S09.E06: Ten Years Later

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Claire is determined to make up for her less-than-joyful mood at Jay and Gloria’s wedding by throwing their tenth-anniversary party. As part of the festivities, Phil is going to perform a magic trick featuring Gloria appearing out of thin air in her wedding dress; that is if Gloria can still get into it!

[useryikes]

Pretty good episode for the most part.  They always seem to have Gloria being a bit of a pain, though.  Nice that the Dunphey kids weren't too evident.  

[aemom]

I wasn't overly thrilled with this one.

Cam and Mitchell's song was just embarrassing.  That Manny wouldn't come home for his mom's anniversary is absurd, and yes, Gloria is so hideous now 10 years later.

If I was Phil, I would be really angry that Claire held back the info about the magic phone call. They should have at least had a conversation together about it. 

[hoodooznoodooz]

Joe was very funny in this. 

[Nordly Beaumont]

9 minutes ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

Joe was very funny in this. 

And adorable in that hat and vest!

[hoodooznoodooz]

If they were going to have Phil sit there in the bathroom chitchatting with Gloria while she was exercising, they should have had her facing in a different direction.

[AnnaRose]

45 minutes ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

Joe was very funny in this. 

Like Phil, Joe tends to be a highlight for me in most episodes, and he didn't disappoint in this one.  I think he is adorable and a very good actor.  (There aren't twins playing this role, are there?) 

I normally don't like Gloria very much, but I did laugh at her well-delivered, "Oh shut up." during her talking head.

Cam is annoying as usual, and had to throw a hissy fit because he wasn't the center of attention for those few minutes while he was performing.  I don't know how Mitch can stand him.

[Marley]

Manny just gets worse and worse. I’m sure everyone is just clamouring to get a piece of a creepy pretentious little tool. I feel like he wasn’t this bad before. 

Stupid episode. I think magic is insanely dumb so I did not care that Phil missed his chance of having some pos store. And now he has it which is dumb because I’m pretty sure he’s busy with his actual job. 

This show needs to get some funny going cause it’s been pretty bad so far this season.

[sheetmoss]

Did appreciate Cam calling Lily's singing..."The screech owl"

[Bobbin]

7 hours ago, AnnaRose said:

Joe tends to be a highlight for me in most episodes, and he didn't disappoint in this one.  I think he is adorable and a very good actor.  (There aren't twins playing this role, are there?) 

Nope, young Jeremy Maguire plays Joe all by his own adorable self.

Now we know how DeeDee got so smashed at Jay and Gloria's wedding -- both Claire and Mitch were getting her liquored up unbeknown to each other.

[luna1122]

6 minutes ago, Bobbin said:

Nope, young Jeremy Maguire plays Joe all by his own adorable self.

Now we know how DeeDee got so smashed at Jay and Gloria's wedding -- both Claire and Mitch were getting her liquored up unbeknown to each other.

And Phil.

[useryikes]

7 hours ago, Marley said:

I feel like he wasn’t this bad before. 

I felt Manny was fine before. I especially enjoyed seeing his father.  I don't know that the writers know what to do with the kids now that they're grown - the Dunphy kids are awful & boring.  I still like Lily, though, Joe is OK.

Claire looked a little better in this episode.  Hope she doesn't mess with the face again.

[incandescent]

Is it normal to just jump into businesses like the Dunphy family seems to? I don't even remember what happened to their parking lot, other than it being kind of a bust.

 

And who did they think they were kidding with that episode tag? As if Mitch's scatting was anywhere near the level of ear-worminess of Dylan's magnum opus, In the Moonlight (Do Me).

 

But to say something nice, they got a good chuckle out of me with silencio, Fulgencio!

[AriAu]

Quote

Now we know how DeeDee got so smashed at Jay and Gloria's wedding -- both Claire and Mitch were getting her liquored up unbeknown to each other.

Along with Gloria's uncles...because in the finest episode ever of this show (The Incident") she was drinking Horny Columbians with Gloria's uncles for whom the drink was apparently named. I did like the throw back, but I also have The Incident on dvr and watched it right after.

Quote

Cam is annoying as usual, and had to throw a hissy fit because he wasn't the center of attention for those few minutes while he was performing.  I don't know how Mitch can stand him.

The issue for me has always been "why are they together"? Both are annoying, Cam as a whiny attention whore and Mitchell as a self absorbed just not very nice person and they continue to make no sense as a couple. Good to see that Cam got the sticks in the correct hands-another throw back to the funnier shows.

Overall, pretty meh, not that funny, not that offensive. Gloria's accent was back to it highest level of schreech, after a few weeks of being able to understand her, and I loved the call back to Joe's real name F U Pritchett.

Edited November 2, 2017 by AriAu

[TheLastKidPicked]

1 hour ago, incandescent said:

Is it normal to just jump into businesses like the Dunphy family seems to? I don't even remember what happened to their parking lot, other than it being kind of a bust.

