Tony February 27, 2015 Share February 27, 2015 I just can't with Haley's yelling and shrieking, Claire is so damn jumpy. Everybody needs to just chill. And Gloria, please just shut up. The downer of the episode for me is Cam as usual. Still as selfish and petulant as ever, refusing to help Claire track down her child until she got him some damn popcorn. It was very frenetic, and kind of exhausting to watch. Not me. This is almost like how I operate the computer, so I was fine with it. 1 Link to comment
chitowngirl February 27, 2015 Share February 27, 2015 The downer of the episode for me is Cam as usual. Still as selfish and petulant as ever, refusing to help Claire track down her child until she got him some damn popcorn. But...but...it was Garrett's caramel and cheese popcorn....! And Haley is 21 years old. Yes, she lives with her parents, but I don't think she needs to be tracked down like she's 12. 2 Link to comment
needschocolate February 27, 2015 Share February 27, 2015 I wasn't thrilled with "gimmick" in the beginning, but the show was funny enough that I enjoyed it - the gimmick grew on me, i guess. However, note to any producers out there, I wouldn't watch a show that was filmed this way every week - it requires me to pay too much attention (I like to do other things while I watch tv - keeps me from snacking) I thought the end with Alex's essay was sad. She put in a sentence to prove her mom didn't read her essay, and her mom truly didn't. The entire episode was basically about being there and being supportive of your kids, but I guess it's not true if you're Alex. I don't think I've ever felt worse for Alex than I did during this episode. Claire is horribly neglectful of her. Not that I should be surprised by that anymore. While I agree that Alex does get overlooked and her siblings get far more attention, this was one instance where I think Alex was wrong to keep pushing the essay - Her family was in panic mode because her sister may be pregnant and may have eloped. The Hailey "situation" was the most important thing at that moment. Cam was wrong to expect Claire to drop everything and go buy popcorn, an Alex was wrong to expect Claire to drop everything and read her essay. Besides, she is Alex, far smarter than anyone else in her family, she wouldn't expect Claire to do a good job critiquing/proofreading the essay (maybe Uncle Mitchell could) - she probably wouldn't expect Claire to understand the subject matter. While I am writing this, it is dawning on me that Alex may have sent Claire that essay as just another way to show off how smart she is (Frankly, I think I am reading way too much into this, and should stop writing now) 2 Link to comment
Miss Scarlet February 27, 2015 Share February 27, 2015 While I agree that Alex does get overlooked and her siblings get far more attention, this was one instance where I think Alex was wrong to keep pushing the essay - Her family was in panic mode because her sister may be pregnant and may have eloped. The Hailey "situation" was the most important thing at that moment. Except that Claire was doing that at the beginning of the episode before they had found out about the "Hailey situation" and at the end, when the situation had already been resolved. I get that Claire and Phil's horrible parenting of Alex is played for laughs, but it's really not funny at this point. She deserves better. While I agree that Alex does get overlooked and her siblings get far more attention, this was one instance where I think Alex was wrong to keep pushing the essay - Her family was in panic mode because her sister may be pregnant and may have eloped. The Hailey "situation" was the most important thing at that moment. Except that Claire was doing that at the beginning of the episode before they had found out about the "Hailey situation" and at the end, when the situation had already been resolved. I get that Claire and Phil's horrible parenting of Alex is played for laughs, but it's really not funny at this point. She deserves better. 2 Link to comment
Blakeston February 27, 2015 Share February 27, 2015 But...but...it was Garrett's caramel and cheese popcorn....! And Haley is 21 years old. Yes, she lives with her parents, but I don't think she needs to be tracked down like she's 12. If I thought my 21-year-old daughter impulsively was having a secret, quickie wedding because she'd just learned about an accidental pregnancy, I'd be pretty eager to talk to her, too. And if her uncle was more concerned about popcorn at that moment, I'd have some very choice words for him. 5 Link to comment
seacliffsal February 27, 2015 Share February 27, 2015 With Haley being so moody and yelly, I'm surprised that she doesn't move out-whether her choice or her parents' choice. I was actually really hoping that she and Andy did elope-I thought it would really open up some story lines. Claire is too frentic for me to enjoy her as the central character of an episode. I loved the Luke haircut sub-story and hope he keeps the mohawk look for the rest of the season. 3 Link to comment
