Whenever Modern Family targets genuine emotion, it nails it. I'm not talking about the nice heartwarming voice overs the show sometimes ends on. I mean real genuine emotion, rooted within the characters and their lives and their stories. Alex's breakdown and psychiatric treatment was handled masterfully in season five, whilst Mitchell and Cameron failing to adopt a new baby back in season three remains a genuinely emotional conclusion to a solid character arc.
Here Alex finally moves off to college, but she leaves the day before everyone thought so she can avoid big emotional farewells, limiting every family to one five second hug each. When she arrives her roommate isn't who she expected and Haley berates her for being so rapidly judgemental, and the script subtly takes us through every notion we understand about these two characters. They are sisters: that means they fight, they argue, and they don't see eye to eye. But they love each other. We never doubt that. When they hug goodbye and Haley goes to pull away after her "five seconds" are up, Alex pulls her back and hugs her tighter than ever. It's a genuinely emotional sequence, and the show earns it.
The other stories are more conventional and less emotionally rewarding, but still satisfying on the whole. The various family members attempting to avoid Lily's soccer game doesn't sell them as very caring relatives, but it's funny enough to work just fine. Mitchell becoming the game's referee but simply reciting instructions from Google is the episode's comedic highlight. Phil taking Luke to work with him is a rather bland narrative idea, but it eventually ties together nicely with Alex's subplot. As Luke gives the duck eggs they found to his dad, Claire realises they need to learn how to hatch eggs, and who, of all people, is mostly like to know how? Alex. So Claire has one more chance to phone up her youngest daughter and learn all sorts of new amazing facts from her. It's a touching conclusion to an excellent episode.
Grade: A-
Here Alex finally moves off to college, but she leaves the day before everyone thought so she can avoid big emotional farewells, limiting every family to one five second hug each. When she arrives her roommate isn't who she expected and Haley berates her for being so rapidly judgemental, and the script subtly takes us through every notion we understand about these two characters. They are sisters: that means they fight, they argue, and they don't see eye to eye. But they love each other. We never doubt that. When they hug goodbye and Haley goes to pull away after her "five seconds" are up, Alex pulls her back and hugs her tighter than ever. It's a genuinely emotional sequence, and the show earns it.
The other stories are more conventional and less emotionally rewarding, but still satisfying on the whole. The various family members attempting to avoid Lily's soccer game doesn't sell them as very caring relatives, but it's funny enough to work just fine. Mitchell becoming the game's referee but simply reciting instructions from Google is the episode's comedic highlight. Phil taking Luke to work with him is a rather bland narrative idea, but it eventually ties together nicely with Alex's subplot. As Luke gives the duck eggs they found to his dad, Claire realises they need to learn how to hatch eggs, and who, of all people, is mostly like to know how? Alex. So Claire has one more chance to phone up her youngest daughter and learn all sorts of new amazing facts from her. It's a touching conclusion to an excellent episode.
Grade: A-
