Modern Family: Grill, Interrupted (6x19)

There were some really funny and great things about this episode, but oddly the thing that gave the episode its title fell sort of flat. Let's jump in to the plot.

The entire plot centers around Jay's birthday party. The whole family comes over, and shenanigans ensue.

Phil has given Jay a new grill for his birthday, bu the thing is way too high-tech and confusing. Phil can't figure out how to use it, and Jay is happy with his old grill instead.

Cam receives an inheritance from a distant uncle, and Cam and Mitch decide to spend it on the unit upstairs from their house. However, Cam already bought expensive fur coats for himself and Lily. He needs to take them back, but the store won't let Cam return his, since he's already worn it. Guiltily, Cam realizes he'll have to come clean to Mitchell.

However, Mitchell and Claire talk about how Jay had helped pay for the down payment on their houses, and how they'd never paid back. Claire decides it would be the right thing to do, to offer to pay him back. Mitchell does so, and is thrown off when Jay accepts the money. Now, he's spent Cam's inheritance! When Phil finds out that they had borrowed money from Jay all those years ago, he decides that this is the reason for all the distance between them. He pays Jay back, using the money that Claire had just gotten as a bonus from work.

Jay knows that both of his kids could use the money, so he cleverly tells each of them that the other one is in need of some help, and he's only giving money to both so that neither will feel embarrassed or lose face. Both Claire and Mitch are happy to get the money.

Meanwhile, Gloria sets up an elaborate prank to stop Luke and Manny from drinking. First, she replaces tequila with water. Luke and Manny steal the booze and go upstairs to drink it. They both declare it to be very strong stuff. When they come back downstairs, they find Gloria telling Haley's new boyfriend, a doctor, that she ate the little worm inside of the bottle. The guy tells Gloria that she has to drink a special concoction, or the worm will kill her. The only other way to kill the worm is to submerge yourself in ice water. Manny and Luke, panicked, fill the tub with ice water and get in, thinking that they too have a deadly worm inside them. Gloria snaps a picture of them hugging in the bathtub, threatening to show it to the whole school if she ever catches them drinking again.

Andy has decided that he wants to be with Haley. He overheard what she said when she came to visit him at the hospital, and he's ready to tell her how he feels. Then, Haley shows up with a boyfriend. Andy is disappointed, but he decides to tell Haley anyway. They are constantly interrupted. Haley eventually admits that she's having fun with this doctor guy, and that she's not looking for anything serious right now. Andy tells Haley it's good that she knows what she wants, before anybody gets hurt.

Finally, there's Alex. She's been accepted to Caltech. She's acting weird about it, though, and Claire thinks it's because she didn't make a big enough deal out of it when Alex first made the announcement. She overcompensates, singing Alex's praises to everybody who will listen, but Alex is still resistant to the celebrating. In the end, Jay is the one to figure out what's wrong. Alex is nervous that she won't live up to the hype. Everybody is expecting great things from her - what if she's the dumbest one there? Jay says that she needs to go to Caltech, because this family needs a leader. Jay can't do it forever, and Alex is the only one who can handle the chaos.

So. This episode was almost entirely awesome. But... I didn't like the thing with the new grill. It didn't end up being that big a part of the episode, so that was good, but what we did have of it wasn't all that creative or interesting. It's a small thing, because I ended up enjoying the rest of the episode quite a bit.

If I were to have one other small complaint, it would be that the Haley/Andy plot is veering into cliche land. Just as Andy is about to confess his feelings, Haley shows up with a new boy. I've seen that done a thousand times.

Still, though. mostly the Haley/Andy stuff works for me because they're just so ridiculously adorable. I want things to work out for them. In particular, I loved the moment when Haley and Andy both get on the bed to try and convince Joe to get some sleep. So sweet! Also, I liked that this doctor guy isn't a total moron like most of the guys Haley dates. It made it more interesting that he was actually a nice, smart, funny guy. He even assisted Gloria with her lesson to the boys!

Luke and Manny getting "drunk" on water was priceless. Gloria had so many tricks up her sleeve. I honestly loved the way she took a picture of them and threatened them with humiliation. What a fantastic way to teach them a lesson without getting them sick by letting them actually drink! I was a little bit surprised that Manny went along with the whole drinking thing, but it made for some great comedy.

Jay is just the best father. I loved how he took Mitchell's money, and later Phil's, not because he needed or even wanted the money, but because he wanted to give his kids closure. Then, he finds a way to give them the money he knows they could use, without injuring their pride. The best moment with Jay was the final one with Alex, though. I love the idea of the family needing a leader, and of Jay nominating Alex for the position. This show is so good at teasing out different relationships. Jay and Alex, for example. Or Luke and Gloria.

Ultimately, this episode was really fun and clever. It might not have hit every mark, but what worked, really worked.

8.5/10