[S11.E17: Finale Part 1 / S11.E18 Finale Part 2]

This show has always been easy light-hearted viewing and I'm grateful for that (especially now) and while the quality may have declined, it'll be nice to have 11 seasons worth of reruns to mindlessly watch in syndication. 

Also I chuckled when Haley said she and Dylan had to finish packing their singular "book". That might be my only takeaway from these particular episodes. Everything was fairly obvious and predictable but it did the job of wrapping things up. 

How many years down the line till they try for a reboot?

[Modern Family in the Media]

6 hours ago, readster said:

Now reading this with the series over, you really wonder what was going on to do this. We understood the past two seasons due to Sarah's health. However, now we are seeing that events that would have made "logical sense" were now that the writers just did things and then went: "Oh duh! That would make sense, but this is funny to us." Of course, like many actors she did what others have done: "Just smile and accept it and get a paycheck." 

  Of course reading that Sarah really didn't think that getting back with Dylan ever made sense and having twins wasn't really Haley's end game. It's kind of why I get Ariel Winters attitude towards the last few years off screen. She was tired of Alex not really progressing and I'm sure she will say later on: "Why did Alex have to be treated like everything was her fault or guilted into these things." "Couldn't my character just be happy?" Of course Elliot Guald has started saying he has been unhappy the past few years and the writers pretty much proved that with all of Luke's dumb storylines the past three years. 

I think Sarah's absent from roughly the same amount of episodes as the Ariel, Nolan, and Rico, although  I've never counted. It seems like a few years back when the "kid actors" renegotiated their salaries, the show responded by putting them in less episodes to save money. While I do think the cast is bloated and dropping an actor or two from an episode every once in a while makes sense, each adult actor makes more than all 4 "kid" actors' salaries combined so why not write them out for one episode each season if they're looking to save money? 

4 hours ago, abc123 said:

Whatever happened to Luke's amazing form-filling-out invention?  This show drops storylines like a hot potato.

I was thinking about that last episode and wondering if they're going to end the series with him becoming super rich and successful as a result of this app. I know they haven't mentioned it since but I wouldn't be surprised if they suddenly brought it up again at the last minute. 

[Modern Family in the Media]

Sarah Hyland is not happy with how Haley's story ends on Modern Family. She's also not happy with her diminished screen time: 

Quote

 

Or maybe it’s because Sarah’s character didn’t get the ending she deserved. Watch the final season, you’ll see: Haley suddenly has less screen time. It all came as a surprise and disappointment, tbh. Sarah wishes audiences could’ve seen Haley “own her badassery in the fashion world—becoming a badass stylist or brand mogul or anything like that.”

Instead, they got a new mom of twins. No offense to moms, of course: “There are so many amazing mothers who are also hard workers and excel at their jobs and kill it every day in both aspects,” Sarah explains. “That would have been a really cool thing to see, especially from someone like Haley.”

 

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a31667187/sarah-hyland-cosmopolitan-cover-interview-may-2020/

 

She previously expressed displeasure with not being included in some episodes, particularly the one where Grandpa Frank dies: 

Quote

 

"So I don't read scripts of the episodes of Modern Family that I'm not in, so I just found out that my grandpa's dead along with all of you," she told fans. "I still feel special." ....

"Oh yeah, I guess I should have put a spoiler alert for Grandpa Frank dying, but I was just caught off-guard," she said. "As his granddaughter, you'd think I'd be invited to the funeral."

 

https://www.etonline.com/sarah-hyland-says-she-didnt-know-about-modern-family-death-until-she-watched-the-episode-139684

[S11.E16: I'm Going to Miss This]

4 hours ago, Snapdragon said:

Am I insane or did this show already have an episode where some kind of animal was lost at a party?  Like a lizard or a tarantula or something?  Not sure if I'm thinking of a completely different show or if this one is recycling plotlines from five season ago.

Yep, as others pointed out Jungle Tanya's spider gets lost in the house in an early episode.

But that's not the only rehash we saw in this episode. Alex being weirdly exploited has also happened in the past. Didn’t she have to kiss or go on a date with Luke’s friend cause he lost a game? Only this time seemed much creepier because the dude was older and he wanted her to dress up for him. 

And Phil and Claire freaking out about getting old is a retread too, like when they were given the “old people’s brochure” in the Lake House episode and went all out trying to prove how young and adventurous they are.

I get the show has been on for a while, but we don't need to see straight up repeats of storylines. 

