Modern Family: Mother! (9x20)

I haven't seen the movie that I assume this episode is satirizing, so I'm sure some elements are going over my head. Still, this was a pretty fun episode.

Cons:

I liked the concept that was set up for Claire's portion of the episode, the idea that there's only one time a week where she's fully relaxed (right after going to the spa) and that her family uses that time to give her bad news. This could have led to a lot of humor, but I feel like the plot thread sort of petered out. Haley and Alex both want to tell her that they're cancelling on her for a planned Mother's Day trip, which is a pretty low blow if you ask me. And Luke and Phil ruin a large canvas portrait of Claire, which could have led to lots of shenanigans, but didn't really end up going anywhere. It's not that this plot thread was bad, it's just that I felt like there could have been a lot more to it.

Pros:

Cam and Mitchell are by far my favorite part of this show nowadays. Pam finally leaves, and takes Lily with her to visit her extended family. Cam and Mitchell are so excited to be alone in the house, but while they're making breakfast wearing only aprons, DeDe (Mitchell and Claire's mother) shows up and disrupts their alone time. We quickly learn that DeDe has been manipulating Mitchell's life by appealing to Cam, and then using reverse-psychology on Mitchell. This has been going on for years - everything from Cam and Mitchell moving in together years and years ago, to the way their kitchen is designed, has been arranged from afar by DeDe. Mitchell and Cam try to walk back some of this manipulation and make their own choices, with mixed results.

Meanwhile, Manny and Jay work together to create a horror film for Manny's school, but discover that the monster in the film appears to be based in some way off of Gloria. They're worried that she'll find out, so they're happy when DeDe shows up as a distraction. This plot thread was okay on its own merits, but I liked it even more as a culminating scene. When Modern Family can pull it off successfully, the big ensemble scenes are so much fun. This ending was just such a scene. Gloria, Claire, and DeDe face down their children and lament the hell they get put through as mothers. And then Phil steps in, and delivers a speech that was cut from Manny's movie (where he played the sheriff), talking about how people's criticisms of monsters are really just reflections of inner anxieties. It was a great speech, actually.

This review is a bit short, but I think I've said all I need to. I don't think this is going to go down in history as an instant classic or anything, but I found myself quite enjoying this basic episode of Modern Family

8/10