Kiddvideo

In the flashback episode where Blanche is considering selling the house, Rose mentioned how Blanche got her butt "whooped" the night of the dance marathon. Blanche was surprised and began, "how did you know..." implying that she and her gentleman friend (who she named but I can't remember) had engaged in some light BDSM. Except Blanche's date that night had to run out when his wife showed up. Maybe she called someone from her B list?

Janelle is the only one who doesn't sound like a hillbilly to me. Faint praise, but it's the best I can offer any of them.

Lily, Rose's blind sister. It wasn't a VSE, but I can't say I'm a fan of the serious story lines. The yard sale B story doesn't balance it out for me, either.

First, thank you to the people at Hulu for fixing their settings. Modern Family is usually up first thing on Thursdays, but today it was mistakenly unavailable for Hulu+ subscribers. I wasn't able to catch it in real time and was so upset. They updated the settings, and I've watched it twice. Loved the two episodes. Of course Phil would be ordained just in case, that's the kind of person he is. Claire's voiceover was sweet and ended with a good joke. Haley being mature enough to appreciate Alex's advice and realizing Andy deserved better than Beth AND Haley. Pepper thinking Mitch and Cam are the poor white trash who have a terrible couch and horrible apt. Lily throwing down and picking up that one petal. I don't understand why Jay thinks so poorly of his friends. This is Jay getting stuck inside his own head, projecting his fears onto others, and letting his imagination go to the worst possible scenario. Cam's parents overhearing Jay/Deedee's conversation and realizing they don't want the kind of relationship where you don't know the other person's phone number and your presence at major life events is optional. The only part I didn't like was how Jesse Ferguson played the vows. He was saying "I do" but was shaking his head no. I'm trying to fanwank that he was so stunned that they were actually getting married that he couldn't believe it was happening, but his body language was saying "no!" I'm good with the season overall. Several episodes I don't care to see again (same as every season on every show) but some real gems, too.

Are we limited to continuity errors? How about bad editing? Through the years the episodes have been sliced and diced by different networks and each one makes their own cuts and sometimes they take out funny or relevant scenes. My least favorite: During Moonlight Madness they cut the dialogue between Dorothy and Sophia in the kitchen discussing Dorothy's participation in scientific studies. Sophia mentions how no one -- no one -- can find the cheese in a maze faster than Dorothy. But the networks leave in the part with Rose entering the kitchen and asking "where's the cheese?" and Dorothy goes into a trance "right turn, left turn, must find the cheese..." Why leave in the last bit without the set-up? Cut the whole thing or leave the whole thing in!

I always liked Mammy Watkins. It's the first episode I remember where Rose was just dumb and not naive. So many good quotes. Mammy Eisenhower (but only the Nixon kids got to call her that); Rose had a nanny who treated her like her own kid (is there anyone here who doesn't think she was talking about a goat? I especially loved how Rue played that scene with her head cocked and eyes a little unfocused as she shook her head); and my favorite line from the episode when Blanche thought Mammy was there to retrieve the bible and Mammy said, "No thanks, I don't drink." Was that also the episode where Blanche said that Big Daddy would stand up and declare he "could whoop anybody in this town"?

Really liked this episode especially the juxtaposition of things not universally approved vs their positive outcomes (new foods, Stella, Claire/Phil's marriage), and Jay sitting alone on the couch mulling the fight. This might be what he needs to grow past the stage where he only feels comfortable introducing Cam as Mitch's friend. I felt so badly for Mitch, though. I plan on stealing and repurposing Gloria's remark from the beginning -- when Jay said he didn't know anyone who didn't like pickles -- "then this is a big day for you." Not exact quotes but that's the gist. I even liked the kids here. They had a more mature dynamic which was fun and let Claire be more relaxed.

His own mother didn't like the poor yutz. :-( I felt badly for the guy even though he didn't know how she really felt.

I've noticed something that confuses me and might be related. When they shoot him off-center from the left side (his right) his mouth seems to face the camera while the rest of his face is skewed 45 degrees counterclockwise. To be clear, I'm not criticizing his looks! He's a cute kid. I can't not see the mouth thing, though.

I try to think Sophia gets uncomfortable when things get too sentimental (like when they went to Disney World) but comments like "You've always been jealous of my good daughter" kinda kill that theory. Gloria said Dorothy was the favorite which makes me wonder what kind of things Sophia said to Gloria!

I didn't realize the kids weren't in this episode. No wonder I enjoyed it so much, and I normally hate farce. I could still do without Phil, but I thought Claire was fun -- probably because she wasn't mothering a bunch of miserable teens. The straight-man butler nailed it, and I love that they gave him the last joke before the break.

What the hell goes on at night in this house?!?