What I’m Watching: Better With You

Better With You: Season 1, Episode 13 “Better with Valentine’s Day” (B)

This one might be over-the-top, sure, but it’s still a whole lot of fun. We haven’t quite had a stark gender division yet on this show, at least not for an entire episode, which is what makes this one, set around a very gender-specific holiday, all the more entertaining. I especially like seeing just how subservient to Joel Ben is, and just how excited he gets at the idea of defying him. This is one case where there isn’t much of a difference in how the girls get treated by the guys, at least in terms of how long they’ve been together, and it has much more to, evidently, with a fear of establishing a precedent that will just require the same or more effort in successive years. What Joel chose to get was certainly quite extravagant, and what’s most telling here is how productively and positively the three male actors perform together. Of course, the women aren’t bad either, and it’s fun to see Mia actually in her element at work. I’m always thrilled at the chance to see Jonathan Slavin, back here as Maddie’s smitten assistant. It’s also nice to have Debra Jo Rupp take on a prominent role in the content of the episode, firing Hunter after he called her Mia’s grandmother and lamenting on the good old days where despicable office behavior was acceptable. This show may not be entirely superb, but it’s hard to argue that there isn’t an extraordinary entertainment value in its episodes, due mostly due to the impressive work and interaction of the cast members.