S11.E13: Paris

[Aryanna]

I can't believe no one has started a topic for this episode yet. Do I have to do everything myself around here? 😉

I love Claire's new hair. It looks so cute on her.

Edited February 13, 2020 by Aryanna

[mwell345]

6 hours ago, Aryanna said:

I love Claire's new hair. It looks so cute on her.

I loved her hair!  Unfortunately, that was the only thing about the show I liked....except for the scene with Ed O'Neil in front of Notre Dame.  For some reason, that scene moved me.

[Bobbin]

The synopsis missing from the top of this thread:  a family trip to Paris proves traumatic for Jay, Phil and Cam.

So Claire has always had a type, hopelessly romantic magicians. The maitre d', too, I wonder.

[Scatterbrained]

Paris was beautiful and everyone looked magnificent in their coats!

[chaifan]

I realize I am one of the last holdout supporters of this show, but I was disappointed by this episode.  For a "special" episode set in Paris it was rather flat for me.   Pretty much everything that happened could have happened in any city in the US.  For the near end of the final season, it felt like filler. 

 

 

 

[MarthaEllisanne]

I realize this is fiction, but how has this extended family managed to function, get good educations, and hold well-paid professional positions all these years? They are a mess; they bumble all over each other and themselves.  None of them are really very charming or likable. The are all attractive and clean up well - perhaps that explains their success?  I just find them more annoying each season.  (Haven't stopped watching, though. Wonder what that says about me?)

[TVMovieBuff]

I had been hoping for the last season that we would see one last time, more of the regular fringe characters. 

We have seen Javier, & Frank. I hope for Sal, Andy, and some more of the good ones.

[AriAu]

Quote

I realize I am one of the last holdout supporters of this show, but I was disappointed by this episode.  For a "special" episode set in Paris it was rather flat for me.   Pretty much everything that happened could have happened in any city in the US.  For the near end of the final season, it felt like filler. 

You are not the last hold-out....and I have not quite reached hate watching it.....other than any Manny storyline or even appearance.

But, gotta say that this episode was not awful, which puts it far ahead of many this season. There were some clever lines (I liked the exchange around "gay Paree" and having the money on Jay saying it), I always like a call back to Clive and Juliana and no one was too obnoxious (other than Manny).

Was even looking forward to a little Fizbo since his episodes are usually strong, but dont know why they went with essentially killing him off. Seemed to hurt Cam unnecessarily......why not let Fizbo go out on a high?

[Enigma X]

I also don't hatewatch other than when Manny is on the screen. I have not seen the last epsaidoe though and can't comment.

[chitowngirl]

I may have missed it, but did anyone say why none of the kids, except Manny, went along? Who was taking care of Joe and Lily (and the dogs)?

[ljenkins782]

53 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

I may have missed it, but did anyone say why none of the kids, except Manny, went along? Who was taking care of Joe and Lily (and the dogs)?

Lily and Joe could have stayed with Dylan, Haley and the twins.

Seems like the show is saving money in each episode by leaving several characters out, I don't think the younger ones get paid if they don't appear. I don't think Haley or Dylan have been in the last 3 episodes.

This episode was a little flat for me. The Claire/Phil storyline was particularly far-fetched, inviting that guy along after Phil went out of his way to surprise her? Stupid.

Quote

I love Claire's new hair. It looks so cute on her.

Yeah, I never liked that curly hair on her, glad she finally ditched it. 

[chitowngirl]

2 hours ago, ljenkins782 said:

3 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

 

Lily and Joe could have stayed with Dylan, Haley and the twins.

Seems like the show is saving money in each episode by leaving several characters out, I don't think the younger ones get paid if they don't appear. I don't think Haley or Dylan have been in the last 3 episodes.

Oh, I know why the actors weren’t in the episode, I was just wondering if they said who was watching the kids.

[tennisgurl]

I started off not caring for the episode, but I admit I ended up enjoying the Claire and Phil story more than I expected it to, as much as I had to suspend my disbelief. Not only does Phil end up basically going on a date with Claire's sexy French guy, but it turns out that Claire totally has a type! A very specific type. 

Paris looked very nice, but I feel like they could have used the location more. Not an awful episode, and thats pretty good at this point. 

[Bulldog]

I also wondered why none of the younger generation (except Manny - whom I would have chosen to leave at home) made the trip. 

Truly the only time I laughed was closet guy mistaking Gloria for Stella. 

