This column follows the ABC show “Modern Family,” which airs at 9 PDT on Wednesdays. Check here regularly for a synopsis and commentary on each episode.

After the 10th episode, “Modern Family” went on its winter hiatus. Commentaries on episodes that aired after the break are available in this article. For summaries of the fall episodes, as well as recaps of past seasons, read ‘Modern Family’ commentary, Part I.

‘The One That Got Away’ (Ep. 24)
Originally aired on May 25, 2011

In order to celebrate Jay’s birthday, the family is in need to find or make a birthday gift. Since the kids forgot something last year, Claire suggests that they make a video of the family saying what Jay means to them. While everyone else is preparing for the party, Jay decides that he wants to spend the day fishing.

After having a stressful morning, Cameron drops by Jay’s house hoping that Lily can spend the rest of the day with Gloria. During his visit, Manny informs Cam that he is going to a friends house and is trying to impress a girl with baseball. To help his nephew, Cam decides to teach Manny how to play.

While shopping at the local mall, Phil encounters his college enemy who constantly tries to one-up Phil. Shortly after talking to his enemy, Phil runs into Gloria and instantly realizes that Gloria can pose to be his wife in order to aggravate his nemesis.

To surprise their father, Claire and Mitchell dress up like they did as kids to retake a cherished photo from their childhood. To make everything perfect, the siblings go to their old house, which is exactly the same except for an added fence. Soon Claire and Mitchell realize that the fence was added to tame a dog.

On his way to fishing, the dog groomer calls Jay to come and pick up his dog, further delaying him from leaving. While hiding in a tree house from the dog, Claire’s car gets towed, causing Jay to also pick up his children.

As Jay is helping his kids, Cam is helping Manny by giving advice over the phone. Even though Cam is truly giving safe advice, his comments are taken out of context since he is in a public place. This causes him to get kicked out and, due to this issue, Cam calls Jay to come pick the cake up since he is unable to, causing Jay to forfeit his plans altogether.

Both Haley and Alex watch the captured footage of their family members, but, unfortunately, each individual doesn’t give the kids good responses to the questions they ask them. In order to salvage their gift, Luke says he will work his “movie magic” and people will never know.

Later that evening, everyone gathers at Jay’s house in order to celebrate his birthday. Cam asks Manny how it went with the girl, and Manny said that they are going on a date; once again Cam gives his nephew advice.

Although the family attempted to throw a great party, they apologize for it not being perfect. Jay also apologizes for acting childish when he was not able to go fishing. Luke edits the video so it?s presentable, but unfortunately it is really short and over in the blink of an eye. Manny calls Jay out to the swimming pool, where there is a boat, and tells Jay that he can still go fishing.

Mitchell asks Cameron if they want to have another kid, and he replied with a yes, but asks for a boy. After feeling guilty about using Gloria as a fake wife, Phil constantly sucks up to his wife and compliments her beauty.

Overall this episode was enjoyable as was the entire season. Modern Family is a show that can be watched at any time and always brightens my mood. Every time I watch an episode I feel happy and energized afterwards; I’ve never been let down.

Throughout the season there were many episodes that I could relate too, which made them even more humorous. Months after an episode airs I still find myself discussing them with fellow viewers, laughing over every enjoyable moment.

The second season was just as entertaining as the first. I cannot wait until next fall for a whole new season of my favorite television family, encountering even more humorous situations.

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‘See You Next Fall’ (Ep. 23)
Originally aired on May 18, 2011

Since Alex is graduating middle school as valedictorian, she prepares a class speech while Phil and Claire worry about losing their child. Even though it appears that Claire is keeping it together, Phil is trying to comfort his wife so he can leave for Las Vegas the next day with friends.

Both Mitchell and Cameron play outside with Lily in a kiddy pool, but, as Mitchell dries Lily off, Cam falls into the pool, which causes Mitchell to laugh hysterically. Cam takes offense to Mitchell laughing since it was a situation that isn’t funny, but rather one where he could have been seriously hurt.

Jay arrives at his house, but cannot get in because the front gate is broken. In order to get in, Jay calls Gloria to open the gate, but in confusion she hangs up leaving Jay at the gate and unable to get in. As Jay walks in, Gloria notices that the left side of his face looks odd, which Jay waves off by explaining that the dermatologists accidentally put numbing cream on his face.

As Alex is practicing her speech, Claire walks in to ask if she wants to get her nails done before graduation, but Alex declines in order to go over her speech some more. Though disappointed, Claire understands and leaves her daughter alone. Shortly after, Haley walks in to tell her sister that if she says the prepared speech she will have no friends in high school and instead gives her advice on what to say.

Before the ceremony, Haley takes Alex to school while the rest of the family gathers at Jay’s house. While waiting to leave, Mitchell shares the story of Cam falling, but nobody laughs. Later, Cam walks into a glass door then walking through a screen door, thus causing the entire Pritchett clan to laugh more, which irritates Cam. Aside from Cam’s exasperation, the family learns that Jay got Botox done, which is why his face is deformed-looking.

In attempt to leave Jay’s house, the entire family is stuck in the driveway due to the gate malfunctioning. As Claire is freaking out, Cam tries to fix the gate, while Gloria pulls out a tandem bicycle for Claire and Phil. The couple ride the bike to the school, but along the way the bike chain breaks, leaving them stranded.

After the couple leaves, the gate randomly opens, allowing the rest of the family to make the ceremony on time. Before Alex gives her speech, Luke realizes that his parents are not there, but in the background we see the couple rolling down a hill in efforts to get to their seats. Cam laughs at Claire and Phil, explaining to Mitchell that it is truly funny since they are in a formal setting yet a comical event is taking place.

Although Alex initially began her speech with the one she prepared, she quickly changes her mind and takes her sister’s advice ending with a crowd pleasing statement. After the speech, the family congregates together to eat, but Alex wants to attend a party she was invited to. Her parents allow her, but then gravitate toward Haley since they feel like they are “losing Alex, but gaining back Haley.”

