S10.E05: Good Grief

[paulvdb]

It’s another epic Halloween full of costumes, tricks and treats for the Dunphy-Pritchett-Tucker clan as they deal with huge, unexpected news.

Airdate: October 24, 2018

[Kiddvideo]

Dang it. I never liked DeDe, but I was hoping it was Pam. Claire and Mitchell, Crazy 2.0.

[ams1001]

"Briefly swallowed by a whale.." ?

[readster]

Wow! The writers have really turned Lilly into a bitch. I mean freaking out Gloria (magically never being seen). Then eating Jay's sandwich, I mean why? These are two people who have treated her well and always been there for them and it's: "I knew Nana would want me to mess with Gloria." "Oh and I ate grandpa's sandwich." I wanted to smack her. 

[CleoCaesar]

Well that was a letdown.

Seriously, do any viewers really care about Dede? I always thought she was annoying and her appearances weren't that funny.

I really thought Dylan would have been been so much better. Haley's stuffing her face, which on TV only means one thing: pregnancy. Having Dylan die would force Haley to finally grow up and raise her child alone. Alas. Dede it was.

Meh.

[Tanichka]

I was hoping it was Jay.   Him & his damn sandwich - I could have slapped him!  and, Claire is still a giant pain in the a$$.  I like Lily, I think she's funny.  It wasn't a bad episode, overall.

[Ciarrai]

Just so glad it wasn't Stella.

Lily is so wooden, all the time. Not a good actress at all. Even Joe is a better actor.

[Caseysgirl]

There must be something to Haley eating so much that will be incorporated into the storyline. Is she pregnant in real life & there is going to be a fat girl story ( like they did with Jamie Presley on “Mom”.). She should fire the makeup people because those thick eyebrows their drawing really detract from her usual pretty face.

[tennisgurl]

I was never really a fan of DeDe, but still, dang. I was hoping for Pam...

Serious things happening on Halloween really is the worst. The outfits make it so hard to have real conversations. 

Laughed at the neighbor muttering about how she kept saying she would never come back to that house anymore. I like to image all the neighbors all gossip about the weird shit this family gets up to on a weekly basis. 

[Tanichka]

8 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I was hoping for Pam...

She would be a close second (after Jay).

[Nordly Beaumont]

21 minutes ago, Caseysgirl said:

Is she pregnant in real life & there is going to be a fat girl story

I think she's still trying to get better from all her health issues.

[tribeca]

All Abc shows seem to cut of early when I DVR them.  Now I may never know how DeeDe died.   

The grandkids reactions were all very strange.  

I thought Alex looked really pretty tonight   

[WhosThatGirl]

Yeah, I suspected it would be Dede. Which is sad but as I said thought it would be her after they stated it would not be a main cast member or the dog. 

[Traveller519]

The end tag was definitely the most enjoyable/funny part. And capped perfectly. "Clutching 10 pages of suggestions for the hotel staff"

I agree that the costumes on tv shows, which are always professional level creations, really undercut the message if it's not a true Halloween story.

I'm kind of digging Alex's relationship with the Firefighter. He really cares for her and she plays well off him.

Edited October 31, 2018 by Traveller519

[CleoCaesar]

52 minutes ago, Ciarrai said:

Lily is so wooden, all the time. Not a good actress at all. Even Joe is a better actor.

It's baffling how bad she is, truly. She's a native English speaker and yet sounds so robotic and stiff, like she's unsure what the words mean. And she's way past the "oh she's just a kid, don't criticize her" stage - she should be better after eight seasons. The showrunners need to minimize her screentime, along with Manny, Joe, and Cal.

[WhosThatGirl]

Lily used to be funny when she was younger, now she’s just mean because she’s older and aware of her actions and behavior. 

[Angeleyes]

I don’t know if it was the writing or terrible acting or what, but none of these people believably showed grief. Obviously, people feel grief in different ways and DeDe was difficult to love. It just felt like they were all phoning it in this episode. At best, they were all acting like jerks. 

[jmonique]

All that build-up for a month about a death ... and that was it?

[WhosThatGirl]

19 minutes ago, Angeleyes said:

I don’t know if it was the writing or terrible acting or what, but none of these people believably showed grief. Obviously, people feel grief in different ways and DeDe was difficult to love. It just felt like they were all phoning it in this episode. At best, they were all acting like jerks. 

 

10 minutes ago, jmonique said:

All that build-up for a month about a death ... and that was it?

Yeah, I mean I’m not at all impressed with anything this season and this episode just highlights it. I hope this is the last season as a majority of the cast has seemed over the show for a while now. 