Lizzing February 27, 2015 Share February 27, 2015 I get that Claire and Phil's horrible parenting of Alex is played for laughs, but it's really not funny at this point. She deserves better. There was that one episode, where Phil realizes he hasn't had a "moment" with Alex (just after trying to throw Walt's dog tags in the ocean) and goes for the best milkshake, and inscribes their initials in the diner's sign, that we see Phil and Alex connect. I don't remember anything like that with Clare and Alex. She went dress shopping with Gloria, played Words With Friends with Jay, had texting moments with Mitchell, went to the museum with Mitch and Cam, but I don't remember some special moment with Clare. Correct me if I'm wrong; I'd welcome it. My memory holds more Clare bonding with Haley over Alex's "weirdly" good performance at the coffee shop, taking Manny and Luke out for go carts (to no good results, but it was an effort), and bonding with Luke over "what would Alex do" before M&C's wedding, without actually involving Alex, much like the egg drop. Okay, Phil and Clare both wanted to be there for Alex's middle school graduation, but that was all I can come up with. And all I came away from that episode was "Of course Clare is more concerned about hair styles and manicures, because she's as into that kind of thing as Haley, and doesn't get Alex." Link to comment
Silly Angel February 27, 2015 Share February 27, 2015 The premise bugged, although I enjoyed the conceit of the episode. You can't marry a cronut, can you? The cronut would have to accept before you posted a status change. Link to comment
needschocolate February 27, 2015 Share February 27, 2015 The premise bugged, although I enjoyed the conceit of the episode. You can't marry a cronut, can you? The cronut would have to accept before you posted a status change. Haley's cronut may have accepted, we didn't see any exchange between her and the cronut, just that post that she had married it. As much as Haley loves her cronut, I don't think the marriage will last - once it stops being fresh and new, things will get stale quickly. 13 Link to comment
Traveller519 February 27, 2015 Share February 27, 2015 I liked it, while it was definitely getting hit in the face with "Apple Integration!!!!!!" it worked. I've been in that place where some crisis pops up while you're at the airport and you're frantically trying to resolve it by any means necessary, it does feel frenetic, and I think the pacing of the episode captured that. It is pretty sad that Alex could put, a "I know you're not reading this" sentence in the FIRST paragraph of her essay and Claire still misses it. I know they treat Alex as the self-cleaning oven of their children, but we've seen that she needs some attention from time to time to shoulder the load she puts on herself. 1 Link to comment
Maharincess February 27, 2015 Share February 27, 2015 What the hell is a "cronut"? I've never heard of them. 1 Link to comment
Shermie February 27, 2015 Share February 27, 2015 It's a hybrid of a croissant and a donut. 2 Link to comment
Lone Wolf February 27, 2015 Share February 27, 2015 (edited) As much as Haley loves her cronut, I don't think the marriage will last - once it stops being fresh and new, things will get stale quickly.It might last longer than you think; they're both sweet and a little flaky... Edited February 27, 2015 by Lone Wolf 8 Link to comment
drafan February 28, 2015 Share February 28, 2015 This episode made my skin itch. The good: The return of Dylan....however, only briefly. Alex looking beautiful. Mitchell's Yentl hat. Lily being a better actress than most of the cast, and that's not saying much. The popcorn, which I wanted to eat. Luke's Mohawk. The stunningly stupid: Haley would never , in a million years, have her phone out of her possession for more than 30 seconds. A workplace purchase (the pregnancy book) would never be ordered in Haley's name nor delivered to her house. The bad: Everything else about this episode. 1 Link to comment
solotrek February 28, 2015 Share February 28, 2015 So, is Chicago really known for its popcorn? I know about the pizza, but never about the popcorn. Link to comment
NYCFree February 28, 2015 Share February 28, 2015 My family is so Apple oriented that I didn't even think of it as product placement, it looked "natural" to me. I didn't noticed Alex's gotcha sentence so thanks for quoting it. 1 Link to comment
kat165 February 28, 2015 Share February 28, 2015 I'm poor and the only "device" I own is a pc. I didn't even notice the Apple placement. 1 Link to comment
MaryMitch February 28, 2015 Share February 28, 2015 So, is Chicago really known for its popcorn? I know about the pizza, but never about the popcorn. My niece went to college in Chicago, and when she got married she had someone bring 2 huge bags (the 3' long kind) of popcorn for the reception. It really WAS good popcorn. Link to comment
Megan February 28, 2015 Share February 28, 2015 (edited) I actually kinda liked it. It may have been I was also at O'Hare on Wendesday (and Friday!) and was irritated that I couldn't find Garret's and could only find Nuts on Clark. I think it would have been more interesting if Haley was married to Andy and pregnan and I am usually 100% against the sitcom pregnancy. Edited February 28, 2015 by Megan Link to comment
zxern February 28, 2015 Share February 28, 2015 Did I miss something here? Don't Alex and Hailey share the same bedroom? How would Alex not know that Hailey was asleep in her room the whole time? Link to comment