This episode perfectly captures the emotions that parents feel this time of year. As the school year comes to a close, there are graduations occurring, which can cause sadness from parents as their child is growing up. Since I only have one year left of high school, I know that my parents are experiencing sadness due to me potentially moving out in a year.

Aside from Alex graduating, the constant comical events surrounding Cameron are hysterical since the actor is very expressive with facial movements. Also, during Cameron’s humorous moments Mitchell frequently laughs, thus creating a more entertaining moment for the audience. Overall, I was not disappointed during this episode and look forward to next week’s season finale.

‘Good Cop Bad Dog’ (Ep. 22)
Originally aired on May 11, 2011

Manny is over at the Dunphy house and all the kids are fighting, which causes Claire to become irritated by all of the yelling. As Claire is scolding the children, Phil undermines her by saying to the kids that they should ignore her and that he loves them. Due to being exhausted of being the bad cop, Claire and Phil decide to reverse parental rolls.

While Claire takes the boys to have fun and ride go-carts, Phil is to stay home and supervise over Haley and Alex, who failed to clean their bathroom. At first, the girls tell their father they are done and are going to the mall, but Phil realizes that they have not done anything. Phil chases after the car and forces them to come back inside.

According to Jay, once a month Gloria brings home vagrants who need work and, although Jay loves his wife’s big heart, it is the one thing he would change about her. The man Gloria brought home had an invention with good dog treats and bad dog treats, so when a dog does something good then they get good treats and when they are bad then they get a bad one. Jay is honest with the guy and tells him that his invention is no good.

Gloria is upset at her husband for not “sugar coating” his opinion even though she too felt the invention was poorly thought out. In embarrassment, the man leaves and takes his dog to a homeless shelter.

In attempt to have fun with the Luke and Manny, Claire instead goes over the top, which causes the boys to be reserved and not voice their opinion. As the boys are ordering lunch, Claire orders a lot of food despite their opposition. On their way home, Claire asks the boys if they want to ride roller coasters, but Luke ends up getting sick from all of the food.

Due to their lie, Phil decides to become more strict towards the girls regarding their cleaning and duct tapes their laptop close as a punishment. Aside from excessive cleaning, Phil also refuses to feed the girls lunch and has them clean the car after Luke got sick. Claire decides that the reverse rolls does not work for them since Phil is a terrible bad cop and she is an awful good cop.

Mitchell buys concert tickets to see Lady Gaga, but Cameron is sick and unable to attend. Mitchell decides to take care of Cam all day so he would feel less guilty, however, as Mitchell is about to ask Cam if he can go, he realizes that Cam is knocked out from all of the cold medicine and decides to go. As Mitchell is walking out of the door, Cam comes to, causing Mitchell to apologize, only to once again pass out. Ultimately, Mitchell goes to the Lady Gaga concert.

Since the man that came over to the Pritchett’s left his dog at a shelter, Gloria adopted her for the family. At first, Jay is opposed, but then fell in love with the dog, allowing the family to keep her.

When Cam woke up later that night, Mitchell is sitting next to him as if he had been there all night. As Cam walks to bed, he pointed out that Mitchell is still wearing his light up necklace from the concert.

The plot line between Phil and Claire this episode was the best, outshining the rest of the episode. Although there was entertaining moments throughout the entire episode, I connected better with Claire and Phil’s reversed roles. Typically, my father is a worse disciplinary then my mom, so I learned at a young age to never upset my father.

Also, I liked how Mitchell still wanted to attend the concert despite Cam being sick. I laughed at this because a man will leave his wife when she is sick to do what he wants, instead of nursing her, and that is what Mitchell did.

Even though Jay has the persona of being a tough guy, deep down he is sensitive and will do what it takes to please his family. Since he knew that Manny wanted to keep the dog, he decided that there will be no harm with a new addition to the family; satisfying both his step-son and himself. As the season winds down, each episode is still as entertaining as the one before, which gives me high hopes for the season finale.

‘Mother’s Day’ (Ep. 21)
Originally aired on May 4, 2011

Since it is Mother’s Day, Claire decides to wear a t-shirt and hat the kids made when they were little. The kids question their mom?s fashion choice, but Claire explains that since it is a day about her, she wants to wear the things her children made out of love.

At the Pritchett house, Jay gives Gloria a diamond necklace, while Manny gives her a necklace made of Fruit Loops. Gloria thinks that both gifts are wonderful, but then Jay confesses that the diamonds aren’t real and takes them away stating that he will buy her a new one. Due to Jay’s confession, Manny decides to also come clean, and explains that he used generic cereal; Gloria is left with no gifts.

Although Mother’s Day is typically celebrated to promote female “mothers,” Mitchell makes Cam breakfast in bed to commend his work with Lily, but Cam takes offense to the gesture. Mitchell quickly explains to Cameron that he does not think of him as the women in the relationship, but then we see clips of him referring to Cam as his wife.

Claire and Gloria take the kids for a nature walk while Jay and Phil make dinner, but, during the walk, the children are constantly complaining, causing the moms to become irritated. Since Claire has had enough, she bans the kids from continuing on the hike and, to limit their happiness, she tells them to think about their actions since it is Mother’s Day. Later, the Dunphy kids make a pact to not apologize to their mom.

While the women and kids are on the hike, Cam and Mitchell go to the park with Lily and explain to each other how frustrating it is when other people think of them like women. After they finished this discussion, the couple encounters friends with their children. The fathers want to take pictures of the mothers with their kids and immediately pull Cameron to join in.

Even though Jay and Phil would rather be hiking, they are tasked to make dinner using Jay’s mom’s recipes. While the men are cooking, Phil puts on onion goggles, and Jay says that he looks ridiculous. After Phil takes off the goggles, he finds a recipe that Jay wrote when he was nine for the perfect mother, thus causing Jay to get teary eyed. Phil asks if his father-in-law would like to talk about his feelings, but Jay declines, explaining that it was the onions that make him cry.

