Jump to content

Type keyword(s) to search

S08.E08: The Alliance

Traveller519

By Traveller519
in Modern Family [V]

Recommended Posts

Traveller519

Traveller519

(edited)
Quote

Hayley's plan for a fun-filled girl's day with Rainer Shine's teen daughter may be a little more angst-filled than expected. Meanwhile, Luke finds himself in a compromising position with a widow at the club (played by Joely Fisher) and unwittingly helps his grandpa, Jay, with his petition. At the Pritchett-Tucker home, Gloria, Phil and Cam have formed a secret alliance to ensure their respective "mistakes" are concealed from their spouses. However, their diabolical plan may be derailed when Mitchell starts suspecting something just isn't right.

I'll go ahead and declare that for me, this was the best Modern Family episode in Years. Nobody was over the top (Jay probably came the closest), Mitchell's detective reveal was excellent, and then one-upped by The Alliance's "Inception" reveal, and there were some good laughs.

And the best part is they did all of this while relying on how they've built their characters so far. Hayley's interactions with Rainer's daughter would have just been juxtaposition for juxtaposition's sake 3 or 4 seasons back. But she's built up her maturity now, and her feelings of being the outsider of what's popular, and putting her foot down were great. Alex, Luke, and Manny all supported other plots effectively through their own on-character actions. And the fact that The Alliance is even necessary makes sense because we know the Pritchetts. 

The only thing that didn't work for me, was Jay's take on the smoking ban. It was literally just the last episode where we saw him break his cigar when Joe climbed on his lap. It made me wonder if the episodes were aired out of order. Maybe one of the debates messed up their scheduling.

Well done cast and crew. I really enjoyed this one.

 

Edited by Traveller519
Added my criticism
  • Love 18
Link to comment
ari333

ari333

Thank you for starting this thread. I wasn't sure how to do the whole eppy season number with the air date in gray font.

I thought Gloria's speaking Russian was a little OTT, but overall I enjoyed it. I liked seeing Joely Fisher (sp?) as the perv lady heh.

The robot way they said, "orange juice" made me giggle.

Haley's bf's daughter did not look 14.

  • Love 8
Link to comment
vibeology

vibeology

I also really enjoyed this. Too often Cam and Gloria are played as jokes but having them here with real agency helped the show a great deal. I love the Alliance. I get why they have it and I can see how these three people would work well together to be able to pull these big things off. And the final reveal was spectacular because seeing them get a win was very satisfying. Plus, everything with Phil and the shock collar was comedy gold.

Haley is still dating a man who is the same age as her dad. You'd think she would have been more creeped out meeting the daughter but I guess I'm just going to have to get used to it.

I did love Joe providing the drumroll. That was the perfect way to use him. Lily was invisible this episode but with such a big cast that's bound to happen.

  • Love 8
Link to comment
ari333

ari333

Yeah, I missed little dry Lily. Love her!

Isn't Haley like 24 yrs old? IDK. And the girl is 14? I once dated a man who was 12 yrs older than I was and his daughter was 8 yrs younger than me. It worked, but all three of us tried to make it work, so that helps when everyone is on board.. (Ok his ex wife hated me, but they were divorced years before I met him) Enough of the personal rant.

The shock collar on Phil was gold. I also laughed at the reindeer. I cansee why they need an alliance..... "or...an...ge.... juice...."

And funny how Red Panda put it all together.

Jay is Grey Ghost. What was Clare's code name?  

The gym: "Mitchell stretches... takes a lap around the locker room.... and gets a smoothie...."

"hey, I ordered a sandwich."

  • Love 3
Link to comment
Traveller519

Traveller519

  • Author
58 minutes ago, Roaster said:

I wonder if the show got paid by Google for product placement.

Of course, home automation is something Phil would really be into.

I'm sure it did, after the Apple Ad episode from a couple seasons back. But I don't mind product placement like that when it fits seamlessly. Ford's product placement on New Girls was tough to stomach.

