Tag Archives: dunphy

Jan 12 2012
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ABC, Modern Family

modern family recapping: egg drop

Previously on Modern Family: Lifetime Supply

Phil, Haley, Gloria

Phil, who recently departed from his real estate company to start his own, is giving an introductory presentation on what people can expect from the new company. He asks Haley to help him out, I suppose as an act of responsibility before she heads to college. Let’s be honest, Haley isn’t going to college for responsibility, she’s going for more boys with foot fetishes and frat parties.

Still, she agrees, and they get Gloria to help in the real estate spectacle. Gloria and Haley are detained by manicures and a towed car, which forces Phil to give the entire presentation himself, like a one man band. Gloria takes the blame, because Haley doesn’t think Phil will get mad at Gloria. She’s right and Gloria takes offense to this. Screeching at Phil like a hyena, she finally gets him to yell back at her, which he can only do because the hyena like screech is not very becoming.  They hug it out, which Phil enjoys a little too much.

Manny Confesses

Claire is helping Luke with his egg drop project, because she helps Luke with every project. Once Jay finds out about this he immediately agrees to help Manny with his egg drop project, thus beginning a father-daughter competition like you’ve never seen before.  Jay even initiates some scare tactics to get Claire shaking. Meanwhile Claire is begging Alex for her egg drop design, since it’s apparently flawless. Alex won’t budge, because she always does what’s right and because she’s too competitive to let someone else win with her design. Wonder where she gets that from. Luke and Manny enjoy the competition between Claire and Jay because it means not doing any of the project.  After a successful first story drop, and raising the stakes to a second story drop, Claire and Jay feel bad about taking over the project. But before they can apologize Manny confesses to and apologizes for the scheme.

Mitchell and Cam, already in agreement about expanding their family, have an interview with a pregnant teen mom, who believes there are 52 states. They relinquish their power of choice and let the seriously misinformed teenager run their lives during the meeting. She feng shuis their living room and asks them to sing for her. I welcome any chance to hear Jesse Tyler Ferguson sing, and loved seeing Mitchell break free of his controlled exterior and shine. Teen mom tells Cam he was pitchy, and Cam, wanting to prove her wrong and take back his spotlight, sings a second song to celebrate Teen mom choosing them. Note to anyone who ever wishes to adopt from an impressionable teen girl: singing “Don’t Leave Me Now” is not a good idea. Mitchell and Cam don’t get the baby, and now he/she will grow up thinking East Dakota is a state.

 Phil Gimmicks

Best/Funniest Moment

  • Phil introducing himself and running all around the stage and showroom to cue his gimmicks on time.
  • Gloria screaming like a hyena in heat, multiple times throughout the episode.
  • 52 states including East Dakota, gotta love that American education.
  • Teen Mom calling Cam pitchy.
  • Claire claiming she was testing the strength of the eggs.

Quotes

Claire(talking about Alex): “There’s something wrong with that one.”

Jay (to Claire): “You came out of the womb like that. I’m not entirely sure there wasn’t a twin in there that you bumped off.”

Manny(talking about Gloria on the phone with relatives): “I understood ‘crazy old witch’ ‘go kill yourself’ then ‘I love you’.”

Glora: “Be careful with boys who like feet, that can get weird really fast.”

Kristen is a confused young adult who sometimes thinks TV shows are actually her life. Wouldn’t that be cool? Unless she was a victim on Dexter, or a deranged privileged teenager on gossip girl, or a wolf on teen wolf, or Liz Lemon! Never mind. It wouldn’t be cool. Kristen is a young adult. Follow her @kris10_Alyse or read frustrateddreamer.com

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Dec 08 2011
1 Comment
quotes, Recaps, TV

modern family recapping: express christmas

Sitting Poolside

This was an unusual episode from the get go. First, it was the Christmas episode, yet they were all sunbathing by the pool. Not exactly a typical start to a Christmas episode. We quickly learn that it’s not actually Christmas but the family is not going to be able to spend Christmas together. Phil proposes an “express Christmas” which basically means everyone is going to run around like mad to throw together a last minute Christmas celebration. Sounds entertaining to me, I’m in.

So the group starts assigning tasks:

  • Claire and Haley handle gift shopping
  • Jay and Cam are in charge of wrapping gifts
  • Luke and Gloria have to get the angel from the attic
  • Phil and Manny get the food
  • Mitchell, Alex, and Lily get the tree

Once everyone finishes their task they’ll meet back at Phil and Claire’s for the celebration. The pairs are noticeably odd but it works.

