MODERN FAMILY Recap: ‘Boys’ Night’

I know it’s only been two weeks since the last MODERN FAMILY episode, but didn’t it seem like much longer? This week’s ep didn’t pack the emotional punch as the previous one — “Two Monkeys and a Panda” — which I think was probably good. It was perfectly funny, which was nice welcome after the break.

My favorite part was Cameron and Mitchell’s friends Pepper, Longinus and Crispin. It’s always fun to see Nathan Lane again and he fits in marvelously as the flighty and flamboyant Pepper. We welcomed the guys back during a boys’ night out where they were discussing first crushes and drinking margaritas with a shot of absinthe, which to me seemed like a disaster waiting to happen. I expected it to escalate to catastrophic proportions when Jay showed up to the bar they were at (to escape a symphony with Gloria and Manny, naturally), but surprisingly, everyone got along swimmingly! It was fun to see Jay embrace his “inner gay” with the guys, making jokes about singing in the shower and calling for more booze. How nice to have Jay and Mitchell interact because I feel like it doesn’t happen all that often – it was sweet Mitchell felt comfortable enough to open up about his first crush — Rob Lowe — after keeping that part of him a secret from Jay, something he thought he had to do after Jay walked in on him dancing in his room to Madonna when he was 12.

We were also introduced to the Dunphy’s crotchety old neighbor, Walt Kleezak, after they accidentally hit a baseball in his backyard. Luke going over to his house to get the ball and then consequently becoming friends with him was funny and Luke not understanding anything about him was even funnier — I loved him holding his breath before walking into Walt’s house since he thought the oxygen was only available from Walt’s tank. Of course Claire and Phil had to be overbearing parents and get all weird about the friendship, going to talk to Walt (at night! Why couldn’t they have waited until morning like normal people?) and them flailing with fear after waking him up was a highlight of the episode for me.

The other subplot of Haley babysitting Lily while Cam and Mitchell were out was predictable, but still good for a few laughs. Of course she would invite Dylan over! That was obvious. But him leaving his shoes there and thinking they wouldn’t notice was great, especially after the payoff during the end tag when Haley “slyly” came over to retrieve them and Cam knew exactly why she was there.

A few favorite lines:

• “Wow, are the movie rights available for that one?” – Manny, after Jay’s boring crab cake story.

• “I’m still growing into my tongue.” – Luke, after being told he drools.

• “A shot, with our only child, why not, if something goes wrong we can just pop over to the Orient and grab another one. ” – Cameron, when Mitchell says yes to Haley babysitting Lily.

• “I love Westerns, the bloodier the better, that’s my favorite type of movie – that and anything set against the backdrop of competitive cheerleading.” – Phil, after Walt invites Luke over to watch movies. I wonder if he’s seen one of my favorites, FIRED UP?

• “He doesn’t know I’m this gay.” –Mitchell, after his friends want to invite Jay to join them.

• “When I was 12-years-old my father walked into my bedroom and caught me doing the most embarrassing thing that a boy can do: dancing to Madonna’s ‘Lucky Star.'” –Mitchell

• “They’re gay, they know what shoes they own!” –Haley to Dylan

So what did y’all think of tonight’s episode, MODERN FAMILY fans? Did you think it was a good episode to come back to after the two-week void? And can there ever be enough Pepper in our lives? Comment below and let me know what you thought!