And this is where the show missed a great opportunity.  Claire made it up to Phil when she bought the magic shop, but they had the opportunity to do something even better.  Imagine this:

Claire and Phil go to meet the shop owner at his house.  He is the stereotypical failure to launch.  Still living with roommates, driving an old van with the faded magician shop signage on the side.  

Then Phil and Claire get back to their house, and the kids are there, making noise and having fun.  The kids hand Phil a gift basket dropped off by one of his clients as a thank you for "selling the house that couldn't be sold."   Phil turns to Claire and says,  "Thank goodness I missed that call."

[biakbiak]

That feels like the It's A Wonderful Life trope that tv shows always do without the dream.

[partofme]

I could really relate to Gloria in this episode.  I've always been the skinny girl who can eat what she wants and in the past few years I've started gaining weight, I'm still small, but it's noticeable and upsetting to me that I can't fit into clothes that I used to be able to.

Manny should definitely be at his parents anniversary.  Strange the Dunphy kids weren't there either but I didn't miss them.

I don't like Joe at all.

I adore Lily and think she needs more airtime.  She was a better singer than Mitchell.

I love Phil but never thought the Dunphy's were that rich that they could buy all these businesses.

Edited November 2, 2017 by partofme

[Tiggertoo]

14 hours ago, Marley said:

Manny just gets worse and worse. I’m sure everyone is just clamouring to get a piece of a creepy pretentious little tool. I feel like he wasn’t this bad before. 

Stupid episode. I think magic is insanely dumb so I did not care that Phil missed his chance of having some pos store. And now he has it which is dumb because I’m pretty sure he’s busy with his actual job. 

This show needs to get some funny going cause it’s been pretty bad so far this season.

I think it’s just that Manny has lost any vestige of little boy charm, which used to be his saving grace.

[seacliffsal]

I found it interesting that none of the younger characters were at the actual party.  Maybe an adults only party?  They inserted a scene of Luke and Alex laughing, but it was not a part of the overall party scene.  

I am so very glad that Jay told Manny not to come home until Thanksgiving (but then reversed when he thought that was why Gloria was grumpy).  The Dunphy kids are all excellent examples of not moving forward with their lives due to ALWAYS being at home.  Luke seems to be figuring things out at the country club.  If Alex and Manny are coming home all the time, then why not just live at home and commute to college?  I thought (and continue to think) that going away to college is one of the best things young people can do as they start learning who they are outside of their home environment.

Loved all the throwbacks to Dee Dee getting drunk at Jay and Gloria's wedding; and the fact that everyone seemed to give her three drinks...  Explains a lot...

[biakbiak]

36 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

so very glad that Jay told Manny not to come home until Thanksgiving (but then reversed when he thought that was why Gloria was grumpy).

I thought that was stupid, there is not coming home every weekend and their is skipping your parents, and Jay is clearly his parent, 10th wedding anniversary party.

[voiceover]

I'm giving this show a pass because the USA reruns are a regular reminder that it was worth my loyalty.

But the flipside of constant rerun access -- I see that so much of the past two seasons are simply rewrites of early-series magic.  Mama's boy Manny as divider between Jay & Gloria: how will Jay apologize this time?  Claire dumps on Phil's dreams: what's the perfect gift to make him forget it (iPad, Chinese acrobats, magic trick, magic store)?  And bringing Pam in to "Cousin Oliver" Mitch and Cam is a face palm so harsh as to actually hurt.

And, for a personal reveal: when I wrote at the beginning of the year that one of the kids had not aged well, I meant, Manny. @Tiggertoo put it best -- he's lost the little boy charm.  And that's what had saved the character.

Edited November 2, 2017 by voiceover

[tennisgurl]

Joe as Manny is a much more charming Manny than Manny has been in years. 

[Star Aristille]

12 hours ago, partofme said:

Strange the Dunphy kids weren't there either but I didn't miss them.

Too bad for you.  Luke and Alex were there.  For some reason, though, Haley was MIA, which at first shocked me, because you'd think that she'd be present for her grandfather's anniversary.  But then, I remembered how self-involved she is, so her complete absence from the episode no longer surprised me.

[Marley]

It made no sense that they all weren’t there. Sure they can be selfish jerks but they are usually good about family things. 

[readster]

4 hours ago, Marley said:

It made no sense that they all weren’t there. Sure they can be selfish jerks but they are usually good about family things. 

Oh I agree, even a throw away line: "Too bad Haley is having car trouble while she was out with friends in San Diego." Many times shows have had big events and the actors are either busy, but they throw out very stupid lines like: "She couldn't come to father's funeral because her baby has an ear infection." or "They are in another country." I mean come on, there are believable lines and then there stupid ones, but no explanation at all is pathetic. 

