Modern Family Review: Pig Moon Rising (Season 8 Episode 17)

Haven’t we seen this all before? Modern Family Season 8 Episode 17 “Pig Moon Rising” is a predictable episode, full of recycled jokes and too many plots. There are some funny moments, but they too are formulaic to be enjoyable.

First of all, nearly everyone is trying to keep a secret from another family member, and then trying to get a different family member to do them a favor. In theory, this sounds like it could be funny.

And some of it is.

There is a particularly good bit where Claire and Phil go to Phil’s alma mater to speak to the dean, about getting Luke into the college. The dean is a cringe worthy guy, who makes Phil commit the ultimate no-no — give away his secret to a magic trick.

This works well because we have never seen the dean before, and basically, he’s like Phil but a creep. Claire’s reactions are great, and we see poor Phil struggle with the decision of spilling his secrets as a magician.

Another good bit is the plot involving Cam and Mitchell. Cam’s country background is definitely a comedic crutch, but it still provides laughs. How did we not know that Cam had a pig named Lily when he was young?

Mitch accidentally spills Pig Lily’s ashes and doesn’t tell Cam, but Cam knows. Of course, he does. Why give a recycled story a new outcome?

One of the biggest problems of “Pig Moon Rising” is that there is no suspense over what happens. We all knew that the secrets would be revealed at the big dinner at Jay’s. Do we even know why there is a dinner at Jay’s besides a plot device?

It’s fine to play around with structure, but there are too many plots and contrived situations. The sense of fun or surprise is undermined by the predictability of it all.

What is surprising is that Luke is the one who fixes everyone’s issues and somehow becomes wise and tells Cam and Mitch that communication has always been their problem. It doesn’t matter that Luke is the problem-solver, but when did he become one?

We haven’t seen much of Luke recently, and whenever we do, he’s usually his normal self. It would be nice to see another facet of Luke explored. This probably won’t happen, though, because Modern Family touched on the same issue with Haley, but instead of letting her be a businesswoman, she is stuck being Rainer’s girlfriend.

The worst part of the episode, though, revolves around Gloria and Manny. They have a day together, where Manny is trying to keep her away from things that will make her sad about him going off to college.

Manny was likable when he was just a little weird and definitely too smart for most of his family. However, now he’s just annoying, condescending, and a little creepy. He always says inappropriate things about the women in his life — it doesn’t matter that they’re not blood!

On “Pig Moon Rising,” he suggests that he and Gloria see a movie. The movie poster he sees says something like, I Married My Mother. Gross, guys.

When Manny tells the kid in the store that he only has ten years left to be with his mother, it’s such a strange, random moment, and completely unfunny. This speech to the kid makes Manny realize that he is freaking out a little about leaving home.

It’s not a big reveal or a tender moment. It feels false. Since Manny has become unlikable, it’s hard to feel anything but glad that he is moving onto college.

Everything comes together nicely at the end of the episode, but it’s not surprising. Overall, “Pig Moon Rising” is a disappointment, especially after “Basketball.” There is nothing interesting or innovative about this episode. With just five episodes left in the season, let’s hope that they are better than this one.

Quick Bits:

• So, Luke didn’t get into “Michigan?” Luke is supposed to be a dummy, so why would he apply to what I assume is the University of Michigan?
• There’s still not enough Lily, but at least she was around for a while.
• Another week of Haley and Mitchell together — yay!
• So…is Alex back at school then?

What did you think of this episode of Modern Family?  Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Reviewer Rating:

User Rating:

Modern Family  airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on ABC.

Follow us on Twitter @telltaleTV_

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!