Life has been busy for me lately. New things have happened, so I hadn't had time to write anything else.
S3E01 Dude Ranch
The families vacation at Lost Creek Ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
The family is heading to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.Just like it says above.
Plus Dylan.
Phil is busy trying to prove himself as a man, especially to Jay. Meanwhile Jay is busy because the cowboy Hank (Tim Blake Nelson) is flirting with Gloria, but she is oblivious to it.
Claire is annoyed because Dylan is there. She freaks out when Dylan tries to propose to Haley.
Mitch is trying to learn manly stuff because he wants to be able to do father and son things, like what his dad used to do with Claire. He reassures himself after some help from Luke.
Alex meets a teenage boy named Jimmy (Matthew Gumley) at the ranch who becomes her first kiss.
Rating: 7/10
Thoughts:
I see Lily's actress has changed. This Lily looks a lot older compared to last season, like she's almost three or four instead of... two or three? I get that they probably wanted Lily to be able to communicate but it's kind of sudden jump for me. Lily's character looked like she was barely two last season.
Haley's middle name is Gwendolyn?
S3E02 When Good Kids Go Bad
Lily has problems with Mitchell and Cameron's plans to adopt another child.
Claire is annoyed because she fell into a pile of canned peaches because Phil was too busy trying to impress another woman in the grocery store. Her family starts mocking her, and she's determined to prove herself right. (Given that she has a mother who always tells her she does something wrong, I get it.)
Mitch and Cam are preparing to tell the family of their plans to adopt a baby boy. Lily is not thrilled at the prospect of having a new baby brother, not wanting to share her daddies. Mitch thinks it's because Cam coddles her too much.
Alex and Haley want their own rooms, so they trick Luke into taking the attic.
Manny has accidentally stolen a locket from a classmate, but he's having a hard time admitting to it when Gloria goes Mama Bear at him being accused of stealing it.
Rating: 6/10
Thoughts:
Okay, why does Phil keep being attracted to other women? Not cool. Especially if your wife is right there, and then you gaslight her instead of admitting she was right.
It's fun being right. I feel bad for Claire in this episode.
Gloria's relationship with Manny is pushing weird territory.
S303 Phil on Wire
Phil attempts a death defying stunt.
Cam is going on a juice fast, which terrifies Mitchell, because Cameron's prior attempts always backfires. So Mitch decides to join Cam so he won't be blamed when it fails.
Phil decides to pursue his dream of walking on a tightrope while Luke eats a bag of junk food by himself.
Haley hates that Alex is in her math class. Claire tries to get her girls to work together.
Gloria is mad that Jay coddles Stella, even when the dog chews her shoes.
Rating: 7/10
Thoughts:
I love Stella. Gloria losing her mind was hilarious and the best part of this episode for me.
S3E04 Door to Door
Manny gets a lesson in good old fashioned salesmanship.
Claire is mad about the intersection and endeavors to have a stop sign put to stop speeders. She gathers signatures with the help of her family to present to the traffic committee and the city councilman, Duane Bailey (played by David Cross).
Manny asks Jay for money for his drama club instead of selling wrapping paper. Jay aims to turn this into a lesson for Manny.
Mitch is annoyed that Cam loves to cook and experiment but never cleans the kitchen afterwards, leaving Mitch to clean up after him. So, Mitch decides he won't do it.
It's Gloria vs Stella Round 2.
Rating: 6/10
Thoughts:
At least put on pants when you get your pizza from the pizza guy.
Not a fun of the whole "write this down" thing.
Yeah. I hate it when people don't clean up after cooking too. I get the arrangement that some people have, that if someone cooks, someone else cleans afterwards. But some people cook like a tornado ransacked their kitchen, and I'm the type that cleans as I go, so it's not really fair.
S3E05 Hit and Run
The men in the family are angry and they're not going to take it anymore.
Claire is still sore about being shot down by Duane Bailey (David Cross) about her stop sign. Phil encourages her to try and run for city council. With Claire thinking about it, Phil tries to be the super dad to his kids but injures Luke and gives Alex the wrong allergy medicine.
Mitch and Cam's car are rear ended by a seemingly friendly guy, who ends up bolting instead. Cam wants to run after him but Mitch insists they just need to call the police.
Gloria is frustrated because Manny and Jay don't want to ask for her help. Manny is having trouble with an assignment, while Jay is having a hard time impressing a client (Samm Levine).