[readster]

43 minutes ago, CleoCaesar said:

It's baffling how bad she is, truly. She's a native English speaker and yet sounds so robotic and stiff, like she's unsure what the words mean. And she's way past the "oh she's just a kid, don't criticize her" stage - she should be better after eight seasons. The showrunners need to minimize her screentime, along with Manny, Joe, and Cal.

That's why I hated the ending, her delivery and saying why she did things with the doll to Gloria and then just admitting she ate Jay's sandwich. It was right up with why Jay was accusing Phil and Cam of eating it. They both looked at him like: "Why would we do that? Hello have we met?" I'm still trying to get over the fact that Lilly was able to quickly swoop outside, grab the Dede doll, get it back in the fridge without anyone hearing her. Then to magically eat a sandwich that was very big in a matter of seconds and no one noticing her or even going: "Why do you smell like Jay's sandwich?"

[voiceover]

One of the best -- and certainly the most emotional -- episodes of this series was "Goodnight, Gracie".  It was about a death of a character (Phil's mother) who'd been talked about but never seen.  Yet many members of the family had a sweet moment while thinking of her or comforting Phil: Cam mentioning her Christmas card photos; Claire, trying to make her final wish (a girlfriend for Frank) come true; Alex, delivering a brief but splendid eulogy for the grandmother she'd adored; Haley, embracing her little sister afterwards, tears in her eyes...

But the best moment was Phil's speech to Anita Gillette's Annie, where he listed ways his mom had always looked out for him.  I can't make it through that scene without weeping.

And then there was...tonight.  With Claire in a rerun of that stupid spider costume the court stenographer wore, ages ago.

Pbbbbt.  I was so hoping it was a false alarm.  The character deserved better.

And I second the "Lily! What a bitch!" motion.

[VCRTracking]

Oh my god they killed Dede!

I didn't know anything about an impending death so I was surprised.

I liked Alex dressing as Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

[Mystery]

59 minutes ago, voiceover said:

One of the best -- and certainly the most emotional -- episodes of this series was "Goodnight, Gracie".  It was about a death of a character (Phil's mother) who'd been talked about but never seen.  Yet many members of the family had a sweet moment while thinking of her or comforting Phil: Cam mentioning her Christmas card photos; Claire, trying to make her final wish (a girlfriend for Frank) come true; Alex, delivering a brief but splendid eulogy for the grandmother she'd adored; Haley, embracing her little sister afterwards, tears in her eyes...

But the best moment was Phil's speech to Anita Gillette's Annie, where he listed ways his mom had always looked out for him.  I can't make it through that scene without weeping.

And then there was...tonight.  With Claire in a rerun of that stupid spider costume the court stenographer wore, ages ago.

Pbbbbt.  I was so hoping it was a false alarm.  The character deserved better.

And I second the "Lily! What a bitch!" motion.

That episode was great because it wasn't about Claire and Mitchell. I hate the dynamic when they're together. Especially the constant back-and-forth to Phil and Cam about what they should be doing to help. 

Too bad they didn't let us hear from Manny, a character who genuinely liked and "got" Dee Dee. 

[VCRTracking]

They missed an opportunity to do a callback to the episode where Walt, the neighbor played by Phillip Baker Hall died and Claire had that odd coping mechanism of smiling  when someone dies. After she tells the news to Luke Phil goes "What was that? 'Walt's dead!'(grinning creepily) You look like the Joker!"

Edited October 25, 2018 by VCRTracking

[WhosThatGirl]

20 minutes ago, VCRTracking said:

They missed an opportunity to do a callback to the episode where Walt, the neighbor played by Phillip Baker Hall died and Claire had that odd coping mechanism of smiling  when someone dies. After she tells the news to Luke Phil goes "What was that? 'Walt's dead!'(grinning creepily) You look like the Joker!"

They played this episode at 11 on USA tonight. Kind of interesting how much better this version of how badly Claire handles grief was done. 

This show used to be so good. 

[NUguy514]

2 hours ago, Angeleyes said:

I don’t know if it was the writing or terrible acting or what, but none of these people believably showed grief. Obviously, people feel grief in different ways and DeDe was difficult to love. It just felt like they were all phoning it in this episode. At best, they were all acting like jerks. 

Word to this.

I have two things to add:

1. Claire's smug little "Mmm" confessional after Mitchell said he knows Jay loves Claire and him equally?

Seriously, fuck you, Claire.  Ugh.

2. No one, and I mean no one, in Los Angeles goes anywhere near West Hollywood on Halloween, or even Halloween Eve, for any reason.  It's an utter traffic nightmare from hell.  Thus, when they showed Phil and Cam there, I was like, "Ummmmm, no."

[Eataton]

3 hours ago, jmonique said:

All that build-up for a month about a death ... and that was it?