Due to frustration from her kids, Claire explains to Gloria that it is ok to not always like what the kids want to do. At first, Gloria is shocked that Claire would say such a thing, but then she also complains about Manny. Unfortunately, Manny heard this entire conversation and becomes upset with his mom.

Even though Gloria was being honest about her feelings towards Manny, she apologizes, telling her son that Claire made her say those awful things. Claire firmly believes that they kids need to hear the truth and that they cannot be spoon-fed their entire life.

Before dinner starts at the Pritchett house, Mitchell apologizes to Cam and says that everyone sees his warm and nurturing side. After this apology, Claire attempts to get an apology out of Luke, but his sisters tell him to stay strong and remain in the pact. As the family gathers around the table, Phil informs them of Jay’s sensitive moment.

During the dinner, the family talks about Jay’s mom and all the fond memories they had of her until Jay once again has a breakdown. As Jay is crying, Cam runs over and hugs him and Haley and Alex apologize to their mom. Later that night, Phil takes a picture of the kids asleep with their mom to preserve the moment.

I throughly enjoyed this episode; definitely the best one of the season. This episode was packed with humor, as there was never a dull moment during the 30-minute show. Every element and joke was easily relatable to, no matter how old the viewer.

It was very interesting to see the contrast between Jay and Phil against Cameron and Mitchell. Jay and Phil do not talk about feelings even though Phil thinks it is healthy for Jay to talk about his mom, while Cam and Mitchell frequently express their emotions. Also, it is very entertaining to see Eric Stonestreet, who play Cameron, act overly flamboyant since, in real life, he is straight.

This episode is by far my favorite from both season one and two. I highly encourage viewers to watch this episode if they missed it, due to the constant family friendly humor.

‘Someone to Watch Over Lily’ (Ep. 20)
Originally aired on April 20, 2011

After Mitchell and Cameron begin to discuss who should be Lily?s guardians if something were to happen to them, they decide to randomly stop by their family members’ houses to see how they function on the spot.

In the morning, Mitchell and Cam stop by the Pritchetts’ unannounced, where Gloria says that she always loves to see Lily as long as she never refers to her as grandma. In complete contrast to the Pritchett house is the Dunphys’, where Mitchell and Cameron witness both broken glass and a small fire; automatically Mitchell and Cam know that Lily would be safest at the Pritchetts’.

After reflecting on their experience at the Dunphys’, Mitchell mentions something to Gloria about being Lily?s guardian, who becomes excited for the day to come. Due to her enthusiasm, Gloria offers to take Lily to the mall to buy her clothes and get her ears pierced. Mitchell misunderstands her, and says yes because he thinks Gloria says “hair rings.”

In order to take Alex to cello practice, Haley?s friend drove both girls, hoping to drop off Alex and spend the day with Hayley. However, Alex tells Haley that her teacher was not there and, instead, she will just spend the day with them. Meanwhile, in the search for Lily’s gardians, even though Gloria seems to be a perfect match for her, Cam is unsure whether Jay should be the guardian, which Mitchell takes offense to this since Jay raised him.

While shopping for Manny?s camping gear, Jay pressures Manny to climb a rock wall despite his fear. Cam tells Jay that instead of bullying Manny, he should show him it will be ok. Since Cam brought it up, he climbed the wall, but, while doing so, Mitchell informed his father that he is a candidate to be Lily?s guardian, causing him to let go of the safety rope holding Cam, resulting in a fall.

Due to Luke’s unusual mannerisms, Claire decides to send him to therapy, which worries Phil because he does not want his son to become a target at school. After Luke’s session, the doctor talks with his parents and informs them that Luke is easily distracted, but Claire worries that her son is turning into Phil; in a bad way.

As Phil and Claire leave the office, they fight over what the doctor said, causing Phil to exaggerate his actions and become more child-like. During the argument, both speed off in their cars, leaving Luke behind in the parking structure.

Since another girl called Haley unkind names, she is getting revenge by filling the girl’s locker with shaving cream. During their prank, Alex and Haley outrun a janitor to avoid getting caught. While the girls are hiding, Alex confesses that she skipped cello lessons to spend time with Haley and that she doesn?t really like playing the instrument.

Gloria comes back from the mall with Lily?s ears pierced, causing Cam and Mitchell to go ballistic. Mitchell tells Gloria that he is not ok with this and thought she was buying Lily hair rings due to Gloria?s accent, which baffles everyone, as no one seems to know what hair rings are.

After Claire apologizes to Phil, they both realize that they left Luke by himself. As they rush off to find him, he pulls up in a limo after encountering a wedding couple, which causes the Dunphys’ to realize that he will be just fine since he found his way home.

After the ordeal in the sporting good store, Manny informs Jay that he doesn?t want to go to camp because of the shower setup. Instead of forcing him to go, Jay tells Manny that he is behind him in whatever decision he makes. Mitchell and Cameron decide that the Pritchetts should be Lily?s guardians if something were to happen to the them. Claire takes offense because she felt like she wasn?t even considered, but, as she is making her argument, Phil informs her that they have to pick up Haley and Alex at the police station.

This episode was entertaining, but I still found the previous week?s episode to be better. I really enjoyed the earring mishap with Gloria; it?s always funny when the writers make jokes with her accent because some of her words sound similar.

Another amusing aspect of the episode was when the Dunphy’s forget Luke — how can a parent forget their child? It created a great storyline. Overall, I?m really glad that there was another new episode of ‘Modern Family’ after the various brief hiatuses, and I look forward to next week?s episode.