[Jenelle: Birther Of 3, Mother To None]

9 hours ago, druzy said:

School starting in mid-July? I know start dates are different across the country but the earliest I've seen is mid to late August. Is this some type of summer program to make up for Jenelle and David's homeschooling failures? I know most kids would hate to give up their summer so soon but I'm guessing Maryssa doesn't mind. At least she'll be out of the house for a few hours a day.  

[Jenelle: Birther Of 3, Mother To None]

David beats and shoots a small dog to death while the kids are home = no 911 call

Barb takes a shower while the kids are home = multiple 911 calls

Isn't there some sort of legal consequence for wasting police resources with this nonsense? At least fine the morons next time. 

[Jenelle: Birther Of 3, Mother To None]

Barb seems distressed in the video where she and Jenelle are walking to the car with Ensley. You can tell she doesn't want to run afoul of the court's order concerning Jenelle spending time with Ensley, but of course, Jenelle doesn't care because she wants to "say hey" to her daughter. Too bad that's about where her interest in her kids tops out--saying hey and posing for the occasional photo. 

What's the deal with Barb and Nathan? Are they on good terms again? Hopefully, this means Barb and Nathan can maybe work something out where Kaiser can see his siblings outside of the visitation center. Where was Kai if not with Nathan in the parking lot? 

I know Jenelle is far from reasonable but what's her big issue with Barb now? That this 60 something-year-old woman is now taking care of two of Jenelle's kids and by all accounts is doing the best she can by them. Would Jenelle rather Ensley be taken in by a stranger just to spite Barb.  

[Jenelle: Birther Of 3, Mother To None]

Is Barb’s other grandson in her care too or is she just babysitting? 

Its nice seeing the kids out doing kid things. 

[Jenelle: Birther Of 3, Mother To None]

7 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

If the four kids stay in these arrangements permanently (them split into three different homes), I hope Barbara, Nathan/Nathan's mom, and Maryssa's mom/grandmother allow Maryssa, Kaiser and Jace/Ensley to stay in touch with each other, if the kids want that.

Maybe the caregivers can arrange a monthly Swamp Survivor meeting for the kids. 

[Jenelle: Birther Of 3, Mother To None]

Maryssa is so much better off not having to reside in that sinking house of horrors with those abusive monsters, but fuck that vile piece of shit for "punishing" his own daughter for being traumatized by his heinous murderous behavior. She's, of course, better off with as little contact with the swamp things as possible, but she no doubt will feel rejected as a result of David's childish tantrum. I hope her grandmother not only re-enrolls her in school come Fall, but gets her into therapy as well. 

Now that Jace and Maryssa are on somewhat safer ground, I hope Kaiser's next to be saved as I feel he's at the greatest risk. Poor Ensley has such a tough road ahead of her being the bio child of both of those morons. 

[Jenelle: Birther Of 3, Mother To None]

8 hours ago, druzy said:

 

 

 

8 hours ago, druzy said:

“David was yelling: ‘What did you do to my child? Why won’t she talk to me?’” after Maryssa’s time with him the insider revealed to Radar.

Maybe because you brutally murdered her dog???

I know the kids' removal likely won't be permanent but I hope all this at least leads to Maryssa getting some time away from the swamp in the future in the form of visitation or shared custody with her maternal family. And hopefully those idiots will be required to re-enroll her in school where she can socialize with her peers and be somewhat looked after by school staff. 

Poor Barb. Caring for 3 young children is no easy task, not even for someone half her age. I don't know how long Ensley will be in her care but it's sad to think of the lack of good options that little girl has. Both her parents are garbage in human form, her paternal family  is no prize considering they produced David, and her maternal grandmother already has her hands full with two other grandchildren. 

Kaiser is such an adorable child. I love seeing pics of him happy and smiling now that he's away from those monsters. 

[Season 1 Discussion]

6 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Why did Judy go to the grief group in the first place?  Was it to prey on Jen and to make sure she could absolve her guilt by befriending her and making sure her family was okay?  Didn't she basically confess that in the last two episodes?

And why did Judy pretend she had a husband who had died?

I’m assuming she was following Jen after becoming fixated on her following the accident and saw the grief group as the perfect opportunity to approach her and see for herself how Jen was doing. Because Judy clearly has some boundary issues, she couldn’t just stop there but had to go even further and insert herself in Jen’s life, convincing herself that she could help Jen and atone for her mistake by being her friend. She was definitely motivated by a guilty conscience but I don’t think her intentions were malicious, just incredibly ill conceived. I think Judy lacks the foresight to see how much potential damage she is causing by making one rash decision after the other. 

