S06.E18: Spring Break

[chitowngirl]

Claire tackles spring cleaning, while Phil worries that Luke is getting better than he is at just about everything. Elsewhere, Haley tries to get Alex's mind off school by taking her to a music festival; and Gloria and Jay promise to give up their vices of Spanish soap operas and cigars, respectively, but it's easier said than done when Gloria attends Cameron's faculty talent show and Jay goes with Mitchell to pick up Lily at camp.

[CleoCaesar]

Eh. Not great, but not terrible. Phil being such an insecure, jealous ass about his own son felt very unrealistic. Phil adores Luke, and I can't imagine him being that petty.

 

Best subplot was Alex and Haley. Maybe the show is finally getting the message that seeing them be supportive-yet-snarky sisters as opposed to mutual tormentors is preferable.

 

Aaaaand again, no three family interaction.

[Lizzing]

I'll second the not great, but not terrible.  I always like Cam & Gloria together; somehow they even each other out when together.  I like Mitch and Jay together too.  Alex and Haley were nice to see as well.  I didn't buy Phil being pissed that Luke was good at the banjo and the trampoline; he's been on the trampoline train since the start of the series and always tried to get Luke into his other hobbies like magic and dancing.

 

It wasn't until about 10 minutes after the episode was over that I realized there was no Manny plot.  I didn't miss him at all.

[lucindabelle]

Nobody gets that good at banjo in five minutes!

Meh I can believe a middle aged dude would feel insecure. I liked his wining up to it and that Luke still goes to the pediatrician.

The furry cat fight being just like a telenovela was hysterical.

[Donny Ketchum]

Even more soap-like was Gloria having the jerk's microphone turned on so the whole audience hated him instead of Cam!

It wasn't until about 10 minutes after the episode was over that I realized there was no Manny plot.  I didn't miss him at all.

I think there was a mention dropped that he was on the trip Luke didn't go on.  That's why he didn't appear.

[mwell345]

Agree with the "good but not great" assessment.  At least there was some family interaction, and I also liked the pairings - Gloria and Cam, Mitch and Jay, Haley and Alex.   Not so much Luke and Phil - now that Luke is older, I think whatever chemistry they had is gone. 

 

I actually didn't mind Claire this episode either,  and that's unusual for me.

 

Didn't even realize that there was no Manny until I read it here.  Talk about not missing someone!

[readster]

It wasn't bad and I could somewhat see Phil's point but it went too over the top even for him. Though I enjoyed the peds farm house moment. I agree with Haley though, Alex really needs to get new clothes, I mean flannel? In LA during Spring Break? Really? I did like how Alex went off on how she did all this stuff and then didn't get in but then realized that she can still do great things. I did like how Gloria helped Cam, that was well done and if you watch again. You can see Gloria shocked at the things that Cam was getting in trouble with. She knew something was up.

[LeisureTime]

I liked this episode a lot. Sure the Phil and Luke dynamic is changing as Luke grows up, but there's still something nice about it. And I'm loving the Haley and Alex support. I was afraid Jay in his prison jumpsuit was going to go in a much different direction full of misunderstanding, and feel obligated to like what we got just because it wasn't what it could have been. (And really, I always like when Jay and Mitchell have honest talks.)

[Traveller519]

I enjoyed it. I've been as hard on the show as anyone this season, but I'll give credit when it's due. Phil's dealing with his son one up-ing him in his teenage years is standard sitcom fodder, but the fact that they do it with Phil's wacky hobbies as opposed to driveway basketball made for some good laughs. They did a good job of making Phil appear a little wearier. 

 

The Cam and Gloria storyline made for some good laughs too.

[Unraveled]

I liked the line about "Stupid Harvard," and Phil asking if Alex didn't get into Princeton either.

[peeayebee]

I was having a hard time buying that Phil would react the way he did to Luke's playing the banjo and trampolining, but when he explained how he felt after failing to complete the 10K, it was a little more believable.

 

What I couldn't buy was the way Alex acted at the festival after she drank some alcohol. She looked like she was on drugs.

 

There wasn't much I liked about this ep.

[WickedTuna]

I actually didn't mind Claire this episode either, and that's unusual for me.

Same here. I even thought to myself during the episode that it seemed odd she wasn't annoying me.

I'm in the good not great camp. The good stuff was just sprinkled throughout and I prefer bigger blocks of funny.

I felt silly but I really felt bad for Alex when she didn't get into Harvard and made her speech. I would be heartbroken if I had worked as hard as she did and didn't get in. Hopefully the writers have something better in store for her.

[Blergh]

Episode was okay [though I could have done without Cam's onstage Cats fight] but one thing I think should have been addressed was Phil and Luke's trampolining solo without any spotters. Yeah, I know it's a sitcom, fictional characters, blah blah blah but one false landing on of those devises  could permanently injure, cripple or even kill a person. I would have thought Claire would have freaked out seeing Luke doing it solo and told Phil to go back out there to spot him but she didn't [and I thought Luke would have been likely injured on the trampoline than by the stray guitar string].   And if TV characters always wear helmets when riding  cycles , what would stop them from trampolining without spotters and how would that have spoiled the action?

