Modern Family: Pig Moon Rising (8x17)

I can see what this episode was trying to be, but... unfortunately it didn't really work out that way.

Cons:

The idea behind this one is that everybody is lying to everybody else, and they have to ask for favors in order to cover up their secrets. In the end, the truth comes out, and Luke ends up unraveling a lot of the problems that the rest of his family is going through. It's the kind of setup that, in an earlier season of Modern Family, probably would have worked fantastically. I can imagine a lot of laughs, and some heartfelt underpinnings. Unfortunately, what we got instead was a bit of an overcrowded mess:

Mitchell accidentally spilled the ashes of Cam's childhood pet pig, Cam accidentally ruined a painting Lily made of said pig, Haley doesn't want her parents to know she has a bunch of unpaid parking tickets, Jay tries desperately to get Gloria Estefan tickets after lying and telling Gloria that he already had them, Phil and Claire talk to the dean of admissions at Phil's alma mater to get Luke a spot, and then lie to cover it up... there's just so much happening here, and so little of it gets a chance to really shine.

It's the ending that really fails this episode, though. In one of the more emotionally resonant moments, Luke discovers that his parents had to curry favors to get him into collage, and he says he won't go. He wants to earn his acceptance. And then everybody else's secrets start coming out, and Luke reappears to fix it all, making Phil and Claire realize that Luke is smart and has value, even if he doesn't go to college. That moment when Luke solves the problems rang really false to me. It's not that I think he's without value, but where is there precedent for him having that kind of insight and care? And Haley didn't go to college either. Luke could take some classes at a community college and transfer out once he's had some time to improve his GPA. It feels like there was a better story here, one about Luke's insecurities and how he needs to forge his own path. Instead, we see that he has some secret penchant for solving problems, and that gives Phil and Claire the reassurance that they need, rather than showing how Luke is feeling.

I also feel like this episode went for the obvious gag most of the time. Of course Mitchell tries to replace Pig Lily's ashes, and of course Cam already knew. Of course Manny and Gloria would run in to constant reminders that Manny is leaving for college, and of course the twist would be that it's Manny who's having a hard time letting go, instead of Gloria. Of course Jay would lie about the concert tickets. Nothing is new, everything is rote.

Pros:

Many of the individual jokes worked pretty well, though. The dean of Phil's alma mater being a total weirdo was great. Phil complains that this guy is always "on," that he is way too enthusiastic and peppy. Phil asks Claire: "can you imagine living with that for years on end?" and Claire's face is just priceless. In exchange for getting Luke into the school, Phil has to show the dean how to get out of a straight jacket, one of his most sacred magic tricks. It ends up being this weird humiliation ritual. The best moment is when Phil is asked to put on the show the way he did back in college, and turns in a slow circle, saying, "behold the freak for all to see."

I also liked Cam and Mitchell's interplay in this episode, even if it is repetitive. Mitchell being disdainful of Cam's country upbringing is never not funny. Cam is very indignant that Mitchell would really believe in the ritual of the "Pig Moon." "How backwards do you think Grasshopper, Missouri is?" It was great, because as an audience member, I totally bought that Cam's community had a Pig Moon ritual. The tag at the end with Cam and Mitchell was also great. They start unveiling all of their secrets, such as which pieces of furniture and paintings are knock-offs. And then Lily's pet cat Larry walks in, and they both say "that's not Larry," then look at each other in consternation. Just how many times has that cat been replaced?!

The emotional beats in this episode were not as successful as I feel they could have been, but I do like the potential in the Luke story. If they continue with this, showing his insecurity over his intelligence, I think there could be something really neat. His anger at his parents for bribing him into college was actually pretty upsetting to see.

I also feel like there's potential in Gloria and Manny's story, dealing with Manny going off to college. This show totally ignores the fact that Alex is a college student, and has no idea what to do with her character. Maybe they'll be more successful transferring Manny off into a story of his own. In any case, this is the first time I've cared about Manny in a long while. His relationship with his mother has been played for laughs a lot, but their closeness is also treated as genuinely touching, which I like.

So... yeah. Not much to say. Feeling pretty apathetic about this show nowadays.

6.5/10