As for why she lied about Steve being dead, I think she spoke impulsively when confronted during the first grief group meeting. She seems caught off guard when asked about what brought her to the group and probably said the first thing that popped in her head... she lost her fiancé, because he was gone from her life at the time and it was an easier loss to discuss than the real losses she had experienced. I mean, it’s possible Judy had it all planned out and is more calculated than I’m giving her credit for, I don’t think the show actually expanded on that...but this was my reading of her actions. 

[Jenelle: Birther Of 3, Mother To None]

I’m just thinking...in Jenelle’s texts she said David was already freaking out because he was supposedly going to jail for the back child support. I wonder if Jenelle had previously refused to pay it for him so he retaliated by staging the “attack” on Ensley and murdering her dog in order to intimidate Jenelle into giving him the money. 

[Jenelle: Birther Of 3, Mother To None]

Looks like Jenelle isn’t too happy about having to pay her shitbag husband’s back child support. Disappointed David yet again avoids jail but at least Jenelle’s having a bad day so small victories. I just wish David would actually get what he deserves. 

David could kill every pet Jenelle owns and that moron still wouldn’t leave him. Sadly I think the only thing that would make her leave is if David cheated. She’s just that selfish. Unfortunately David seems perfectly content on the land terrorizing his wife, kids and pets so I don’t see him straying. 

[Jenelle: Birther Of 3, Mother To None]

This wasn’t about protection. That dog was no threat. This was about retaliation and instilling fear throughout the household in order to control his wife and kids. 

I briefly dated a guy who I once witnessed get violent with his family dog (I cut things off after this incident). The dog was just playfully nipping and growling at him on the couch and he was encouraging the dog to play rough, but I guess the dog got a little too excited and all of a sudden the guy jumped up, grabbed the dog and threw him down and started screaming at him. What was most surprising to me is he took the dog’s rowdy behavior as disrespect...as if the dog was even capable of such a notion. 

I can see someone as insecure and unhinged as David losing it because Nugget did something he didn’t approve of in his house and he felt disrespected as a result and of course he has to prove what a big man he is by shooting a small defenseless animal. Insecure men with guns are so fucking dangerous. 

[Jenelle: Birther Of 3, Mother To None]

This is all so messed up. That’s straight up sociopath behavior. That poor dog. Those poor kids. If the authorities won’t remove the children from the home, can’t they at least remove the other animals? Surely someone who shoots a small dog in order to assert his masculinity to his wife and young children is not someone who should have any living creature in his care.  

Doesnt surprise me that he might have done this in front of Kaiser. You know that sick fuck loves to terrorize that precious little boy and punish him for being Nathan’s son. I bet this was more about trying to scare Kaiser than protecting Ensley from a non-existent dog bite. 

Most parents know never to leave a family pet and a child unattended because one might hurt the other. This dumb fuck was present and filming the baby and dog interact and instead of stopping any potentially aggressive behavior, just jumped at any excuse to shoot. I hate him so much. 

And if true, good for Nathan for calling the cops but how did he know David shot the dog? Does Kaiser have a way of getting in touch with his father while on the land? I can’t see David allowing that. Did Janel reach out to Nathan in an attempt to further rile up her unhinged violent gun-happy sociopath of a husband? I’m sure that’ll be their next excuse...Nathan or whoever made the call is just hating on them! 

[S10.E19: Yes-Woman]

It was shitty of Alex to be embarrassed by Phil, even if he was being annoyingly silly, but I always feel compelled to cut Alex some slack when it comes to her family because they generally don't treat her very well or consider her much. In fact, they've done a handful of storylines about either Phil or Claire not feeling connected to Alex and thus having to go out of their way to make that connection, by way of wacky hi-jinks of course... but alas their newly found connection and mutual understanding never lasts more than one episode because a couple of seasons later the storyline will repeat with one parent or the other. I think this might have actually been the third such story I can remember with Phil, in particular, trying to connect to Alex after realizing he doesn't have as good a relationship with her as he does with his other kids. The storyline is stale and repetitive and it always makes me feel kind of sad for Alex that her own parents don't bother to have much of a relationship with her but are best buddies with Haley and Luke.

[S09.E08: Cold War]

Kail's face while her friend was suggesting she be reasonable and put her son first pretty much says everything you need to know about her. It's like she can't even mentally process the concept of not being a total selfish bitch. I know her kids are generally well taken care but hearing her basically admit that she doesn't give a damn about sweet sensitive Isaac's emotional well-being was so ugly. 