  • Love 1
Link to comment
MaryHedwig

MaryHedwig

Quote

Lily was invisible this episode but with such a big cast that's bound to happen.

I missed her. At least they could make a reference to the family member missing: "Can you pick up Lily while you're out getting orange juice?"

Is squatter's right a thing in LA? I had only heard about it in Sweden.

  • Love 4
Link to comment
ari333

ari333

I was wondering about the squatters' rights thing too.

In my state for apartments, there is a 5 day grace period to pay full rent. Then a couple of days to pay the first late fee plus rent.Then a couple more days to pay the second late fee   (and first fee and rent) , If it isn't paid in like 10 days, they change the locks and put folks' stuff out in the yard. It's sad to watch.

Joe's drum roll was cute . "Close enough" :-)

  • Love 2
Link to comment
vibeology

vibeology

6 minutes ago, MaryHedwig said:

Is squatter's right a thing in LA? I had only heard about it in Sweden.

California's housing laws are very favourable towards tenants. A quick search on the California DCA website shows that they got the law mostly right on this. 30 days is the point where you stop being a hotel guest and get tenant rights as long as you paid. Once someone is in, eviction is difficult and long (looks like a minimum of two months from a quick glance through the laws) so Cam screwed up big-time and Gloria and Jay saved him.

  • Love 4
Link to comment
Tiggertoo

Tiggertoo

3 hours ago, vibeology said:

I also really enjoyed this. Too often Cam and Gloria are played as jokes but having them here with real agency helped the show a great deal. I love the Alliance. I get why they have it and I can see how these three people would work well together to be able to pull these big things off. And the final reveal was spectacular because seeing them get a win was very satisfying. Plus, everything with Phil and the shock collar was comedy gold.

Haley is still dating a man who is the same age as her dad. You'd think she would have been more creeped out meeting the daughter but I guess I'm just going to have to get used to it.

I did love Joe providing the drumroll. That was the perfect way to use him. Lily was invisible this episode but with such a big cast that's bound to happen.

But Haley's grandad is married to a much younger woman, so it's probably not such a big deal to her.

 

i really enjoyed this episode as well, especially the Italian reveal.  Well played!

  • Love 5
Link to comment
ItCouldBeWorse

ItCouldBeWorse

(edited)
3 hours ago, Traveller519 said:

The only thing that didn't work for me, was Jay's take on the smoking ban. It was literally just the last episode where we saw him break his cigar when Joe climbed on his lap. It made me wonder if the episodes were aired out of order. Maybe one of the debates messed up their scheduling.

That bothered me, too.

 

2 hours ago, Traveller519 said:
3 hours ago, Roaster said:

I wonder if the show got paid by Google for product placement.

Of course, home automation is something Phil would really be into.

I'm sure it did, after the Apple Ad episode from a couple seasons back. But I don't mind product placement like that when it fits seamlessly. Ford's product placement on New Girls was tough to stomach.

Some of you probably saw Black-ish, which was all about the Microsoft Surface, but in a weird kind of way.  Since the main character works in an ad agency, I guess product placement was inevitable. Makes me fondly recall watching Bewitched and 30 Something, also involving ad agencies, but without the blatant advertising!

Edited by ItCouldBeWorse
  • Love 2
Link to comment
tennisgurl

tennisgurl

I did roll my eyes at a few things (as I usually do on this show), but I got some really solid laughs, and thats all I can ask. 

That teen daughter looked way older than Haley (and so much taller!) and it still seems a little creepy how much the teen daughter is like Heley, and how they even respond to the same pet names. Little creepy. Not full on creepy, but a little bit. Kind of like Jay kind of pimping Luke out to a cougar. Not full on creepy, but getting uncomfortably close. Like, really close...

The whole Italy manipulation was hilarious, how did I not see this coming? Does that mean Modern Family will be going to Italy? What are the odds everything is either rustic and looks like its still the 30s, or its super chic and everything is super fancy? And everyone talks with their hands and makes pasta, or Phil accidentally gets involved with the Italian mob while Thats Amore plays in the background? I've watched this show for awhile, I know how this goes. 

