I'm watching Modern Family for the first time.
We're in the second season. So far, I can keep on watching it.
S2E1 The Old Wagon
Claire wants to sell their old station wagon, but she finds it hard when she remembers the memories associated with the car. The Dunphy family decides to create one last memory with the car, a trip down memory lane.
Mitch and Cam plan to build a princess castle for Lily. The thing is, Mitch is lethal with a tool. Jay and Cam try to distract Mitchell with something else.
Gloria is having a hard time with Manny getting close to a classmate.
Rating: 7/10
Thoughts:
I'm starting to find Gloria's relationship with Manny a tad inappropriate. It's comedy, I get it, but dang.
Is it me or does Jay have a better relationship with Cam than his own son? Also Jay's PTSD face is funny.
S2E2 The Kiss
Cam is frustrated because Mitch doesn't like kissing him in public.
Gloria dreamed of her grandmother and is preparing for a dinner. Jay mocks her a little before finally taking her seriously. He also asks Phil for help on printing a photo of Gloria's grandmother.
Claire snooped into Alex's phone and finds out there's a boy (Aaron Sanders) she likes. Like all teenagers do, Alex shuts her down. Claire then asks Haley to talk to Alex instead. Obviously, everything goes wrong.
Rating: 7/10
Thoughts:
Look, I'm on Mitch's side here. It's pretty clear it's just his personality. Also PDA is something uncomfortable to me, especially in public and especially in front of my family. Even if my parents gave me permission. Why is it Jay's fault? Besides, Claire didn't have problems doing the opposite of what Jay wanted.
I don't like being touched or hugged, even if it is my family. And being told to do that makes me hate it more.
Also don't marry into a culture you don't respect.
And I still can't believe Eric Stonestreet is straight and not gay.
S2E3 Earthquake
Haley wants to go to a party (does this girl always go to a party all the time?). Claire obviously says no. A plumber arrives to fix their tub when the earthquake happens. Claire and the plumber are stuck in the bathroom while Phil runs around trying to fix a cabinet that almost Luke (which Claire always nagged him about.)
Gloria and Jay are arguing about church when the earthquake happens. Gloria insists thst it must be a sign from God.
Cam and Mitch don't want to attend a brunch hosted by their friend Pepper (Nathan Lane), who Cam once dated. After the earthquake, Mitch tries to get out of the brunch by using the earthquake as an excuse.
Rating: 6/10
Thoughts:
Currently not a fan of Haley.
Rest of the family behaved badly in this episode, maybe except for Gloria.
Haley being Claire when she was younger has been hinted a lot of times. Still not a fan of Haley. Please tell me she gets better later on?
S2E4 Strangers on a Treadmill
Claire is worried that Phil is about to embarrass himself at an event for realtors, the SCARB (Southern California Annual Realtors Banquet). Mitch is embarrassed when Cam wears his bike shorts. So Mitch strikes a deal with his sister, like the shoutout suggests.
Claire tells Cam the truth but Mitch cannot bring himself to do it. (If Mitch remembers the plot of that movie, the other murder doesn't happen.) Desperate, Claire hides Phil's cards in her purse. Phil improvises and is a huge hit at the banquet.
Gloria tells Jay that one of his workers has invited him to her daughter's quinceañera. They go to the party, but Gloria soon realizes they are at an engagement party instead. Imagine Jay's surprise when he sees the couple kissing.
Alex has the chance to impress a popular girl and Haley teaches her how to. It goes right at first... then horribly wrong.
Rating: 6/10
Thoughts:
Well, it is nice to see Haley be nice to Alex for once.
S2E5 Unplugged
Gloria, Jay and Manny are annoyed by their neighbor's dog barking all day.
Claire is frustrated that her family keeps looking at gadgets. Phil decides to challenge the family to unplug for a week.
Mitch and Cam start panicking when they realize that Lily's peers are all going to preschool.
Rating: 6/10
Thoughts:
Well, to be fair, Haley did outsmart her parents. Phil shouldn't have made that promise. You underestimate how smart kids could be if they really want something.
The punchline of Mitch and Cam's storyline is too funny.
Apparently, this episode was controversial in Peru because of a line Gloria said.
