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

[Robert Lynch]

 

Sums up the entire Mitch and Cam fiasco perfectly.

Edited April 9, 2020 by Robert Lynch

[readster]

10 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

It's also the same allegedly liberal-minded show that:

- Reminded us over and over again that Colombia is filled with nothing but drug lords and dead bodies

- Featured gay men who treated their adopted daughter like a forgotten pet, and made racist jokes about her Asian ancestry

- Featured Mitchell inexplicably calling his black female boss a "thug"

- Went through the entire first season without Mitch and Cam kissing, even though the same season had Phil and Claire in the 69 position when their kids walked in on them, and giving us an entire episode about their sexual roleplaying.

How about the other facts

 

- You can be a straight A student and be attractive, but will always been told you don't get things and will always be a stereo type

- You can be borderline special needs, but everyone will think you are cute and even have a successful career where you know, you have to have a brain to function. Especially, in this current age.

- No matter how prone you are to "understanding the modern age" you will still act and depicted as never using modern technology like automatic sinks or Amazon Echos.

 

[Robert Lynch]

Perfect critique of the finale: Click here

[readster]

That was a very fair and true critique and it was very true. Also, mentioning the danger of being on TV too long. All those other shows they mentioned fell into the same problem. There are a few on now where they have reached a point where it needs to either start wrapping up or given a dead date no matter if money can be there in the long run. Yeah, it was really be season 7 the show started going down hill. Somewhere in the middle of season 8 is when it started to become painful and season 9 was just horrible. Season 10, they wrote it like it was about to be their final season until everyone was: "We need one more year, come on money and a great way for us to wrap it up." Then it was just about the money. 

[Lemons]

7 hours ago, JayD83 said:

I'm sad. This was certainly my favorite show of the 2010s and I'll miss having new episodes to watch. I'm hoping for a Mitch and Cam spinoff - but at this point, I guess that show would look like Bless This Mess.

I thought the same. Perfect set up for a Cam Mitchell spin-off. I don't think it would be the same because Cam and Mitch are actually funny. I wonder if they would be interested.  

[Mrs. Hanson]

43 minutes ago, Lemons said:

I thought the same. Perfect set up for a Cam Mitchell spin-off. I don't think it would be the same because Cam and Mitch are actually funny. I wonder if they would be interested.  

I liked Mitch and Cam but I am not sure they could carry a whole show.  What if they brought back Pameron?

[Fostersmom]

1 hour ago, Lemons said:

I thought the same. Perfect set up for a Cam Mitchell spin-off. I don't think it would be the same because Cam and Mitch are actually funny. I wonder if they would be interested.  

The spin off would magically have no kids. 

[Robert Lynch]

1 hour ago, Lemons said:

I thought the same. Perfect set up for a Cam Mitchell spin-off. I don't think it would be the same because Cam and Mitch are actually funny. I wonder if they would be interested.  

Why were they pushing a spinoff with Haley and Dylan then? I think the head of ABC was really for that or something.

Edited April 9, 2020 by Robert Lynch

[Snow Apple]

3 minutes ago, Fostersmom said:

The spin off would magically have no kids. 

They'll still have kids. It's just that Lily is taking care of the baby full time off-screen. Until they need the kids for one of their schemes, that is.

[foxfreakinmulder]

17 hours ago, Eolivet said:

Oddly enough, my favorite moment was Haley, Alex and Luke after the "Woofie" video. It was the kind of "make a comedic moment sentimental" timing this show used to excel at, and that instant where it sunk in that the siblings were leaving each other rang true to me. Claire and Mitchell at the skating rink was great, too

I really liked this too :-)

I pretty much agree with what everyone above has said about the ending so no need for me to repeat. I did enjoy the ending with all the pictures. And really enjoyed the wrap-up show after the final aired (on HULU it aired after) that made me tear up. I couldn't believe my ears when the casting director? said he had to push to get Ty Burrell hired he said the producers didn't think he was funny? That's craaaaaazy, he's the best actor on the show. Phil was the first character that I loved and did until the end, I'll miss Phil.

I'm not sure if I would tune in if they made a spin-off with Mitch and Cam, I couldn't stand Cam's sister and don't think I would be able to handle a whole episode with a family like her. Wasn't the Middle going to do a spin-off with Sue and it never happened?

 

[Robert Lynch]

I wish a Sue spinoff would have happened.

