Modern Family: Patriot Games (6x22)

Three plot threads this week, all very separate from each other. Let's take it one at a time!

Phil, Claire, and Alex are called into the principal's office. They assume it's to find out that Alex has made valedictorian, and they're right, but with a twist - Alex's long-time school rival, Sanjay, is also valedictorian. Both of the kids are horrified by the thought of a tie, and they insist they need to find a way to break it. Apparently, neither one of them completed the one mile run, so they agree that will be the tie breaker. Sanjay thanks Alex for pushing him to succeed all of these years, and he tells her that he likes her. Alex's family all thinks that Sanjay is just saying that to get in her head. As they are about to start the race, Sanjay reaffirms that he really does like Alex. Alex realizes she likes him too. They share a kiss, and decide it's okay to tie for valedictorian.

This was the cutest plot thread of the episode, for sure. I liked how it played up Alex's competitive side, but it also showed the softer side of her as well. As they kiss, Sanjay and Alex argue over which of them is the better kisser, thus reinforcing their competitive relationship. I also liked the way that Sanjay's parents were just as competitive as he is, while Phil and Claire were both just so proud of Alex for tying for valedictorian. (For the record, that's not how it works at most high schools I know about... but then in my area, we don't have weighted GPAs, and you can't get higher than a 4.0). If I were to complain, it would be about the forced message at the end that tried to tie all three plots together - I think it was supposed to be a "God Bless America" thing, wherein we're supposed to admire the melting pot culture of America, as represented by Sanjay and Alex. It felt shoehorned in.

Next, we've got Gloria and Jay's plot thread. Gloria is just about to take her citizenship test. She's excited, but she starts to have conflicted feelings when Javier, Manny's father, tells her she'll be turning her back on her homeland. Jay tells her that he wants her to be able to share in all the freedoms of being an American, but Manny reveals that Jay really wants her to be a citizen so they won't have to wait in the long lines when crossing the border on their way back from Cabo. Gloria eventually realizes, with some help from Manny, that she really does want to be a US citizen. She takes the test and passes easily - so easily, in fact, that she's annoyed at all the effort she wasted on studying.

This plot thread was a tiny bit hokey, but despite the overt and annoying patriotism, I liked what we learned about the characters here. Gloria and Jay's relationship makes me smile, especially when we get to see some more genuine and serious moments between them. Jay wants Gloria to become a citizen for a variety of reasons - he's jealous of her ties to Javier, for one thing. And he does hate waiting in the line, but not just because it's mildly inconvenient for him. It makes him feel like he and Gloria aren't even part of the same family. Ultimately I'm happy Gloria got to achieve a goal she's had for a long time, and I thought it was especially sweet that Manny was the one to help her remember why she wanted this in the first place. On the more humorous side, I loved seeing Gloria in the American flag shorts and eagle t-shirt, with her terrible attempt at a Texan accent. There was also a hilarious joke where Jay called Gloria a jumping bean, Gloria corrected him and said "jumping beans are Mexican," and Jay replied "once you're an American you won't see the difference." That was a funny pointed comment.

Finally, there's Mitchell and Cam. They run in to their friends, who inform them that they're protesting a popular burger joint. Mitchell and Cam don't know why, but they try to save face with their friends, who accuse them of not caring about politics. Cam and Mitchell show up at the restaurant to join in the protest, but it looks like nobody else is there. They end up eating at the restaurant, because they love their burgers. However, when they get outside they see their friends, who are angry that they would support an establishment that is against healthcare benefits for same-sex couples. Mitchell and Cam explain that they're busy people with a life, and a kid, and that they sometimes let the other stuff fall by the wayside.

This plot thread kind of confused me. I'm not really sure, ultimately, what the message was meant to be. Are we meant to be upset at Mitchell and Cam for not doing their political duty, or are we meant to ridicule their friends for caring about a seemingly minor issue? There were some individually funny moments in this plot thread, particularly the long chant that the protesters were saying - they don't support restaurants that support super PACs that don't support health care for same sex couples! I also thought Lily was funny, for the brief moment she appeared. There was some nice potential commentary here about the fact that a lot of same-sex couples don't have kids, and thus have a bigger disposable income and more time for political activism. I just felt like they didn't capitalize on the opportunity as well as they could have.

There you have it! Three plot threads, tied together (very) loosely by the theme of patriotism. Not one of my favorite episodes, but it had some cute things in it.

7.5/10