S2E6 Halloween
Halloween is Claire's favorite holiday.
Mitch has dressed up as Spiderman for Halloween due to him overhearing two of his coworkers talking about dressing up. It turns those two are the only ones who dress up and Mitch has to hide his costume underneath his suit.
Phil is distressed because his neighbor Jerry (Matt Besser) is undergoing a divorce, sparking fears over his own marriage.
Gloria is annoyed because she mispronounces some words.
Rating: 7/10
Thoughts:
English is my second language too. When I speak in English, my accent isn't so thick. But some of my family members have such thick accents, even I don't understand if they're speaking in English. They're fluent, but hard to understand. It's not an ESL thing. So I can't really know if people do get offended when people say they have a thick accent. I correct my family all the time when they mispronounce words. I mean, we don't laugh at Americans who try to speak in our language even with their accents. We think it's adorable.
I understand Claire's frustration. Also, Cam, read the room.
This episode received multiple Emmy nominations. Huh.
S2E7 Chirp
Phil vs the smoke alarms in the house.
Phil is annoyed because he can't identify which smoke alarm is chirping.
Meanwhile, Claire tries to tell Haley Dylan isn't good enough for her by comparing it to the soap opera they are watching. Haley thinks Claire is talking about herself and wants to leave Phil.
Cam wants Lily to star in a TV commercial... only to find out it's a commercial that is kinda racist.
Manny gets injured playing around at Jay's company, and Jay fires the worker responsible. Manny feels guilty about it and tries to fight Jay about it. Gloria wants to celebrate the anniversary of every single milestone in her relationship with Jay.
Rating: 6/10
Thoughts:
I agree. Haley and Dylan are not Phil and Claire. For one, I don't think Phil isn't that dumb.
I'm torn between Mitch and Cam on this episode. While Mitch was ultimately proven right, decision like these really do need to be discussed by the couple.
I haven't watched All My Children.
S2E8 Manny Get Your Gun
It's Manny's birthday, but the family is less than happy.
Claire and Phil race to go to the restaurant for Manny's birthday. Claire takes Luke with her, while Phil gets the girls. Claire realizes that Luke thought she and Phil are literally splitting up and asks her son while Luke wanted to go with Phil. Meanwhile, the girls struggle to tell their dad they don't want to go to family camp, where Phil wants them to go to every summer.
Gloria cannot find her keys due to being disorganized. Manny is distraught to realize that he didn't have a childhood like the others and tries to cram it in a few minutes.
Mitchell is trying to hurry Cam so they can get to the restaurant, but Cam is busy trying to smell the roses and helping elderly cheaters. The truth is Mitch is trying to hurry up because he's late to a flashmob, a gift for Cam. Cam is mad that Mitch danced without him.
The all three families arrive at the restaurant, all upset.
Manny gives his speech: he doesn't have to worry about missing his childhood, since he has all the time in the world to be childish, basically scolding the adults.
Rating: 8/10
Thoughts:
I like that Manny, in all his precocious wisdom, scolds the adults at the end.
Being late for something does make me anxious. Growing up, the men in my family were always strict about time management, so when other people dilly dally makes me want to tear my hair out.
The girls crying because Phil cried is kinda sweet. And Luke telling Claire that he'd only go with Phil because he thought his dad would need him more is sweet too.
As always, Cam is the most childish but I can't bring myself to be annoyed too much because Eric Stonestreet just plays Cam so dramatically it's entertaining.
S2E9 Mother Tucker
Cameron's mother Barb (Celia Weston) is visiting. Cam obviously adores her. Mitch likes her too, except for one thing... Barb can't seem to stop touching him.
Jay is having stomach pains, but Gloria isn't taking it seriously, thinking he's just exaggerating. (Spoiler alert: Jay has appendicitis.)
Haley likes her tutor and breaks up with Dylan. Phil is sad for him, so he tries to cheer him up. True to form, Haley wants Dylan again, thinking he's moved on with another girl already. But after talking with Phil, Dylan decides it's best he remain single for a while and doesn't get back together with Haley (which makes Claire very happy.)
