TVSquad

(S01E06) I've been trying to figure out why I'm not connecting with Courteney Cox and her Cougar Town alter ego, Jules Cobb. It's not just about Cox overacting her role; if that were the case, I would have gotten tired of Monica Geller at around season five of Friends. No, it was something else, something that I couldn't put my finger on.

But after enjoying the male side of the show more than the female side for the second week in a row, the reason has become clear: I might be the wrong gender. I'm neither getting nor caring about why Jules has so many issues with dating young'uns or the process she has to go through as a "woman of years" in order to do that.

What's ironic about that is that I had problems with the pilot because it felt like it was too frat-boy sounding. So maybe I don't know what I want out of this show. It's not the first time that's happened.

Here's what I'm seeing: Bobby still acts like a tool but now we know that a lot of his bravado is out of a) fear he's not going to make it financially and b) deeper feelings for Jules than we've seen to this point. Have I bought into the notion of Jules and Bobby being a couple at any point? No. But it might be fun to see Bobby's lingering feelings for his ex come out in various ways, deepening his character and making him (gulp) likeable. Kudos to Brian Van Holt for actually giving what could be a one-note character a little bit of subtlety.

Here's what I'm also seeing: Travis may be more outwardly embarrassed by his dad than he is by his mom, but we're seeing evidence that he likes hanging with dad better. In fact, we don't see him hang out with Jules all that much, a relationship that showed some chemistry and promise in the pilot. All he does is enter a room, quip about his embarrassment, and leave.

I'm also seeing that Andy's affection for Bobby is deeper than anyone realized (the biggest laugh of the night was seeing Andy put that pic of Bobby he bought at the boat/yard sale over his and Ellie's bed). I'm also realizing that Grayson is becoming a good friend to Bobby, despite all odds, and he's just not there to tell Jules how crazy she is.

What am I learning about the ladies? Not much. Laurie's a bit of a slut. Ellie used to be Laurie, now she's just mean (Another funny line, she had sex without love with 20 guys, "21 if you count the first six years I was with Andy.").

And Jules...? I found that she can't break up with her boy toy Josh. Snore. Her first breakup attempt did elicit a chuckle when the word "menapause" spilled out of her mouth, with her explaining that it won't happen for "four years". But, otherwise, the story really didn't do much for me. Josh was a blank slate, and they didn't even play a real version of beer pong (if you're using two cups, then use paddles. If you're going to play Beirut, then use more cups).

There needs to be more blending in this series, more combinations of people in the stories. Because right now, we're seeing the girls vs. the guys, and the guys are winning out. And that's not a good sign in a show that's supposed to be female-centric.

[Watch clips and episodes of Cougar Town at SlashControl.]