Haley and her friends have been scammed by a guy, running away with $900. Claire finds out that Phil doesn"t have control of the situation regarding her kids and decides not to run for town council anymore. Jay, Phil and Cam decide to confront the guy who scammed Haley, while Mitch tries to stop them. Mitch insists that they do it the right way, and the guy looks like he's going to give them the money, but bolts instead.
Gloria asks Claire about her real reason about not wanting to run for town council - Claire reveals she's scared of failing. Gloria assures her Claire is strong enough to be okay even if she does fail, and her whole family will be proud of her regardless.
Rating: 7/10
Thoughts:
I do love the scenes where Claire and Gloria genuinely bond together. Also Phil and Jay and Cam.
Whenever I see David Cross he always plays the same characters.
S3E06 Go Bullfrogs!
Phil takes Haley on a tour of his alma mater.
Phil shows Haley his alma mater to spark her interest in college. But they're not bonding as he hoped they would.
Since Claire has a night out to herself, she asks Mitch and Cam to take her out. She spends the night hanging out with Mitch's gay friends. Except one isn't gay (Gilles Marini).
Gloria is concerned that Manny bought something that she doesn't know about.
Rating: 6/10
Thoughts:
Jay is funny. He's the type who doesn't like things but ends up liking them. And telenovelas can really suck you in no matter how ridiculous they are. It's like watching a trainwreck. You know it's horrible but you can't look away.
S3E07 Treehouse
Jay and Cameron are full of surprises.
This is an episode full of guest stars.
Phil wants to build a treehouse for Luke. Luke helps him but quits when it's clear Phil can't really build a treehouse. Phil then tells Luke that you can't have friends when you get older. He then tries to finish the treehouse alone but meets his neighbor Andre (Kevin Hart), who then offers to help him.
Haley needs to write an essay for college, with the subject of the biggest obstacle she had to overcome. She can't write anything and starts to blame her mom for sheltering her. Claire then tricks her and drives her in the middle of nowhere, with no phone and no money to come back home.
Gloria and Jay has invited Shorty (Chazz Palminteri) and his girlfriend Darlene (Jennifer Tilly) for dinner. Darlene then talks about the romantic things she does with Shorty, with Gloria commenting that Jay doesn't do those things. Shorty and Darlene then invite the two to go salsa dancing with them, with Jay immediately turning it down even when Gloria wants to go. She decides to go with them, alone.Jay then asks Manny for help but is having trouble relaxing. Mitch, while visiting, gives him a drug to help him relax and dance (Spoiler alert: baby aspirin). He then takes it later and surprises Gloria.
Mitch and Cam are at a bar with their friend Crispin (Craig Zimmerman). Cam has always insisted that he would be a ladies' man if he was straight and makes a bet with Mitch that he can get any woman's phone number. Mitch then gives him his target, a woman named Katie (Leslie Mann) and manages to get her number. Later, Cam then feels guilty, feeling he's leading this woman on and tries to tell her the truth. Katie reveals that she's always known he's gay and she just wanted a gay friend. Cam then explains the bet to her, and she helps Cam by acting she's heartbroken for being led on.
Rating: 8/10
Thoughts:
I admit, seeing Kevin Hart here was a big surprise.
Haley and Claire are so much alike, no wonder Claire is trying to control Haley's life because she wants her daughter to be much better.
Like I said, it seems Gloria and Jay have the closest relationship to a healthy one in this show. Their eyes don't wander (*ahem ahem* Phil) and Gloria can't even bring herself to dance with someone else. Jay tries to get out of his comfort zone for Gloria.
Cam's storyline in this show is funny if you remember Eric Stonestreet is 100% straight.
S3E08 After the Fire
When friends are in need, the gang roll up their sleeves to pitch in.
A neighbor's house has burned down, and Claire has organized a community drive to help.
Jay throws his back while trying to carry a box, so Phil offers to massage him to help. Jay is reluctant at first, but Phil is really a good masseur. During the massage, Jay blurts out "I love you" and immediately regrets it.
Cam is offended that the family doesn't think he can drive a huge moving track. Like always, his attempt to prove himself backfires, even when Haley and Alex try to help.
Claire discovers that Mitch spends a lot of time with Gloria and accuses him that he's turning Gloria into their mother. When Claire complains to Jay, she realizes that she's the one turning Gloria into their Mom, running to her father like she did when as a kid.