Rating: 6/10
Thoughts:
Yeah, that seems to be a tricky situation for Mitch. And I can relate. I hate it when people touch me. Being family isn't excuse. If it makes someone uncomfortable, don't touch them. This is a comedy so we're not supposed to take this too seriously.
And, PSA, please don't Google your symptoms. While Gloria has a point that people make themselves anxious with Googling, abdominal pains can be serious, so go to a doctor just to be safe.
Claire hating Dylan has to be a gag at this point. Please tell me it's not going to be a recurring gag?
I don't know how to feel about this episode, though I'm starting to think Jay and Gloria's May-December romance seems to be the closest thing to a healthy relationship.
I noticed Luke isn't in this episode.
S2E10 Dance Dance Revelation
This episode is full of conflict.
Manny and Luke are having their first dance, and Luke and Manny argue over the color teal.
Mitch and Cam are having trouble with Lily, who is biting everything. Both of them blame each other.
Gloria wants to help with the dance because she wants to show that she's more than her looks, but Claire is feeling jealous and territorial.
Phil is annoyed because Jay thinks he's kind of soft. He ends up attacking poor Longines (Kevin Daniels). Jay tries to show the boys that his tougher approach works, but ends up comforting a depressed man grieving the death of his dog. Jay apologizes to Phil.
Rating: 6/10
Thoughts:
I get it. Jay has that old fashioned Grandpa vibes. Everyone wants his approval.
Ooohh Danny Trejo.
Poor Longines. Who names a kid Longines?
Julie Bowen is really toned.
This is Claire's second meltdown about her things being stolen away from her. I get her.
No Haley and Alex in this episode.
S2E11 Slow Down Your Neighbors
Cam and Mitch have a very attractive neighbor Barry (James Marsden). When Barry says he is a Reiki practitioner, Mitch is immediately turned off. It turns out Barry isn't their neighbor downstairs.
So is this a gag at this point where Phil always insults himself unknowingly?
Anyway, Claire wants to stop a speeder in the neighborhood, who happens to be Phil's latest client Laura (Jami Gertz).
Jay endeavors to teach both Manny and Gloria how to ride a bike. Manny is a natural, but Gloria is a disaster. So Gloria finds herself an unlikely teacher... Luke.
Rating: 6.5/10
Thoughts:
I'm claustrophobic. I can never live inside a princess castle.
Cam dealing with Barry is a rare moment of maturity for him.
S2E12 Our Children, Ourselves
Mitch runs into an ex, his high school girlfriend, Tracy. (Mitch is attractive so can't blame the girls here but he's also obviously gay.) Tracy (Mary Lynn Rajskub) is icy cold to him, and Mitch sees her with a little boy with red hair, making Mitch wonder if he could be the father. (Spoiler alert: He's not.)
Gloria invites a couple they met in Cabo to stay with them, surprising Jay. Jay, meanwhile, is annoyed, because he doesn't like them and bluntly tells them, making everything awkward. The Hoffmans are about to leave but Gloria stops them and lies, saying Jay is losing his mind. Jay relents the following morning and tries to make up for it.
Alex is annoyed that her parents are making her take breaks, who fear that she is studying too much. Claire starts to wonder if they're too dumb to be parents of an intelligent kid and are holding her back, compared to Alex's rival Sanjay who is the child of a surgeon (Ajay Mehta) and a professor (Anjali Bhimani). Claire tries to prove herself by watching a French film but falls asleep halfway, while Phil enjoys his cheesy monster film.
Rating: 7.5/10
Thoughts:
Claire wondering where Alex got her obsessive-compulsive tendencies from while Phil is outright looking at her is hilarious.
I'm torn between Gloria and Jay's side here. Gloria should have warned Jay before inviting the Hoffmans (for a night), but Jay should have talked to Gloria before embarrassing her and bluntly telling the Hoffmans they suck and he doesn't like them. And yeah, when you get to a certain age, you don't wanna force yourself onto people. I'm not in my 60s yet, but I get what Jay is saying.
Starting to think Gloria is desperate for friends here. I wouldn't like the Hoffmans either.
Cam's reaction to Mitch telling him he might be a father to Tracy's kid is pretty mature.
We're done with the first half of the season. So far, I'm liking Season 2 compared to Season 1.
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