Modern Family: Thanksgiving Jamboree (8x07)

This episode didn't really do a lot for me. Often times Modern Family can really pull out big wins for holiday themed episodes. But much like this year's Halloween episode, I felt that this Thanksgiving story was lacking any real punch. That's not to say that it sucked, but it didn't wow me either.

Cons:

The whole family gets together for a "Thanksgiving Jamboree," which is a big Southern to-do that normally Mitchell would hate, but Cam is really excited about it. Claire thinks that Mitchell is only going along with it because he did something wrong, and it turns out that she's right: Mitchell accidentally got rid of Cam's Fizbo costume. When Mitchell finally tells Cam this, he reacts calmly, which makes Claire and Mitchell suspect that maybe he's the one hiding stuff. Indeed, he is. Cam spent all the money set aside for an upcoming romantic getaway in order to make the Thanksgiving Jamboree.

I'm sick of plot threads like this, that are built on the comedy of spouses lying to one another. For Cam to spend a big chunk of money like that without talking to Mitchell is actually pretty serious, and if this weren't a sitcom it would be a sign of a deep fundamental problem in their relationship. As it is, we're meant to laugh at it.

Apparently Haley and Rainer Shine are still together. Phil is upset because Rainer is taking Haley to Cabo over the weekend, meaning Haley will miss the traditional family football game. This plot thread is one of those things that has a bit of promise, but there's been no follow-through thus far with the Rainer thing. Haley says that Phil will freak out about Rainer taking Haley on a trip, but that Claire will be cool with it. Really? Why? Claire is a responsible, loving, yet slightly manic sitcom mom. She's cool with her... what... 24-year-old-ish daughter going out with a man so much older than her? She's cool with them traveling internationally together? Haley's still living at home. If I were a parent, I'm not sure I would let my kid have free reign like that.

There are some hints here that Phil is upset that his little girl has grown up and is making adult decisions, but there's no real follow-through on that. Is Phil having trouble letting go of Haley, or is he worried about her because of the age difference, or is he sad about losing out on a friendship with Rainer since Haley is monopolizing all of his time? I have no idea what angle they were trying to go with.

One of the Dunphy's old neighbors who is recently divorced comes over to share Thanksgiving with the family, and it adds virtually nothing comedic to the episode. Not sure why he was included.

Alex makes out with Dwight, the hot football player who is still living with Mitchell and Cam. Is that the best they can do to give her a story? Yeesh.

Luke and Manny talk about their school's presidential election, and how Manny should have won. It didn't really add anything to the story... I mean, I guess I'm glad these two are getting along?

Pros:

Wow. Now that I've written out that "cons" section, I'm realizing I may have had more of a problem with this episode than I initially thought. But that doesn't mean it was all bad. Cam and Mitchell's plot did have one funny moment, when Claire asks Mitchell if one of them has been unfaithful. Mitchell says he's flattered that Claire thinks they could be having an affair, but that they're both just so tired. That was hilarious!

I also liked Rainer and Haley bonding over their perfect hair. Haley was worried that her hair dryer wouldn't work on "Mexican electricity." Oh, honey.

Jay's plot thread had the most promise, although even this story didn't land as strongly as it might have. Basically, he's wearing a heart monitor on his arm that beeps whenever he gets too upset over something. At the supermarket with Phil and the weird neighbor, they see the neighbor's ex-wife's divorce attorney, who also handled Jay's divorce from his first wife. They go over to him and antagonize him, but as the guy is making fun of them all, he collapses in what looks like a heart attack. The guy ends up being fine, but the whole experience makes Jay realize that life is too short to live moderately, and he wants to keep eating unhealthy and smoking cigars for as long as he can.

Meanwhile, Joe has a traumatic experience when he befriends one of the goats at Cam's petting zoo. The poor thing runs into a wall and dies. Joe comes up to Jay at the end of the episode and says he's sad because his goat friend died. He wants Jay to stop smoking so that he'll live a long time, and Jay reassures him that he's not going anywhere. This was perhaps a teeny tiny bit cheesy, but it feeds in to a strange truth: small children can be very perceptive about this stuff. It was sweet to see little Joe caring about his father like that.

In all, this episode had a lot of plot threads that didn't really grab my attention. Holiday episode should be a chance to do something big and creative, but also a chance to hit some emotional beats. With the exception of Joe worrying about his dad's health, there weren't a lot of those. What's even more frustrating is that there were real opportunities to examine Phil's relationship with Haley, or Cam and Mitchell's marriage, or even Luke and Manny's friendship. These setups were wasted.

6.5/10