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S06.E10: Haley's 21st Birthday

DB in CMH

By DB in CMH
in Modern Family [V]

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Lizzing

Lizzing

I agree that it was the best episode of the season.  I loved the 3 families mixing it up (though where was Joe?) and there were great moments of continuity to the story.  For instance, Mitch and Cam ended up feeling a tad old at the bar, but that was well within part and parcel to their Palm Springs episode of bar hopping to find the right shoe to fit.  It wasn't antagonistic to their previously established characteristics, nor was the backing out of the tats.  We knew Clare wanted Haley to come back around to be her friend from that ep when they saw Alex's band play at some coffee house, but couldn't quite get there.  Same here...story consistency.  Phil was trying to be one upped by Jay, also consistent from like every other ep.  I haven't dived into the IMDB yet, but whomever wrote this episode actually knows the characters and knows how to play them off each other in a fun way.  Haley calling Gloria her "grandmother" of sorts was great, as Gloria was egging on the tats, and maybe piercings.

 

This ep had a lightness that I liked.

 

(Downside: You can't really get a legal tat if you're drunk.  Too much blood loss.  And driving a new car after 4 cocktails? Not a good idea.  IRL, I'm Debbie Downer.)

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Alexinla

Alexinla

(edited)

Luke wants to explain to Lily where babys are coming from:

 

Luke: First, I need a donut and a pen
Lily: For what?
Luke: You have to make notes and I am hungry

 

This episode was hillarious!!!

Edited by Alexinla
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Eolivet

Eolivet

I really liked the car salesman subplot -- especially how the show set it up so it looked like Phil was getting ripped off. As others have mentioned, it was a subplot that played off character traits we knew: thinking about it, of course Phil would get a good deal on a car, because he's very familiar with how to make a sale.

 

I especially liked the "car negotiating in the '70s!" line, and that that Jay ultimately "lost" because he paid the difference. Phil sells houses, which are a lot more expensive than closets, Jay.

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peeayebee

peeayebee

I agree. This was very enjoyable. 

 

Claire: Don’t you need to check our ID?

Bouncer: Sorry, we don't offer a senior discount.

 

I loved when Haley downed her drink, saw everyone staring at her, then said, "Oooo it burns."

 

Loved when Claire, Haley, and Gloria were talking about possible tattoos -- two halves of a heart, the moon and stars, and Gloria's suggestion of a bird and a rifle.

 

Nice callback when Cam told Claire her tattoo was super cute, and his voice went high.

 

Another kind of callback I liked was when Jay leaves with Gloria and tells her she can have some Loco Puffs. 

 

I was really annoyed with Jay steamrolled over Phil to get a better car deal, but the plot was still funny. I love when they were in his car at the beginning, and after Phil was making German car jokes, Jay said, "I have lived a long, full life. I will drive us into a wall." The final scene with Phil and the car salesman inside the car beeping the horn was funny and satisfying.

 

Loved the two gay puns, guncle and gancient.

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readster

readster

 Wow! Now this is why I love the show. Finally after so long this episode hit everything write, I don't know who the writers were but they know why this show was successful to begin with. Either that or the rest of the producers have seen that keeping the families apart is killing the show and not playing on the traits that make them work. This was the Luke I knew even if he has been dumb down. When Lilly told them to sit and she would explain where babies come from and then he did. That was very Dylan thing especially when he was played so many times to think Haley and Dylan must really be stupid. Now, he is acting like them. That I don't like but his reaction when Manny and Alex heard how Lily thinks where where babies come from was priceless. Something that really threw me was even with her superior ego, how could Lily not think her older cousins did not know the birds and the bees. Plus, I really wanted to know where she got it from?

  Poor Phil and poor Jay, lost on that great deal and Jay still thinks he knows sales better than Phil. Gloria's tattoo ideas and Cam and Mitchell's reactions in the bar and the parlor had me laughing. 

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MaryMitch

MaryMitch

(Downside: You can't really get a legal tat if you're drunk.  Too much blood loss.  And driving a new car after 4 cocktails? Not a good idea.  IRL, I'm Debbie Downer.)

Didn't Claire grab the keys before Haley got into the car? So Haley wasn't getting ready to drive, she was just sitting in the car. 

 

Nice product placement for Toyota, huh?  (I drive one, they're great cars, but it's annoying to see a 21 year old being given a brand new car when I'm driving an '05.)

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CleoCaesar

CleoCaesar

(edited)

I don't get it - last week was so awful and this episode was great. How do they go from 0 to 100 like that? It seriously felt like a season 1-2 episode.

 

Mitch, on Claire's "mother" tattoo: "Maybe you can get a matching one. What's Sanskrit for 'issues'?"