Manny and Luke try to play with a helicopter toy Gloria bought for their friend Reuben. The toy ends up in the hands of teenagers who refuse to give it back. Haley, Alex and Cam are on their way back to the house and sees the boys. Alex then asks the boys to give it back, who then tell Haley that Haley's fans will end up working for her Alex's nerdy fans.
Rating: 7/10
Thoughts:
I love moments when Jay encourages his family. Phil has a good relationship with his dad but Jay is someone you end up wanting to please, so his approval of Phil means a lot.
Nice to see the girls bonding with Cam.
S3E09 Punkin Chunkin
Pumpkins will fly when the family gets together on Thanksgiving.
It's Thanksgiving, and the Dunphy's former neighbor Kenneth (Josh Gad) visits. Kenneth has always idolized Phil and is now a billionaire because of an investment he started with a friend. Haley then jumps on this and says not going to college might be good, which obviously does not go well with Claire.
After a comment from Luke, Phil wonders why he's not successful as Kenneth. He then tells Claire she's the one holding him back.
Alex distracts Haley while the latter is driving, and the car bumps into a stone trash can. The two then try to keep it secret until Claire goes to the store.
Jay tries to give Manny criticism for his centerpiece (which doesn't really look good to be honest) but Gloria stops him, who doesn't want to hurt Manny's feelings. Jay tries to argue that always protecting his feelings will hurt him later on, but Gloria disagrees, saying that she wants to be different from her mother, who used to criticise everything she did.
Cam and Mitch are with their friends, and Cam is telling a story where he and his friends launched a pumpkin across a football field using a slingshot. Mitch tells Cam that he doesn't believe this story, and like everything else, turns into an argument.
At the Dunphy house, Jay tries to tell Manny that his centerpiece isn't good and that Gloria protecting his feelings is harmful in the long run. This leads to the family arguing about the three issues, dividing the family into the Pritchetts or the Realists (Jay, Mitchell and Claire) versus the Dreamers (Cam, Gloria and Phil).
They decide to test the story. It doesn't travel very far, proving the Realists right, who then admit they aren't satisfied even when being proven right. They try to cheer the Dreamers up and suggest to launch the pumpkin from a steeper angle... and it works.
Rating: 8/10
Thoughts:
I have mixed feelings about this episode. It isn't that funny but highlights the differences between the Pritchetts and their significant others. I side with the Pritchetts.
I side with Jay, because Gloria and Manny's relationship is way too close. Praising your kid and building them up is yes, what parents should do, but Gloria's overcompensating.
Claire is being realistic. Investments are tricky, and they have three kids. The series has shown that sometimes Claire think Phil is her fourth child.
Between Mitch and Cam, I don't know. Cam is being his usual self, which makes me wonder why these two are even together.
S3E10 Express Christmas
It's a mad dash to celebrate Christmas early.
DeDe can't visit for Christmas, and the family realizes they have different plans that will prevent them from being together on Christmas, so Phil suggest they celebrate Christmas on that day, since they're all free. The family then divides the preparations among themselves.
Mitchell, Alex and Lily go look for a tree. Alex stands up for her uncle, thinking the salesman is pointing them to artificial pink trees. The salesman then clarifies that he was pointing to the trees behind the pink trees. Embarrased by their overreaction, they buy a tree they thought was unsuitable. The tree falls off the car and into traffic.
Gloria and Luke are assigned to look for the Christmas ornaments and an angel DeDe made for Claire and Mitchell. They manage to find them, but on their way home, Gloria sees a spider on the angel and throws it out of the car. The angel gets run over and breaks. Gloria glues the head back with gum.
Claire and Haley are at the store to buy the gifts. They find everything they wanted, except the nightlight for Lily, so Haley dresses up like an employee to get the last nightlight from another customer.
Cameron and Jay wrap the presents. Cam tries to have a moment with Jay and gives him a present, which is a cork. Cam tells Jay that is from the time they drank wine together but Jay can't remember. He then tells Cam that he is too attached to things.
Phil and Manny finish their groceries and wait to meet a guy at the parking lot, as Phil has arranged to buy a rare baseball card as a gift for Jay. The guy tries get a higher price from Phil, but a freaked out Manny whips out Gloria's stun gun and accidentally zaps Phil. The guy takes the money and the turkey Phil bought for dinner. Phil's hand goes into spasms and ends up crushing the card.