[tribeca]

Teared  up when Jay said both his sons were leaving.  

Edited April 12, 2020 by tribeca

[Josiemae]

9 hours ago, readster said:

Good point, of course I'm kind of tired of TV acting like Missouri is some hick town place full of morons. I've been there many times and have several friends that live in the area. Looks like a regular place in the midwest. Still shares of: small towns, big cities, farms, rural and more urban areas. Problem is, they never mention the mountains or range areas. Sure Mitch would hate it, but Lilly be all: "Wow, look at all these places!" "Can we go to Branson?"

Yep - some Hollywood crack head writer's idea of middle America.  So insulting. 

[Lemons]

1 hour ago, Mrs. Hanson said:

I liked Mitch and Cam but I am not sure they could carry a whole show.  What if they brought back Pameron?

Definitely bring back Pameron.  Cam’s family and other towns people would be enough to make it a great show. 

[Robert Lynch]

I wonder what will happened to the kids' careers?

[AppleCore]

I just rewatched, and saw that Lily was there for the picture at the end. She is wearing a brown hat and standing in the back between Cam and Dylan. The new baby was carried in the car seat toward the door, but then disappears for the picture taking.

[Quickbeam]

34 minutes ago, Robert Lynch said:

I wonder what will happened to the kids' careers?

For every Ron Howard there seems to be a dozen Dana Platos. It’s a tough industry. Alison Porter (Curly Sue) ended up on The Voice as a contestant and won. 

[CleoCaesar]

6 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

Cam somehow gets a COLLEGE HEAD COACHING JOB when he has never had a coaching job outside of a single high school to that point, extremely unlikely that would EVER happen

He was a substitute teacher that somehow ends up as vice principal was it?

How on earth could Mitch and cam every afford that new house they moved into briefly?  That would be literally millions of dollars.  On Mitch's on again/off again lawyer salary and Cam coaching salary?  No way

Last year Haley and Dillon could afford only a crappy room over a garage, now they suddenly can afford rent on Cam and Mitch's old place, with two children, plus I assume day care?

Phil and Claire just have spare money for a huge new RV?  That's probably half a million dollars, minimum.

From the pilot it was obvious that this was a show about three very affluent South California families. They live in multimillion dollar homes, the the spouses didn't work and stayed at home with their children, they could drop thousands of dollars on flights and five-star hotel rooms, they freely bought gadgets and anything they wanted to, really.

None of this was hidden, nowhere was it said that these families were representative of anything, much less the common person. So all of the above critiques, while sort of valid, are about 11 seasons out of date. They've always been like this, always spent like this, always falling into jobs like this. They're conspicuously rich white/Latino people.

The show is called Modern Family, not Average Family.

[Robert Lynch]

I thought the documentary was better than the finale.

[mtlchick]

7 hours ago, scenicbyway said:

How do Haley and Dylan afford Mitchell and Cam’s old place?

Haley thanked Mitchell for putting in a good word for them for a place, so I'm assuming that the owner gave them a reduction for the rent for a few months and given how well off the overall family is, are helping to pay for it in the interim. 

[kissedbyarose]

8 hours ago, AncientNewbie said:

 

I have nothing to do but comment, but I was meh just because I no longer cared and can't summon much. I can get sucked into rerun marathons for an entire evening, but the end-stage characters I just didn't care what happened to them.

Dylan as a special needs husband was a fun line, because that character has never been more than a one note joke. And the slight tease of a Very Special Episode with Jay's seeming dementia symptoms was good. And that Joe actor delivers the stupidest plots with adorableness. And...that's it.

I put most of the blame on the Mitch/Cam storyline. There were a dozen ways to play up some farce about hidden news and show them as a functioning dysfunctional couple. Yet instead we get shallow stereotypes and catty behavior.

And there's absolutely no way Alex, even stressed out, can't convert to metric. I just wanted some consistency so the characters I spent years with got a nice send off and instead I got just another s11 episode.

Wow. This is pretty much what I was coming out lurking to say. 

I pretty much ignore all of Manny’s storylines and continued to do this episode. Because, ew.

But by far the worst storyline was Mitchell’s. I knew once Mitchell started to say how happy he was that Cam would ruin everything. I haven’t liked Cam for a very long time - this did not help. Mitchell cannot have nice things.

