It’s been a while since I’ve written a thoughts post for Modern Family, and I was in the mood to watch Modern Family today, so I figured that I would write a thoughts post for the next episode of Modern Family that I needed to write a post for, which was this one. That being said, here are my thoughts on the episode.
All in all, I thought that this was a pretty good episode for the most part. My favorite storyline of the episode was definitely Claire’s storyline with her trying to help Alex and Hailey get along now that they are in the same math class. I know that the other characters make fun of her for being very controlling at times and that viewers get mad at Claire for being very manipulative and controlling at times, but I found the way that she tried to manipulate Alex and Hailey into deciding to stay in the same math class in this episode very funny. A lot of my favorite lines from this episode were definitely things that Claire said. I also loved a lot of Julie Bowen’s facial expressions and glances at the camera in this episode.
The storyline with Claire arguing with the parking lot monitor at Alex and Hailey’s high school was also really funny, and it led to my favorite line of the episode. Personally, I thought that the lady who was the parking lot monitor was being way too rigid and uptight about Claire stopping for a few seconds in the drop-off lane to talk to Alex and Hailey. I’m thinking that there might have been some truth to what Claire said to the lady about her being dealt a bad hand when she was younger and now she’s older and has been given a little bit of power and authority as a parking lot monitor, she abusing it to get back at people.
One of the things that I loved the most about this episode is the way they wove the storyline with Claire trying to manipulate Alex and Hailey into being okay with the fact that they are in the same math class together with her storyline with the parking lot monitor. It was the same thing with the storyline with Mitchell and Cameron doing a juice fast and Luke trying to help Phil figure out how to walk across the front yard on a tightrope.
I thought that Nolan Gould did a great job in this episode. I love the way that he played Luke’s reaction to secretly eating all of the junk food that Mitchell gave him because Cameron wanted them to throw it out while they were on their juice fast. Luke was forced to tell Phil the truth about the candy after he threw up at school and Phil was going to call the doctor. I love how Luke told Phil that Mitchell and Cameron were on a “Jew fast” and even after Phil asked him if he meant juice fast he still believed that Mitchell had said “Jew fast”. That was hilarious. :)
I thought it was cool that Luke convinced Phil to keep trying to walk across the yard on the tight rope by telling him that maybe the reason why he kept falling off the tightrope was because he knew that he could with the tightrope being so low, but if they raised the tightrope higher Phil would be able to walk across the tight rope successfully if he knew that he could be injured if he fell off the tightrope with it being up high.
One of my favorite parts of the episode was when Claire lashed out at the parking lot monitor, which led to the lady tying her hands together with plastic twine so she wouldn’t be able to do anything physically harmful while she waited for Alex and Hailey to get done talking to the principal about the fact that Alex had let Hailey cheat off of her when they were working on their math homework. It was even funnier when Claire basically admitted to them that she didn’t really have any moral highground to stand on and get mad at them after she had gotten in trouble with the parking lot monitor.
I have to say that the episode had a great ending in terms of the Phil/Luke storyline and the Claire/Alex/Hailey storyline where Claire realized that all week she had been “talking the talk” with Alex and Hailey whereas Phil “walked the walk” and kept trying to walk across the tightrope until he succeeded in doing so instead of just giving up.
I have to say that I found the whole storyline with Mitchell and Cameron doing a juice fast absolutely hilarious, especially the parts where Mitchell was telling the documentary crew each of the phases Cameron usually goes through when he’s on a diet and they showed examples of Cameron during each of the phases. I thought Eric Stonestreet did an amazing job in those scenes.
That storyline had an interesting twist at the end when Mitchell ended up being the one to completely lose it and go nuts when they were at the party at his boss’ house after his boss told a story about a sea lion, which he had named Snorkels that died from getting a plastic grocery bag wrapped around its neck. What made Mitchell’s whole meltdown even funnier was the party guests’ reactions to watching Mitchell and Cameron’s conversation in the ocean from the deck of his boss’ house.