[MaryHedwig]

2 hours ago, readster said:

Oh I agree, even a throw away line: "Too bad Haley is having car trouble while she was out with friends in San Diego." Many times shows have had big events and the actors are either busy, but they throw out very stupid lines like: "She couldn't come to father's funeral because her baby has an ear infection." or "They are in another country." I mean come on, there are believable lines and then there stupid ones, but no explanation at all is pathetic. 

You could even be clever and say, "This seat's for Hayley, she's parking the car."

[readster]

6 hours ago, MaryHedwig said:

You could even be clever and say, "This seat's for Hayley, she's parking the car."

Exactly!

[Star Aristille]

On ‎11‎/‎3‎/‎2017 at 0:29 AM, Marley said:

It made no sense that they all weren’t there. Sure they can be selfish jerks but they are usually good about family things. 

Haley's never been.  Which was why her absence ultimately didn't surprise.

[VCRTracking]

On 11/2/2017 at 9:06 AM, AriAu said:

Quote

Now we know how DeeDee got so smashed at Jay and Gloria's wedding -- both Claire and Mitch were getting her liquored up unbeknown to each other.

Along with Gloria's uncles...because in the finest episode ever of this show (The Incident") she was drinking Horny Columbians with Gloria's uncles for whom the drink was apparently named. I did like the throw back, but I also have The Incident on dvr and watched it right after

And Phil gave her a few drinks too! I'm kind of glad they did this bit of retcon. They made her so awful in the beginning. Now when I look at that early episode I think "You all are the ones who should apologize to HER and Gloria!"

[Tony]

Cam was more insufferable than usual, which is quite the feat for him. They need to write this overgrown man-child off the show asap.

[jhlipton]

On 11/2/2017 at 2:12 PM, seacliffsal said:

I thought (and continue to think) that going away to college is one of the best things young people can do as they start learning who they are outside of their home environment.

I love my parents (I like to say that I won the "Parent Lottery") but moving away for college was the best thing for me!

[readster]

On 11/4/2017 at 2:25 PM, Tony said:

Cam was more insufferable than usual, which is quite the feat for him. They need to write this overgrown man-child off the show asap.

Both Cam and Mitch get worst and worst each season. Cam is to the point where if it isn't about him, he goes into a fit. With Mitch, he screws up and tries to cover it up more than ever. The sparking smoothie machine and trying to do everything in secret. I'm surprise they are still together in any shape or form. 

[ljenkins782]

On 11/3/2017 at 2:21 AM, Star Aristille said:

Too bad for you.  Luke and Alex were there.  For some reason, though, Haley was MIA, which at first shocked me, because you'd think that she'd be present for her grandfather's anniversary.  But then, I remembered how self-involved she is, so her complete absence from the episode no longer surprised me.

Huh, I didn't remember seeing Luke and Alex either. Is Sarah Hyland having health issues again? She hasn't been in the last couple, has she? 

It makes absolutely no sense to me that either Haley or Manny would miss it, this is a family that gets together far more than most on a regular basis for dinners/vacations, etc, but 2 of the grandkids would just skip their grandfather's anniversary party? Not likely. 

Quote

The issue for me has always been "why are they together"? Both are annoying, Cam as a whiny attention whore and Mitchell as a self absorbed just not very nice person and they continue to make no sense as a couple. Good to see that Cam got the sticks in the correct hands-another throw back to the funnier shows.

They make enough sense to me as a couple. They're both pretentious in certain ways and seem to basically have the same (often shallow) values. The differences in their personalities can be considered complementary, as noted in a couple of episodes that compared them to Claire/Phil and Jay/Gloria, who also each have one dramatic personality and one lower-key personality who gets exhausted by the other. 

A completely petty peeve of mine is what I assume is not a character thing but Jesse Tyler Ferguson's real voice, which is the way he transposes his "e" and "i" sounds. Like he says 'melk' instead of 'milk' and 'dedn't' instead of 'didn't' and then pronounces his "e"s like "i"s (can't think of an example, but it always bugs me). 

 

Quote

Overall, pretty meh, not that funny, not that offensive. Gloria's accent was back to it highest level of schreech, after a few weeks of being able to understand her, and I loved the call back to Joe's real name F U Pritchett.

Ugh, why do they think the full screech is funny? Nearly unintelligible words spoken at a pitch that only dogs can hear isn't great for comedy writing. She's much funnier when you can actually understand what she's saying. 

[chitowngirl]

Alex and Luke were sitting on the couch when Phil was demonstrating the magic trick. Claire was doing Gloria's role.

[Milburn Stone]

I liked Gloria's family doing all the bad 90s sitcom reactions.

[Star Aristille]

On ‎11‎/‎7‎/‎2017 at 8:56 PM, chitowngirl said:

Alex and Luke were sitting on the couch when Phil was demonstrating the magic trick. Claire was doing Gloria's role.

Luke was also working the bar during the actual party later on, and Alex was seen sitting at the bar.