Phil and Jay were the highlights for me but they’ve been carrying this show for years now. I would’ve given up this show a long time ago but I stayed for them and it was worth it. (The Woofie parts were also great too and Joe’s haircut was adorable.)

Everything else I didn’t mention was meh.

There’s a few shows I won’t watch again because of their shitty finales. So in the end while I’m disappointed, I’ll get over it and enjoy the reruns.

[Utpe]

I don't have much to say, other than wanting Modern Family over and done with at this point.  It should have ended last year.  The 10th season finale felt more like a natural conclusion than this mess.  Dragging it out was completely unnecessary.

Anything for the almighty dollar.

[lynxfx]

This really felt like a finale meant for the actors, not us. I'm sure working 11 years on a show, watching the children grow up, working with the crew and writers that it was very emotional to them. Me, felt nothing. I couldn't keep track of everyone's goals and progress, or lack there of. The fact that half the screen was covered up by the writing credits probably was the biggest source of failure.

The last series that got me emotionally was probably Friends. Even they rushed some storylines, like Phoebe getting married but at least they dedicated an episode to it. But the very end with Ross and Rachel felt earned. Then the walking out leaving the keys actually felt like an end even as they all went their own ways. 

How I Met Your Mother was close but completely screwed the pooch with the Robin twist at the end. 

As a show I really liked in the beginning, I just don't care that it ended. Same thing happened with Fresh off the Boat. They both went out with a fizzle this year.

Congrats to Ed O'Neill on getting two series to 11 seasons. Over 500 episodes across those two shows.

[possibilities]

15 hours ago, Mrs. Hanson said:

I am from Minnesota (not Missouri I know) and yes was have Uber, UberEats, Lyft and no, tornados, floods and locusts do NOT appear in one day.

I think of California as the place that suffers from constant, multiple calamities, like fires, earthquakes, floods/mudslides, severe drought conditions, gas leaks/explosions, and an electrical grid that has to be shut off to millions of people to prevent it from ignition. Plus, when I was growing up, everyone was worried because they have a nuclear plant on the San Andreas fault.

I don't think the kids didn't know HOW to shop or clean. We've SEEN them do those things when motivated. I think they were just too lazy to do it. They defaulted into spoiled kids when they lived with their parents. Claire always spoiled them, while acting like she was a hero for doing it.

[arvene88]

20 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

I didn't notice Lilly missing at the end, that is odd.

 

Lilly's there behind Gloria, when they start gathering for the picture you can see her next to Dylan but when they talk and cry we can't see her I don't know why, only her brown hat between Gloria and Dylan, only little baby is missing

[Robert Lynch]

10 hours ago, lynxfx said:

This really felt like a finale meant for the actors, not us. I'm sure working 11 years on a show, watching the children grow up, working with the crew and writers that it was very emotional to them. Me, felt nothing. I couldn't keep track of everyone's goals and progress, or lack there of. The fact that half the screen was covered up by the writing credits probably was the biggest source of failure.

The last series that got me emotionally was probably Friends. Even they rushed some storylines, like Phoebe getting married but at least they dedicated an episode to it. But the very end with Ross and Rachel felt earned. Then the walking out leaving the keys actually felt like an end even as they all went their own ways. 

How I Met Your Mother was close but completely screwed the pooch with the Robin twist at the end. 

As a show I really liked in the beginning, I just don't care that it ended. Same thing happened with Fresh off the Boat. They both went out with a fizzle this year.

Congrats to Ed O'Neill on getting two series to 11 seasons. Over 500 episodes across those two shows.

Fresh off the Boat and Modern Famiy were guilty of that. They just turned two good characters into unlikeable jerks. Jessica and Evan became unbearable in the later seasons as Cam and Mitchell became worse as they progress further in the seasons. Writers think this is an easy way out for having no ideas. It isn't. It just shows that you ran out of ideas already. Unfortunately, The Goldbergs are following suit with Barry & Erica becoming annoying all of a sudden. This is becoming a trend now when a show is losing steam.

Edited April 10, 2020 by Robert Lynch

[ljenkins782]

11 hours ago, lynxfx said:

This really felt like a finale meant for the actors, not us. I'm sure working 11 years on a show, watching the children grow up, working with the crew and writers that it was very emotional to them. Me, felt nothing. I couldn't keep track of everyone's goals and progress, or lack there of. The fact that half the screen was covered up by the writing credits probably was the biggest source of failure.