 

 

I loved when Haley downed her drink, saw everyone staring at her, then said, "Oooo it burns."

 

You'd think that after seeing Haley hungover in Hawaii and seeing her kicked out of college for drinking, the family might look less shocked that it's not her first drink.

Edited by CleoCaesar
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Rinaldo

Rinaldo

Something that really threw me was even with her superior ego, how could Lily not think her older cousins did not know the birds and the bees. 

That totally worked for me: little kids (all the more a know-it-all like Lilly), when they hear "secret, grownup" information from their friends, are apt to think they're the only one in the family who knows, and be bursting to pass along this mysterious information.

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Traveller519

Traveller519

Not as high as some on this episode but I did enjoy it. I thought the notion of going to the bar with your family for your 21st birthday was completely out of character for Hayley, but it's easily explained away by the fact this family does these types of things together and she's had her share of bar nights already. Claire was trying a little to hard for my liking in this episode, and Gloria's brainstorming didn't entirely work for me.

 

That said, I enjoyed the Jay and Phil subplot. Phil displayed his competence, and Jay displayed his need to still be seen as the patriarch of the family. And the kids killed it! For as up and down as they've been this season, they all played to their strengths here. Luke isn't quite the simple cute kid anymore, he's a raging teenage boy, who is dumb. Manny's the ultimate feminist. Hopefully they continue to balance each other out to establish them both as quality guys. And I'm convinced Ariel Winter is the best actor of the whole lot, she puts on the Alex persona so well.

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Snow Apple

Snow Apple

Lily explaining where babies came from was sweet and then turned hilarious. The trio's reactions were great. We know the teens were horrified, but their facial expressions will make Lily think they are shocked by finding out the truth.

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maraleia

maraleia

 

Haley is turning twenty-one and the whole family is taking her to a bar to celebrate! Claire really wants Haley to start seeing her as a friend rather than her uptight mom, Mitch and Cam make the sad realization that they may not be as cool as they thought, and Phil and Jay’s quick pit stop to pick up Haley’s gift, a new car, becomes a disaster. Back at home, Alex, Luke and Manny babysit Lily and she decides to drop the ‘where do babies come from?’ bomb.

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ZaldamoWilder

ZaldamoWilder

Mitchell:  Stop, stop.  Oh my God, we're gayncient.

 

and

 

Jay:  Ah and there's your manager with his this is the best I can do offer

Salesman:  He said not to let you have any more hot dogs unless you buy a car

 

Writers are back on their grind.  I can never not enjoy Modern Family.  Last week was a reminder that it'll always be like pizza or sex.   Even when it's bad, it's still good. 

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Donny Ketchum

Donny Ketchum

If there's one good thing I liked about the episode, it was the families mixing it up again.  Finally.

 

Didn't care for Haley welching on the tattoo, though, and leaving Claire in the lurch.  And yeah, Jay tanking Phil's clearly better deal was annoying.  But other than that, it was enjoyable. :)

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ChipBach

ChipBach

Not me, I thought this was reminiscent of earlier seasons.  Great epi!  Funny for all the reasons everyone mentioned.  Loved the expression of the three teenagers when Lily finally gave the baby process... 

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DB in CMH

DB in CMH

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Writers are back on their grind.  I can never not enjoy Modern Family.  Last week was a reminder that it'll always be like pizza or sex.   Even when it's bad, it's still good. 

 

I really feel the same way. I don't watch many shows, but I do still keep tuning until MF even though it's uneven. There's an airiness to it that many shows lack. 

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MadyGirl1987

MadyGirl1987

Nice product placement for Toyota, huh?  (I drive one, they're great cars, but it's annoying to see a 21 year old being given a brand new car when I'm driving an '05.)

Right? I was driving family cars until I was 24, and even then it was used and the only help my parents gave was money towards a down payment and cosigning the loan.

 

Funny episode overall. I like Lily better when she is actually talking like a normal 7 year old, like in this episode, and not a snarky, catty diva. Thought the bar and tattoo plots were good even though I thought it was kinda bad of Gloria to encourage the tattoo thing when I am assuming she knew Claire wasn't crazy about it and it was HORRIBLE of Haley to back out after convincing Claire to get a tattoo. That is permanent, painful and something Claire did ONLY because Haley was going to get one as well.

 

Loved Jay and Phil at the dealership and the reveal that Jay paid so much more then Phil was going to.

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rollerblade

rollerblade

Nice product placement for Toyota, huh?  (I drive one, they're great cars, but it's annoying to see a 21 year old being given a brand new car when I'm driving an '05.)

 

Yea, exactly why does Haley deserves or need a brand new car? What's wrong with getting her a used one? Maybe Luke was right in that episode when he said Phil is supporting Haley for the rest of his life haha.

