MODERN FAMILY: ‘Chirp’

After last week’s amazing Halloween episode, this week’s MODERN FAMILY was a bit of a letdown. But, even a not-so-funny ep of this show still has a way of making me laugh.

It’s flu season and Claire has come down with the sniffles. But because she’s Super-Mom, she doesn’t have time to get sick –- she has to make the ladyfingers for the bake sale and go to the gym to pick up her forgotten phone. Phil takes it upon himself to be “Mr. Mom” for the day, because after all, with everything Claire does for him — including going to the gym four times a week to keep him interested — it’s the least he can do. And wanting to stay home is not at all related to the fact that his home showings for the day fell through, right? It’s all the helping around the house that he wants to get accomplished that’s keeping him there! Uhhh…exactly. Now, if he could just figure out which smoke alarm keeps chirping!

At Cam and Mitchell’s place, Cam has just booked Lily in a local children’s furniture commercial even though Mitchell doesn’t approve. He wants Lily to have a normal childhood but as Cam points out, “that gay cruise has sailed.” He wants Lily to have a theatrical childhood like he did, but Mitchell says that just because Cam did “Godspell” one summer in a barn, that doesn’t make him theatre-folk… that makes him barn-folk and his final say on the matter is “no.”

Meanwhile, Gloria and Manny show up at Jay’s worksite to have lunch. Gloria goes in while Manny stays outside to talk to the forklift operator, Jack. Gloria is excited for their big date night. In Jay’s confessional, he admits he really has no idea what she is talking about because she likes to celebrate every milestone in their relationship and he doesn’t know which one this is. A second later, Manny comes crashing through the wall with the guiltiest look you’ve ever seen across his face. Jay fires Jack and Manny isn’t pleased.

After catching Claire’s cold, Hayley joins her mom in bed for a little R&R. The two watch soap operas and Claire decides to take this opportunity to share her concerns about Haley’s relationship with Dylan. Rather than coming right out and talking to her daughter, Claire uses the characters on the show to impart her life lessons. Bad move.  Hayley assumes the miserable woman who married a buffoon of a man too early in life, as described in Clarie’s story, is actually her mother.

Gloria spills the beans about Lily’s commercial (too bad Jay isn’t so lucky…she won’t spill the beans on where he is supposed to meet her for their date night). Mitchell rushes to the set to confront Cam. As the director calls action, Cam and Mitchell realize how racist this commercial actually is –- that’s why Lily was perfect for the role, she’s Asian! And this commercial is pulling out all the stops in the Asian stereotype book. Save-zilla, anyone?

After Jay calls Manny ‘his kid’, Manny finally reveals that Gloria is at the Pier, the site of their first kiss.

Phil changes every battery in every smoke alarm in the house and yet it still beeps. He goes through the house beating all of the alarms with his college cheerleading baton when Haley tells Claire the only way to save her marriage is to stop him. When Luke reveals that he stored the old smoke alarms they had replaced in the attic to make a robot, Claire and Phil have a lovey-dovey moment that Haley thinks was all because of her. And all’s well that ends well in the Pritchett-Delgado-Dunphy-Tucker households.

What were your favorite moments of this week’s MODERN FAMILY? Were you a little disappointed after last week’s stand-out episode? Hit the comment and let me know!

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