My heart breaks for Aubree. She seems so eager to please Cole and gain his approval. I wonder if she feels like she's not on the same footing as her siblings and is just looking for a little assurance. Calling Cole "dad" in the note was sweet and he's definitely more of a father to her than Adam ever has been, but I wish it was more for her sake than his. And her wanting Chelsea to put Cole on speaker so she can hear Cole get mad about Adam not showing makes it seem like she equates his anger towards Adam with caring for/loving her and it makes me sad that she even has to worry about that. It's a shame what Adam has done to that little girl. I do think Cole loves Aubree as his own so I hope she doesn't always feel the need to seek validation from him and becomes more at ease with the situation. 

[S20.E14: Part 33]

I know this episode was inspired by 12 angry men so there was going to be some anger, but all I could think during it was that the whole unit needed to chill.  

[Jenelle: Birther Of 3, Mother To None]

That poor baby.

What's NC's stance on corporal punishment? Now that Nathan shared the photos and it appears the marks on Kaiser's backside are switch marks, I can see Jenelle pulling her usual BS and dropping the slip n' slide angle and switching to claiming David was just "disciplining" Kaiser and doing what's best for him.

I hope the exposure leads to help for this baby soon because I seriously worry about him in the hands of those monsters and fear David will only punish Kaiser more in retaliation against Nathan. 

God, I really hate these people and wish they both just fall into a hole somewhere on their hideous land to never be heard from again. 

[S10.E10: Stuck in a Moment]

I was put off my Claire's initially moodiness but I'm totally on her side with the tree thing. My dad does the same thing. He owns a restaurant and rather than shopping for holiday decorations for the place, he'll often take the decorations my mom has up around the house to decorate the restaurant with. He even took one of the trees one year (my mom puts up two), so I've witnessed firsthand how annoying that is and don't fault Claire for being pissed. 

It was nice to see Mitch and Cam getting along and singing holiday jingles together... too bad they can't get along and remember to take care of the kids at the same time. 

Alex has definitely lied to her parents before but she has always been pretty awkward and terrible at it so it wasn't too much of a stretch to think she couldn't handle keeping such a huge thing from them. 

Really thought Jay's "medication" was going to turn out to be viagra.... wasn't expecting the elbow cream thing and it really wasn't funny. 

[S10.E08: Kids These Days]

I always like when they mix up the families and we get variation on the dynamics of the group.

I felt bad for Alex when Claire came home and expressed such relief at finally being able to spend time with and talk to Haley instead of having to endure anymore time with Alex, especially since Alex acknowledged that Claire wasn’t comfortable talking to her about certain things and thus sought out someone else to help her, but of course Claire insisted on being included when she found out and then seemed so put off and bothered by the whole thing. 

The whole sensitive anti-bullying thing was obviously over-exaggerated but at least there were some funny lines in there, especially hearing Cam and Jay throw around some of the newer words and catchphrases that seem so popular on social media and the like. 

Always like when Mitch and Phill have scenes together and that they share their nerdy side with each other. Gay or straight, Gil is still a tool. 

I like Dylan and think he’s sweet and probably would make a good father, but I hate when tv shows continuously make a punchline out of a character’s intelligence (well lack there off) but then retcon it all by making them suddenly able to do something that actually requires a brain, like becoming a nurse. Certainly there was another career he could have pursued that would demonstrate his sensitivity and make more sense. 

[S10.E02: Kiss and Tell]

3 hours ago, Blakeston said:

As soon as they made it clear that this was going to be a "is Manny's girlfriend real?" plot, I groaned. Especially because that Teddy Keys storyline was a blatant copy of the Frasier episode where he dates a supermodel and no one will believe him.

I was kind of relieved, though, that it was focused more on the possibility of him being gay. Realistically, someone with his personality would constantly have people assuming he was gay, so they might as well acknowledge that.

And I thought it was funny at the end when she said, "This is not the first time I've had to do this." It makes me feel bad for any men IRL who actually have Canadian girlfriends.

Yeah in Alex’s case it seemed simply that her parents didn’t think she could have multiple boys interested in her, so at least they put a twist on the retread with Manny. 

When I was in junior high, a boy came back from break with a “girlfriend” he met on vacation and told everyone they had sex. Next thing you knew, 3-4 other boys also had “vacation girlfriends” that they totally had sex with while away. This whole Canadian girlfriend thing made me think of those poor stupid boys who actually thought they were fooling people with fake girls who lived thousands of miles away. 

[S10.E02: Kiss and Tell]

The episode was solid but Manny's seemingly made-up but actually real girlfriend was something I could have done without, especially since they did pretty much the same thing with Alex a couple of seasons ago, right down to the suspicious-sounding name. Teddy Keys in her case. 

[S10.E02: Kiss and Tell]

31 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

My 20-something daughter said “oh ! It’s October 3rd!” I had (and still have) no idea what she’s talking about, even though I’m sure I watched mean girls at some point.