Congrats to Ed O'Neill on getting two series to 11 seasons. Over 500 episodes across those two shows.

Yeah, I imagine that they had an emotional time filming it, but it didn't really carry through the television. Too many chaotic plots going and not too many funny moments. One of my favorite moments was Sal bursting in and I had never really liked that character.

Quote

I don't have much to say, other than wanting Modern Family over and done with at this point.  It should have ended last year.  The 10th season finale felt more like a natural conclusion than this mess.  Dragging it out was completely unnecessary.

I've said this a million times already, but will say it again, they had the perfect series finale in the final episode of season 10 and should have called it a day. The scene at the hospital when Haley had the twins was sweet, emotional, funny, and nostalgic. This series finale didn't really hit any of those notes.

 

 

[abc123]

Well, my power went out 2x during this finale and it took a minute for the cable box to reboot so I missed the Woofie video, which sounds like the best part.  I had read spoilers here before watching the show, but even still I think my reaction would have been "that's it?"  I had no emotion.  This show did not make me feel sad that it was ending, and that's too bad.  Agree with others that this went on about 2-3 years too long.  The storylines are all over the place from one episode to the next. 

What made the least sense was Luke's college acceptance.  Why did he lie about getting in?  Was he thinking about not going, but changed his mind when given an ultimatum to move out?  He acted like he wanted to stay by pulling at Phil's heartstrings etc. 

Didn't like Cam's move to Missouri after seeing how happy Mitchell was, though that couple has been grating on my nerves for seasons.  Did they ever to a big "reveal" of baby Rex to the family?  I think in the prior episode they just showed Cam pretending to hide the baby in the cloche?

Well, this show had its moments, but sure went out with a whimper.

[Shermie]

Ugh, this was terrible, just awful all around. Riddled with cliches and stereotypes, time wasted on repetitive nonsense about the plane delays. Har har, there's locusts now. 

Live been hate watching the last season because I like to finish what I start. I won't  be wasting time watching it in syndication; the characters are just so self-centred and whiny. The first few seasons this was couched with humour and occasionally comeuppance, but now they're just awful. 

And I'll never understand how "high school football coach" is a full time job. What exactly does this job entail? Aren't the players in class all day? Is the coach spending six hours a day making plays? Shows the ridiculous priorities of the school system.

So much made no sense. Why are the kids such lazy slobs who,are too stupid to buy themselves food?  Why is Alex suddenly too dumb for basic math and Luke so smart he got into college? Although he was too dumb to remember, somtheres that. Nurses make decent money, why were Dylan and Haley living with her parents? And how could they suddenly afford a big fancy place to rent? You're either poor or you're not. If nothing changes, why can they suddenly afford it? Ugh. 

[Suzn]

What a mess this finale was!  It was a jumble of poorly thought out ideas; the writers were just throwing things at the wall to see if anything stuck.

It was pathetic that Claire and Phil raised three children who can't even buy food for themselves.  That's comedy?

The worst however was Cam and Mitchell.  We are to believe Cam gets a college coaching job based on some high school coaching.  Aside from the impossible concept, it was sickening that the big baby Cam, rips his family away from the new house and home to go to a place that will not work for Mitchell or Lily.  That's comedy?

And once again, it is really offensive that the Midwest is portrayed as filled will hicks, nitwits and lacking in any modern or sophisticated amenities.  Are the idiot writers under the impression that Californians are more educated, have higher IQs and have secret knowledge of modern transportation and other modern conveniences?  That's comedy?

[Blakeston]

17 hours ago, CleoCaesar said:

From the pilot it was obvious that this was a show about three very affluent South California families. They live in multimillion dollar homes, the the spouses didn't work and stayed at home with their children, they could drop thousands of dollars on flights and five-star hotel rooms, they freely bought gadgets and anything they wanted to, really.

None of this was hidden, nowhere was it said that these families were representative of anything, much less the common person. So all of the above critiques, while sort of valid, are about 11 seasons out of date. They've always been like this, always spent like this, always falling into jobs like this. They're conspicuously rich white/Latino people.

The show is called Modern Family, not Average Family.

I've enjoyed other shows about extremely wealthy people, like Frasier and Diff'rent Strokes, and I wasn't bothered by the way the characters threw money around.