 

A friend of mine who makes 6-figures still drives her 1999 Geo Prism. She rolled her eyes when her then-boyfriend (now-husband, who makes like 1/3 of what she does) bought a brand new Altima few years back.

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mansonlamps

mansonlamps

(edited)

Yea, exactly why does Haley deserves or need a brand new car? What's wrong with getting her a used one?

Because that's what plenty of parents do these days? And I'm talking parents much lower on the socio-economic scale than the Dunphys. I found that aspect of the story completely realistic. Edited by mansonlamps
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avecsans

avecsans

I thought this episode was better than any other I've seen this season but that bar is set pretty low. The product placement was egregious although if I were a Toyota executive I wouldn't like the visual of the drunk girl getting behind the wheel. Someone upthread said that Claire took the keys but I didn't catch that.

My main problem is with the way Mitchell and Cam are portrayed. Isn't it time to get past having to mention that they're gay every 10 seconds? Who cares? It's so pat and easy to fall back on the cliches instead of coming up with more interesting plot lines for them. And don't get me started on "guncles" and "gaycient." Blech.

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shura

shura

Yea, exactly why does Haley deserves or need a brand new car? What's wrong with getting her a used one?

 

Because that's what plenty of parents do these days? And I'm talking parents much lower on the socio-economic scale than the Dunphys. I found that aspect of the story completely realistic.

 

Seriously? I'm sure as hell not buying my kid a brand new car when he turns 21. That's like a couple years' worth of tuition in a nice state college! Although, I suppose, Haley has no use for her college savings, so might as well spend it.

 

How much do the Dumphys make anyway?

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rollerblade

rollerblade

Because that's what plenty of parents do these days? And I'm talking parents much lower on the socio-economic scale than the Dunphys. I found that aspect of the story completely realistic.

 

My apologies, I'm not a parent. And if that's the expected "norm", I'm glad I'm not a parent. :p

Besides, Haley has a job and pays no rent (I think). She can save up and buy her own damn car.

 

 

Although, I suppose, Haley has no use for her college savings, so might as well spend it.

 

Haha good point, and Alex wouldn't need college savings because she will be getting a full scholarship anyway.

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peeayebee

peeayebee

When my sister and brother graduated high school in 1966, my parents bought them a new Chevy Impala. We weren't rich. The Dunphy's are obviously very well off.  I didn't think it was unrealistic for them to buy Haley a new car. People may think it was a bad decision, but it wasn't at all surprising or weird to me.

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ZaldamoWilder

ZaldamoWilder

Because that's what plenty of parents do these days? And I'm talking parents much lower on the socio-economic scale than the Dunphys. I found that aspect of the story completely realistic.

 

Seriously? I'm sure as hell not buying my kid a brand new car when he turns 21. That's like a couple years' worth of tuition in a nice state college! Although, I suppose, Haley has no use for her college savings, so might as well spend it.

 

How much do the Dumphys make anyway?

 

It sounds counterintuitive and countercheckbook doesn't it?  lol.  I mean the insurance premiums are lower and if there's anything left to finance, those payments are certainly lower.  And I hope this doesn't sound like I'm riding my parental high horse or speaking on anybody's behalf but the reasoning behind buying your kid a new car is safety.   What you know for sure about a new car is it doesn't have any history to surprise you with.  What you know for sure about a 17 or even 21 year old is that they don't have enough driving experience to handle whatever that surprise is when/where it happens.  At the end of the day that's your kid riding around in there, the last thing you want to do is add to their potential for danger factor.     Sorry, that's not a hincty economic rant, I drive a 10 year old car, before that a 17 year old car neither one of which I was the original owner for, but I'm 46, if my shit shuts down while I'm driving I know what to do.

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needschocolate

needschocolate

As usual, I enjoyed the side comments, jokes and puns - the reason why I look forward to this show every week.  But I found the plot to be a bit predictable.  I knew Jay would ruin the deal and pay the difference to make it look like he wins as soon as they started that storyline.  I knew Claire would get stuck being the only one with a tattoo.  And it was obvious that Lily had her own ideas of where babies came from - however, her version was not what I expected (I thought there would be an orphanage involved). 

 

I can't decide if we are supposed to think Haley really just chickened out on the tattoo or if she and Gloria were setting Claire up from the beginning.  Haley and Gloria didn't seem nearly as drunk as Claire, Haley acted a bit like she was playing Claire, and Gloria was way too encouraging or everything Haley suggested. 

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BusyOctober

BusyOctober

I enjoyed this one too.  Luke, Alex and Lily are bringing it this year.  Manny is getting "stuck in a rut" of character like Cam & Mitch. Same old story lines.