Yeah. A "very special episode" & Halloween wasn't a great mix. Once I knew it was Didi I couldn't wait to get it over with. Not a fan of the Halloween episodes. Slightly interesting that Haley may be pregnant though.

[Marci]

“If God really is an old white man he’s about to get an earful.”

Dumb line, if he’s not an old white man, he doesn’t get an earful?  It came off forced, as if they have to meet a quota on old white men jokes.  

Cam is always the best part of the show.

[Quark]

When I first heard the news that there was supposed to be a major death this season, the first person I thought of was Dede, as I couldn't imagine the writers killing off any of the main cast and her death would have a big impact.

Decent episode. Cameron as Meghan Markle was a stroke of genius.

[Blakeston]

The idea that Haley has been starving herself all this time, to the point of drastically lowering her IQ, is incredibly depressing.

[mwell345]

MF isn't worth it any more.  They just need to let the show end - why they continue to let it limp along is beyond me.  Take a cue from The Middle. 

Not that I think he would have added anything, but where has Manny been the last couple of episodes - we saw him briefly last episode, then got stuck with his obnoxious girlfriend, and last night he was nowhere to be seen (babysitting Joe).

And I agree that the Lily scene at the end was just awful.    I thought the best scene was Cam and Phil in the car  - those two play off each other well, and yet, they have very few scenes together.

Edited October 25, 2018 by mwell345

[aemom]

I thought that Mitchell was Captain Obvious,  so when he said Prince Harry, I just laughed about what a 180 that was from my guess.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

6 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

I liked Alex dressing as Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Alex dressing as RBG for Halloween was totally in line with her character but I couldn't figure out why they half assed it with the collar. RBG is known for two different ones: the dissent collar and the white lace one she wore in one of her Supreme Court portraits. You can buy replicas of either on Etsy for $30-$50. Alex doesn't seem like the kind of person to wait until the last minute and then use whatever necklace she found in Haley's old jewelry, so it seemed out of character that she hadn't bought or made a replica of one of RBG's most well known collars two months ago (you know, at the same time that she bought that giant RBG necklace). Then again, maybe she's too busy having sexy time with her fireman boyfriend to be bothered with details like that!

1 hour ago, Blakeston said:

The idea that Haley has been starving herself all this time, to the point of drastically lowering her IQ, is incredibly depressing.

Unfortunately, lots of people are willing to starve themselves to be thinner. I still remember an interview with Gwen Stefani from many years ago where she was asked how she managed to look so good. She said, "I'm hungry all the time."

Edited October 25, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[DrSpaceman73]

Very underwhelmed by this episode

We have seen this story for Jay I don't know how many times.  He seems to be freaking out over something insignificant only to find out there is a "deeper" meaning behind it. 

I didn't mind Lilly at the end

On the other hand I thought Cam as Meghan Markle was just disturbing. 

[Mrs. Hanson]

6 hours ago, NUguy514 said:

Claire's smug little "Mmm" confessional after Mitchell said he knows Jay loves Claire and him equally?

That really rubbed me the wrong way- super snotty and another reason I don't like Claire.

All that buildup and she passed in her sleep with a smile on her face.

1 hour ago, mwell345 said:

I thought the best scene was Cam and Phil in the car  - those two play off each other well, and yet, they have very few scenes together.

I  agree.  But I must say I never laughed or smiled through the whole episode.

[Aileen]

8 hours ago, readster said:

That's why I hated the ending, her delivery and saying why she did things with the doll to Gloria and then just admitting she ate Jay's sandwich. It was right up with why Jay was accusing Phil and Cam of eating it. They both looked at him like: "Why would we do that? Hello have we met?" I'm still trying to get over the fact that Lilly was able to quickly swoop outside, grab the Dede doll, get it back in the fridge without anyone hearing her. Then to magically eat a sandwich that was very big in a matter of seconds and no one noticing her or even going: "Why do you smell like Jay's sandwich?"

They made it clear that there were 3 dolls.

[ljenkins782]

I agree that there was a lack of believable grief, but I did laugh at a bunch of the one-liners. Luke’s “BRAIINS...(sniffs Haley)...nope!” Alex’s bf bursting into her room and scaring the crap out of her, “nobody ever feeds the station goldfish”, “every year, I tell myself I’m not coming back to this house” were all funny.

[Mrs. Hanson]

Where was Manny?  I thought he and Dede had a special connection.  Away at college still?

5 hours ago, Eataton said:

Yeah. A "very special episode" & Halloween wasn't a great mix.

I don't like Halloween and I really don't like "A Very Special" episodes, so........I was glad to watch a PBS special on the Concord afterwards!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

3 minutes ago, Mrs. Hanson said:

Where was Manny?  I thought he and Dede had a special connection.  Away at college still?

