Modern Family: Can't Elope (10x20)

I thought this episode was just fine, although I could have wished for a bit more from such an important milestone!

Cons:

Mainly, I feel like this episode was a bit too crowded. It's fun when the whole gang gets together, but the consequence of having so many characters and plots interwoven is that we didn't get much time to focus on the emotional underpinnings of Haley and Dylan's wedding throughout. We got it at the end, sure, but I felt like there could have been more.

Some of the plot threads didn't really hit their mark in terms of comedy. It's somewhat amusing to see Jay get so invested in his dog bed company, but the setup of having him meet a canine Instagram influencer was a bit underutilized. They could have gone way bigger and more ridiculous with that setup.

Pros:

But like I said, it is nice to see all the gang in one room together. I also liked that the silly little subplots weren't taking up too much of their time, and they all connected to the bigger story of Haley's elopement getting out of hand. Mitchell and Cam want to go see a Broadway show based on Sophie's Choice, while Jay seeks to impress the owner of the dog influencer with his dog beds. Luke brings a random date to Haley's wedding, Phil and Mrs. Marshall (Dylan's mom) argue over who will officiate the wedding, Phil's father is attending via webcam and keeps knocking things over with his robot body... it's all chaos, and Modern Family does good with chaos.

The recurring bit about the Sophie's Choice musical was absolutely fantastic. I know it's a joke, but they really will make a musical out of anything these days, and a lot of the time they're oddly brilliant. I think my favorite part was Lily having a credit card and just calmly handing it over, saying that she "needed the miles," and then walking off. Cam and Mitchell don't bat an eye at any of this. It felt like a good way of hanging a lampshade on the fact that the show often seems to have trouble deciding what to do about Lily.

While I might have wanted more emotion throughout, I will admit that this episode still made me feel something for Dylan and Haley. Her proposal was adorable, and I kind of love the idea of Dylan proposing a bunch of times already, so it's not some big reveal or difficult conversation. They're in this thing for life, and marriage was just something they hadn't decided to do. And now they have, and they just want something simple and basic. Cue shenanigans once Claire finds out, obviously.

The final scene, where Haley wakes her parents up late at night, and they have a nighttime ceremony with Mrs. Marshall and Phil both officiating, while Haley and Dylan are surrounded by the Dunphys, was actually quite touching. It was the simple, uncomplicated ceremony that Haley wanted, with the love and care that Claire and Phil both wanted for her. I like that Haley, a girl who's always been very appearance-oriented and who has always put great significance on things like ritual and gendered behavior, doesn't want any of that for her wedding. It doesn't feel like it's out of character though. It feels like a real sign that Haley has grown and knows what's truly important to her.

So yeah! Dylan and Haley are married. This was a pretty smart way of going about it, combining the chaos of a big "event" episode with th e more gentle, low-key moment of actual marriage. The season is winding up quickly, and by this time next year, we'll be ready to say goodbye to this show forever!

8/10