Modern Family: Did the Chicken Cross the Road? (10x07)

I liked this episode for the most part, although one plot thread was kind of insufferable.

Cons:

Unfortunately, it's starting to become a regular thing with Modern Family, but once again I did not like Jay and Gloria's plot thread. It was just the two of them bickering at Joe's soccer game, and then Joe tricking them into eating his vegetables. I feel like one idea didn't lead naturally to the other, and along the way there wasn't anything particularly funny or meaningful. Sometimes the material with Jay and Gloria makes me question their marriage in a way I don't think I'm meant to.

Pros:

Mitchell and Cam's plot thread was some more harmless fun. Cam worries he's lost his country roots, so he decides to get a chicken. Turns out, he hates the chicken, and Mitchell loves it, but neither can admit it because they were both so firm on their positions. Cam gets rid of the chicken and tries to blame it on a raccoon. Eventually, the truth comes out, and the husbands decide to find an activity that will satisfy the hints of country in Mitchell, and the hints of urban in Cam. See, this was just... cute. Nothing serious, lots of good slapstick, a nice little punchline. Nothing to write home about, but I had a good time.

The Dunphy story is where most of the meat is. I like that this plot thread spiraled out into a more specific thread featuring Haley and Dylan, which I'll talk about more in a minute. But basically, Alex has an interview for an important government job that requires the whole family to be interviewed. The interview doesn't go well, because each member of Alex's family is caught up in their own neuroses, or else they reveal their past indiscretions by accident. Claire is too controlling, Phil reveals a gullible past in which he accidentally acted as a spy for the USSR, and Haley brags about her independence while revealing that she lives in the basement. Throughout it all, Luke is arm-chair psychoanalyzing his family, since he's taking a Psych class in community college.

This plot thread managed to touch on every member of the Dunphy family in a way that felt meaningful, funny, or both. We're continuing to see how Luke is doing with school, and it's nice to see him engaging with his learning, even if he's not quite grasping the complexities of human psychology just yet. We also see Phil questioning his status as a "dreamer" who always sees the best in everyone. His gullibility led him to trust a friend he made while in the USSR as a kid, and he is only just now realizing that he was duped. But in the end, Alex gets the job, and in celebrating the good news, she thanks her dad for always being unrelentingly positive, and believing she could accomplish anything. Aww!

And then there's Haley. She is a bit stung at the judgments from Alex and Luke that she has a "Peter Pan" personality, and refuses to grow up. She decides that she and Dylan should go see a play, like adults do, instead of going to a carnival like they planned. However, they change their minds and decide to embrace a carefree life while they can. A bumper-car + lipstick-up-the-nose incident lands Haley in the ER, where we learn something shocking: she's pregnant!

This twist could spiral in so many different directions. I'm not sure where it's going to go, and the truth is, Modern Family could mess it up pretty easily. It could be another plot point that just sort of vanishes for several episodes in a row (like Manny, apparently). Or, it could be a chance to actually give Haley some meaningful material, and propel her life forward in an interesting way. There's nothing wrong with Dylan and Haley staying young and heart. I'm in wholehearted support of that, and I think it's the only way to make sense of their romance. But we've seen hints that Dylan is willing to take on some adult responsibility, and Haley will have to do the same if they're going to raise a kid together. Another direction that I hope they don't go in is... it could be Arvin's baby. I'm not entirely sure on the timing, but they could very well play that game here, and I'm really not interested. If we're ramping up into an endgame for these characters, I think Haley being pregnant is plenty shocking enough on its own.

So there you have it! The Dunphy story was excellent, and spiraled into several cool ideas and offers potential for the future. Cam and Mitchell's plot had some laughs. Even if Jay and Gloria's story was a bit of a dud, I still call this episode a win overall!

8.5/10