    All that said, if it was Nolan Gould himself [and not a stunt double], he did some rather impressive [albeit extra risky] trampoline moves.

[Runningwild]

I thought it was nice that Nolan Goild got to play the banjo in the episode. I remember when Ellen gave it to him although I don't know it is the exact same one.

[Donny Ketchum]

All that said, if it was Nolan Gould himself [and not a stunt double], he did some rather impressive [albeit extra risky] trampoline moves.

I think it was Nolan.  I saw no hints of a cut to allow a stunt double to take his place.  I'm about eighty-percent positive that that was the real deal.

[Shermie]

Ugh, Haley screws up constantly, is rude and lazy, and she gets all dreams to magically come true - a dream job in fashion and of course, she'll get the guy. Alex plays by the rules and works hard and, of course, gets nothing. Hopefully the writers have a better endgame planned.

[tennisgurl]

I totally thought Alex was acting more like she was on drugs than just being a little drunk. 

 

The "anything you can do" bit was funny. 

 

You are drawing more attention to yourself than the guy wearing a ferret as a scarf. 

[Tess23]

The Middle is just so much better. Nothing about Modern Family feels fresh anymore--it's easy to predict how every storyline will end up and I couldn't care less about the characters themselves.

[zxern]

Meh.  The Alex storyline is giving me Paris flashbacks. Let me guess she's also not going to be valedictorian either.   At least her meltdown wasn't on tv I suppose.  

 

Once again the writers are reinforcing the idea that following the rules and being responsible gets you nowhere.  Yay?!? 

Edited March 27, 2015 by zxern

[readster]

Meh.  The Alex storyline is giving me Paris flashbacks. Let me guess she's also not going to be valedictorian either.   At least her meltdown wasn't on tv I suppose.  

 

Once again the writers are reinforcing the idea that following the rules and being responsible gets you nowhere.  Yay?!? 

 

 Exactly! Its also with Haley, she gets everything but can mooch off her parents and live at home and at no point do either of them tell her, its time she move out since she has a good paying job and isn't going back to college. Of course that won't happen like Alex realizing she doesn't have to dress up like an awkward 13 year old because she is really attractive or in granny clothes because she has huge boobs.

[MaryMitch]

I hope they're using this episode as a jumping point to try to make Haley care more about making friends and having fun. She used to be cute and smart - she even had a posse of admirers. I'd like to see her loosen up a bit, and PLEASE get her some clothes that fit!

Oh, and they had stunt doubles for Phil and Luke on the trampoline.

[DrSpaceman]

Meh.  The Alex storyline is giving me Paris flashbacks. Let me guess she's also not going to be valedictorian either.   At least her meltdown wasn't on tv I suppose.  

 

Once again the writers are reinforcing the idea that following the rules and being responsible gets you nowhere.  Yay?!?

Not getting into Harvard is hardly the same as "...gets you nowhere".

And lets not forget, wasnt it the Harvard interviewer she actually called a slut or something?

[peeayebee]

Oh, and they had stunt doubles for Phil and Luke on the trampoline.

How do you know this? It sure looked real to me, though I understand the show not wanting to put their actors at risk.

[AnnaRose]

How do you know this? It sure looked real to me, though I understand the show not wanting to put their actors at risk.

 

I did wonder about it myself... but I really don't think the show would allow Nolan to do that stunt.  That said, the double did look a lot like him.  I remember thinking they did really well matching him.  With the way the camera was angled, especially as he delivered that last line, (and the liability factor) makes me feel pretty certain it wasn't Nolan in that shot.

[kat165]

I couldn't believe that was Nolan either. When he did the flips his back was always towards the camera so we never saw his face. I think it was a stunt double too.

[Evangeline]

Episode was okay [though I could have done without Cam's onstage Cats fight] but one thing I think should have been addressed was Phil and Luke's trampolining solo without any spotters. Yeah, I know it's a sitcom, fictional characters, blah blah blah but one false landing on of those devises  could permanently injure, cripple or even kill a person. I would have thought Claire would have freaked out seeing Luke doing it solo and told Phil to go back out there to spot him but she didn't [and I thought Luke would have been likely injured on the trampoline than by the stray guitar string].   And if TV characters always wear helmets when riding  cycles , what would stop them from trampolining without spotters and how would that have spoiled the action?

    All that said, if it was Nolan Gould himself [and not a stunt double], he did some rather impressive [albeit extra risky] trampoline moves.

 

How would spotters increase the safety? I can't imagine any scenario where someone trying to catch a 15 year old guy who was flying off of a trampoline, with the increased force that they'd be travelling thanks to the trampoline and the height he had to achieve for that move, would end well.  And I don't see how a spotter could safely stand on a trampoline to assist in a landing on the trampoline at all. I just really can't picture anything that a spotter could help with other than just being there to call 9-1-1, but I don't think Luke was home alone when he did any of his flips so someone was always watching him I think. I say this as someone who has been propelled off a trampoline herself after landing a flip wrong. I had spotters while in gymnastics, but the gymnasts were always much smaller than the spotter, and no trampoline was involved.