biakbiak February 28, 2015 Share February 28, 2015 Hailey moved into the basement awhile ago. 1 Link to comment
Shugardrawers February 28, 2015 Share February 28, 2015 We go to visit the hub's family in KC about every other xmas on average. They have a couple of FABULOUS popcorn places like that (TopHat and Velvet Creme if you're interested). It's just a given that someone will get me a giant container of caramel/cheese/cinnamon popcorn each time. It's quite addictive. Next time we fly through O'Hare I HAVE to try this Garrett's! Link to comment
solotrek March 1, 2015 Share March 1, 2015 We go to visit the hub's family in KC about every other xmas on average. They have a couple of FABULOUS popcorn places like that (TopHat and Velvet Creme if you're interested). It's just a given that someone will get me a giant container of caramel/cheese/cinnamon popcorn each time. It's quite addictive. Next time we fly through O'Hare I HAVE to try this Garrett's! Cinnamon popcorn? There is such a wondrous thing? I am glad Modern Family makes us ask the important questions, like where can I get my hands on cinnamon popcorn. 1 Link to comment
Shugardrawers March 1, 2015 Share March 1, 2015 (edited) YES cinnamon. Go away Debbiedoo. Edited March 1, 2015 by Shugardrawers Link to comment
Donny Ketchum March 1, 2015 Share March 1, 2015 Why would it be surprising that they all know Andy, he is Joe`s Manny and Phil`s protege. Because not everybody regularly interacts with him? 1 Link to comment
SanDiegoInExile March 1, 2015 Share March 1, 2015 I thought it was a bit of a stretch that every single member of this extended family had an iOS device. I'm pretty much the only relative of mine who has one. It's just the reverse for me. Everyone from grandparents to pre-tweens have them in my family --- EXCEPT me. Yup, we're Californians. Link to comment
Gulftastic March 1, 2015 Share March 1, 2015 In a previous season Claire was shrieking, "What's tagging what's tagging?" when she finally got on Facebook and someone put a pic of her up. From that to creating a fake FB account (which is completely obnoxious no matter who you do it to) to queen of the Ipad domain knowing every possible feature was over the top. I run away from people yelling into their devices whenever possible. No one wants to hear all that! What was the sentence in the essay? I missed that. I'll buy Claire being so tech savvy. I think she probably had to get up to speed when she started working at her Dad's company. I liked the episode. It was different, and they pulled it off very well. 1 Link to comment
spanana March 1, 2015 Share March 1, 2015 Product placement aside, I actually liked this one because it was different. It also rang true enough for me outside of the fact that not once did Claire have trouble connecting to anyone via FaceTime. Even with free wi-fi at an airport, connections wouldn't be that good all the time. But I get they weren't going to waste time on that. I also can buy Claire being that good on the computer and good at multi-tasking. I'm still tired of the everything is about Haley show and Alex's parents don't give a crap about her deal. Even by the end, the Haley drama was over and there was nothing stopping Claire from at least attempting to read Alex's essay. Haley is one of those characters I find realistic, and Sarah Hyland does a great job playing her, but I also can't stand her. Isn't it about time Haley be forced to move out of the house? These blow ups she has with her parents seems more like drama that happens when you are 18, not 21. Shouldn't she be past that by now? The one thing I didn't really buy is that nobody went down to Haley's room to see if she was there. I guess I get that Phil wouldn't think of it and I guess Alex probably didn't care that much, but wouldn't that be the first thing you would do? Link to comment
Shermie March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 Maybe because in this day and age, it's assumed that no 21 year old would be caught dead without their phone, day or night. Ergo, where the phone is, so is Haley. Not that I agree, that's just how many people,think; they cannot fathom that someone might not want to be available 24/7. I agree that Haley is tiresome. Even if she had been pregnant and eloped, I'm sure Phil would have found her the perfect little starter house and they'd help her out financially,,just to get her started, y'know. And the baby would be born on the same day as Alex's high school grad, where she receives a prestigious scholarship, but everyone blows it off to sit in the waiting room while Haley is in labour (including Alex, in the end because, you know, it's Haley). Link to comment
anna0852 March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 I really hope Alex gets accepted at MIT or some other prestigious East Coast school and gets away from her crazy family for awhile, I know it won't happen unless Ariel Winter is actually written out/has massively reduced screen time but it's nice to think of Alex finding her place without being overshadowed by a needy sister and overlooked by oblivious parents.l 1 Link to comment
