Modern Family: "The Wow Factor" (Episode 4.18)

A couple weeks away and Modern Family is back with the flipping house plot, Pam (Pam!), a Skyfall advertisement and a ferocious game of handball in “The Wow Factor.”

Since Gloria had Baby Joe, there hasn’t been an overarching theme to this season, save for the house that Claire and Cam want to flip, which many of us thought they forgot. Claire and Cam have been working on it all along, and they each have ways of cooperating with the other. Cam has The Trojan Horse, where he asks for something over-the-top so Claire will settle on what he really wants. Claire uses The Number Dump, wherein she scares Cam with numbers. Not much happened with the house—except for the appearance of Pam.

A few weeks ago I wrote about how the writers wasted the talent of guest star Elizabeth Banks. They did it again. Why bring in the comedic genius Wendi McLendon-Covey if you are only going to have her ogle at Claire? When Pam first appeared in “Schooled,” I was not quiet about my desire for her to come back. So, thanks, I guess, but I was hoping for more of an actual, say-more-than-two-lines role.

While Claire is out building a house, Phil is doing his fatherly duty of teaching his girls how to be good women. Alex doesn’t know how to sweep; Haley doesn’t know how to change a lightbulb, so he wants to teach them household fixes and chores. The idea that Alex—a certified genius—doesn’t know how to sweep a broom is a bit ridiculous, but the plot allows Phil’s dad to be in the episode, albeit via video, so I looked past it.

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And as Cam is decorating the said house, Mitchell is getting bullied in handball by Milo, one of Lily’s classmates. I’m unclear of the rules of this game, (I grew up in the Midwest, someone help me out—didn’t we call this wallball?), but Mitchell is clearly bad at it. He enlists the help of Luke, so he can beat him. Which he does, repeatedly. It’s probably not the best message to be sending to kids about bullies, but it’s fun to watch Mitchell go after Milo and do something less stuffy than usual.

Jay takes care of Baby Joe in a big, a few-months-late Skyfall advertisement. There’s also a message about being a good parent in there. Don’t take your baby to the movie … or something like that.

Best Lines:

“I call my method the Trojan Horse. You know how I got Lily? I asked Mitchell for triplets.”—Cam
“Yesterday I accidentally said elevendy-five.”—Claire
“It’s up to me to show them what a modern, self-sufficient woman looks like.”—Phil
“But daddy he’s really good. But daddy it’s a sport.”—Lily

Discuss:
In what year do you predict we will get holographic phones?
Do people really want arch fountains in their backyards?
Is Luke Dunphy the world’s best trainer?

Modern Family: “The Wow Factor” (Episode 4.18)