  • Love 5
Link to comment
seacliffsal

seacliffsal

What a refreshing episode for me.  I found it clever and funny.  I loved the reveal of how the Alliance put the Italy plan into motion, and I really liked Gloria's Russian ruse and the reactions of the squatters to everything she said.  Phil and the shock collar was inspired.  This was such a reminder of what I like about the series.

  • Love 11
Link to comment
biakbiak

biakbiak

2 hours ago, Tiggertoo said:

But Haley's grandad is married to a much younger woman, so it's probably not such a big deal to her.

 

i really enjoyed this episode as well, especially the Italian reveal.  Well played!

Also, in the episode Haley mentioned that she had already dated a friend's dad, so it isn't even the first older man she has dated.

  • Love 3
Link to comment
jhlipton

jhlipton

2 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Makes me fondly recall watching Bewitched and 30 Something, also involving ad agencies, but without the blatant advertising!

That was back in the day when we all watched commercials, whether we wanted to or not.  As soon as Tivo made scrolling through ads a thing, product placement became a necessary evil.

  • Love 4
Link to comment
Nordly Beaumont

Nordly Beaumont

3 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

The only thing that didn't work for me, was Jay's take on the smoking ban. It was literally just the last episode where we saw him break his cigar when Joe climbed on his lap.

As a former smoker I can tell you we are good at big pronouncements and bad at following through! But he should at least try to hide if from Joe.

  • Love 6
Link to comment
Michel

Michel

Possibly one of the best episodes in a long time.

I liked Haley showing some growth.  And I liked Jay and Claire's bonding moment, even if it ended with Claire choosing against what Jay was hoping.  And the alliance was the best since they're right.  Jay, Claire, and Mitchell are incredibly judgmental, and fixing each other's mistakes was the perfect way to stave off any judgmental rants against them.

I don't see anything about Luke that would scream sexy to me, though.  Glad Jay found a way to stop it from going too far.

I, too, missed Lily and would've liked to have seen her this week.

  • Love 4
Link to comment
AnnaRose

AnnaRose

This may have been the first episode in which I didn't hate Gloria.  Really, nobody was annoying in this one... so that's pretty amazing.  Joe was cute with his drumroll, but I enjoy his character so I like when he's used a bit more.  I also missed Lily.

The Alliance was the best!  I hope we see more of them in the future.  Then again, maybe the magic would wear off if it becomes more of a thing.

Phil has pretty much always been my favorite, and never seems to disappoint.  His comic timing and physical comedy are superb.

Very enjoyable episode.

  • Love 5
Link to comment
DrSpaceman73

DrSpaceman73

8 hours ago, ari333 said:

Thank you for starting this thread. I wasn't sure how to do the whole eppy season number with the air date in gray font.

I thought Gloria's speaking Russian was a little OTT, but overall I enjoyed it. I liked seeing Joely Fisher (sp?) as the perv lady heh.

The robot way they said, "orange juice" made me giggle.

Haley's bf's daughter did not look 14.

No, she didn't.  I was trying to figure out the whole time how old she was supposed to be until they commented on it, I figured she was close to Haley's age. 

This was one of the best episodes in awhile.  Really enjoyed it. 

And more electrocuted Phil!!!  They should work that in as much as possible. 

I didn't catch until the second viewing Gloria's Russian being all children's phrases. 

  • Love 8
Link to comment
ItCouldBeWorse

ItCouldBeWorse

(edited)
10 hours ago, Artsda said:

My favorite episode in so long. Loved the family interactions.

I don't know what's coming in the spring, but this episode should be under serious consideration for their Emmy submission for best comedy, and for best script, as well as for Sofía Vergara for best supporting actress.

Ty Burrell is so good, so often, that I don't know if this is his best episode, since the cast really divided up the action and his performance wasn't the main focus.