 

I did wonder about it myself... but I really don't think the show would allow Nolan to do that stunt.  That said, the double did look a lot like him.  I remember thinking they did really well matching him.  With the way the camera was angled, especially as he delivered that last line, (and the liability factor) makes me feel pretty certain it wasn't Nolan in that shot.

I attended the Paleyfest event for Modern Family where they screened this episode, and I was left with the impression that they did in fact have stunt doubles, but I forget exactly what was said.  I think Ty might have made a joke about being the stunt double for Luke?

[Eolivet]

Not getting into Harvard is hardly the same as "...gets you nowhere".

 

I agree with this. In fact, I think it's a great message: that you can be as smart and accomplished as Alex Dunphy, and you still may not get into Harvard. The "top colleges" in the country have miniscule acceptance rates, so I would much rather see Alex not getting into Harvard than (for comparison's sake) Brittany on "Glee" getting into M.I.T.

 

However, I wish they'd gone with the message my parents always taught me: You don't want anyone who doesn't want you back (be it a college, job or relationship). But "sometimes you'll work really hard and only come in second or tenth" is a good one, too.

 

Overall, I liked this episode. I didn't understand why they had to do the "Cats" thing again with Cam (much funnier when he was stuck in a tree in his costume), but when I saw it ended in a "cat(s)fight," it all came together. To me, that's what elevates this show above others: setting up little, random details that come together in a perfectly executed, hysterically funny payoff.

Edited March 29, 2015 by Eolivet

[solotrek]

Not getting into Harvard is hardly the same as "...gets you nowhere".

And lets not forget, wasnt it the Harvard interviewer she actually called a slut or something?

That was the Princeton interview IIRC.

 

Meh.  The Alex storyline is giving me Paris flashbacks. Let me guess she's also not going to be valedictorian either.   At least her meltdown wasn't on tv I suppose. 

 

Once again the writers are reinforcing the idea that following the rules and being responsible gets you nowhere.  Yay?!?

 

Off topic:

Paris probably got rejected from Harvard because she sounded like an psychotic person off their meds during her interview. She ended up going to Yale and then Harvard Medical School. That's not getting nowhere and I'm sure Alex will end up just as successful.

Edited March 30, 2015 by solotrek

[needschocolate]

They couldn't have Alex get into Harvard or Princeton - they need her to to go somewhere close enough that she can be on the show in a regular basis.  Sure, they could have her get into an east coast school, and decide to go to a west coast school, but that might be hard to explain to viewers since Alex seems the type who wants to be as far from her family as possible.  The typical sitcom plot of she gets a crush on a guy (which they sort of hinted at in the college tour episode) would be silly for this show.  

[readster]

 Well, like they did with Haley and then made her a drop out over the stupidest situation I ever saw on TV. "She attacked on  police officer." She fell on him trying to get down and they didn't even bring up under age drinking or if she was doing bad in classes. Just that it was: "Bad PR." Seriously? I rather Haley choose to leave college seeing she was going nowhere than the idiocy that followed to get her back in the house as a moocher.

[lucindabelle]

I really liked that. It's soooo much more realistic than the tired old "valedictorian, got into Harvard, Yale, and Pricneton" thing of Rory Gilmore. Do. Not. Buy it.

Harvard et al get LOTS of applications from straight-A students who are editor of their newspaper, have high SATs, play an instrument, etc.

You have to have something they particularly want, and what that is will be different depending on what they already have.

Universities put classes together the way directors cast shows. it's not about whether you have talent or not, at least not ONLy about that, sometimes it's about how you look with the leading man, so to speak.

 

It IS a good lesson to learn, that you can work hard and not win.

 

If she really, really wants to go to Harvard, she can apply to transfer-- much easier to get in that way.

[zxern]

My point was more that it's part of a pattern this show has when dealing with Alex, not about life in general. 

 

Everything about Rory got more and more unrealistic as the show went on.   I still don't see how she could have graduated ahead of Paris, not unless the elder Gilmore were more generous with the donation money. 

Edited April 1, 2015 by zxern

[DarkRaichu]

I couldn't believe that was Nolan either. When he did the flips his back was always towards the camera so we never saw his face. I think it was a stunt double too.

Yep, I thought the double was slightly thinner and taller than the actor

 

 

I totally thought Alex was acting more like she was on drugs than just being a little drunk. 

 

I thought she was not under the influence (alcohol or drug) at all and just used the little buzz from alcohol as an excuse to let loose.  She had a lot of pent up anger after all.

She looked sober when she talked to Haley just a few hours afterwards

[spanana]

I don't think Alex was ever drunk?  Maybe a tad buzzed, if she drank at all.  I think it was more her acting out from her anger than anything else, which I was a bit relieved to see.  I know people drink underage all the time and it's not the end of the world as long as they do it responsibly, but it just didn't really seem like Alex.  Then again I also don't buy that Alex would have willingly got in the back of a random van with some guy no questions asked.  Though she seemed perfectly sober at that point.  

 

I liked this episode overall though, maybe short of the Phil plot.  People were generally in pairings that work for me.