"Ways To Be Wicked" is the eighth episode of Cougar Town's third season.
Ellie's mother comes to town for a visit. Ellie insists that her mother is a horrible person, but everyone else only sees how nice and sweet she seems. Jules sets out to prove to Ellie that her mother can say something nice about her.
Meanwhile, Andy persuades Grayson, who's frustrated about being called the "New Guy", to bond more with the members of the group. He ends up learning more about Laurie, and her dreams of selling cakes. Travis, Bobby, Chick, and Travis's roommates try to steal their school's Cougar Statue.
This episode provides examples of:
- By-the-Book Cop: Subverted; the cop at Travis's college lets them off the hook for a $20 bribe.
- Comically Missing the Point: After Ellie's mom mocks Jules, saying that she would look like Alice Cooper if she cried, and walks out of the room, it cuts to Jules, crying, and asking who Alice Cooper is.
- Condescending Compassion: Much of Ellie's mom's behavior comes off this way.
- Couch Gag: "Pay Attention. The title: COUGAR TOWN almost makes sense this week!"
- Didn't Think This Through: Grayson decided to add Laurie's Krazy Kakes to his menu without asking Laurie first, assuming that she would be on board with it right away.
- Double-Meaning Title: For once, the show's title, which has been long outdated. Andy mentions that Ellie's mom is "still hot", while Travis and his roommates try to steal a statue of a Cougar.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: downplayed and Subverted with Ellie's mom, who, while not outright evil, clearly isn't a good person, and all but admits to Jules that she doesn't like Ellie, and can't even bring herself to say anything nice about her.
- Foreshadowing: Chick forgetting to unload his horse, Annabelle, from the horse trailer, foreshadows his Alzheimer's diagnosis next season.
- It's All About Me: If you think Ellie is self-centered, wait until you meet her mom!
- Jerkass: If Ellie takes this trope to 11, her mother takes it all the way up to 20.
- Morality Chain: Jules is this to Ellie; she even refers to herself as Ellie's "Moral Compass". It's likely that she's one of the main reasons Ellie has the redeeming qualities her mother lacks.
- Nobody Here but Us Statues: Subverted; the Cobbs try to pretend to be a Civil War statue, but the cop sees right through it. Luckily, a $20 bribe seems to get them out of trouble.