Edited by ItCouldBeWorse
  • Love 4
Link to comment
indeed

indeed

(edited)

Wow, everybody seemed to love this episode.  It was okay.  I do think maybe it was shown out of order.  They did that a few times last year (or didn't bother to tweak the scripts to make them fit).  Phil getting shocked again and Jay being so cigar happy would've led in nicely to the Thanksgiving episode.  Still, not as bad as last year IMO if it was out of order.  

I'm just tired of the family scheming episodes (especially WRT Cam and Gloria).

i will agree Joe was used nicely.  That's enough of him.

And EWWWWWWW to Grandpa Jay letting his grandson get used as a sex object.  (EW to that whole storyline.  LOL)  

*sigh* We're still with Rainer and Haley?  I would've rathered more episodes of Haley and her (ex-) boss, but let's pursue her love life.  Nothing squicky about that plotline either.  (That girl looked older than Haley.)

Edited by indeed
  • Love 2
Link to comment
Shermie

Shermie

I thought Haley was 22 and the Rainer's daughter was 16? Regardless, they looked like each other's age, that's why it seems odd. Haley is small and has a baby face. I find it creepy when all these old guys hit on her.

And speaking of old hitting on young, the woman wanting Luke to take his shirt off? Just no.

The Alliance was clever and I agree that no one was irritating for once (faint praise for a sitcom, really), oh to be the Pritchett-Dunphys, where their big problem is to manipulate people into taking them on a fancy overseas vacation of their choice. Such a hard knock life. Why do they all have to go on the same vacay anyway? Seems a little weird that they can't function without each other at all times. 

I feel like Lily would have been on to the Orange Juice Alliance in a heartbeat.

  • Love 5
Link to comment
biakbiak

biakbiak

(edited)
2 hours ago, Shermie said:

I thought Haley was 22 and the Rainer's daughter was 16? Regardless, they looked like each other's age, that's why it seems odd. Haley is small and has a baby face. I find it creepy when all these old guys hit on her.

The Alliance was clever and I agree that no one was irritating for once (faint praise for a sitcom, really), oh to be the Pritchett-Dunphys, where their big problem is to manipulate people into taking them on a fancy overseas vacation of their choice. Such a hard knock life. Why do they all have to go on the same vacay anyway? Seems a little weird that they can't function without each other at all times. 

 

Hailey had an episode devoted to her 21st birthday (she got a car, Claire got a tatoo) in 2014 so she is 23 and they stated that Rainer's daughter was 14. Sarah Hyland is 26.

The season premiere had them all taking seperate vacations. My family takes a vacation together at least every two years, every year if because of scheduling we can't spend either Thanksgiving or Christmas together. of course none of us live in the same state much less within orange juice store distance.

The Alliance wasn't just about getting to choose a vacation spot, it was also supporting each other the Italian thing was just an added layer to how deep the Alliance goes.

Edited by biakbiak
  • Love 5
Link to comment
biakbiak

biakbiak

9 minutes ago, indeed said:

Haley may only be 22 at this point?  I think Claire said she was 21 in last year's season premiere when she was going to stop Andy from proposing.  

Haley 21st birthday ep aired in Dec of 2014.

Link to comment
Shermie

Shermie

Okay, Haley is 23 and the kid is 14. But they could still be each other's ages.

But would it have been so hard for Phil, Gloria or Cam to just say, "How about we all go to Italy this year?" I mean, who would have disagreed? It's not like Italy is some horrible or tacky place that people have to be tricked into visiting.

I know, I know, then there'd be no plot. But the Alliance concept is clever; I would have preferred to see it used for something more challenging.

  • Love 1
Link to comment
SanDiegoInExile

SanDiegoInExile

59 minutes ago, Shermie said:

But would it have been so hard for Phil, Gloria or Cam to just say, "How about we all go to Italy this year?" I mean, who would have disagreed? It's not like Italy is some horrible or tacky place that people have to be tricked into visiting.

