‘Modern Family’ 2.24 Recap: “12 Times a Year I Get Sausages, That’s It”

Last week, the second season of ‘Modern Family’ wrapped up with a celebration that didn’t go quite right.

It’s Jay’s birthday and, in true sitcom fashion, just about everything that can go wrong does. From ridiculous gifts that don’t meet with Jay’s approval to good intentions gone bad, the episode is ripe with comedy.

Claire and Mitchell decide that the ultimate gift for their dad would be to recreate a picture of themselves as children. It’s an idea that might work for another family member, but Jay really doesn’t seem like the target audience for a nostalgic photo.

Whether Jay would like it or not becomes a moot point when the pair encounters a large dog in the yard of the house where they used to live. They climb into a treehouse to escape and end up having to get rescued by Jay on his birthday.

Gloria goes shopping for a new dress for the occasion and Phil tags along. While they’re out, Phil runs into an old rival named Glen Whipple, who always seemed to have things just a bit better. Phil lets him think that he and Gloria are a couple in an effort to finally one-up him, but ends up finding that Whipple was always jealous of Phil and Claire.

It’s nice to see Phil really learn to appreciate Claire in this episode. He seems to fall in love with her all over again, or at least develop a bit of a crush. It’s especially evident at the end when instead of the usual “I’ve got Gloria!” reaction to a situation, he grabs Claire.

The presents, the cake and the celebration all backfire or just end up ruined. Even the video that the kids worked on turns out awfully. So many plans went into place and none of them turn out right. Even worse, no one actually bothered to find out what Jay wants.

Well, one person does. In the end, Manny saves the event by inviting Jay to the pool for a bit of relaxation in a fishing boat. It’s not quite the day of lazy fishing that Jay had in mind, but it’s a sweet moment and he embraces it.

‘The One That Got Away’ is a fine episode. It’s not quite up to the same standards as the finale for Season One, but it’s quite good.

We have plenty to look forward to next season. Alex and Haley will be in the same school and we’ll certainly see more from Luke, who had a very strong showing this season. There’s also the possibility of another child in the Tucker-Pritchett family. Cam and Mitchell may add one more to the mix, which may prove interesting.

2 comments

  1. Claire is a very unevenly written character. Through a lot of this season, she was a neurotic bitch for no reason at all. Her antics in this episode about parking illegally and breaking into a family’s backyard because “We used to live here” are the sort of thing that a much dumber character on a much worse sitcom would do. She should be much smarter than that.

  2. Andy

    “I’ve got Claire” – Single sweetest phrase of the season! I love Claire and Phil together. They make me actually believe in love and marriage. With society the way it is these days, its refreshing to see a traditional married couple who love one another.

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