Quick Take: Cougar Town, “Keeping Me Alive”
“Don't hate the player, hate the game, yo!” – Ellie
Review: Cougar Town, “Keeping Me Alive”
(S0205) Welcome to the “100% cougar free” Cougar Town! “Keeping Me Alive” may not have been the best episode of the series, but it had many great moments from the “cul-de-sac crew.” While the guys are playing penny can, the girls decide it is the most boring game ever and make a rule that someone has to answer a personal question when someone misses the can. After a few funny questions (Bobby: "How do you say R U I N?" Jules: "Roin?"), Ellie decides to make it serious and ask Bobby why he still takes alimony from Jules.
After being embarrassed, Bobby decides to stop getting help from Jules with everything and Jules decides to have a no more alimony party with aspirin rim-laced margaritas (as Ellie proclaims, “They should market this to drunks! Or us”). Andy tells Jules, right as Bobby gets hurt, that Bobby gave up his medical insurance because he couldn’t afford it without the alimony. Jules then offers to pay for Bobby to go to the doctor if he helps her at her office.
He attempts to help by putting her face on beer cans for advertising, but ends up destroying her office with a party full of random people including a homeless man that tells Jules, AKA the lady from the can, that she “went down smooth.” Jules and Bobby have a heart-to-heart and she admits that she is still upset over his cheating, but likes it that he still needs her. She finally lets him help her by trying to sell a house, but Bobby mistakes the man’s wife for his mom and “roins” the deal.
Meanwhile, Ellie thinks she is smarter than everybody else due to the fact that they all find penny can entertaining and they think Mexico is an island. She is taken down a notch after Andy, Jules, and Grayson are able to make her feel like she’s not as smart as she thinks she is by quizzing her on what money bonds are and where Afghanistan is on a map. They chant “one of us” in her face. When Travis finds her playing penny can because she thinks she is like everybody else in the group, he tells her that he got his smarter than everybody else attitude from her and it makes her feel better.
Laurie and Smith have their awkward "taking the stuff back" moment after their break up with Smith’s dad gleefully watching over. Laurie thinks she can still hang out with Smith and sleep with him without the emotions getting in the way. Andy and Grayson don’t think it is possible. When Smith tells her they shouldn’t act like a couple, Laurie takes it well in front of Smith and this surprises Grayson. He and Andy attempt to do a Good Will Hunting "it's not your fault" speech with Laurie and she eventually breaks down about the break-up and wonders why he doesn't love her.
The episode flowed really well between the drama and the comedy. It was nice to see each of the crew have their own little story and to be involved with different people, especially since many of the episodes have been revolved around Jules/Grayson or Jules/Travis. The episode was a nice display of how much chemistry this cast has.