Except didn't each of the Prichetts voice some other destination.  I know that Cam mocked Mitchell for Seaworld.  And I think both Jay and Claire mentioned other destination cities.  I'm not sure who publicly wanted Italy.

I agree that this was a great episode, though I doubt it will be good enough to win the show another Emmy.  But it could get Sofia her Emmy after all.  That Russian baby talk scene was very well-done, plus her (much maligned faux over) accent was under control all episode.

I disagree with everyone saying that Rainer's daughter didn't look 14.  That is what 14 looks like in much of SoCal.  Heck, its what Taylor Swift looked like at 14, and she was downplaying the sex kitten, unlike many of the today's sexting teens.

  • Love 3
Link to comment
needschocolate

needschocolate

(edited)

I think part of the reason the daughter didn't look 14 was because she seemed a foot taller than Hailey.

On 12/2/2016 at 9:58 AM, Shermie said:

The Alliance was clever and I agree that no one was irritating for once (faint praise for a sitcom, really), oh to be the Pritchett-Dunphys, where their big problem is to manipulate people into taking them on a fancy overseas vacation of their choice. Such a hard knock life. Why do they all have to go on the same vacay anyway? Seems a little weird that they can't function without each other at all times. 

Read the show's forum and most people seem to like the show better when all the characters interact, rather than having each family have its own separate storyline.  

Edited by needschocolate
because the daughter didn't look 14 (not 18, like I originally mistyped)
  • Love 4
Link to comment
DrSpaceman73

DrSpaceman73

Yes that was the biggest reason she didn't look 14......she was like 6 feet tall.  I know Hailey is short, but that is one giant 14 year old. 

 

Plus I am not even sure why they made her 14.  They could have made her say 16 or 17 and the story still would have worked and would have been much more believable. 

  • Love 3
Link to comment
VCRTracking

VCRTracking

I loved the idea of an alliance between Phil, Gloria and Cam.

Even though it's the second episode in a row where Phil gets electrocuted it's still funny. Ty Burell is a great physical comedian.

Favorite scene was Gloria with the Russians.

  • Love 3
Link to comment
needschocolate

needschocolate

6 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

Plus I am not even sure why they made her 14.  They could have made her say 16 or 17 and the story still would have worked and would have been much more believable. 

I think they had to make her old enough to be the "annoying teenage girl" but young enough that Hailey had to be in charge of her.  

IMO, 14 is too old to need a babysitter, but it would have been odd to have a 11 or 12 year old treating Hailey that way (thought not really unusual in sitcomland).  Plus, I think they may have wanted someone so tall to make it weirder that Hailey had to parent her.  

The daughter was played by Brianna Askins.  IMdB does not list her age, or her height.  

  • Love 2
Link to comment
CofCinci

CofCinci

On 12/1/2016 at 4:51 PM, MadyGirl1987 said:

Does this mean the show is doing an episode in Italy? It seems like a lot of lead-up for a trip we won't see...

I wouldn't be surprised if the annual family vacation episodes are contractual perks.

  • Love 5
Link to comment
DrSpaceman73

DrSpaceman73

3 hours ago, needschocolate said:

I think they had to make her old enough to be the "annoying teenage girl" but young enough that Hailey had to be in charge of her.  

IMO, 14 is too old to need a babysitter, but it would have been odd to have a 11 or 12 year old treating Hailey that way (thought not really unusual in sitcomland).  Plus, I think they may have wanted someone so tall to make it weirder that Hailey had to parent her.  

The daughter was played by Brianna Askins.  IMdB does not list her age, or her height.  

According to something called backstage, she is 5 feet 9.  Which is pretty tall for a 14 year old girl.  But they also list her as being able to play age "13-18"......don't see that

I think they just missed on the casting and the story here because I , and it seems many, were confused about how old she was supposed to be

Even 15 or 16 still would have been better and still believable that she can't just hang out all day by herself and needs to do as Hailey says when they are together. 

