WARNING: SPOILERS!
For the first time on Modern Family we get a look at what the neighbors who aren’t related to our main characters look like as Claire, Cam, Gloria, Manny and Jay all take to the streets in the episode, “Door to Door.”
Claire is again attempting to control the traffic around her home but instead of just putting up her own “slow down your neighbors” signs this time she is looking for an official stop sign. All she needs is 50 signatures from her neighbors. She enlists the help of her family, who, unfortunately, are not like the family in “the Blind Side,” and do nothing to help Claire’s cause.
This is because Phil and Luke are too busy trying to go viral on YouTube. After Luke hits Phil in the head with a basketball and it goes in the hoop, the two continuously try to recreate the moment in hopes of having their own double rainbow. I like these father-son scenes between Phil and Luke. All the characters on the show are strange, but Phil and Luke have an eccentricity to them that matches so perfectly. It isn’t so much their crazy antics that are funny, but just their every day conversations.
Jay tries to teach Manny a lesson in salesmanship by taking him around the neighborhood to sell wrapping paper for his school trip. Manny being Manny wears a suit. Manny also being Manny gives up after three houses. Jay tries to push him, but softens when Manny confesses that he’ll never be able to live up to Jay. Jay gives in and buys the wrapping paper himself. Manny knows more about salesmanship than Jay thinks as he offers the camera the advice, “you’ll never go broke playing to a rich guy’s ego.”
Gloria accidentally lets Stella out (who she seems to be in constant battle with) and has to run around the neighborhood searching for the dog. Cam comes along screaming “STELLA” in his white undershirt, recreating the famous scene from “A Streetcar Named Desire,” with just enough camp to fit Cam perfectly.. I’ve been waiting for this the moment since the dog was christened Stella. Gloria and Cam eventually have to rely on the kindness of strangers and buy the dog from a little girl named Blanche. I was not let down by the Streetcar references I’d been waiting for. I’m not sure if the dog they bought was actually Stella or not, but either way they came home with a dog.
The whole thing ends with Arrested Development’s David Cross as a city councilman who didn’t get the cake he wanted for his birthday. This means he isn’t in the mood to give Claire her stop sign. That is until the rest of the family “blind sides” her with the remaining signatures for her petition and a hilarious homemade video about how dangerous a road can be without a stop sign. The editing on the video was top notch. It may just beat Luke’s birthday video to Jay. The best part: David Cross is here to stay! The comedian landed a reoccurring role on the show, so I’m sure we’ll Claire will be fighting the councilman for a while.
Overall, a good episode this week! Lets keep them coming!
Quote of the week
“I am an inadvertent Stanly Kowalski, how can you not be delighted by this?”
Sam can be reached for comment at [email protected]