Claire and Haley set off to Target, where there is a sweet product placement moment, wonder how much Target paid for that? Haley is overwhelmed at first, because the place is so big and the list is so long but Claire pulls her together and tells her this is what her years of training have led to. Haley takes the inspiration and goes with it, sniffing out the first item on the list like a champ. Of course things get complicated when Haley is sent to get the last item on the list and the last ladybug lamp in the store gets taken by some guy. Haley’s initial thought is to use what her Mama gave her to get it back, until he talks on the phone and it becomes clear he’s gay. With that idea out the window Haley has to get resourceful. A Target employee walks by and Haley follows him. While Claire is stalling at the checkout by buying packs of gum Haley comes up in a target shirt and gives Claire the lady bug lamp. I guess all of Haley’s training really paid off.

Gift Giving

Jay and Cam are gift wrapping with Cam’s mobile wrapping station (he would have one of those) and Cam notices how much tape Jay puts on his gifts. Cam insinuates that the amount of tape Jay uses is also a metaphor for not letting anyone in. Cam though, ever the pusher, decides to give Jay his gift a little early. Jay opens it to find a cork, which, Cam tells him, was from the wine they drank during the first football game they watched together. Ridiculous. Cam of course gets upset that Jay doesn’t remember. Jay explains that he’s just not that kind of guy. Cam says he just needs time for his wound to heal and walks away with his mobile wrapping station and his dignity.

Fixing the Angel

Gloria is afraid of the spiders in the attic, so Luke is helping her find the Angel. Gloria guides him through the attic, telling him to stay on the beams, while she stays on the ladder in case she has to make a quick escape from the spiders. While telling him to look out, Luke misunderstands her, steps off the beams and his foot goes through the ceiling. Luke explains because when she says “Luke” and “Look” it sounds the same. Gloria doesn’t hear it, until she says “Luke Look” and then she hears it. Luke is relieved. On their way to the Dunphy house, Gloria runs over a Christmas Tree and tells Luke not to look back. Then while looking at the Angel Gloria sees a spider on it and throws it out the window.

Phil and Manny have all the food, but Phil needs to make a shady stop to pick up a gift for Jay.  Manny, newly worried about kidnapping, is freaking out a bit. But Phil explains this is how Craigslist works, because Craigslist isn’t shady at all. In the negotiation and confusion Manny hits Phil with the taser and the seller get their turkey. Phil also manages to ruin the baseball card he just bought Jay with taser-induced hand spasms that crush the card.

Angel, Mitchell, Alex, Jay

Mitchell and Alex work well together and honestly I think they were my favorite team. Both Mitchell and Alex are pretty particular about the kind of tree they want and they agree they it needs to be a Douglas fir, over eight feet tall, with no bald patches. A man working there suggests they might like what’s behind him, which is a tree that’s been spray painted pink. Alex goes off on him, calling him a knuckle-dragger. And the man corrects her by saying he was talking about the truck full of Douglas firs that was being unloaded behind the tacky pink tree.   They take the tree behind them and thank their lucky stars that they’ll never have to return, until Mitchell stops short, the tree goes flying off the roof and Gloria runs it over.

Snowfall

When everyone reconvenes at the Dunphy House, Cam isn’t speaking to Jay, the Angel is broken, the tree is in pieces, and there is no Turkey. Everyone feels a bit defeated and they’re no longer prepared to celebrate Christmas. Jay suggests that they all have a Jewish Christmas and go out for Chinese food. When they walk outside there is a man blowing snow onto the Dunphy’s house. Jay has surprised them all with snowfall. Everyone is delighted and plays in the snow.

Best Quotes:

Alex: Okay just because my uncle is clearly gay, doesn’t mean he’d ever want your tacky pink tree. And frankly, we’d rather throw some lights on our coat rack than have to deal with knuckledraggers like you, today of all days…December 16th. (It’s rare that Alex has a memorable moment, let alone quote, I’m glad the writers are giving her some good material).

Claire: Listen to me, your whole life has led to this moment. All the training, the hours of dedication, there’s not a soul alive that can touch you when it comes to shopping and baby you know it. Look at me, be you!
Gloria: Luke!
Luke: At what?
Gloria: What do you mean at what? I said Luke.
Luke: I am looking!

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Oct 06 2011
2 Comments
ABC, quotables, Recaps, TV

modern family recapping: door to door

Anyone who knows Claire Dunphy knows that she likes a project. So when another car almost hits her as she approaches an intersection on her way to school with Alex and Haley and then she hits some idiot who is power walking walking with a helmet and ski poles, oh wait, that’s her husband Phil. Claire Dunphy has a new project. She is going to get a stop sign put into that intersection, for the safety of her neighborhood. Luke throws a basketball at Phil’s head, which makes it into the hoop, thus beginning a youtube video idea.

