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Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

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Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

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Old 11-28-12 | 07:49 PM
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Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

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Synopsis:

Paul Scheer ("The League") Guest Stars

"When a Tree Falls" - With some urging, Mitch joins in on Cam's efforts to save an old tree in the park, but just how far will they go? Jay and Manny are each pushed beyond their comfort zones when they attend a kid's Olympics-themed birthday party, and Claire brings Gloria along on a Costco run -- but add in a "pregnancy brain" and it makes for quite an eventful trip -- on "Modern Family," WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28 (9:00-9:31 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.



Read more: Listings - MODERN FAMILY on ABC | TheFutonCritic.com http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listin...#ixzz2DZXS2XHS

Episode 9 of 24
Old 11-29-12 | 02:16 PM
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Re: Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

Nobody watched this episode?

Luke is quickly becoming my favorite character. They should give him more screen time and phase out Cam & Mitchell.
Old 11-29-12 | 02:24 PM
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Re: Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

Not a very good episode.

Again, I don't buy Alex as conniving or a bitch. The writers need to drop that idea. She's a good kid. That may not lend much in the way of plots or laughs, but they created a solid character and need to quit fucking with what works.

Gloria and Claire were both annoying as hell and comically over the top way into the stupid range. Cam and Mitchell, sigh. Nothing going on there either.

As usual it's Phil that delivers, especially coupled with Jay's awkwardness around him.
Old 11-29-12 | 02:41 PM
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Re: Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

I thought this was a thread for The League and was confused as to why Paul Scheer is guest starring on his own show.

Luke and Phil are the two funniest ones on this show.
Old 11-29-12 | 02:53 PM
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Re: Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

Didn't care for this one either. MODERN FAMILY is funny when it has comedy that comes from everyday situations; it's NOT funny when the writers have a joke, and then they work backwards to try and get their characters into that situation (i.e., "cat stuck in a tree"). Sadly, there have been more of the latter types of episodes this season.
Old 11-29-12 | 04:07 PM
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Re: Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

About halfway through the ep, I got the feeling it was adapted from pedo fanfic.

D
Old 11-29-12 | 04:54 PM
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Re: Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

Originally Posted by Shannon Nutt
Didn't care for this one either. MODERN FAMILY is funny when it has comedy that comes from everyday situations; it's NOT funny when the writers have a joke, and then they work backwards to try and get their characters into that situation (i.e., "cat stuck in a tree"). Sadly, there have been more of the latter types of episodes this season.
You think? I thought that was more of a problem last season. Overall, I've felt this season has been stronger than last year, but there have been some clunkers.
Old 11-29-12 | 05:52 PM
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Re: Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

I don't buy Alex as a bitch, but I do buy her as conniving. I think last night was fine.
Old 11-29-12 | 05:57 PM
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Re: Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

Originally Posted by Derrich
About halfway through the ep, I got the feeling it was adapted from pedo fanfic.

D
What?
Old 11-29-12 | 10:31 PM
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Re: Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

(paraphrasing)
Jay: "What's that movie with the boombox?"
other guy: "Say Anything."
Jay: "Yeah, with John Mahoney."
Old 11-29-12 | 11:13 PM
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Re: Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

Manny: "I feel like Sisyphus."
Luke: "Yeah, a BIG one!"

You can't go wrong with Phil and Jay together.
Old 11-30-12 | 04:15 AM
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Re: Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

Phil beating the shit out of Jay as he was wailing about the boombox was funny.

I liked Alex thinking she could do something that was out of character for her. I didn't see it is the writers doing anything wrong - just a kid who got tired of a sibling and wanted to give her a taste of her own medicine.

