BWW Recap: Jay Shoots a Commercial & Haley and Andy Make Progress on MODERN FAMILY

So, as you probably already know, MODFAM covered a whole lotta ground this week, making progress in terms of plot and character, fleshing out this family we've come to know and love over the past six years. Here's what went down:

Cam & Mitch's storyline follows the two of them attempting to alter Lily's choice of song for the upcoming talent show; as they explain in their confessional, they don't want her performing 'cause she's tone-deaf and can't sing. First off, glad to see Cam back at the piano! (These are the countries... these are the countries :p). Nice bit of continuity there. It's soon revealed that the whole scheme is not so much about Cam saving Lily from embarrassment as it is about him saving himself from embarrassment from his rival, Andrew. Mitch, ever the reasonable side of the partnership, of course, finds this petty and childish... until Andrew turns up with his new husband, Simon, who happens to be Mitch's main competition in law school. This plot was nice, and it took many twists and turns to get to the conclusion. That is, the way it ended was not the way I thought it would from how it started, if that makes sense. I'm still trying to figure out if that's a good thing or not - maybe it would have been better to have a more fleshed-out battle between Cam/Mitch and Andrew/Mitchell, as Phil and Luke's plot was set up to be - but on the other hand, I will praise the writers for weaving so many character elements into one cohesive, easy-flowing and organized plot line... that's something they do SO damn well! But the devil's advocate/always- asking-for-more-voice in me just can't help but think it was too many elements, you know?

Meanwhile, Jay and Claire join forces to shoot a new commercial for Pritchett's Closets. Stubborn Jay is insistent on using his old slogan from 30 years ago, while Claire pushes for something new; she thinks the slogan's confusing anyway. Can't blame her. I was confused, too. But I guess that's the point. And, I will say, the banter back and forth regarding said slogan made me chuckle pretty hard ("Why not 'Like it? You'll closet!'" "That makes no sense"). Kudos to the writers, and Bowen and O'Neill here for their brilliant rapport. But, as you may have guessed, the line doesn't do much for the studio executives - and neither does Jay's acting - so Claire's forced to come clean with the truth. And that she does, telling Jay he's a true "Grumpa" in every sense of the word. Jay reacts, and while the result is pretty funny (and kudos to the writers again for connecting multiple storylines here!), the payoff is in the incredibly touching and revealing heart-to-heart Jay shares his daughter, and the conclusion that not only brilliantly ties in to Phil, Luke and Manny's storyline, but also shows another side of Jay, and proves that he can grow beyond being a Grumpa... or at least, try to. For now. Regardless, it's brilliant work!

Back at the pool, we find out Gloria's the victim of a peeping tom's drone. Phil suggests they can solve the problem without Gloria having to cover up (of course Phil would find a way). And that initial attempt was hilarious, complete with Burrell's display of fantastic physical comedy and a fast-paced exchange of perfectly worded dialogue between Manny and Luke. However, despite how hilarious the attempt was, it's now on Youtube with 32,000 views, and Phil's dead-set on taking the droner down. Needless to say (while avoiding spoilers), the second attempt goes down as any Phil-led plan would. This plot was the weakest of the week, though only in terms of its buildup and not its content. Each attempt was quite funny, and I appreciate the running gag of having certain elements remain the same within the two separate efforts (and yes, that's all I'm gonna say). Again, the payoff here was really the conclusion of the plot and how it tied neatly together with Jay. I know some people aren't a fan of the tie-it-up-neatly-with-a-bow idea of storytelling, but it works for me, and I think it really works for this show. Like, really well. And this one was just another example of just that.

And in our final subplot of the week, and the winning one for me, Haley's on a date - with Chase; have we seen him before? -, but Andy's tagging along, 'cause Beth's supposed to be joining them soon. Let me just say, I love this partnership of Haley/Andy and it's really nice that they can remain friends and have it not be awkward... well, sort of... although Haley's date doesn't seem to have much of a clue... and Haley's clearly more into Andy than she is Chase. And then... yes... Chase leaves to answer a call from his boss and here they are, forced again to acknowledge their strange friend/maybe-lover situation. It's pretty much the same plot as last season's finale, but with Haley now in control (rather than being the one in love), and Andy's now in the hot seat. It's a predictable plot seen in most rom coms - she's obviously gonna go for Andy and not Chase - but I'd like to see how this one plays out. And it looks like it played out pretty well. When Andy ends up in the hospital with appendicitis, Haley comes to his rescue. Really impressed with the dialogue here - it gives a spin on the tired, old speech we've seen many times before... and how it comes back to the prize animals mentioned at the carnival at the top of the episode: "We've all done it. Talked ourselves into the penguin because we didn't think we had a shot at the elephant." Brilliant!

I really do love these two. Andy's helped Haley to grow as a character. She's her own person, and not just "Claire and Phil's oldest kid" as she was, more so, at the beginning of the series. While it doesn't look like there's a chance for them this week, I do hope they get together by the end of the season. At least now they've got an obstacle - SPOILER: Beth is real! - and Andy may or may not have heard Haley's confession under the morphine. MODERN FAMILY's never done a season-long arc quite like this before (well, yeah... the baby... and the house flipping... but this is different), and I know that trying it out six seasons in may seem like a bit of a risk, but I'd like the writers to know, IMHO, it's definitely paying off. Hope you guys end it, though, in the way it's meant to be ended. ;-)

A fantastic effort tonight -- great progress and character development all around. And just as a note to end on, the tag scene for this week is one of the best!! My favorite one of the ridiculous, makes-no-sense line of slogans: "I'll have what she's closet." Gotta love these writers! A+! Can't wait to see what they cook up next! Enjoy your short hiatus, everyone. Be back soon!

SOME FAVORITE QUOTES

- Gloria: (to Joe) Try growing up in Colombia. My binky was a spark plug.

- Jay: I know it was rough on you and Mitch having a famous dad, getting your picture taken at restaurants...

Claire: That happened one time, Dad - only because we were eating with Ralph Berman, Garage Door Opener King.

Jay: Hey, he was eating with us.

- Chase: It's my manager again. She's always on me. Can't wait 'til the fall when she's off to college.

- Manny: (re: the drone) Mom, that perf is ogling you again!

Phil: No! I was reading my horoscope.

- Manny: (re: the drone) And just like that, it disappears.

Luke: In his defense, the water's really cold.

- Mitch: So, you're not worried about Lily embarrassing herself. You're worried about Lily embarrassing you.

Cam: Not so much now that she's not singing.

- Talent Show Coordinator: We'll now take a break to sweep up the confetti that was definitely not mentioned in dress rehearsal.

- Haley: (to Andy) If I'm your elephant, you have a shot. That's what I'm trying to say, dummy.

- Mitch: (to Jay) Why are you smiling like that? (gasps) Did something happen to Mom?

STRAY OBSERVATIONS

- I get that they have to give each kid a certain amount of time off to comply with child labor laws, but I did notice the missing presence of Ariel Winter.

- Gloria's subplot with weening Joe off his binky was another win as well. And I loved the return of the airsoft gun. That's two callbacks to great moments in earlier seasons in this episode!

Photo Credit: Twitter / ABC

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