That's How Funny+Meaningful is Done

After the aggravation that was Glee this week (the inconsiderate, bratty son parade and the over the top insecurity showcase mixed with super cheese and lack of funny- see Wednesday's @mytvblog tweets to read more), I can't tell you how happy it made me to watch the latest episode of Cougar Town.

Consistently funny (um denim-wearing Enya dancing, amazing!), Cougar Town is always fun but this week really drove home how smart and sweet it is too.

Let's start with the least important:
Smith is adorable and I'm so glad he's back. He means good things for Laurie as a character, whether they stay together or not.

Then there's sidekicks Ellie and Andy. They're my favourite thing about the series, mostly because I'm incredibly narcissistic and have long since realized that Ellie is just me with more of a taste for a good glass of wine. And OF COURSE I'm married to the gay guy from Felicity, why on earth not? In any case, as silly as their story this week was (thinned out to support a heavier than usual A plot) it brought to the forefront that unique quality that I love about them: the incredible underlying love that neither of them ever considers doubting no matter how mean she is or how much alone time he needs.

As for that heavier than usual A plot, it was something they'd have to do eventually, though I was not looking forward to it because I love Dan Byrd so much. It was time for Travis to choose where to go to college. Jules having never been anything other than creepily attached to her son, the show dealt with the issue the only way it could have: from her perspective of losing him. We get it, things are all fine and dandy and we get where Jules is coming from asking Travis to stay if he really doesn't have a preference between the two schools he got into. But then Travis does something that seems to have been in fashion this week (considering Glee), call his mom out. But when Travis did it it wasn't selfish. It wasn't cruel or inconsiderate or unfair. It was honest. And in doing so he pointed out what I was ashamed I hadn't noticed before: just how selfish it was for Jules to say what she did to him.

So Jules got out-parented by Bobby, always a funny and poignant thing. And while she wasn't punished by Travis moving across the country, she did suffer her comeuppance when even his moving just 20 minutes away hurt more than she anticipated.

Throw in some genuinely funny lines (Ellie calling Bobby the 6th most intelligent in the room- priceless!), a little more denim Enya dancing and an obvious and possibly troublesome (though not altogether unwelcome) cliffhanger and you've got yourself an episode that was not in the least bit aggravating, was meaningful without being cheesy and did right by all the wonderful Cougar Town characters.

Are you paying attention Glee? Because THAT is how it is done.