‘The Musical Man’ (Ep. 19)
Originally aired on April 13, 2011

In order to promote his real-estate business, Phil uses his family as advertisement since he wants to show off what he believes to be his best attribute. Although Phil?s intent is to market his business, the ad campaign — plastered on his car — is unknowingly taken out of context and seen as an escort service.

Claire finds out that Haley got an average score on the SAT, and is proud that her daughter is average and able to attend college. Haley tells her parents that she no longer wants to attend a university, causing them to become frustrated with her.

Cameron becomes the drama director of the middle school Luke and Manny attend. To live his dream as a musical director, Cam writes an entire play for which the kids can perform, but Mitchell is unsure that the children will be able to learn it in a short period of time.

Manny has a crush on a fellow classmate and asks his mother for advice about capturing a girl?s attention. To help her son, Gloria tells him that he needs to woo the girl and impress her. After explaining this to Manny, Jay walks in and completely destroys the moment by revealing that his brother Donny is visiting. Gloria is not overly-excited that Donny is visiting since the brothers fight the entire time — something Gloria does not understand about their relationship.

After taking his mother?s advice, Manny talks to the girl he likes and tells her that he feels like they have become family while working on the play. The girl replies, ?Yeah, your like my brother,? which, unfortunately for Manny, was not the response he was hoping for. Then Luke walks in and interrupts their conversation by capturing the little girl’s attention, who thinks Luke is hysterical.

To appease Gloria, Jay decides that it is time for him to get to know his brother, but Donny is worried because they never talk. After briefly chatting, Donny tells Jay that he has prostate cancer, but he will be fine since the doctors caught it early. Now that Jay knows his brother has cancer he is concerned, but Donny tells him to not get all girly because they love each other through jokes, not emotions.

Unbeknownst to Claire and Haley, the van has pictures of them with slogans that can be taken sexually, and other drivers constantly honk their horns at them. After driving around town for the day, people see the advertisement and bombard Phil’s phone with calls, who is able to quickly figure out what is happening. To prevent Claire from seeing what is on the car, he rushes over to the middle school since the family will be there for the kids’ play.

Manny tells Mitchell that he no longer wants Cam to direct the play and wants his uncle to tell him. Mitchell, however, says that he can?t get involved and that the kids have to do it. After their discussion, Manny stands up to Cam with the support of his classmates, but Cam tells the kid too bad and that they are doing the play his way.

While at the musical, Phil does his best to prevent the family from seeing the van door, which causes Claire to wonder what’s gotten into Phil. During the play, Luke is hoisted up, but then gets stuck and spends the rest of the performance in the air. Although Phil is supposed to be watching the musical, he is outside trying to peel the ad off of the van.

Even though the kids want to stop the play because everything seems to go wrong, Cam believes the final number will save the musical. Since Luke was still hoisted in the air, he was not in his proper place holding the letter ?L? and instead a random “F” was there, spelling out “We love the F-word” when it should have read, “We love the world”.

After the play, Claire sees the van and flips out. She then realizes that she still had plenty of good years left since Phil receives 30 calls regarding the ad.

I?m so glad that Modern Family is back and will hopefully air weekly instead of being off and on. This episode was definitely one of the funnier ones, but I felt the van slogan could have been a little more family friendly despite how funny it was. Phil’s mishap on his advertisement completely sums up his personality and how much of a dork he truly is.

As usual, the dynamics between Cameron and Mitchell are the best, as they are definitely the funniest couple on the show. I look forward to next week?s episode and hope for constant humor.

‘Boys’ Night (Ep. 18)
Originally aired on March 23, 2011

Since Manny is unwilling to try something new, Gloria makes scrambled eggs instead of his normal breakfast containing soft-boiled eggs, which causes a dispute. The Dunphy clan is playing baseball as family-bonding time, but Claire hits the ball over the fence, quickly ending the game. Luke says that he will go next door and get it, but his parents say no since Mr. Kleezak (Philip Baker Hall) is “mean.”

Mitchell and Cameron are having a boys’ night out with their heterosexual friends, and they call Claire to see if she can babysit Lily. Although Claire had been their first choice, Haley ends up getting the job despite Cam’s opposition. Luke goes to Mr. Kleezak’s house to retrieve the baseball, but he says no to Luke. Although Mr. Kleezak is stern in his response, Luke is relentless and begins asking questions regarding the oxygen tank, until Mr. Kleezak eventually gives in.

After spending a lot of time with Mr. Kleezak, Luke grows fond of him, until his parents ban their son from spending time with their neighbor. Luke gets upset, saying how his parents never like his friends and that he should not be punished for their fear of meeting Mr. Kleezak. The Pritchetts attend a classical play, but Jay does not want to go, causing Gloria to get on his case about trying something new, after she had been lecturing Manny.

Before heading out to boys’ night, Cam is nervous about letting his niece, Haley, watch Lily, but reluctantly gives in. While at the bar, Cam and Mitchell run into Jay, who ends up joining the crew containing three men. At first, Mitchell is opposed to the idea, but he ends up bonding with his father.

Although Claire and Phil had had their oppositions to Mr. Kleezak, they go to his house in order to meet him. Once inside, they think he is dead when he is actually in a deep sleep in the chair. Having startled the old man, they discuss how Luke is spending a lot of time with their neighbor, which causes Mr. Kleezak to burst out with, “Just leave me alone!”

While having a good time with Jay and the rest of the guys, Cam sees a guy walking around his house through the camera on his computer. Immediately, he calls Haley and chews her out for having a boy in the house, but Haley defends herself. In actuality, Dylan is just babysitting with her.

The next morning, Jay is hungover and receives a call from Pepper (Nathan Lane), who is on his way to pick up Jay for their day of shopping. Although Jay has no recollection of this conversation, Mitchell tells his father that he had made a “date” while he was drunk the previous night. In an effort to get out of it, Jay asks his wife to make up an emergency. But when Pepper arrives, Gloria fails to do so, causing Jay to go shopping with him.

