Modern Family: It's the Great Pumpkin, Phil Dunphy (9x05)

A cute episode, definitely. I had a few quibbles, though...

Cons:

The Dunphy story is about how Claire and Phil are really into Halloween, while their three adult children are totally over all of the traditions. Each of the three kids has more important things to do. Haley has an audition to be a performer on a cruise ship, which she tanks because her dancing is terrible. Luke has to decide between two girls that he's been fooling around with, and he acts like a total creep before losing both of them. And Alex... well, Alex has to break up with Ben, apparently. Now, my problem is not with Ben being out of the picture, because it's not like I really got a lot out of him as Alex' boyfriend. But this just came right out of left field, did it not? I feel like we were asked to get invested in the beginning parts of a relationship, and then the plot thread was just dropped like a hot potato. I was also just fundamentally disinterested in Haley and Luke's little moments. Nothing too funny or creative going on here.

Also, just a note, but this episode doesn't hold a candle to some of the Halloween stories we've seen this show produce in the past. Maybe it's not fair to make comparisons, but I'm just saying. The glory days are perhaps over.

Pros:

The main story-line had its cheesy moments, but they sort of hit the spot. Holiday traditions are the sorts of things that most families can relate to, and seeing Claire and Phil embrace their childlike joy of Halloween was pretty fun. They both take things too far and alienate those around them. Phil tries to engage in a prank war with the neighbor's kids, but ends up accidentally wrecking their back yard. Claire tries to bring spooky fun into her workplace, only to learn that her employees have only been humoring her the past few years, and they're all over the whole Halloween thing. In the end, however, this married couple decides to keep their holiday spirits up by rowing around the water in a giant carved out pumpkin. The kids, realizing that their parents' goofy antics will always be a part of their lives, decide to show up to support them. Yeah, it's cheesy, but man does it hit the spot!

Also successful is the subplot about Cam and Mitchell's kitchen repair. Jay has taken over the repairs, while Cam, Mitchell, and Lily stay with Jay and Gloria. From there, crazy antics ensue. Cam is getting on Gloria's nerves, but she's trying to embrace her culture, which tells her to always help out family, no matter how annoying. Cam is finding himself lost in his own missing hometown traditions, as he watches a live-stream of a pumpkin contest from back home only to discover that the 25-year-old record, held by Cam, has been broken. Gloria finally breaks and tells Cam to get out, only to discover that the kitchen is ready and if she'd just waited a few more minutes, she never would have had to yell at him. Cam and Gloria form a pairing that works really well because both of these characters are known for their melodrama, but both also sincerely care for their families and their traditions.

Mitchell is angry that Jay is taking so long with the kitchen, so determines to fire him. Turns out, Jay has finished, after all! However, when Mitchell selects a stained glass windowpane for the small kitchen window, he inadvertently sets the kitchen on fire again. As silly as this idea is, I'm glad that the home remodel plot thread is going to continue, because it gives us a centerpiece for Cam and Mitchell's relationship this season. Also, I liked seeing Jay and Mitchell bonding. It's always sweet to see this father-son duo find real moments of connection. Lily gets best joke of the night, and she didn't even have a line - Cam, Mitchell, and Lily were still living at home while the kitchen was being worked on, but eventually they're forced to leave due to the overuse of varnish in the kitchen. This is signified by Lily walking into the wall and falling over, clearly affected by the fumes. I don't know what it was about this, but it made me laugh!

Honestly, I think this episode is successful because it's not trying to do too much. It stuck to two plot threads without much pointless deviation, and it kept in the theme of tradition and families being close around the holidays, although the two stories were different enough that it didn't feel like they were forcing a theme. In all, this was a solid half hour of television.

8/10