaks for the group by saying they want to be a part of something. There's a similar attempt made when Jules notes that she's Lynn's most lucrative patient, but it didn't quite land for me. Maybe it's just that Jules is prickly and needy and manipulative to begin with, so it doesn't take a lot to push her into pure sociopathy, where Laurie has more karma/likability stored up.)
What did everybody else think?
News From Our Partners
-
The Telefile - The Most Heinous Person on Reality TV This Week
The Telefile - Modern Family: The Best Lines of the Night
The Telefile - Fall TV 2013: What's On When
-
How Far Will 'Star Trek Into Darkness' Boldly Go At Box Office?
'Star Trek Into Darkness': The Secret Behind The Mystery Villain
'Pacific Rim' Trailer Surfaces: Watch Now!
-
What to Watch This Weekend: The Season Finales of Nikita, Doctor Who, The Simpsons, and Family Guy
Syfy Renews Warehouse 13 for a Fifth and Final Season
What to Watch Tonight: The Office's Big Farewell and the Season Finales of TVD, Elementary, and Five More
-
YESSSSSSS...
Who Won 'American Idol' 2013?
The Ultimate Office Blooper Reel
-
'Frances Ha' Review
'Star Wars: Episode 7′ — The Real Reason J.J. Abrams Left 'Star Trek'
Sega Game Gear Classics Headed to Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console
-
Justin Bieber vs. Austin Mahone – PopCrush Prom King of 2013, Round 3
Demi Lovato Sings Selena Gomez's Praises [Video]
Oreo 'Wonderfilled' Ad – What's the Song?
-
Watch This: With Beavis And Butt-head Do America, Mike Judge skewered the idiocy of cinematic adventures
Hear This: Destroy This Place shows how press releases can get it right
Cannes Film Festival: Cannes 2013, Day Two: Iranian director Asghar Farhadi chases A Separation with another stunning drama
-
Christopher Nolan for James Bond Movie? Director Allegedly Courted to Direct
Edward Furlong, 'Terminator 2' Star, Arrested Again
Cannes 2013: $1M in Jewelry Stolen at Film Festival
Get Instant Alerts on What's Alan Watching
Latest Posts
-
Dan and Alan also discuss the recent finales of 'Survivor' and 'The Amazing Race'Friday, May 17, 2013
-
Dwight gets married and the staff revisits the documentary in a lovely farewellThursday, May 16, 2013
-
Lecter becomes interested in a local killer, and Will begins hearing thingsThursday, May 16, 2013
-
A show that shouldn't have worked instead became a great, popular, influential oneThursday, May 16, 2013
Comments
Option 1
Comment instantly as a guest GuestOption 2
Option 3
Login or create a HitFix account Login Signuplizzardpisces77
April 24, 2012 at 9:23PM EST Reply to CommentI still love the show, but I feel like they're tying up ends a little to neatly and quickly. Jules suddenly realizes she doesn't need an assistant dovetails into the Crazy Cakes storyline that was only introduced last week. I thought the Jules/Grayson baby issue got resolved a little too easily as well.
Morahan
April 24, 2012 at 11:24PM EST Reply to CommentTurk and JD DROVE Hooch crazy? Are you kidding me?! Hooch is crazy, and he always was. Shame on you, Alan.
JB Man, Hooch really IS crazy.
April 25, 2012 at 1:51AM ESTsepinwall Strongly disagree. Hooch was totally normal. Turk and JD's pranks turned him into the monster he became. See here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mmRYwGrazc
April 25, 2012 at 6:53AM ESTMorahan JD and Turk were to Hooch what meth and cancer are to Walter White.
April 25, 2012 at 7:58AM ESTvelocityknown I was just about to make the Walter White and Hooch comparisons. I think that, like Walter, Hooch always had something inside of him, in this case craziness. And it just took a few doctors playing one too many pranks to unleash it. I mean, look at that speech he gave after someone put bullion cubes in the showerhead. That's natural crazy right there. I won't deny that Turk and JD helped bring it out, but Hooch was always crazy.
April 25, 2012 at 8:36AM ESTBrian Enough with the excuses...Hooch is definitely crazy!
April 25, 2012 at 1:37PM ESTJonathan @Sepinwall: The video clip proves that Hooch was already crazy! It is clear from the first three scenes where he over-reacts to hearing his name called. JD and Turk's pranks only brought out his inner craziness.
April 25, 2012 at 2:23PM ESTLater, would a "totally normal" person kill someone because they think he's faster than him!?
Hooch was definitely crazy before Turk and JD started messing with him.
JedyKnight As soon as i read that paragraph on the review i exclaimed outloud: "Come on, Alan! Hooch was already crazy!". lol.. Now I do think JD & Turk drove him over the edge to where he ended up. >; )
April 25, 2012 at 2:53PM ESTScott Rosenberg
April 25, 2012 at 1:11AM EST Reply to CommentPretty good episode. I agree the therapy gag was a weak point, mainly because I find Nicole Sullivan annoying and implausible (here and generally), but more broadly, a gag that strains credulity this much has to be either really quick or really funny, if not both, whereas this barely registered.
On the subject of credulity, is it just me or does Laurie have elves running a cake factory behind the scenes, to do the type of business we're seeing?
