Modern Family Review: The Last Christmas (Season 11 Episode 9)

The biggest asset of such a large, talented ensemble cast is also its biggest challenge. Since it’s not often we get to see situations where everyone would believably be under the same roof, the moments we do get with the whole cast have a lot riding on them.

On Modern Family Season 11 Episode 9, “The Last Christmas,” we get all 15 family members seated at the same dinner table, and it is glooooooorious (read that in the tune of the Christmas carol, Glooooooooria). 

Dylan’s gift to Haley of a night off from “mom duty” is truly a gift to us all. As much as I love and appreciate the character development Haley has gone through over the last year or so, watching her get wine drunk and search for drama is the simply the best.

Even mature, responsible parents should get to have a little holiday fun, am I right? 

The on-screen chemistry between Haley and Mitch (a display of the actors’ real-life friendship) is always a joy to see, especially as they’re stirring up harmless drama around the house. 

Haley: So, what’s up with you and Cam? I’m sensing tension.

Haley (aside): I didn’t sense any tension. I was just looking for some drama and figured it was a safe bet.

Mitch: There is tension. Okay, so…

Serving up petty drama with no real consequences (meaning everyone’s fine by the end of the episode) and quippy back-and-forths is where the show finds its sweet spot for its last show of 2019. 

Well, no on-screen consequences, at least. How many viewers are now concerned about their significant others (or parents or random strangers) breaking into their phones via Face ID?

Haley: We gotta dig deeper. Get Cam’s phone. Check his texts.

Mitch: That’s an invasion of his privacy. Plus, I don’t even know his passcode.

Haley: Well, I just need his face. I break into Dylan’s phone all the time while he’s sleeping. Not that I need to. All he does is Google water parks. 

Face ID was supposed to make it harder to break into someone’s phone, right? Guess it doesn’t count if you have access to that someone’s face! 

Anyway, I love seeing this side of Haley again (not that we don’t love her in mom mode) and hope to see more of her in the final handful of episodes.

Additional Thoughts:

• Thankful for lots of continuity from previous episodes in this one: Gloria + Phil’s partnership, Luke + Manny + Sherry love triangle, and even a Jay + Claire work debate (continuity has been lacking as a whole this season, so these were welcome mentions). 
• Is Dylan ever going to be anything more than a punchline? His one-liners have been genuinely funny, like the “oui oui”/”we…we” stutter during this episode. 
• Nearly every character mentioned a potential opportunity to move away. Were those just mentioned to be dramatic, or will any of them actually follow through with a new plan during the second half of the season?

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

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

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