What I’m Watching: Better With You

Better With You: Season 1, Episode 21 “Better with a Bargain” (B+)

I enjoy the confidence with which the men on this show boast about and head into their often inane plans for accomplishing things. Joel’s bargain hunting is the ultimate example of that, and it’s fun to see just how excited Vicky gets about it since she usually doesn’t like all that much about her husband. It’s great to give Joel a foe that is completely impervious to his charms and demands, and as a result, it’s a treat to see the whole gang – minus a maddened Maddie – band together to help pull off a small con to get Joel the stroller, and everything else in the store, for free. Casey’s Mark Twain accent was particularly amusing, and I loved his line about being in a twelve-man show. It’s nice to see them all unified and trying to pull off something together rather than having internal arguments. Silly as Maddie’s plotline may have been, departing her suit-eager firm and interviewing back for a better job at her old firm, it’s truly nice to see her praising Ben for the energy with which he talks about his job. Sure, his glory may be short-lived, and Casey may tell him to his face that his stories are terrible, but he definitely has a passion for the hotel industry that few people share. It’s fun to have a serious positive element of a character who is usually the brunt of a joke. Mia’s horror at discovering the meaning of being given five dollars and told to go buy some candy was funny.