  • Love 2
Link to comment
seacliffsal

seacliffsal

I think the major problem with the 'watch the daughter' storyline is that Sarah Hyland is so very petite that to have a taller actress play the younger girl just made their scenes confusing.  The writers probably thought it would be hilarious, but it was just too disconcerting for many of us.  Sarah's face looks a bit older than it has in the past, but the visual of the petite girl ordering the taller girl around just did not make as much sense as it needed to in order for the scenes to work.

  • Love 3
Link to comment
Shermie

Shermie

Quote

Except didn't each of the Prichetts voice some other destination.  I know that Cam mocked Mitchell for Seaworld.  And I think both Jay and Claire mentioned other destination cities.  I'm not sure who publicly wanted Italy.

All the more reason for one of the Alliance members to suggest Italy, with two automatic votes. (Geez, I'm making it sound like Survivor)

Obviously, if a dozen adults are discussing where to go on vacation - and the entire world is an option - there's going to be a lot of disparity. If three of them wanted Italy, and who wouldn't want Italy, it would have been an easy discussion with no need to all the surreptitious maneuvering. Like I said, who needs to be tricked into wanting to visit Italy? It seemed like a needless use of a good concept (the Alliance).

And regardless of the viewers' desire to see the cast together - an easy write with holidays, birthdays, Summer bbqs, etc - I still find it weird (and incredibly difficult in real life) that an entire extended family goes on their main vacation together.

  • Love 2
Link to comment
momtoall

momtoall

21 hours ago, Shermie said:

I still find it weird (and incredibly difficult in real life) that an entire extended family goes on their main vacation together.

My family did it for many summers.  The trips ended as the older family members health issues made travel difficult.  Another factor was as the children grew older, summer jobs, preparation for starting college, and new jobs made scheduling nearly impossible.   We reminisce about the good times we had on those trips and wish it was possible to do one more. 

  • Love 2
Link to comment
vibeology

vibeology

21 hours ago, Shermie said:

All the more reason for one of the Alliance members to suggest Italy, with two automatic votes. (Geez, I'm making it sound like Survivor)

Obviously, if a dozen adults are discussing where to go on vacation - and the entire world is an option - there's going to be a lot of disparity. If three of them wanted Italy, and who wouldn't want Italy, it would have been an easy discussion with no need to all the surreptitious maneuvering. Like I said, who needs to be tricked into wanting to visit Italy? It seemed like a needless use of a good concept (the Alliance).

I think part of the problem is the Pritchett part of the family is also very controlling so if Phil had suggested Italy after Claire had already picked a place, she's be angry with him and make him miserable for not agreeing with her. Jay isn't quite as skilled at making Gloria miserable, but he does have a tendency to critique and second guess in an unpleasant way. Same with Cam and Mitchell so I guess the Alliance figured if they could have at least one of the Pritchett's make the initial suggestion, it would be a much easier vote.  

  • Love 6
Link to comment
aemom

aemom

On 03/12/2016 at 10:53 PM, DrSpaceman73 said:

According to something called backstage, she is 5 feet 9.  Which is pretty tall for a 14 year old girl.  But they also list her as being able to play age "13-18"......don't see that

I think they just missed on the casting and the story here because I , and it seems many, were confused about how old she was supposed to be

Even 15 or 16 still would have been better and still believable that she can't just hang out all day by herself and needs to do as Hailey says when they are together. 

I found another website that listed her at 5' 10.5". Another one had a picture where she looked very young, I don't think she's that old.

I still recall when my younger son graduated from elementary school,  part of the party included a swim in the public pool next door. These kids were all 12 at the time. One of the girls was taller me (I'm 5'7"), and was very completely developed. She could easily (and scarily) pass for 16-18 with the right hair, clothes, and makeup. 

I loved the episode and paid close attention to the Russian subtitles. The chicken fingers one was my favorite.  Well done Pritchett-in-laws.

  • Love 2
Link to comment
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...