Gloria said she left Joe with Manny so that she and Jay could come over to Claire's house.

[readster]

35 minutes ago, Aileen said:

They made it clear that there were 3 dolls.

Still to get them in those key locations without anyone seeing Lilly. Didn't work. The first time worked, but the last time, how did she get it there so easily. 

[AriAu]

I laughed more than I expected to....and the end cap was great. The "Welcome the Hell" doorbell was too obvious for a show that is usually more clever.

Lily is badly written and a bad actress but the line was right...Dede would have wanted someone to mess with Gloria and Jay. Mean, a little, but true to character and true to Dede's wishes.

Perfect that Dede ruined Claire's favorite holiday.

They missed an opportunity for a great "harken back", when Luke and Haley walked in on Alex....one of them should have been at the sink washing their eyes out like Alex did in Caught in the Act when they walked in on Phil and Claire

Quote

 I always thought she was annoying and her appearances weren't that funny

Hold it right there....she was big time annoying, but her appearances were almost always great....although obviously better in the early years which is something I can .say about the entire show. The Incident might be the funniest episode ever ("My mother might be less scary), The Princess Party is in the top 10 (That is very revealing...well, that is my parenting style...I meant your blouse) and Arrested has a great drop in by Dede with the great conversation with Manny. A little Dede went a long, long way and once a season was enough, but her episodes were funny.

[Madding crowd]

I thought it was jarring to have the opening “mom’s dead”, followed by the peppy Modern Family opening music. Halloween and DeDe dying didn’t mesh well at all. I agree Lily is awful in character and acting.

[Tanichka]

44 minutes ago, readster said:

Still to get them in those key locations without anyone seeing Lilly. Didn't work. The first time worked, but the last time, how did she get it there so easily. 

Probably easy enough when everyone was preoccupied.

 

1 hour ago, Mrs. Hanson said:

another reason I don't like Claire.

I can't stand her.

I do find Lily funny.  She's just a bit naughty.  There's nothing wrong with her acting.  Check out Luke, if you want wooden & inarticulate.

[Mrs. Hanson]

56 minutes ago, Tanichka said:

I can't stand her.

Okay, I am at work and I have a ton of stuff to do but I need to vent about a fictional character, lol:  Who the hell, in this instance, implies to your openly gay "I have had huge struggles with Dad my whole life cause I wasn't a hetero jock" brother, "Yeah, well Dad really DOES love me more!"  She did not say it to Mitch but she did in the TH and that was just one more reason to dislike Claire.

 

1 hour ago, AriAu said:

.she was big time annoying, but her appearances were almost always great

Yes they were - I had a passive aggressive mother too, and Dede cracked me up:  "Are you going to school with your hair looking like.....that?"  Ya gotta laugh at this stuff!

[partofme]

Lily was my favorite part of this episode.  

I would have preferred they kill off Jay.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Jay was going on and on about that sandwich so much that I thought he was Joey Tribbiani.

[AriAu]

Almost forgot...Best line "We should check on Alex.....I think she is taking it  hardest"

[WhosThatGirl]

1 hour ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Jay was going on and on about that sandwich so much that I thought he was Joey Tribbiani.

His whole entire speech felt like it was ripped from friends. Not Joey but this moment from Ross:

[Blakeston]

5 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Unfortunately, lots of people are willing to starve themselves to be thinner. I still remember an interview with Gwen Stefani from many years ago where she was asked how she managed to look so good. She said, "I'm hungry all the time."

I feel like starving yourself to the point that your brain can't even function properly is even more disturbing. It was a really strange choice for the writers to make, because it was depressing, and the "Haley is eating!" jokes really weren't that funny.

This episode felt a little bit revisionist to me, because didn't Dede drive Mitchell nuts, too? Their relationship wasn't as contentious as Dede and Claire's, but it still seemed pretty rough. You'd think from this that he was a total mama's boy.

[WhosThatGirl]

5 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

I feel like starving yourself to the point that your brain can't even function properly is even more disturbing. It was a really strange choice for the writers to make, because it was depressing, and the "Haley is eating!" jokes really weren't that funny.

This episode felt a little bit revisionist to me, because didn't Dede drive Mitchell nuts, too? Their relationship wasn't as contentious as Dede and Claire's, but it still seemed pretty rough. You'd think from this that he was a total mama's boy.

Yeah, they’ve done jokes about haley not eating before though. I remember once Alex and the boys were playing hunger games and Alex asked if she wanted to play and haley said “my whole life is a hunger game”.

I actually thought she was going to be the one who ate Jays sandwich.