In an effort to be nicer, Mr. Kleezak brings the Dunphys onions and says that Luke can come over any time. After receiving a phone call from her boyfriend, who had left his shoes at Cam’s house, Haley rushes over to her uncles’ to find them. Although she again makes Cameron feel bad for not trusting her, he pulls out Dylan’s shoes and does not lecture her anymore.

I am so happy that the show is back on after a two-week hiatus, and I found this episode just as funny as all the others. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Jay spending the night with Cam and Mitchell and all of their friends, since Jay acts more feminine in this setting, toning down his typical macho persona.

Also, I enjoyed the dynamics between Haley and Cameron during this episode, as it is not common for the writers to pen a plot line between these two characters. It was very entertaining to watch Haley lash out at her uncle for not trusting her. But when Cam actually knows Dylan is over, he maintains his role as the cool uncle and lets it slide.

‘Two Monkeys and a Panda’ (Ep. 17)
Originally aired on March 3, 2011

While looking for lip balm, Phil finds a gift certificate for a spa day and asks his wife if she would like to go. Claire says that she does not have time to spend an entire day focused on herself. After this discussion, Haley argues with Alex since her younger sister is wearing her favorite sweater. To retaliate, Haley tells Alex that she will wear her sister’s favorite nerdy shirt, which has Albert Einstein on the front.

Later, Claire is taking Alex to her music lessons. As they are leaving, Alex snags the sweater and rips a big hole in it. Claire wants her daughter to be close and talk about boys, like she used to do with Mitchell, and attempts to fix it by buying a new sweater.

Jay is paranoid as to where he and Gloria will be buried, and decides to take his wife to a crypt so they can see where they will rest after death. Gloria gets upset and says that when she dies, she wants to be in the ground instead of being inside of a “filing cabinet.”

After watching an episode of “Oprah,” Cameron is worried about Lily’s reaction when she finds out that she is adopted. In order to cope, Cam decides to write a children’s book titled “Two Monkeys and a Panda.” While doing so, he stumbles across Lily?s adoption papers and realizes that Lily’s last name is not Tucker-Pritchett, as it should be, but that the middle name is Tucker and the last name is Pritchett. Cam claims that this was Mitchell’s plan all along, but Mitchell denies the accusation.

Since Claire said she was unable to go to the spa with her husband, Phil decides to go by himself. While relaxing, Phil talks with the surrounding women, until Claire calls and yells on speaker phone about how she is stressed about finding a new sweater for Haley. Instead of listening, Phil decides to give his input, which further causes Claire to get upset. After the phone call, the women give Phil advice to be supportive of his wife during her “problems” and to listen instead of giving his input.

While at the crypt, Jay and Gloria meet their “neighbors,” who are paranoid to know who will be buried around them. After seeing Gloria, the couple is worried that Jay will die first and then his wife will remarry and not be buried in the crypt, so a stranger would be buried there in her stead. Since Gloria is already upset, she tells the couple that she will remarry if she is to be buried in a crypt.

Later, Mitchell admits to Cam’s accusation that he intentionally put Lily’s last name as Pritchett instead of Tucker-Pritchett. Mitchell explains that he had been worried Cam would leave them, because before the couple got Lily, Cam was a nervous wreck that he couldn’t be a parent. Due to this fear, Mitchell did not want Lily to share the last name of the guy who might leave them.

Claire rushes home after finding another sweater, but the store had left the security censor on. In Claire’s effort to pull it off, the censor breaks, causing ink to explode all over it. Immediately after Claire pulls the tag off, Haley walks in. After seeing the ink stain, Haley yells at Alex for ruining her favorite sweater.

As the girls go upstairs, Phil walks in and sympathizes with his wife. Claire is touched by Phil’s sudden act of compassion. But when he asks if she notices anything different, Claire says nothing, hurting Phil’s feelings.

To apologize, Jay tells Gloria to put him in a coffee can on the mantle when he dies. Since this is simpler, Gloria is happy with Jay’s sudden change of heart. After hurting Cam’s feelings, Mitch apologizes and says he just called to get Lily’s last name fixed. During his apology, Mitch reads Cam’s story, causing Cam to forgive him.

Although this episode was entertaining, I was disappointed because I thought it would contain family charades after seeing weeks of advertisements on this topic. I thought there was a possibility it would air this week after the Academy Awards. Even though the charades plot was advertised during the Oscars, this week’s episode was different.

After I got over my disappointment, I thought the episode was entertaining. In particular, I thoroughly enjoyed Gloria’s outburst about the crypt.

Of all the kids, Manny is my favorite. Even though he has a small role, I’m always entertained when he is onscreen.

‘Regrets Only’ (Ep. 16)
Originally aired on Feb. 23, 2011

In the opening sequence, Phil asks Claire if she is all right after staying the night on the couch. The viewer is unaware of why Claire and Phil were fighting, but Phil is also oblivious to Claire’s motives in the argument.

To satisfy his wife, Jay purchases a karaoke machine for Gloria. Although his intentions are good, the plan backfires on him since Gloria is an awful singer.

In preparation for a benefit, Cam wants to move around the furniture in his house. Both Mitchell and Cam dispute over the issues of who actually listens to the other.

Due to the fight between Claire and Phil, Jay comes over to fix the microwave, since during the tussle the door of the microwave was broken off. While Jay is at the Dunphys, he asks the couple what had happened the previous night, but neither one gives a clear answer.

Both Jay and Claire go to the mall to buy a new microwave, while Gloria stays with Phil to cut his hair. In order to get a car, Haley tells her family that she is a waitress at a restaurant, even though Alex knows her sister is lying.

As Mitchell and Cam are in the car, Cam reveals his excitement for the benefit while Mitchell realizes he had forgot to mail in invitations. In desperation, Mitchell runs around town inviting random people to attend, while Luke is helping Cam set up at home.

