BWW Recap: Alex Has a Boyfriend and Kristen Johnston Moves In on MODERN FAMILY

Hi folks! Now that we're all filled up on turkey and stuffed to the brim with pumpkin pie, it's time to settle in for the final two MODERN FAMILY episodes of the year. First up this week, 1 of 2.

In the Dunphy household, Alex claims to have a boyfriend, but the rest of the family's in denial. Question: Why does the family have to doubt/make fun of Alex in all the episodes with Dunphy plots that center around her? That said, this one does work better than the other Alex-centered-family-picks-on-her episode from earlier this year, and I love how Haley's roped into it with Claire's digs at Dylan (read: "Bigfoot" "Still better than Dylan"). The best part of this plot was the visual cues Phil and Claire discovered when Alex was speaking of her rebound, Teddy Keys who worked at Mattress King. Really well done, and funny (especially "Leave!" as Phil pulls out a leaf - what?!) Great plot this week!

Jay and Gloria attend a bar mitzvah for a dog, which is bland in itself, but funny when you remember the writers' whole idea of Jay caring for the dog more than his kids - something that is made even funnier when, in case you forgot that Jay cares so much for the dog, just as you remember, Manny points it out as well. Unfortunately, that's where it stops. The fault in this plot line, I think, stems from the idea that it was about the general concept of a dog bar mitzvah, which simply meant stale jokes (the dog conga line, pupparazzi, etc.) and nothing specific to Jay or Gloria that tied them into the plot. (well, I amend that. Nothing new). Gloria shooting down the party was predictable, and even though she returned later and kinda sorta gave it a try, I felt like I've seen this plot before, and nothing extensively made it new.

The Cam-Mitch storyline, on the other hand, offers hilarity galore, centering around guest star Kristen Johnson, who a) surprisingly has never starred on Broadway, but b) stars on THE EXES, and she's fabulous, so I was really excited to see her here. The tie-in to the couch was a nice touch, and it even related to Brenda's problem with Doug ("Who loves a thing more than a person?"). You know what I'm gonna say... Go Writers! The sight gag with the small couch and the 6-ft. Johnston was a hoot, and the plot was peppered throughout with brilliant one-liners for Mitch and Cam (see quotes). Appreciated how the wraparound appeared at the end, too - bringing Lily's story into the mix with lines like "We do have one nice thing." And you can't beat that tag scene! You just gotta see it for yourself.

See y'all next week for Haley's 21st Birthday (who's keeping age tabs BTW?)

QUOTES

- Haley: (to Claire, re: Victor giving the flower) I knew you'd never let me go out with an ex-con.

Phil: Hey, maybe it's Dylan trying to win you back.

Claire: (to Haley) So, Victor... that's a closed door?

- Cam: (to Lily) Okay, I've got a surprise for you!

Lily: It better not be another baby.

- Manny: (re: Jay going to a dog's birthday party) I had my fifth birthday in a break room of a Dar Wienerschnitzel, but good for Buster.

- Jay: (to Manny) Where were you when I was growing up? I'd've had your dice and cigarettes before you got to homeroom.

Manny: Where'd you go to school? Guys and Dolls?

- Lily: So, Larry's allowed to sit on the couch and I'm not?

Cam: Well, Larry is white.

Lily: Hey, you chose me.

Cam: Oh. That's not what I meant.

- Cam: (re: getting Brenda out of the house) Honestly, I don't know how straight guys do it.

Mitch: Probably without those hand gestures.

- Mitch: (re: Brenda on the couch) What is she doing here?

Cam: Well, she has a restless leg.

STRAY OBSERVATIONS

- Alex has a new (and single) bedroom? Since when?

- Speaking of guest stars, there was so much hype (at least on the theatre sites) around Tyne Daly guesting on MODFAM. But she hasn't been seen since October?! And she's playing Lily's teacher?! What gives? :-)

Episode MVP: Ariel Winter. This week, how could you not give it to her? She killed it!