Modern Family - "Suddenly, Last Summer"

Season 5 of Modern Family got off to a great start. The jokes hit well, and there were some touching moments too. The promo for this episode was hinting at a proposal by saying ‘Modern Family will all change with one simple word: Yes’.

SYNOPSIS- When Cam and Mitch both want to propose to each other, Cam enlists Gloria’s help, and Mitch enlists Claire’s help. Claire, being a Pritchett, is not so much of a romantic. Claire has some quite unusual marriage proposal ideas, which Mitchell does not exactly approve of.


Cam being the more romantic of the two, wants to propose where they had their first date. Mitchell plans to propose at their house, where he has set up two old rocking chairs and a bottle of champagne, this is because Cam has always said his idea of romance was having someone to grow old with. When they reach the restaurant (the place of their first date), Mitch instantly realizes Cam is going to propose to him. While he’s touched, he wants to prove to Cam he can be romantic too, and pretends to be sick. They agree to head home, where Cam has a backup plan: He will recreate a picnic under the stars they had when they moved into their first apartment. In the meantime, Phil and Claire try to earn themselves some time away from the kids. The kids are all leaving town at different times, and Phil tries to trick them into changing their plans so they can all leave at the same time and result in some kid free days.

Cam and Mitch’s real proposal happened when they had a flat tyre. As they go to change the tyre, they look back at their memories together. They both kneel down to change the tyre, look at on another with a smile and both say “Yes” at the same time. Brilliant! I loved this moment as it just showed what the characters of Cameron & Mitchell are like as a couple, that they didn't even need to ask the question, but they both knew what the other was thinking.

Although Manny’s storyline with his trip to Columbia was mostly entertaining, perhaps it dragged on a little too long, and it felt a bit like something that always seems to happen, where Gloria is being too protective of Manny and will not let him do anything and in this case, doesn’t want him to go to Columbia. But this storyline did show how far the Jay and Manny relationship has come, as they have grown to be full father and son regardless of the lack of their biological connection.

The episode on a whole was very well written, and did something which I’ve only experienced Modern Family do, which is to have me in fits of laughter one minute, and crying the next!Possibly the best quote from this episode was from Phil Dunphy – “Sometimes I don’t know if I love how much I fear Claire, or if I fear how much I love her”.