While Gloria is cutting Phil’s hair, she asks about the fight, helping him understand why Claire is upset. As he is explaining, Gloria leans into Phil, causing his face to be pressed against her chest, creating an awkward moment. While at the mall, Claire receives a massage to relieve tension, but creates awkward noises, causing Jay to feel uncomfortable.

Although Mitchell does his best by telling Cam about the invitations, Cam receives a phone call from a person who explains how they never received an invite. Cam is furious at Mitchell because this incident coincides with the dispute they had earlier about listening to each other.

In order to catch Haley, Alex asks her father if they could eat dinner where Haley works, and Phil happily agrees. While at the restaurant, Haley is actually a paying customer instead of a waitress, and orders food for her family. Soon after, Phil tries to make up with Claire, but makes a comment that causes Claire to go ballistic.

As Claire is storming out, Phil (along with the viewer) realizes that Claire is mad at her husband because he never listens to her or takes her suggestions seriously. To cover up for not having a job, Haley blames Claire’s outburst for causing her daughter to lose her “job.”

While at Cam’s benefit, Phil apologizes to Claire, stating that she has changed him in many ways. Along with the Dunphy make up, Mitchell comes through for Cameron and brings with him various townspeople to attend the benefit.

In the last scene, Jay explains how marriages take a lot of work and are sometimes excruciating. As this is happening, Manny yells to Gloria to destroy the karaoke machine before it destroys the family, then turns to Jay and calls him a coward for not saying anything.

I found this episode to be more entertaining than the previous two. The dynamics between the “older” couple, Jay and Gloria, helping the younger couple, Phil and Claire, were interesting, since Jay and Gloria are also facing an issue in their marriage.

I also enjoyed Alex, who wanted to out her sister about not truly having a car. It reminds me of typical sibling behavior. I look forward to next week’s episode, anticipating more family dynamics.

‘Princess Party’ (Ep. 15)
Originally aired on Feb. 16, 2011

Claire’s and Mitchell’s mother, DeDe (Shelley Long), is coming to visit the family, causing Claire’s anxiety to increase. To prepare the kids, Phil tells his children to stay away from their mother, since she tends to go crazy around Nana. Often times Nana makes every situation about her, which causes rifts between family members.

For Lily’s first birthday, Cam and Mitchell are holding a princess party. Since it’s a party, Cam wants to come as Fizbo the clown to entertain the guests. Cam and Mitchell argue over whether of not “Fizbo” can attend the gathering, causing Cameron’s feelings to be hurt.

Luke informs his mother that Nana has arrived while Alex is practicing music, creating an atmosphere as if something bad is about to occur. As a surprise, Nana brings Claire’s ex-boyfriend, Robbie (Matt Dillon), over for dinner. Robbie was unaware that Claire is married with children, due to DeDe’s lack of information, so Claire becomes furious with her mother.

Jay and Gloria struggle with recording their voices on an answering machine, due to an argument over whether or not to say “beep.” Later, as a gift for Lily, Jay and Gloria record their voices while reading “Goldie Locks and the Three Bears.” During the reading, Jay needs his glasses, leading to a delay, while Gloria reads her part obnoxiously.

While Nana is eating diner with the Dunphys, she reveals some of the wild things Claire did as a teenager with Robbie. This causes Haley to get irritated, since her mother restricts her from attending parties. Since DeDe is in town, Gloria at first does not want to attend Lily’s party for fear of DeDe’s overbearing attitude, but later decides that this is her family as well.

As dinner proceeds, Nana keeps telling stories about Claire’s past until Robbie decides to leave. Soon after, Claire realizes that Robbie had left his phone and rushes out to the car to give it back. As she does so, Claire sees her mother and Robbie making out.

Lily’s party is in full swing, but Cam is upset because he is not there as Fizbo. Instead of having a lighthearted clown, Mitchell booked a princess whose performance does not please Cam. Gloria is nervous about seeing DeDe and decides to take a shot of tequila before arriving, causing her to be drunk.

Robbie and Nana arrive at Lily’s party as he reveals how he always fantasized about DeDe. Claire finds this repulsive, but before she can say anything, Robbie tells DeDe that Claire is still in love with him. Claire blows up at her mother because she makes everything about herself instead of letting other people have the spot light.

Mitchell looks for something to pump everyone up for the party once again, so he lets Cam dress up as Fizbo to entertain the guests. DeDe explains to Claire that she does not want to be known as “Crazy Nana,” but then attacks Gloria because she is the problem. Phil immediately jumps in for Gloria, displaying his attraction toward her.

I thought this episode was better than last week’s. I thoroughly enjoy how the writers are bringing back elements from the first season, such as Fizbo.

I particularly thought that Gloria’s and Cameron’s characters did well in this episode. Cameron, with his diva attitude, is always entertaining to watch.

‘Bixby’s Back’ (Ep. 14)
Originally aired on Feb. 9, 2011

Since it is Valentine’s Day, Claire and Phil want to eat out for dinner, but can only get a reservation at 6:30 p.m. Unlike the previous year, the couple decides to have a quiet dinner instead of role-playing at a hotel. After a period of time, the dinner becomes boring, causing Claire to call her husband to meet her once again at the hotel from last year.

Cameron had meant to send Mitchell flowers, but finds out that the assistant has been withholding them. According to Cam, the assistant has a crush on Mitchell, but Mitchell denies the accusation in front of Cam, even though he believes it is valid.

Jay decides to surprise Gloria for Valentine’s Day with a five-course meal at home, but takes her to a restaurant with no reservation hoping Gloria will get mad. While at the restaurant, Jay tells the host to not let his wife get a table, since she is persuasive. Immediately afterward, however, Gloria succeeds.

While all the parents are out, the kids are at the Dunphy house watching movies. Haley is sad that her new boyfriend, David, is busy. However, Manny is happy, as he has a crush on her.

