“Sweet Pea, I’m a mom traveling with my kids. For me, this is not a vacation — it’s a business trip.” – Claire to Phil
I said it last week and I’ll say it again — I wish Modern Family would just stay home and do what they do best on their home turf. As enjoyable as this episode was (and I did like it and laughed often), I don’t get it. What did they do on this vacation that they couldn’t have done at home? I would be hard-pressed to believe they actually filmed this in Hawaii when I know that The Brady Bunch totally went there. And without the normal home life stuff going on, the situations just aren’t as … comedically golden as they are when we can relate.
OK, I did relate to the “business trip” analogy. Dude, I went to Storyland three years in a row. This last year I nearly leapt from the Polar Coaster in a moment of desperation. It’s hard for parents to have a vacation with their kids and enjoy it from the second honeymoon perspective, which is why we won’t be taking Owen to Bermuda anytime soon. But I never lost Owen, which makes me a way better parent than Mitchell and Cam, right?
And the “big surprise” that we were teased with in the trailers … Keith thought they’d meet the cast of Lost. Why not; we got Spandau Ballet. Instead, Phil and Claire renewed their vows. I guess it was fitting since they didn’t have a big wedding the first time around, but when it comes to vow renewals, I have a cold, shriveled little heart and I don’t find it romantic in the least. Seriously, Keith, if you’re reading, NEVER make me do that. Pardon the digression…. Suffice it to say, I was feeling a smidge let down by the big surprise reveal. I didn’t need the cast of Lost, but I could have done with something funny.
Aw, I sound like a hater when I really did enjoy this episode … just take me home next week and perhaps I won’t channel the spirit of Aryeh.
Clacked by Debbie McDuffee
on May 12, 2010 @ 22:19 EST5EDT
It looked enough like Maui for me to believe it, and thankfully the extras actually looked like locals too. Had to laugh at Mitchell’s yen for lavender. And I honestly teared up a little when Phil revealed the wedding ceremony, but then I wasn’t looking for a Daniel Dae Kim cameo. Lily and Luke were cuter than ever this week.
It was definitely filmed in Maui.
Good ep, but I agree that there wasn’t enough of the local scenes put in to be able to enjoy that they were actually in Maui.
I thought the vow renewal was actually very sweet. Also seems like something Phil would actually do in this situation. Especially since they never really had a wedding or honeymoon the first time around.
I follow most of the cast on Twitter (Baby Lilly has her own twitter, so cute!) and they talked non-stop about shooting in Hawaii for ages. I will agree though, I saw more of Hawaii from the pictures they all tweeted than from the show itself.
So, uhm, you guys got married at city hall too?
I guess the ceremony was ok because they didn’t have a proper wedding the first time around.
But all in all this episode was too cheezy for me. I mean it’s not really cute or anecdotal to lose a baby and how many thing can there be that Cam and Mitchell haven’t told each other? The first time it was cute but it’s getting more and more like Cam lied to Mitchell for a couple of years and now finally lets go of all that made Mitchell love him in the first place. I mean it’s not really there yet but I don’t know if I could stand another couple of “shocking reveals of things I said I liked but actually didn’t” or “things I said I wanted to do but actually didn’t”.
How hard is it to, you know, not lie? I mean this show can’t all be about stuff we said because we thought we were supposed to say them and then take them back after a while because we couldn’t keep the scharade up… I guess the novelty is starting to wear off, I hope the writers are able to shift things to other ideas next season and don’t take off for too long…
*POST AUTHOR*
HA! No, we had a real wedding, but it was only because I had a fabulous dress and my dad really wanted to have a party. If not for those 2 factors, I would definitely have eloped, but probably something a little more meaningful than city hall! :-)
The vow renewal seemed completely in character for Phil, especially his “I can’t tell if you’re liking this or you think it’s lame” line. The best part, though, was that the Hawaiian “officiant” at the ceremony was the actual guy who performed my stepson’s wedding in Las Vegas about three years ago. I kid you not!