By: Chris Pavone
Try out this week’s Modern Family recap, it tastes like Russia…
Jay takes Gloria, Cam, Mitchell, Phil and Claire to a glorious resort in Palm Springs to ring in the new year. Unfortunately it appears the glory fall off the palm, into the spring and washed away into oblivion…
Meanwhile, all is well back home where Alex (and Hayley) are in charge of babysitting the kids – Lily, Manny, and Luke. And just as you would think, they start out splendidly, leaving Lily on the front porch, while Manny and Luke disappear upstairs with a couple of girls.
Dinner doesn’t go so well for Jay, when Gloria falls asleep at the table, and he ditches her to rush back downstairs for dinner. He finds that the other four have vanished like smallpox, which coincidentally was around when Jay last visited the resort.
Although it doesn’t start as all planned – Mitch and Cam feel a bit too old at their first destination, before settling on a spot where they feel much, much younger. I’m talking the E-Trade baby at a Beach Boys concert younger…
After trying all of his usual Manny, gentlemanly tricks that would woo the socks off a woman triple his age, he eventually acts like a real man and tells his date to stop being such a bitch (hey may or may not have used those exact terms).
Phil and Claire realize that their love life is lacking and decide to take their bellhop’s advice and visit the hot spring for a romantic night under the stars. To their dismay, they realize they were invited to a ‘Nude Year’s Eve’ – a hot spring filled with other naked men and maybe a woman?
Hayley does a pretty great job, along with Alex, babysitting their little brother Luke as they try desperately to hold onto his youth, all while doing what they despise their mother for.
Although ditched by his family, Jay has the best New Year’s of them all, meeting Billy Dee Williams and playing a few rounds of poker, before sharing a tremendous view with Gloria, Billy Dee and a dozen grapes…
A Few Last Thoughts…
- I enjoyed the role reversal of Hayley being forced into a motherly role, where she truly stepped right into Claire’s shoes and felt the fear of losing her brother’s innocence. At the same time, the theme of the entire episode and the root of all the adult character’s fears at New Year’s Eve was simplified down to Hayley’s worry of watching Luke’s youth slip away.
- “We should start calling her ranch house because she doesn’t have a second story.” – Cam
- “If we were hot, we’d be drinking right now.” – Mitchell
- “Let’s just say it’s cool, it’s sweet, and it’s not afraid to embrace its own whimsy.” – Manny
- “I’m cold and I saw a coyote.” Lily after being left outside on the porch
Grab yourself some fro-yo and leave a comment on tonight’s episode…