I think the difference is that those shows had characters who weren't accustomed to extreme wealth, and pointed out how absurdly extravagant the characters' lives were. The audience was meant to think that Frasier and Niles were ridiculously pampered.

Modern Family treated wealth differently. There wasn't anyone around to acknowledge that people like the Dunphys were living a completely absurd lifestyle.

Admittedly, there were references to Jay being rich and overprivileged. But what about Phil/Claire and Mitch/Cam? I don't recall them ever being referred to as rich, even as they constantly threw away vast sums of money on ridiculous things.

Phil was presented as a reasonably successful real estate agent, but not a titan. We were supposed to think that Gil Thorpe and Ellen Barkin's character were the big-time agents, and he was in their shadows. And once Mitch left the law firm, he and Cam couldn't have had very high incomes at all.

They even threw in references to how Mitch and Cam were on a tight budget - right before they bought the upstairs condo, in addition to their own home. 

It felt like the writers wanted us to just pretend that this standard of living is normal. Which makes the extensive product placement so much easier.

[Robert Lynch]

15 minutes ago, Suzn said:

What a mess this finale was!  It was a jumble of poorly thought out ideas; the writers were just throwing things at the wall to see if anything stuck.

It was pathetic that Claire and Phil raised three children who can't even buy food for themselves.  That's comedy?

The worst however was Cam and Mitchell.  We are to believe Cam gets a college coaching job based on some high school coaching.  Aside from the impossible concept, it was sickening that the big baby Cam, rips his family away from the new house and home to go to a place that will not work for Mitchell or Lily.  That's comedy?

And once again, it is really offensive that the Midwest is portrayed as filled will hicks, nitwits and lacking in any modern or sophisticated amenities.  Are the idiot writers under the impression that Californians are more educated, have higher IQs and have secret knowledge of modern transportation and other modern conveniences?  That's comedy?

 Even when I was watching 70s, 80s, and 90s sitcoms growing up with their finales, I could like some of the moments growing up. This just left a bad taste in my mouth.

[Lone Wolf]

On 4/8/2020 at 9:01 PM, Fostersmom said:

So... big last family group hug and Lily and the new baby are missing. Seriously, what the hell? Dylan makes the picture, but not Lily. 

 

Joe got short shrifted as well - he was with the group, but based on the angle of the phone there's no way he was in the photo.  Someone should have been holding him.

Speaking of pictures, maybe I missed something but it seemed uncharacteristically mean spirited that they would have taken the family photo on the stairs after Cam & Co. made one of their innumerable departures to the airport.

On 4/8/2020 at 9:55 PM, pennben said:

“Hamtrak”/“Guber”.  

No disrespect to the fine folks of the Show-Me State (after all Colonel Sherman T. Potter was from Hannibal), but I heard that as "Goober".

On 4/9/2020 at 9:59 AM, scenicbyway said:

Also Claire and Phil taking off on an RV trip just aged them by 15 years.  Aren’t they a little young for that?

Speaking of which, didn't Claire just land her dream job?  Has she not started yet, or is she going to take off already.  I think it was two weeks laid out on the calendar.  That's quite a bit of time to be out, especially in a new position at her level.

Glad this show's over.  I was tired of seeing Jimmy cheating on Gretchen (apologies to those who didn't watch You're The Worst - I tend to write for my own amusement).

But seriously, folks...people got greedy, so the show overstayed its welcome and the writing declined in the later seasons, e.g., claw machine? In a high school?  Really?  Not the first, nor will it be the last time we'll have been had.  I'll always have fond memories of Stella and of Jay's awesome house - my two favorite characters by far. 

Edited April 11, 2020 by Lone Wolf

[CarpeFelis]

1 hour ago, Lone Wolf said:

But seriously, folks...people got greedy, so the show overstayed its welcome and the writing declined in the later seasons, e.g., claw machine? In a high school?  Really?  Not the first, nor will it be the last time we'll have been had.  I'll always have fond memories of Stella and of Jay's awesome house - my two favorite characters by far. 

I thought the claw machine was at the skating rink.

[Mystery]

On 4/9/2020 at 12:46 AM, vb68 said:

And Luke somehow mysteriously got into a really good university all of a sudden?  

 

And Oregon's out-of-state tuition is 2.5 times that of a University of California school, 5 times that of a California State University school. I could sooner think that he'd get admitted than that he could afford it without asking his parents to pay for it. 