Travis
April 25, 2012 at 6:29AM EST Reply to CommentJules is just now starting to seem like an asshole? She's been this way since the very beginning and has never had any redeemable qualities.
sepinwall It waxes and wanes for me. She definitely has asshole moments. To me, it's a question of how far they take the character that separates amusing from annoying, and from time to time (last night, for instance) they cross that line.
April 25, 2012 at 6:57AM ESTsangs
April 25, 2012 at 6:44AM EST Reply to CommentThis show is guaranteed laughs week after week. I sure hope it comes back. And I too loved the "Cheers" homage - although they tweaked it just enough to not make it a complete copy. Well done.
Alf Bobby fell asleep too!
April 25, 2012 at 6:55AM ESTLJA Bobby falling asleep was awesome!
April 25, 2012 at 1:33PM ESTgco211 I preferred how into it Laurie was. Her hand and facial movements were fantastic. Bobby was a nice touch though.
April 26, 2012 at 12:15AM ESTScooter The "Cheers" homage was only partially redeemed by Laurie's reaction and Bobby falling asleep. Other than that, it was an homage in the same way that some neighborhood kids paid 'homage' to my bicycle when I was 12 years old. And Alan doesn't get any points for pointing out how old that "Cheers" episode was.
April 26, 2012 at 3:54AM ESTHWah
April 25, 2012 at 7:08AM EST Reply to CommentI couldn't wait to see more of this show after it ended last season...then I think I had to wait too long or something else happened. This season, I'm amused, but in love with the show like I was before.
I will continue to watch and hope that whatever it was that was addictive comes back again.
HWah I have also decided to leave an important word out of every other comment: see above and insert the word "not" where you think I think appropriate.
April 25, 2012 at 7:18AM ESTbrian_shea
April 25, 2012 at 10:01AM EST Reply to CommentWhile that didn't bother me that much, you're right. It's also fairly obvious Lawrence is trotting out every buddy he has to either save the show or give them one last chance to be on before ABC cuts the cord. I still love the show, but you can almost hear him packing his things for "Like Father."
TMB
April 25, 2012 at 10:49AM EST Reply to CommentThe vibe I'm getting is that the show won't get renewed and Bill Lawrence will make Jules & Grayson's wedding serve as both a season and series finale, tying up several loose ends in the process. If they do get picked up for another 13 eps as a midseason replacement again next year, I'm sure he'll leave enough minor details open-ended to make a shortened fourth season appear seemless.
Col Bat Guano I have to agree that we are probably watching the last season of the show. The ratings aren't great and for me the premise is wearing a bit thin.
April 25, 2012 at 11:24AM ESTBill Lawrence Nope. And am taking bets that the show will continue on. This response is really to Brian: not packing my things. Show will keep going, I truly think. TMB, you are on the money...
April 25, 2012 at 11:50AM ESTChris I do hope your right "maaybe real Bill Lawrence."
April 25, 2012 at 2:07PM ESTsepinwall It's Bill Lawrence. I checked.
April 25, 2012 at 4:27PM ESTCol Bat Guano His response is a bit confusing. Does he agree with TMB that the show won't get renewed except maybe as a mid-season 13 ep replacement or that it will continue on as a regular feature of ABC's schedule? With a 1.5/4 rating it's going to be tough.
April 25, 2012 at 5:26PM ESTDezbot Maybe he means the part where he'll leave enough minor details open to continue the story?
April 26, 2012 at 11:06AM ESTsonia That's pretty cool. Hi Bill Lawrence, you rock.
April 26, 2012 at 7:11PM ESTAlso- Hooch was already crazy, yes? ;)
Intellectual Ninja
April 25, 2012 at 12:59PM EST Reply to CommentI completely and totally agree with Alan here...
... JD and Turk MADE Hooch crazy.
No one could expect a sane person to be able to deal with the kind of daily torture (I expect they fucked with Hooch WAY more than what we saw on TV) they put Hooch through.
I mean, they set him up with his hetero soul mate Turner, and then ripped them apart for their own selfish reasons.
THEN, JD used Hooch, made him think they were best friends, all to make a point, or get back at, Turk.
But it's all good... Hooch won in the end, but even then, it was at poor ole' Teddy Buckland's expense.
Hooch & Gooch Forever!
David
April 27, 2012 at 12:06PM EST Reply to CommentI couldn't be bothered to read all the comments, but I searched the word "fire" and "firing" and got no results, so with that said....
No mention of Jules firing Laurie? I'm shocked. I didn't buy that for a second. As close-knit as this group is, Jules would never fire Laurie. Never. If they hadn't contrived a way to make it a mutual thing and Jules just plain fired Laurie and let her fend for herself in finding a new job, can you imagine what that would do to the dynamic of the group? So, just because it WAS mutual doesn't change the fact that JULES FIRED LAURIE. Bad, Bill! Bad!
Clint That bugged me, too, especially when I considered the amount of money Jules must spend to keep a psychologist on retainer. Wouldn't it make more sense for her to give up the psychologst and instead put the many thousands of dollars he'd save back into the business so she could pay Laurie? I can usually suspend my disbelief prettu easily on this show, but that bugged me.
April 29, 2012 at 5:15PM EST