Modern Family Season 6 Episode 23 Review: Crying Out Loud
Ashley Bissette Sumerel
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We're getting all emotional over here!
As the title, "Crying Out Loud" suggests, Modern Family Season 6 Episode 23 focuses on emotions and on letting go of the past. Unfortunately, the episode tries to do a bit too much, and there are some storylines that I just don't care about any more. But, let me start with what does work well.
It's Alex's senior ditch day, but of course she hasn't planned any sort of crazy, fun experience for herself. So, leave it to her father to hijack her day and take her off on an adventure anyway. Classic Phil.
These are the Phil moments I love the most – when his "big kid" mentality becomes a way of showing his children that they should enjoy life. On their trip, they pass by an old, run-down movie theater that Phil once helped build, and the take a trip down memory lane by revisiting the theater. It's place Phil took the girls when they were very young, and he finds a slab of cement with their footprints... and maybe Luke's head?
Phil decides they need to pull up the slab to keep as a memento before the building is destroyed. He and Luke set off to work while Haley and Alex argue.
Their moment in this episode is particularly poignant. Haley tried the college thing, and it didn't work for her. Now, it's easy to imagine why she's quick to give Alex a hard time as she prepares to go to college. At least on a very basic level, there has to be some resentment and a little jealousy. No, Haley wasn't meant for college, and she'd have never been happy there, but she's still watching her sister go off to do something she didn't.
Their anger at each other subsides as they watch Luke and Phil in what is one of my favorite scenes this season. Luke and Phil are on the other side of the screen, working on the slab of cement, and hopping around with slapstick humor that includes ladders, brooms, and buckets. They look just like a old black-and-white cartoon.
Watching that, and being transported back to their childhood, makes Haley reveal her biggest concern about Alex leaving. Will Alex ever call her? Will they actually still have a relationship once Alex goes away? Alex says she will, of course. She knows she needs Haley for balance, especially since it seems as though Haley has taught Alex a lot about life this season.
What I'm over, is almost everything else that happens in "Crying Out Loud." Claire and Jay's relationship doesn't change. They come back to the same issues and insecurities time and time again, and it's gotten boring. If Claire did take another job, I think that would finally give them a new dynamic to work with – and they need it.
As much as I love Cam and Mitchell overall, I'm also getting a bit bored with their antics. The moment when Lily finally shows emotion and concern over the health of her fathers is fantastic and important, but the lead up to it is just another way to remind us of how very different Cam and Mitchell are. I actually think this part of the story could have been a lot of fun had it simply had more time to develop.
Other Thoughts:
- Of course Manny would end up dating a girl that reminds him of his mother. I'm not surprised one bit.
- I completely understand where Claire is coming from when her family members move on to a new topic, because they think she's finished. That happens to me all the time! So frustrating.
What did you think of this episode of Modern Family? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Ashley Bissette Sumerel was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in September 2017. Follow her on Twitter and on Google+.