When Cam and Lily wake up in a “French mood”, they retreat to the kitchen to make crepes. Since the adoption agency is coming to do a home check, Mitchell’s strategy is to make the house as presentable as possible. Cam’s “French mood” which is probably similar to PMSing and craving chocolate, conflicts with Mitchell’s need to keep the house clean.  But Cam assures Mitchell that the kitchen will be clean when he arrives home/before the adoption agent comes. This isn’t the first time Cam has made a mess that Mitchell cleaned up, and it probably won’t be the last.

Jay and Manny

Apparently, Gloria never pulls her car into the driveways and closes the gate, much to Jay’s dismay. Gloria doesn’t know what he is worried about in their nice neighborhood. But moments late Gloria, annoyed with Stella, puts the dog out the front door only to realize that she left the gate open. Gloria, panicked about Jay assuming she intentionally lost the dog, begins a search for the dog with the help of Cam, who seems to be looking for an excuse to get out of the house, tsk tsk. Meanwhile, Manny has to sell wrapping paper for school and Jay, being the salesman that he is and a good father, offers to help.

Claire tries to rally the troops to help out her cause. They all, conveniently have other projects to do, except for Phil (what a good hubby!). But Phil is also easily distracted, when Luke tries to prompt him into making another basket off of his head, this time to be caught on camera, he gives in without much of a fight and forgets all about his promise to help. Claire continues to try, but with very little success. When she goes to the board, who are in the middle of a birthday party (with no ice cream cake…blasphemous), she has 26 less signatures than she needs. Luckily her troops show up to “blind-side” her (Phil does not use the term properly). Haley and Alex have collected more signatures and Phil and Luke created a video. They explain all this while the birthday boy, who wanted ice cream cake, spits the bite of regular cake he just ate out. Claire gets her way and there will be a stop sign. Joy to the WORLD!

Stella!

Cam, while helping Gloria search for Stella, realizes his likeness to Marlon Brando in “A Streetcar Named Desire” as he runs through the street in a white undershirt dramatically screaming “Stella”. With the exception of the shirt and the name, there is nothing about Cam’s search for Stella (the dog not Kim Hunter in the 1951 classic), that is like Brando’s, but I’ll let him have it because the reference was so perfect. And it’s made even more perfect when they meet a little girl named Blanche (Vivien Leigh’s character’s name in the movie), who has stolen Stella and won’t give her back. Gloria, however, doesn’t take crap from a little girl just because she’s threatening to scream (You go Gloria!) and takes the dog back. Jay helps Manny go door to door trying to sell wrapping paper, unsuccessfully. Jay says that he wants to make sure he gives Manny all the tools he needs early on, since he’s older and probably won’t be around. Manny is defeated and teaches the audience a valuable lesson: “You’ll never go broke playing into a rich guy’s ego….write THAT down.”

Cam and Mitchell and Lily

When Cam shows up at home, Mitchell is beaming with pride. He resisted cleaning the kitchen! It wasn’t easy, but he did it. So now Cam, who apparently has no problem leaving messes, has to finish was he started and clean up his mess. He’s hesitant and make snide comments about it all being so gross. LIGHTBULB! Mitchell realizes that Cam wanted him to clean it up. Cam admits it, claiming he hates how dirty and disgusting it is to clean. Mitchell then feeds into the mess and ends up putting a whipped cream crown on Lily’s head and a whipped cream smiley face on Cam’s shirt right before the adoption agent shows up. Perfect timing.

This episode was Modern Family at it’s best. I really love when the stories overlap and the families help each other out. Last week’s episode they were all kind of involved within their own immediate family drama. This week, there was some overlap, albeit not a lot, but just enough to make me happy. I also love it when Mitchell breaks out of his normal neat little box, putting whipped cream on Lily’s head even though she was just an innocent bystander was fantastic. Manny playing jay was also pretty slick, I must admit I don’t usually expect much out of that kid, but I gotta give him props.

Best Quotes:

Cam: Mitchell you are not going to believe this. I’m out with Gloria looking for her dog and I’m wearing an undershirt and I’m screaming STELLA just like in “Street Car”!

Cam: Sweetie what’s your name?
Girl: Blanche.
Cam: Shut up really? Mitchell would die.

Alex: Consider yourself lucky you didn’t just get, like, felt up by your mom.

Luke: How many moms does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
Phil: How many?
Luke: None because she’s got you to do that sucker.

Manny: You’ll never go broke playing into a rich guy’s ego. Write THAT down.

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