[possibilities]

I thought Luke decided to go to college BECAUSE he could ask his parents to pay for it. If he had to move out, he could prolong his avoidance of adult responsibilities by going to college, which his parents would pay for.

 

[Bobbin]

On Thursday, April 09, 2020 at 9:16 AM, readster said:

Mitch has been unemployed and quit more jobs than Cam ever has

I thought about that, too. But I saw it as a reason why he might as well move. Mitch said he could be a judge, and he may well make a good Justice of the Peace, being more qualified than most. I can't make up my mind about Lily. Has she ever shown a glimmer of love for her fathers, anything more than wisecracks? I expected her to ask to stay behind.

Everyone's life has changed, and they each have gone on to bigger things, new careers, etc. But none of them has actually grown.

For me, the most fun has been all of the unbilled guest stars, especially Nathan Lane. And the love between Claire and Phil, from the magical anniversary to the Hawaiian wedding. That I will miss.

[Robert Lynch]

That's the problem with TV characters who would never grow up over time. Either douchebags or being a regular punching bag to the audience. It is never going to be a good recipe for success.

[Blakeston]

I cannot buy that Mitch would become a judge if they moved to Missouri.

Openly gay liberals from California aren't handed a seat on the bench when they move to rural areas in red states, especially if their only experience has been bouncing around from legal field to legal field without advancement.

But I suppose in the minds of the writers, anyone in rural Missouri who can read and write is considered royalty.

[DrSpaceman73]

On ‎4‎/‎9‎/‎2020 at 7:15 PM, CleoCaesar said:

From the pilot it was obvious that this was a show about three very affluent South California families. They live in multimillion dollar homes, the the spouses didn't work and stayed at home with their children, they could drop thousands of dollars on flights and five-star hotel rooms, they freely bought gadgets and anything they wanted to, really.

None of this was hidden, nowhere was it said that these families were representative of anything, much less the common person. So all of the above critiques, while sort of valid, are about 11 seasons out of date. They've always been like this, always spent like this, always falling into jobs like this. They're conspicuously rich white/Latino people.

The show is called Modern Family, not Average Family.

I have been making this same argument about this show for many years, so I am certainly not 11 years too late.  Was just pointing out it continued to the very end

ANd while Jay is certainly an obviously wealthy man, the other two familes are very much portrayed as average or middle class in several ways but then obviously have no money worries at all in other ways.  I never got the impression Cam and Mitch were "rich"

And further, as I have stated before, many times, over many years, if you are going to start down the road of praising the show for its portrayal of progressive politics by having a male gay couple as, such as the title suggests, "modern", then the show most certainly can be criticized for how it portrays the remainder of that so called progressive "family" and they way it handles money, raises their kids, etc.  And many of those ways are simply out of touch with rest of the country.  As mentioned, everything always works out for these people even if they lose jobs or are out of work (Mitch, multiple times throughout the show).  Get kicked out of school.  Buy a magic shop. Buy a house you obviously could never afford and then have to immediately sell it.  Buy a car that is expensive and completely impractical.  Many other examples.  Plus they portray "Missouri" (which is really code for "anyplace not in California") as full of all backwoods hicks and who don't even have Uber, or Amtrak in the last show.  When Phil asks Jay about starting his own company selling houses, they LITERALLY gloss over the financial aspect of that decision and it is never brought up.  Jay mentions it and literally says that part is not important 

The way the show handles many of these situations shows how completely out of touch the writers are with most of the viewing audience and the rest of the country.  But hey, they have a gay married couple!!  That's all that matters!!!  Hurray for being progressive!!  Ignore the family being a bunch of entitled rich white people!!!  That shouldn't matter!