The family gathers back at the Dunphy house. The tree is ruined. The angel is ruined. No turkey. Phil is still having spasms. Everyone is disappointed, so Jay tells them to cut their losses and go out to eat out and celebrate Jewish Christmas. When they get outside, they discover Jay has arranged to cover the house with fake snow. Cam gets his moment and hugs Jay, and the family has a wonderful early Christmas. Mitch and Claire call their mother.
Phil gives Jay his backup present: dog antlers. Jay loves them and puts it on Stella.
Rating: 8/10
Thoughts:
I'd like to know who said Christmas is for family gathering together because I don't think that's what it means. Is it because holidays means family gathering together and Christmas is a holiday?
I've always said I love it when Jay has his moments with his family. Mitch and Alex moments are also sweet.
S3E11 Lifetime Supply
Phil contemplates the worst, after missing a call from the doctor.
Phil goes to Dr. Sendroff for a check up. The doctor then tells him that he will call if something is wrong. That Saturday, he misses the call and assumes the worse, thinking he is dying, and the lifetime supply of razors he had won in a TV show has run out means it's a definite bad sign. Claire assures him that he is fine.
Mitch wins an environmental law award, and this creates a competition between him and Cam, as the latter pulls out the award he won for fishing back in Missouri and displays it right next to Mitchell's. Like everything else, this goes pretty badly. Cam tells Mitch he has a lot of awards and has been hiding it from him to spare his feelings. After talking to Alex, Mitch realizes he's been acting like a child and decides to make a display for Cam's awards. He sees how many awards there is and decides to place it inside, only to see a mouse and drop the box with the awards, and he starts kicking it. Cam sees it and well, you know.
Gloria tells Jay that she saw a black mouse in her dream. Her ex-husband and Manny's father, Javier, is in town to visit. He takes Manny and Jay to the horse races.
Gloria helps Haley with her Spanish, and she finds out what's going on with Phil. She calls the whole family, who come to support Phil and Claire. Claire begins to freak out as well when she sees that even Jay thinks something might be wrong. Dr. Sendroff finally calls and tells Phil everything is fine, and he was just calling to ask him to be his realtor.
Rating: 7/10
Thoughts:
In Mitch and Cam's case, I get both sides here. My dad has decided to display all my awards when I was in school in huge ass frames. I'm not siding with anyone here because they're both childish anyway.
Javier flirting with Claire is hilarious. Both Mitch and Cam eye him like he was eye candy. Honestly. Among the three couples, it's telling that only Jay and Gloria have eyes for each other, never even looking at someone else. Mitch and Cam do that a lot, and Phil has a crush on Gloria. Claire has her moments too.
S3E12 Egg Drop
Even an innocent school project is not safe from the cutthroat 'Pritchett drive'.
Luke and Manny have a project in school where they have to find a way how to drop an egg from a height, but the egg cannot break. Manny tells Jay that Luke will do well with the project because Claire might help him. Jay then calls Claire to tell her she won't help Luke, and Claire, competitive as she is, decides to help Luke. The two then end up competing, and a guilty Manny confesses that he and Luke tricked their parents into making their projects for them.
Phil has a seminar about real estate. He ends up calling Gloria and Haley for help. The two is assigned jobs. Obviously, this goes badly, as Gloria's car ends up being towed and Phil's seminar is a disaster. He's understandbly mad, but when Gloria takes the full blame, Phil doesn't yell at her. Gloria gets mad that Phil isn't yelling at her, that he always think she's perfect.
Cam and Mitch welcome a potential birth mother named Lindsay. Lindsay is impressed, especially when she finds out Cam is a musician. She asks them to sing something for her and the baby. She then says that Mitch is the better singer, which irritates Cam. Lindsay decides that she's choosing the two for her baby. Cam, annoyed about being told that Mitch is a better singer, decides to show off and sing for Lindsay, singing "If You Leave Me Now". His rendition makes the pregnant Lindsay think about her son and changes her mind, deciding to keep him for herself instead.
Rating: 6/10
Thoughts:
Great job, Cam. Of all the songs in the world, you chose that one. You proved you could sing, but no more baby.
The Pritchetts have always been competitive. While Jay is laidback but secretly competitve, Claire and Mitchell has always shown neurotic traits, probably something they inherited from Dede. So neurotic + competitive equals....?
Unfortunately, Alex has taken after her mother.
So far this season is kinda meh for me. Jay is being Jay, Gloria is being Gloria, and Phil and Cameron are in my running of competing for 'Worst Partners' ever. Phil is an awesome dad to Luke. To his daughters, he does try,
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