I thought it was really sweet how Cameron and Mitchell both admitted to doing the juice fast for each other: Cameron did it because he was worried that Mitchell didn’t find him attractive, and Mitchell did it as a way of showing Cameron emotional support. Cameron and Mitchell’s relationship has always been one of my favorite things about Modern Family, and this episode really reminded me yet again of why I like them so much as a couple.
The only thing that I didn’t like all that much about this episode was the whole storyline with Gloria being upset with Jay for coddling their dog, Stella. Don’t get me wrong, it had some funny moments such as Gloria asking Jay why he lets Stella sleep in their bed, but he won’t let Manny sleep in their bed with them when he has a bad dream, and then the camera pans down to Manny sleeping on the floor when Jay doesn’t answer Gloria and he demands an answer from Jay. I thought that was hilarious. I just feel like a lot of the jokes for that storyline weren’t all that funny. For example, I found the whole thing with Gloria lying the floor pretending to eat one of Jay’s shoes in front of Stella as a way of trying to discipline her only to have Jay and Manny walk into the room and stare awkwardly at her to be beyond awkward, but not the kind of awkwardness that could have made it funny.
However, I did like the part where Manny asked Jay if the cookie that he was about to eat was one of Stella’s and he assured him that it wasn’t, but when Jay, Gloria and Manny walked in on Cameron and Mitchell eating some of Stella’s cupcakes at the end of the episode, they didn’t say anything to them about it. They just watched them eat the cupcakes. That was beyond priceless.
Here are some of my favorite things about this episode:
- The return of Cameron’s bike shorts with the pixilation
- Cameron calling Gloria to ask her about what she had eaten that day
- All of Phil’s expletives when he fell off the wire. I don’t know where the writers get their ideas for them, but I always think that Phil’s expletives are hilarious.
- Phil letting Luke eat a doughnut despite the fact that Luke had just told him that the reason he threw up was because he ate all of the junk food that Mitchell had given him.
- Phil calling Luke a genius after he suggested that they put the wire at a higher height. I thought that was ironic since Nolan Gould is a genius and a Mensa candidate in real life.
Here are some of my favorite lines from this episode:
- My favorite line from the episode (Claire arguing with the parking lot monitor after she’s given her a parking ticker.)
Claire: You know what? I do want to do some unloading. I know your type. Life has been bad to you. It has made you feel small. And then one day somebody gives you a fake cop outfit, a toy badge and a little SpongeBob tie. Suddenly it’s payback time, right? Well, I’ve got news for you, “Law & Order: Special Parking Unit,” (Rips the parking ticket) Not my fault.
- Phil falling off the tightrope.
Phil: Chicken in a basket! (To Luke) Don’t look at me.
- After Phil has picked Luke up from school because he threw up.
Luke: I’m really sorry, Dad.
Phil: Oh, it’s all right. Everybody throws up at school. If I had a nickel for every time I puked at school, you know how much money I’d have?
Luke: 35 cents.
Phil: Exactly. Now go get cleaned up, and I’ll call the doctor.
- Hailey to Claire after Alex and Hailey get caught cheating on their math homework.
Hailey: It’s all my fault. Everything I touch turns to detention.
- Mitchell doing a couch interview about Cameron having a hard time with the juice fast.
Mitchell: It’s tough enough to deal with Cam when I’m at full strength, but I have been fasting just as long as he has, and I do not have the energy to deal with a big, needy brisketcase -- Brass -- Basketcase.
- Cameron gets upset with Mitchell for suggesting that he eat something at the party.
Cameron: What? You’re supposed to be my support. Oh, away from me temptress. And I never thought I would call you that in a negative way.
- Charlie Bingham, Mitchell’s boss, is watching Mitchell and Cameron’s conversation in the ocean with the rest of the party guests.
Charlie: I think Mitchell may just be a work friend.
All in all, I really did love this episode for the most. Like I said earlier, the only thing I didn’t really like all that much about this episode was the whole storyline with Gloria being upset with Jay about the way he coddles Stella. Don’t get me wrong, that storyline has some funny moments, but I just don’t think it was nearly as funny as the rest of the storylines in this episode.
With that said, I give this episode a rating of an A-.
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