On ‎2‎/‎13‎/‎2020 at 11:24 AM, MarthaEllisanne said:

I realize this is fiction, but how has this extended family managed to function, get good educations, and hold well-paid professional positions all these years?

Well, Claire has had Jay to fall back on and keep her employed.  Mitchell has had periods of unemployment throughout the series.  I honestly don't really remember much about Cam's jobs prior to coaching.  Phil is the only one who has been shown to be consistently employed and successful.  

Edited February 15, 2020 by Bulldog

[biakbiak]

58 minutes ago, Bulldog said:

honestly don't really remember much about Cam's jobs prior to coaching. 

He was a piano teacher.

Sarah went to Paris with them so was surprised she wasn’t in this episode but I think she and her fiancé might have just tagged a long to go to Paris. 

[foxfreakinmulder]

I liked the end with everyone waving.

Manny didn't need to be there. And that kid/guy is getting big.

I laughed when the French guy told Claire and Phil that he was a workaholic and puts in 10 to 12 hours per week.

[justduckey]

Ugh. Each episode is worse than the one before. 
They flew the whole cast, including the kids, to Paris didn’t bother writing them into the episode.

 

[mansfolly]

I actually laughed out loud several times during the episode. There were several call backs that fit in nicely and didn't seem forced. I cracked up at the camera angle so we could see Fiz'beau'. Lol!

[Tosia]

I'm sorry, I thought this ep highlighted how bad these actors are.   Except Jay and Phil. 

I guess it's broad comedy  where I was expecting clever, sadly, no tres clevair here. Seriously, Gloria wears a beret?

I hate watch Manny and Luke whose adenoids need attention because he sounds so stuffed up. All the time.  

I did like the Stella line. 

 

[Artsda]

18 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

I may have missed it, but did anyone say why none of the kids, except Manny, went along? Who was taking care of Joe and Lily (and the dogs)?

I'm guessing Jay's 3 adult kids and their spouses received the invitation to his award.

[WAnglais1]

Except for the moment looking at Notre Dame, it was a waste. Horrible, stereotypical writing about how Parisians treat Americans. One more "hamburger" joke and I was going to scream.

I guess the cast got a free trip to Paris. That's always worth it.

[chitowngirl]

I wasn’t totally convinced they were actually in Paris and using green screen until maybe the end credits.

[luna1122]

I found some of it amusing and sweet, which, as said above, is pretty good at this point. Yes, the show has overstayed its welcome, mostly, but I still have enough affection left for the family that I'm not hate-watching.

I did think it was a tiny bit weird that it never crossed Phil's mind, for a second, that Claire actually meant to meet the guy named Guy at that café. I guess it's nice that he didn't.

[Fostersmom]

23 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Paris looked very nice, but I feel like they could have used the location more. Not an awful episode, and thats pretty good at this point. 

They've totally wasted all the location episodes except Disney. I remember watching the Australia one and wondering why they even bothered. 

21 hours ago, justduckey said:

Ugh. Each episode is worse than the one before. 
They flew the whole cast, including the kids, to Paris didn’t bother writing them into the episode.

 

I'm glad they all went to Paris. I was thinking it was kind of crappy that half the cast didn't get a free vacation. Still makes zero sense they didn't even bother to mention the missing family members though. The Dunphy kids are all adults, but did the rest forget they had minor kids? Even a throw away line about how Haley and Alex were watching Lilly and Joe would have been enough. And how the hell did they decide what this episode needed was Manny? No episode ever needs him, but this one was more annoying than normal. 

[biakbiak]

22 hours ago, justduckey said:

Ugh. Each episode is worse than the one before. 
They flew the whole cast, including the kids, to Paris didn’t bother writing them into the episode.

 

It’s possible that there might be scenes show. Later this season that was filmed on this trip. Parks and Rec did that during their Europe trip. Or they just thought it would be a cool thing to do given it’s the final season.

[ams1001]

On 2/13/2020 at 11:24 AM, MarthaEllisanne said:

I just find them more annoying each season.  (Haven't stopped watching, though. Wonder what that says about me?)

I'm just watching on demand now; it's not even over and I've said, "God this is dumb" at least twice already.

I laughed at Mitch's "I can't believe you lied to me!" All they do is lie to each other!

The waving at the end was cute.

 

[Eataton]

5 hours ago, Fostersmom said:

And how the hell did they decide what this episode needed was Manny? No episode ever needs him, but this one was more annoying than normal

I know! Isn't he supposed to be off traveling with his dad? I thought he was gone for good.