Since their dinner is a flop, Claire and Phil go to a hotel and attempt to “pick up each other.” As Phil is trying to woo Claire, she gives him a room key; but, since Phil is clumsy, he mixes up the key with another person’s. After Phil goes in the room, he positions himself as if his wife would walk in, but instead a stranger enters.

Cam arrives at the law firm to pick up Mitchell before they go out to dinner, but finds him in a meeting. While waiting, Mitchell’s assistant hugs Cam, causing him to believe that the crush is not on Mitchell but on himself. While at dinner, both Cam and Mitchell argue about whom the assistant has the crush on.

When Jay and Gloria arrive home, Gloria says she wants to go for a ride and begins to head to the garage. Jay tells her to come inside, because he has a surprise. However, when they walk in, nothing is set up. Gloria tells Jay that she had found out about his plans and had moved the setup to the garage.

The Dunphys go home after Phil’s mishap, which had caused him to nearly get arrested. But since the night is still young, they sneak into the house to resume their evening. To cheer up Haley, Dylan and his band perform a song for her, winning back her affection.

This episode was weak compared to the previous one. I thought the story line for Jay and Gloria was funny, but the one between Phil and Claire was poorly crafted.

It was interesting that the writers brought back a story line from the previous season, but they could have done a better job. I’m disappointed in this episode, especially compared to its successful one from two weeks ago. Hopefully, in the next episode, the writers will redeem themselves.

‘Caught in the Act’ (Ep. 13)
Originally aired on Jan. 19, 2011

Due to Manny’s spending time with his father, Jay and Gloria decide to vacation in Las Vegas. However, before leaving, Gloria has to send an e-mail to Claire about her not being able to help in the bake sale. Jay tells her to type how she feels, and Gloria accidently sends the e-mail containing some unkind words.

Nearby Mitchell’s and Cameron’s house, a new restaurant, called Amelia’s, opens up. Despite their interest in eating there, they have difficulty getting a reservation and decide to befriend the owner, whose young son attends the same school as Lily.

While at Amelia’s house, Cam casually works into the conversation how they cannot get into the restaurant. Before Amelia is able to explain how to get in, she receives an important phone call. As she is on the phone, Cam and Mitchell overhear her rudeness and temper, making both of them too afraid to ask any more questions.

Since it is Claire’s and Phil’s anniversary, the kids want to surprise them with breakfast in bed. As the kids walk in, they catch their parents “in the act” and, due to embarrassment, immediately rush out of the room. Soon afterward, the Dunphy kids decide to leave the house because they know their parents would want to talk about it.

Gloria calls Phil because she wants to talk to Claire about the email; however, Claire does not want to talk after the embarrassment of the kids walking in. Since Gloria is unaware of this reason, she tells Jay to turn around, wanting to talk to Claire in person. Gloria and Jay arrive at the Dunphys’ and realize that Claire has not been on her computer yet. Before Gloria attempts to delete the e-mail, she tells Claire that she can sympathize with how she feels. Since neither one knows what the other is talking about, the entire conversation is taken out of context.

Gloria eventually makes her way to Claire’s laptop, but encounters the problem of passcode protection. To delete the e-mail, Gloria lies, saying that she had accidently sent her an inappropriate picture of herself. Since Claire would not want to see the picture, she deletes the e-mail without opening it.

At Amelia’s house, Cam and Mitchell watch her son, Jackson, while his mom makes a quick run to the restaurant. When Amelia is gone, Cam realizes that he accidentally broke a juice box on Amelia’s expensive rug. Cam and Mitchell do not want Amelia to be mad at them, as she had been while on the phone, so they decide to blame it on her son. After realizing that Jackson is allergic to strawberries and had been going to receive a shot, they confess, causing Amelia to give them a dirty look.

The Dunphy kids go to a gas station to get breakfast and to escape “the talk” their parents will give them. After discussing, they conclude that they cannot escape it, so they will all smile and nod while thinking of something else. Both Claire and Phil talk to their kids and think they handle it very well. For their anniversary present, the kids give Claire and Phil a lock for their door, but the downside is that it makes a loud noise.

This episode was the best this season. I constantly laughed throughout the entire show; there was never a dull moment.

Although some of the jokes could be considered inappropriate, I thought the writers did a great job incorporating them so younger viewers would not understand the context. Hopefully next week’s episode is also funny, to follow this hilarious episode.

‘Our Children, Ourselves’ (Ep. 12)
Originally aired on Jan. 12, 2011

Both Claire and Phil wonder where Alex got her determination to be the best in school and worry that she is not spending enough time being a normal kid. After a discussion, Claire and Phil force Alex to stop studying and jump on the trampoline outside.

The next day, Alex informs her parents that she got the second highest grade, explaining, “I can only do so well with what I was given.” Claire takes offense to Alex’s comment and is concerned that they are idiots.

Cam and Mitchell are shopping with Lily at the local outdoor mall when Cam suddenly realizes that his daughter had stolen a toy from the toy store. As Cam is scolding Lily, Mitchell encounters his high school girlfriend, Tracy, but there is tension between them when she mentions that she is married.

After Tracy leaves, Mitchell explains that he had had a one-night stand — that is most likely why she was acting weird. While Mitchell is talking, he sees Tracy giving a little boy an ice cream cone, causing him to wonder if that is his son.

Gloria calls Jay to inform him that Mike and Stephanie Hoffman, whom they met on a trip, are coming to visit. Jay doesn’t like the couple because he feels they are boring. Both couples go out to dinner, but while at dinner Jay says, ?We should just cut our losses and shouldn?t force the relationship.” The Hoffmans explain how this will be awkward, since they are staying at the Pritchett manor.

Mitchell tells Cam that he may have a son with Tracy and that he wants to be involved in his life. Cam breaks down and says to Mitchell that he just needs his moment to digest everything. The next morning Cam surprises Mitchell by explaining that they will make it work if the boy is truly Mitchell’s son.

