Modern Family Review: The Graduates (Season 8 Episode 22)

Modern Family Season 8 Episode 22 “The Graduates” concludes its eighth season on a semi-high note. The episode was never going to be great, but judging from some of the episodes this year, we’re lucky to have gotten a pretty decent one to tie up the season.

There have been storylines throughout Modern Family  Season 8 to show us that Manny and Luke are graduating from high school and becoming adults. We have seen Gloria struggle to accept that Manny is going away to college while Phil and Claire have just been worried if Luke will even get into college.

However, on “The Graduates,” this notion of Luke growing up hits Phil and Claire hard. Unfortunately, the Phil and Claire plot doesn’t land with emotion or laughs. On the previous episode, “Alone Time,” Phil and Claire lamented about how they thought their lives would be different.

“The Graduates” show them both grappling with the fact that Luke is graduating and that he is no longer their little boy. Phil and Claire are allowed to have conflicted emotions about Luke, but the actual plot seems like a device to have Claire act wacky and Phil to cry a lot.

Thank goodness Gloria calls Claire out for being thisclose to a felony. It is just bizarre that Claire would get into a ball pit and start playing with some random kid who slightly resembles Luke. It would have made more sense if she had clung to Joe, like Joe clings to Gloria when he’s not getting enough attention.

It would have been truer to Claire’s character if she would have just downed a bottle of wine and joined in on the slideshow Alex and Haley made.

Haley and Alex’s plan to make Phil cry all his tears before Luke’s graduation is not funny. And emotionless Phil at Luke’s graduation isn’t funny either. One of the many reasons we love Phil is because he is emotional.

It also doesn’t ring true that Alex and Haley start crying at the graduation. It’s just one of Modern Family’s biggest weaknesses–over the top reactions.

Thankfully, the other two plots are better.

Manny can be very annoying, sometimes creepy, and quite condescending. However, there is a real, emotional moment with Jay on “The Graduates” which is appreciated. It’s by far the best of the episode.

Javier, Manny’s father returns, but his visit doesn’t have much of an impact to start. Of course, Javier’s idea of a father-son night involves a strip club. Manny even has an uncharacteristic hangover.

While Javier doesn’t have much to do with the actual plot, his presence does allow Manny and Jay to have that father/son connection.

Over the past eight seasons, we have seen Manny and Jay bicker quite a bit as they both have come to accept each other.

The scene at the end with Jay and Manny is a genuine moment that isn’t compromised by adding quips. After seeing that the episode is dedicated to Roy Rodriquez, Rico Rodriguez’s father in real life, it makes the scene between Jay and Manny that much more poignant.

Lastly, there is a funny plot about how Lily is apparently very smart when Mitch and Cam (and Claire!) all thought that she was just peculiar. She is also quite popular and a fan of Italian cinema.

The biggest problem with this plot is that it just doesn’t fit into the rest of the episode. However, Mitch and Cam’s revelations about Lily are hilarious. It seems unrealistic for them to be so clueless about Lily, but at the same time, Lily has been missing for a chunk of this season.

Perhaps it’s not unrealistic at all.

Overall, “The Graduates” is a good episode. It certainly isn’t the funniest or the most cohesive, but there are some very funny moments and the scenes with Manny and Jay make the whole episode worth watching.

What did you think of the Modern Family finale? Share your thoughts with us 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!