I like the show, watched to the very end.  And I enjoyed it for the most part, even as the writing declined in the last few years.  And it really should be given credit for Cam/Mitch as a couple, it did break down many barriers in that regard.  They were HORRIBLE parents to Lilly, who they often ignore, I think we can all see that and even the writers just made jokes about it, but hey we can even ignore that.  But being a fan doesn't mean I can't criticize elements of it and this happens to be my main criticism.  Over the entire course of the show the writers did not even attempt to show any acknowledgement of the west coast elitism bubble they seemed to reinforce in many aspects of all the lives of these families they wrote about.  Again, are they the first show to just ignore finances and money in storylines?  No, but in the political climate of the past 10 years and with the message they were trying to send with the show, it was a missed opportunity that the writers never even attempted to delve into those aspects of the lives of the characters

And it never helped that The Middle, another show I really loved and that I relate to much closer because I grew up in Indiana, was just the opposite in many of these realms, overlapped for most of its run with Modern Family and was on the same network and the same night.  It was very obvious and easy to contrast the two shows, both good and bad for each, when they were shown like that

I liked both shows, saw every episodes of each of them, but again, liking a show does not make them immune to me criticizing each

[DrSpaceman73]

7 hours ago, Bobbin said:

I thought about that, too. But I saw it as a reason why he might as well move. Mitch said he could be a judge, and he may well make a good Justice of the Peace, being more qualified than most. I can't make up my mind about Lily. Has she ever shown a glimmer of love for her fathers, anything more than wisecracks? I expected her to ask to stay behind.

Everyone's life has changed, and they each have gone on to bigger things, new careers, etc. But none of them has actually grown.

For me, the most fun has been all of the unbilled guest stars, especially Nathan Lane. And the love between Claire and Phil, from the magical anniversary to the Hawaiian wedding. That I will miss.

I did always love Claire and Phil as a couple.  I found them believable as a couple more than anything, despite their differences, which is actually a rarity in many TV sitcoms for a husband and wife.  It wasn't always the bumbling dad who can't do anything or the overbearing wife, though they certainly had those elements.  they supported each other and both had their strengths.  You can imagine them being happy for many years to come.  Even more so than Mitch/Cam in my opinion. 

[Robert Lynch]

That's the problem when a show last long as MF. The writing will suffer as the seasons progress.

[meep.meep]

1 hour ago, Blakeston said:

I cannot buy that Mitch would become a judge if they moved to Missouri.

Openly gay liberals from California aren't handed a seat on the bench when they move to rural areas in red states, especially if their only experience has been bouncing around from legal field to legal field without advancement.

But I suppose in the minds of the writers, anyone in rural Missouri who can read and write is considered royalty.

More importantly - you need to pass the bar exam in the new state to be able to practice law there, and you have to be licensed to be a judge.  He won't even be able to work there for a while.

[ams1001]

27 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

More importantly - you need to pass the bar exam in the new state to be able to practice law there, and you have to be licensed to be a judge.  He won't even be able to work there for a while.

But that shouldn't be hard for a California lawyer to do in Hicksville, right? 🙄

[Artsda]

On 4/9/2020 at 12:59 PM, scenicbyway said:

 

How do Haley and Dylan afford Mitchell and Cam’s old place?  Mitchell was a lawyer, Cam eventually a Vice Principal but Haley who has no job and Dylan who is a nurse can afford the same place?

A nurse's salary and Haley's "Goop" position should give them something to afford a place. I didn't get how Mitch and Cam were affording that place with them being a lawyer and principle. 

Mitchell and Lily being great to move to Missouri from LA like that after just moving into their new "Dream" house seemed out there.  I'd expect them to run back in months. 

Alex ends up with Haley's ex? 

Luke ending up in college and Manny going on a trip? Odd they just wouldn't have them go off together. 

It was good in a way they all branched off on their own to new places, it gave an ending feel. I liked the porch light.

[saber5055]

On 4/10/2020 at 12:15 PM, Blakeston said:

Which makes the extensive product placement so much easier.

Raisin Bran. It should have its own IMDB page after this episode.

[Robert Lynch]

Wasn't the head of ABC insisting on a Haley/Dylan spinoff? I could have sworn I read it somewhere.

[tribeca]

Lily takes good care of her dads. She seems to know them well even if they don’t know she is there.  

[Tony]

On 4/11/2020 at 3:22 PM, Bobbin said:

Mitch said he could be a judge, and he may well make a good Justice of the Peace, being more qualified than most.

For traffic court, maybe.

[Johnny Dollar]

This last episode epitomized what went wrong with this show over the last few seasons. What started out as a sweet, funny show that was often relatable to actual family experiences devolved into predictable and hacky one-liners, broad slapstick and unbelievable plot points. The fact that each of the two final episodes had five or six writers for twenty two minutes of content kind of proves the point. This is a sitcom, not the opening monologue for the Oscars.