Milburn Stone March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 That is not the family interacting, show!!! The thought actually crossed my mind while watching that someone on the writing staff has been reading the complaints on this forum all season long and said, "Well, if they want the families interacting, we'll give 'em a show that's nothing but the families interacting!" And I agree with you, that way of doing it was cheating. 1 Link to comment
Trichromatic March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 (edited) Product placement aside, I actually liked this one because it was different. I actually liked the product placement. It came naturally to Claire to go to the Ralph Lauren website just as it would come naturally me to go to Topshop for one of my friends. I hate it when shows have beer cans and cereals turned away from the camera to aviod showing the brand. Real life people don't do that. ETA: I really hope Alex gets accepted at MIT or some other prestigious East Coast school and gets away from her crazy family for awhile, In the essay that she sent Claire it says that she is applying to Yale Edited March 2, 2015 by Trichromatic Link to comment
laddibugg March 3, 2015 Share March 3, 2015 I'm admittedly anti-Apple (go Android!) so I found the episode gimmicky. I thought Alex looked absolutely gorgeous though and Haley doesn't look good with lighter hair. /shallow I actually said to my boyfriend that Alex looked really pretty on this episode. I don't think she's ugly at all, but she looked radiant. The bf doesn't really watch the show so he was unaware of the the whole 'Alex is the ugly sister' thing the show seems to push. Link to comment
laddibugg March 3, 2015 Share March 3, 2015 The one thing I didn't really buy is that nobody went down to Haley's room to see if she was there. I guess I get that Phil wouldn't think of it and I guess Alex probably didn't care that much, but wouldn't that be the first thing you would do? My parents have come into my room and not noticed I was under the covers, and I am probably 2.5 Haleys. It can happen. Link to comment
Driad March 3, 2015 Share March 3, 2015 Many people who didn't fit in with their families and high schools have found their communities in college. I hope Alex does. Will she graduate from high school this year? Guessing she will go to a college in California so they can have her visit her family more often. Link to comment
biakbiak March 3, 2015 Share March 3, 2015 Given that she is currently working on her college essays, she is a junior so still has a year before she graduates. Link to comment
Donny Ketchum March 4, 2015 Share March 4, 2015 Wasn't it established in one episode that because Alex has her shit mostly together, Phil and Claire don't normally see the need to worry about her? That's what I can clearly see being true about her, so I won't be surprised if that's why Phil and Claire don't spend as much time concerning themselves with her. 1 Link to comment
anna0852 March 4, 2015 Share March 4, 2015 Yes it was. I believe one of the parents compared Alex to a 'self-cleaning' oven. She had a pretty good breakdown on her birthday from stress but both Phil and Claire seemed to have reverted right back to old patterns. Hailey and Luke continue to require more supervision/interaction/participation day-to-day, coupled with the fact that ultimately Phil/Luke and Hailey/Claire more common bonds, which results in Alex being very overlooked. I thought one of the saddest moments I've ever seen on this show was from the 6th season premiere, when it became evident to Alex that her family was happier without her. 1 Link to comment
MadyGirl1987 March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 Given that she is currently working on her college essays, she is a junior so still has a year before she graduates. Actually, didn't she graduate from middle school at the end of the second season? This means she would be a senior. I thought this episode was going to be very gimmicky, but ended up enjoying it. It still kind of screamed "Emmy bait" to me though... Actually, wasn't the Vegas episode they won the Emmy for last year released about the same time in the season? Link to comment
Roaster March 10, 2015 Share March 10, 2015 I just watched this episode on Hulu and was pleasantly surprised. I knew the gimmick going in, but it didn't bother me. (I;m so used to product placement on this show by now.) Clever and well executed episode. Link to comment
UsernameFatigue March 12, 2015 Share March 12, 2015 I haven't watched this show regularily for a couple of years and often end up switching channels part way through an episode. But I absolutely loved this one. Funny, clever, and for me one of the best episodes of the series. I did wish though that Haley was pregnant and had eloped. I think the show needs a shake up like that to make it fresh again. 1 Link to comment
readster March 12, 2015 Share March 12, 2015 What's funny is that the cast said this was the shortest and easiest episode they had ever filmed. Taking only 2-3 days to film and edit and the locations were pretty easy too. Only Claire who was at "O'Hare" (LAX) was the only real location shooting needed. Link to comment
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