After the Alex fiasco, Claire and Phil go to the movies to see a cheesy film. While at the theater, the Dunphys bump into the Patels, parents of the boy who beat Alex on her exam. Claire tells Phil that they should attend the French film for Alex since they really are smart. Halfway through the movie, Phil leaves because he does not understand the story line. After the movie is over, the Dunphys realize that they are smart because Alex got the second highest grade, and dumb parents don’t have kids that can do that.

At the Pritchett house, the Hoffmans decide that they should leave, since they are evidently not welcomed. While they are walking out, Gloria realizes that they have a signed CD of her favorite artist, causing her to feel guilty and lie that Jay is losing it. The next morning the Hoffmans talk to Manny about how Jay is “off his game.” Not understanding what they are actually talking about, Manny thinks the Hoffmans are talking about Jay’s golf game.

To find out if the boy is his, Mitchell goes to Tracy’s house and asks if he is his son. Tracy explains how his name is Bobby; Mitchell explains that he brought a gift and would like to meet him. Bobby comes out and reveals to Mitchell that he is Tracy?s husband; Cam rushes out of the house so Mitchell can get to know his “son.”

This episode was average: there were some good lines, but overall I felt the story line was not as lighthearted as that of other episodes. However, I did enjoy how the writers poked fun at Jay’s age instead of Gloria’s being Colombian — an entertaining change.

I hope that the upcoming episodes gain rhythm and even better capture the togetherness of the family. To me, episodes where the entire clan or parts of the family interact are more enjoyable than ones where individuals have their own story line.

‘Slow Down Your Neighbors’ (Ep. 11)
Originally aired on Jan. 5, 2011

As Mitchell and Cameron put Lily to sleep, they hear someone in their hot tub. Cameron tells Mitchell to call the police, but after a few moments they realize that they should introduce themselves to their new guy neighbor. While Cam and Mitchell spend time in their hot tub with Berry, Mitchell remarks that Cam is acting like a 16-year-old girl.

In the Dunphys’ neighborhood, there is a driver who speeds, causing Claire to go crazy and stop the driver in the silver sports car. While the driver drives by, Phil receives a phone call from Laura, a client who is interested in him selling their house. As Phil is on the phone, Claire attempts to remember the license plate number, until Phil’s interruption causes her to forget.

After seeing fellow classmates ride to school on a bicycle, Manny decides he should get one. Jay intercepts Manny before he could make a fool of himself riding to school with training wheels. After learning that neither Manny nor Gloria knows how to ride a bike, Jay insists on teaching them.

Phil meets Laura and discusses the deal of selling her house. As Phil leaves her house, he realizes that she is the one who drives the silver sports car, but he wants to keep this information from Claire for fear of losing the deal.

Mitchell does not like Berry because he is all about the “energy within a person.” Cam tells Mitchell that he should be more open to people, not judgmental. Later, Berry arrives at Mitchell’s house to say that he appreciates Mitchell?s honesty by rolling eyes about the whole energy thing instead of keeping it bottled up.

Claire makes signs that read “Slow down, your neighbors,” with a picture of the silver car’s license plate, to hang up in the neighborhood. Due to her placement of the license plate, the Dunphy family does not understand the message of the sign. Claire asks Phil to hang the signs for her, but he is hesitant to do so because of the delicate house deal.

For Manny’s bike lesson, Gloria covers him head to toe in protective gear. To Jay’s surprise, Manny is a natural. Unlike her son, Gloria is a “natural disaster.” Gloria tells Jay that it is impossible to stay up, but Jay responds with “Well, it should be impossible for you to stay up, but it just works.”

To please his wife, Phil hangs up the signs around the neighborhood. While Phil is nailing up a poster, Laura runs by and asks what Phil is doing. Phil quickly responds that he is taking them down; as he is doing this, Laura takes the poster and rips it in half, as a message.

Cameron takes out the trash and runs into their landlord, who informs him that nobody is living upstairs, in contrast to Berry’s claim. Soon afterward, Cam discovers Berry inside of Lily’s playhouse. Cam and Berry end up getting into a tussle, causing Mitchell to rush out of the house. Cameron yells out, “Call the police! Berry is a nut!” As Mitchell walks away, he responds to Cam by yelling out, “I was right!”

Gloria goes to the Dunphys’ seeking help from Phil to learn how to ride a bike. Phil is unable to help, but Luke tells Gloria that he taught all his friends (which is not true); Gloria accepts Luke’s help. To teach Gloria how to ride the bike, he shoots her with a water gun; although Gloria does not enjoy this method, she ends up riding around the neighborhood.

As Gloria rides her bike down the street, the crazy driver speeds past her and out of nowhere Claire takes Gloria’s bike to chase down the driver. Claire becomes tired and goes to Phil’s open house to take a break.

While at the house, Claire meets Laura and ends up asking for a ride home. As the two women leave, Laura tells Claire that there is some crazy lady on the street. Claire immediately responds by saying she knows exactly who it is. Soon afterward, Laura speeds off and Claire gives Phil a dirty look as they drive down the road.

To apologize to his wife, Phil calls the florist and orders a dozen mylar balloons. Later Phil is helping Haley with homework, but she is unable to retain the information. Luke walks in and shoots her with his water gun and asks the same question. Phil tells Luke to stop, but Haley ends up answering the question correctly. Phil hands Luke the book and tells him to take over.

Although I was disappointed that there was no Christmas episode this year, every episode has still been entertaining. In this episode I thoroughly enjoyed Claire’s rampage about the crazy driver; she reminds me of someone I know, making her character even more enjoyable.

It was also amusing to watch Gloria trying to learn how to ride a bike, because typically a person learns this skill as a child. Overall, this was a good episode that made me look forward to the rest of the second season.

For summaries of the fall episodes, as well as recaps of past seasons, read ‘Modern Family’ commentary, Part I.