Lily was cute in this ep as well.
Old 11-30-12 | 09:12 AM
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Re: Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

Originally Posted by kenny79
(paraphrasing)
Jay: "What's that movie with the boombox?"
other guy: "Say Anything."
Jay: "Yeah, with John Mahoney."
great props to Mahoney
Old 11-30-12 | 09:22 AM
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Re: Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

I didn't think this episode was very funny. I do mirror the statements that Luke and Phil really make this show.
Old 11-30-12 | 01:30 PM
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Re: Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

Cam and Mitchell just halt the show to a grinding halt when they are on screen. The whole tree thing was ridiculous enough, and then to have Cam show up dressed as a cat from Cats? Yeesh.
Old 11-30-12 | 01:35 PM
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Re: Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

The actor who plays Luke is a little genius and is a member of MENSA. He's fantastic as Luke.
Old 11-30-12 | 01:44 PM
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Re: Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

Originally Posted by movieking
Cam and Mitchell just halt the show to a grinding halt when they are on screen.
That's redundantly redundant.
Old 11-30-12 | 02:15 PM
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Re: Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12



Even the less than excellent episodes are good, so I'm not complaining. Still plenty of funny moments for me. Maybe it was my mood, but thought Cam in the cats costume in the tree, licking sap even, was funny. I enjoy the Cam character and have no real issues with either of them actually.

Alex trying to get Haley back seemed realistic and in character to me.

Manny and his wingtips and "sport shoes" was funny.

They're even giving Lily some funny moments ("I can't live like this!").
Old 11-30-12 | 02:32 PM
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Re: Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

Originally Posted by achau9598
I liked Alex thinking she could do something that was out of character for her. I didn't see it is the writers doing anything wrong - just a kid who got tired of a sibling and wanted to give her a taste of her own medicine.
This. I thought it reeked of Alex being tired of bearing the brunt of a socialite sister more worried about embarrassing her than being a big sister.
Old 11-30-12 | 02:47 PM
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Re: Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

Originally Posted by Bandoman
The actor who plays Luke is a little genius and is a member of MENSA. He's fantastic as Luke.
Wha..... I find that hard to believe. He does talk like he's a little slow. Either he's a brilliant character actor or he's two balls short of a penis.
Old 11-30-12 | 02:48 PM
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Re: Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

They really, really need to replace Lilly. Shittiest kid actor I've seen in ages. Her line delivery is so forced.

I died when Cam showed up in costume.
Old 11-30-12 | 10:44 PM
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Re: Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

Yeah Lily is terrible, she has this blank expression on her face too. It's obvious she has no idea why she is saying what she is saying. So it makes the delivery even more flat. She looks really young, so I don't know how we can really rag on her for it. They need to have her behave more childlike though, because she can't pull off the Luke and Manny type lines they're giving her now.
Old 12-01-12 | 08:29 AM
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Re: Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

I've always hated Lily. Now, I think that they should just write out Cam and Mitchell, too.
Old 12-01-12 | 08:38 AM
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Re: Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

Originally Posted by Derrich
About halfway through the ep, I got the feeling it was adapted from pedo fanfic.

D
It is kinda creepy Ariel Winter has developed a giant rack
Old 12-01-12 | 08:59 AM
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Re: Modern Family -- "When a Tree Falls" -- 11/28/12

Originally Posted by SuperJim88
Luke is quickly becoming my favorite character. They should give him more screen time and phase out Cam & Mitchell.
Originally Posted by RichC2
Luke and Phil are the two funniest ones on this show.
Never liked Mitchell and now they try to make Cam more and more over the top so that he is annoying too.

Originally Posted by Claytonian
Alex trying to get Haley back seemed realistic and in character to me.

Manny and his wingtips and "sport shoes" was funny.
Just a little sister awkwardly trying to get even with a big sister. As a little brother who was always being trumped by his big sister and getting even never worked, I can relate

Originally Posted by Nausicaa
Yeah Lily is terrible, she has this blank expression on her face too. It's obvious she has no idea why she is saying what she is saying. So it makes the delivery even more flat. She looks really young, so I don't know how we can really rag on her for it. They need to have her behave more childlike though, because she can't pull off the Luke and Manny type lines they're giving her now.
How can those talented people be so bad at picking an actor for that character. They started with that poor thing that seemed to have autism or something. Then they must have picked this one out of the line at the grovery store. Maybe someone's brother-in-law was owed a favor and he had this kid dying to get in to acting. The kid just yells out a line and I agree, has no idea what she is saying, just parrots what she's told. If they started paring down that whole Mitchell/Cam plotline to just a few minutes that would make the show so much better.


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