Ah, college. What I wouldn’t give to go back! I remember calling my parents during my sophomore year and complaining, “I have so many papers to write! I have so much work to do! I’m so tired!” The reality was that I had no idea how good I had it. Oh, to hang around the dorm listening to some guy play guitar until 2 AM. Oh, to walk to the corner deli and get a knish in the middle of the night while writing a paper on how Madonna helped shape American music. Oh, to sleep in and go to my first class of the day at 1:30 pm, only after reading Sense and Sensibility on the quad for two hours for my Brit Lit course. No, my roommates and I didn’t have a dog together who mysteriously took care of itself for the summer, but life was pretty damn great.
But I didn’t appreciate it. And as soon as I started working, like, for real, life really started to suck in a way I didn’t know existed in my academic bubble. Bummer.
So I can totally relate to Claire’s nostalgia in this week’s Modern Family, and of course it’s in no way a surprise that she wants her daughter to further her education as well. It’s funny, because a similar struggle is happening right now on Parenthood with Sarah and Amber, yet unlike Amber (who, in addition to not getting in to either of the two schools to which she applied, is fervently defiant and reckless right now), Haley still has the ability to move forward with the process. Don’t get me wrong; college isn’t for everybody. But I think most parents would want their children to at least try it and then make an informed decision as to why it’s not right for them.
Part of what I admire about the writing for Modern Family is its ability to very cleverly play to two different possible scenarios at once, using dialogue that works well in both situations. This, of course, was illustrated when Phil was on the phone with a “prospective buyer” who responded, in essence, to a callgirl ad showcasing the Dunphy girls on the side of the minivan. I was in stitches when Phil mentioned he had “an older model with a lot of character” as well as when he responded to the query about whether “the carpet matches the drapes.”
I remember an older episode of the show (Season 1, Episode 12: “Not In My House”) where this type of mix-up was done as well and the writing supported both situations. Luke read Haley’s diary, but Claire thought he was looking at porn on the computer (it was actually Phil). Listening to Luke describe the “freaky” and “scary” things he read (I don’t recall the exact quotes), which could also apply to the images on the computer screen, was very well done. I enjoy this aspect of the show a lot, especially because I eagerly await the moment that Claire finds out what really happened.
Modern Family deals with poignant issues (such as Jay’s brother having dealt with prostate cancer) in a very non-sappy, yet still emotionally real, way. I loved when they were outside the auditorium and they start reminiscing about how Jay stood up for Donnie. When Jay tells his brother he cares for him, Donnie hits him on the shoulder and says, “Do ya think I don’t know that crap? I have known you’ve cared about me since we were eight and ten years old and that mook Joey Calleri stole my bike and you put his head in the ice!” Watching them imitate Joey (“I can’t hea no more!”) was funny and touching at all once.
And, just like Cam says, “Endings make shows, and we’ve got a great ending.” The same holds true for this episode of Modern Family. I wasn’t too impressed with the musical storyline until the very end, when all goes haywire and what was intended to be a lovely message (“We love the world”) got completely misconstrued. I love Cam, but I’m glad things ended this way for his show, because he was taking it way too seriously.
Best quotes:
“Am I gonna regret doing that?” — Claire, referring to the Horizon Realty ad
“Did the Marlboro man have any regrets?” — Phil
“Sweetie, we did it. Our baby is average!” — Claire, to Phil, with regard to Haley’s test scores
“Medium five!” — Phil
“Well, we took the scenic route, but we ended up in the same place!” — Alex, to her parents, regarding Haley not going to college despite taking the SATs
“Only dad can make our minivan even lamer.” — Haley, getting into the driver’s seat
“Excuse me? What are you doing?” — Claire
“I’m driving this thing to the reservoir. Just jump when I say jump.” — Haley
“My friend Nicole just sent me a picture of the van.” — Alex
“I guess I’ll be seeing you Wednesdays and every other weekend.” — Phil
“It doesn’t matter, I”ll go home with anyone!” — Haley, insisting she not get back in the car
“That’s what it should say on the van!” — Alex
Clacked by Rachel Blum-Jose 
on Apr 14, 2011 @ 13:00 EST5EDT