 

One teeny thing bugged me when they were toasting to Haley's 21st, Claire said "Here's to your 1st drink!"  It wasn't said sarcastically or "your first LEGAL drink"...wasn't Haley expelled from college on Day 2 for underage drinking?  Does Claire seriously think Haley never drank between the ages of 15-20?

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DrSpaceman

DrSpaceman

I did enjoy the episode.

I'd never buy my child a car at any age, new or used, but I can easily see the Dunphy's doing it.

It bugged me that Jay didn't consider that Jay is a salesman himself, and a good one, its one thing he knows. He can seem naive at times but I can't see him being manipulated easily by another salesman.

In the end he wasn't, glad they went the direction they did with that story.

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needschocolate

needschocolate

I can't believe the writers thought it was a good idea to have a parent deliver a new car to their child at a bar. Really? Especially after showing her drinking.

 

I'm not sure the writers thought it was a good idea - when Phil mentioned it to some woman, she gave him a look of "really?" - I think the writers thought bringing the car to the bar would be something Phil would think was a good idea.  Phil is all about the moment, the impact, the surprise, and not so much about the big picture or the consequences..  He doesn't think things through. 

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Alexinla

Alexinla

(edited)

I'm not sure the writers thought it was a good idea - when Phil mentioned it to some woman, she gave him a look of "really?" - I think the writers thought bringing the car to the bar would be something Phil would think was a good idea.  Phil is all about the moment, the impact, the surprise, and not so much about the big picture or the consequences..  He doesn't think things through. 

Exactly! Hence, the tag at the end with ideas about what he wants for his tattoo ...

 

Edited by Alexinla
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Skittl1321

Skittl1321

. That is permanent, painful and something Claire did ONLY because Haley was going to get one as well.

Friends did this too. Phoebe freaked after convincing Rachel to get a tattoo. Modern Family recycles a lot of their plot points.

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Tony

Tony

I don't think we got a good look at it, but Claire's tattoo sounded nice. She's a mom so a having a Sanskrit mom tattooed to her ankle is one she can proudly show off, even someday as a little old lady.

 

But Claire interpreted it as being an homage to her mother, whom she's not exactly on good terms with.

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maplebrew

maplebrew

(edited)
But Claire interpreted it as being an homage to her mother, whom she's not exactly on good terms with.

 

I noticed that but it's too bad Claire couldn't flip the script and embrace the tattoo. There's a great story behind it. "My daughter Hayley and me got drunk on her 21st b-day. We were supposed to get tattoos together but as she started to sober up, she chickened out and ran out when her dad drove up in her new car..." Okay, the story doesn't sound so good but it's still a story. 

Edited by maplebrew
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needschocolate

needschocolate

I would be happy if every time Claire starts to pour herself a glass of wine, she remembers the tattoo and puts the wine away.  I don't want to start a "is Claire an alcoholic?" conversation because she is a tv character, not a real person.  I am just tired of shows having women drink so much wine all the time - tired of writers thinking it is funny to have someone pour themselves a big glass of wine for every little thing that annoys them - tired of tipsy women on my tv (although, I do appreciate that Claire, unlike Alicia on the Good Wife, at least shows the effects of alcohol).  This joke has run its course. 

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CleoCaesar

CleoCaesar

I am just tired of shows having women drink so much wine all the time - tired of writers thinking it is funny to have someone pour themselves a big glass of wine for every little thing that annoys them - tired of tipsy women on my tv (although, I do appreciate that Claire, unlike Alicia on the Good Wife, at least shows the effects of alcohol).

 

Does your objection extend to men drinking on TV?

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Stella MD

Stella MD

I didn't make the original comment, but I find the "stressed suburban housewife who really likes her wine" to be an extremely worn-out trope and a depressing throwback to the mother's little helper era of the 60s, albeit with alcohol instead of benzos. Drinking isn't going to make boredom and frustration with your life go away, Claire. 

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needschocolate

needschocolate

Does your objection extend to men drinking on TV?

 

it would if I they over did it like they do with female characters (and by "over did it" I don't mean getting tipsy/drunk, I mean have a lot of characters cope with whatever by pouring themselves a glass of wine - "my mother-in-law said something that wasn't a compliment, I need a glass of wine").  I cannot think of a make character that does the "wine will make this bearable" thing.  I can't even think of one who drinks to cope.  I don't watch a lot of scripted shows, but I can think of at least three female characters (Claire, Alicia,and Frankie Heck) who resort to wine to cope.  In the case of MF and The Middle, it is done for comic effect (maybe the Good Wife too since her glasses seem to get bigger every episode), but it is the same joke every time. 

 

I don't have a problem with characters drinking, I have a problem with shows relying on this same old, tired "joke" that wasn't all that funny when it started.  My opinion, YMMV. 

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