 

4 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I'm just watching on demand now; it's not even over and I've said, "God this is dumb" at least twice already.

I knew it would be bad from the description but watched anyway for some reason.

14 hours ago, WAnglais1 said:

Except for the moment looking at Notre Dame, it was a waste. Horrible, stereotypical writing about how Parisians treat Americans. One more "hamburger" joke and I was going to scream.

Reading the episode's description, I thought "Ugh! I could write this cliched story right now."       It played out almost exactly as predicted.

[Fostersmom]

11 hours ago, Eataton said:

I know! Isn't he supposed to be off traveling with his dad? I thought he was gone for good.

I forgot about that! Yes, what happened to traveling with his dad. And what does it say about the actor that out of all the "kids" on this show he's like the only one to never miss an episode, much to our disdain. I mean seriously, has he missed one? I'm asking for real, I don't think he has. 

[SnarkySheep]

On 2/13/2020 at 10:29 AM, chaifan said:

I realize I am one of the last holdout supporters of this show, but I was disappointed by this episode.  For a "special" episode set in Paris it was rather flat for me.   Pretty much everything that happened could have happened in any city in the US.  For the near end of the final season, it felt like filler. 

 

 

 

Same. IMO it felt like they knew they had just a few episodes left, so they wanted to pull out all the stops...which usually means a trip or a big-name guest star. But just because you sent the family to Paris doesn't mean you don't have to write an actual script for the episode, you know?

5 hours ago, Fostersmom said:

I forgot about that! Yes, what happened to traveling with his dad. And what does it say about the actor that out of all the "kids" on this show he's like the only one to never miss an episode, much to our disdain. I mean seriously, has he missed one? I'm asking for real, I don't think he has. 

According to IMDB, Rico Rodriguez has been in 248 episodes (out of 250 total).

[Ottis]

As someone who has been to Paris multiple times, with each trip ranging somewhere from annoying to horrid, this ep fit perfectly.

Really, Claire, hanging with an old lover and your husband? A plot about hiding a lie from Jay? Cam not being aware of the origin of his clown persona, this the same guy who remembers every slight real and imagined? Mitch needing to look French?

I had to start this ep 3 times before I could finish it. Why can’t they get to the family lessons on paths that are enjoyable? Ugh. 

[Johnny Dollar]

There are shows like The Good Place that can pick the perfect time to wrap things up, and then there’s Modern Family.

I don’t understand why Jay’s dead, former partner would be getting a lifetime achievement award and why they would give it to Jay and not someone in Earl’s family. 

[TV Anonymous]

My different kind of complain, what is so wrong with pigeon / squab, Mitch? Squab, just as any other meat, is delicious if cooked properly. 

[Ottis]

3 hours ago, TV Anonymous said:

My different kind of complain, what is so wrong with pigeon / squab, Mitch? Squab, just as any other meat, is delicious if cooked properly. 

I have a vague recollection that Mitch is afraid of pigeons and thinks they are germ filled and disgusting. I may be giving this show too much credit though. 

[readster]

9 hours ago, Ottis said:

As someone who has been to Paris multiple times, with each trip ranging somewhere from annoying to horrid, this ep fit perfectly.

Really, Claire, hanging with an old lover and your husband? A plot about hiding a lie from Jay? Cam not being aware of the origin of his clown persona, this the same guy who remembers every slight real and imagined? Mitch needing to look French?

I had to start this ep 3 times before I could finish it. Why can’t they get to the family lessons on paths that are enjoyable? Ugh. 

Everything just didn't make sense. This entire "we need this last season to wrap things up" has been more of: "Let's throw out anything we can because who cares, we are being paid for it." Outside of Phil's father dying and Alex finally getting a job she earned. Everyone else should be just ran over with a bulldozer. 

[UncleChuck]

Quote

I don’t understand why Jay’s dead, former partner would be getting a lifetime achievement award and why they would give it to Jay and not someone in Earl’s family. 

The association was not giving the award to Jay.  They expected Jay to give a little speech about his partner and then present the award--likely to a family member.  Like the "presenters" at the Emmys or Oscars.

 

Edited February 16, 2020 by UncleChuck

[mojito]

Quote

And what does it say about the actor that out of all the "kids" on this show he's like the only one to never miss an episode...

He has a better agent than the others?

 I don't find myself fretting over who's watching Lily or Joey.  I don't need all details spelled out. Some didn't go on this trip. Fine.

[tribeca]

Mitch and Cam probably just forgot Lily at home.