BWW Recap: Gloria's Sister Visits, Juliana Meets Phil on a Valentine's MODERN FAMILY

It's V-day on MODERN FAMILY, and what does that mean? The return of Clive and Juliana, of course! The alter-ego's fourth appearance (I don't believe Phil and Claire have brought them back since S3) may easily be one of their best, if not entirely because of the execution of this plot. At the start, Phil wants to bring back Clive and Juliana, but Claire doesn't. So, Phil drops the gag, and goes as himself for Valentine's. But it's quickly revealed that Claire's resistance was a ruse - she just wanted to separate herself from her sexier doppleganger. So, the night ends up being Phil and Juliana - brilliant! Claire's at her naughtiest and Phil's just... Phil. A pairing you can't help but laugh at!

Or feel sorry for, when it becomes apparent to Claire that Phil's a little too into Julianna... and not too much into her. What transpires next I won't spoil here, but I'll just say it reminds me again of the earlier MODERN FAMILY episodes, and reminds me why I fell in love (ha! see what I did there? And I wasn't even trying!) with this show in the first place.

Mitch and Cam attend a Valentine's Day party in honor of their friends' - Anders and Cooper (yes, I know how it sounds when you say them both out loud and they made that joke, too) - first anniversary. Thing is, they bring with a courtesy gift that they actually want to keep for themselves. They arrive, and find out that Anders (who, by the way, is played by Broadway's Roger Bart, of THE PRODUCERS and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN fame), has split from Cooper. So, they decide it's the perfect time to snatch back their gift! Unfortunately, Cam retrieves the wrong gift, and has to go back again. A consistent farcical switching of gifts follows - and again, I'll bring up my weekly admiration for the one-liners - and it makes for one of the most enjoyable plot lines for this two all season.

Such a clever storyline and great use of the Valentine's Day theme, without beating us over the head with it. It serves as an introduction, but doesn't fully consume the plot line, leaving the traditional Valentine's Day plot for Phil/Claire, and another new inventive plot line for Jay and Gloria.

Yes, in the Pritchett-Delgado household, Gloria's sister, Sonia, has come to visit. Her flight out is delayed, so Gloria suggests Jay cancels their Valentine's plans and the three of them can have dinner together. Much to Jay's chagrin, who's been feeling neglected. Boy is that about to change. While trying to give a Valentine's Day gift to Stella (ha!), Jay comes across Sonia, distraught over being alone on V-Day. Feeling bad, he gives her his gift to Stella, and Sonia immediately gets the wrong message. It elevates into an all-out war between the two sisters fighting over Jay, and Manny's involvement in the way it all happens is quite hilarious! It's another one you'll have to see for yourself (no direct spoilers here), but trust me, it's worth it.

General note: IMHO, one of the best episodes ever written of this series, and definitely of the season! The writers really step it up a notch when it comes to holiday episodes, but I think the fact that they're able to now build upon five previous seasons of past material is what really makes this episode shine. We know them... so no introductions... now we can just play. And that's what they do. A+.

SOME FAVORITE QUOTES

- Phil: Clive Bixby - speaker salesman by day, spy by night. Lover also by night, and sometimes, during the day. The speaker business, it- it pretty much runs itself.

- Cam: That was hard.

Mitch: So hard.

Cam: Probably how Lily's birth mother felt.

Mitch: Except we don't have nine other paintings by five different painters.

- Anders: (re: Cooper) I thought we were in love. You think you know the person sleeping in the next bedroom.

- Jay: (to Manny, re: his date) Sounds like Amy turned you down.

Manny: Like a bed in a five-star hotel.

- Gloria: (re: her problems with Sonia) You know, sister things. Like... I never like how she always borrows my brush, or she never liked how I stole her one chance to escape the village and left her there taking care of my mother...things like that.

- Jay, on Valentine's Day: I know only girls are supposed to care about Valentine's Day, but- eh, what am I crying about? We get paid more, so what the hell?

- Sonia: (to Jay, re: cooking a meal) Maybe someday I'll be preparing it for a husband of my own. Thank you for not laughing and falling on the floor like my mother does when I say such things.

- Manny: Young woman meets wealthy older man. Who wants a kid in the way?

Jay: That's the first airtight thing you've said today.

STRAY OBSERVATIONS

- In the Pritchett-Delgado household, less prominently, Manny's love turned him down. Now, I know I speak a lot about the blandness of recycled plots, but this scenario plays into Manny's character more than just being a plot line. Nice that the writers bring this back every year! It adds some (more) continuity.

- Did anyone catch Jay's mention that DeeDee's sisters are named CeeCee and Bebe? B, C, D? Had me in stitches!

Photo Credit: ABC

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