"Telling Lies, Well, That's No Surprise" (First Impressions - "The Cover-Up" - Season 7, Episode 16)

Here's the press release for the March 16th episode.

“Like A Rollin' Thunder Chasing The Wind” (“The Storm” Recap)

Well, no rain fade, so I was able to see the whole show.

Frankie Says "Relax"

OK, actually not Frankie, but Chloe:

Maisie is back tonight on an all new episode of Modern Family 9/8c on ABC! #ModernFamily #maisie pic.twitter.com/QjCgl0iRJD

— Chloe Csengery (@ChloeCsengery) February 25, 2016

It doesn't really spoil anything (I have no idea if this is from the actual broadcast or from rehearsal) but it should put to rest the tiny fear I had that Alex wouldn't be in the show tonight.

“It's Like Rain On Your Wedding Day”

It looks like irony (or is it coincidence? Ever since that song came out I have no idea.) is going to rear its ugly head again, just like last season when I got sick hours before “The Cold” aired.

This time though the irony here is that it looks like up here in the Northeast U.S.A. we'll be dealing with a nasty storm today and tonight, and, lo and behold, tonight's episode is titled “The Storm” (of course we all knew that already). While it looks like only rain here that could still cause a problem – the heaviest may be hitting right in the 9:00 hour, which could mean I could lose my satellite signal during the episode due to rain fade. Or, to hammer home the irony point, maybe the power in my house could go out.

I do have backups (on demand capability plus an iTunes season pass) so I won't miss the episode entirely, but if I need to use them any recap will be delayed. I'll let you know if that happens.

So, getting back to discussing the episode itself,  after two episodes which for various reasons weren't quite what I hoped for, will there be a rebound tonight?

"I Don't Care If Monday's Blue"

A quick scheduling note to start: "The Cover-Up" is back on the schedule as episode #16, and SpoilerTV lists it as airing on March 16th (as of now).

The bad news is this means no new episode on March 9th.  The worse news is barring a preemption it's almost certain that the Alex-less "She Crazy" will repeat that night.

And, speaking of Alex-less episodes:

“The Joker Ain't The Only Fool“

Well, nobody ever said a wild card guaranteed anyone a winning hand, especially if they don't give you any chips with which to play.

I'm guessing that one of the ladies at that luncheon was the mysterious “college dean” listed in the press release. Not that it matters.

I wish tonight being Alex-less episode #15 meant something good was coming next week. It's possible – lately Alex has had something big happen just before or just after an episode where she goes missing (e.g. “Under Pressure” before “Three Dinners”, “Spring Break” after “Closet? You'll Love It!”). And there's still Maisie in it. But it's far from a lock, especially since there's no role mentioned for Alex.

And, of course, neither is it a lock that this will be the last Alex-less episode of the season.

"How Long Has It Been? It Seems Like A Mighty Long Time."

"Thunk In The Trunk" - not exactly the most awe-inspiring or enthusiasm-generating title I've seen.  Well, it is what it is, so let's peer into my not so crystal ball and see what I think will come of it.

"I'm Not Your Superwoman" (First Impressions - "I Don’t Know How She Does It" - Season 7, Episode 15)

The press release came out for this one a little bit early (maybe to get ahead of the holiday on Monday). "The Cover Up" is no longer listed on SpoilerTV's episode database, but I'm not sure if this is a new title for it or if that episode got pushed back and will reappear later.  A couple of the plots in the release make it possible that it's just a change in title.

None of the plots involve Alex, though, and with nobody in particular listed as a possible guest character for her to deal with (e.g. no Sanjay or Maisie) it looks like at best her role will be minimal, and at worst non-existent - while the release says generically that the kids are happy with Claire being able to keep up with both work and home duties, that does not necessarily include Alex, unless she has indeed returned home for good (and even if that's the case it's always possible she may be out of the episode anyway).  That question may or may not get clarified before this episode airs.

“Reunited And It Feels So Good” (“Clean For A Day” Recap)

Well, I ended up crying after all – it just didn't have anything to do with Alex. Darn it, Phil – why didn't you just take out the battery? Chickie did not deserve to die. (Side note: they just made my Easter season at work even more difficult, at least when people start buying the plush toys that make sounds.)

Anyway, back to Alex:

"You Just Gotta Ignite The Light And Let It Shine”

It's finally time to kick off the second half of Season 7, and unlike that snoozer of a football game a few nights ago (except for the wiener dog commercial), tonight's “Clean For A Day” looks like it will not lack for excitement.

So, will there be fireworks? I think so.

"You Oughta Be In Pictures"

Promo pictures are up for "The Storm".  Neither Alex nor Maisie are in any of them.

"She's Drifting Out To Sea" (First Impressions - "The Storm" - Season 7, Episode 14)

Hey, it's a (very belated) Festivus Miracle! Three new Modern Family episodes in a row!

And this highly anticipated episode (with the return of Alex's roommate Maisie) has been moved up into February sweeps!

(Wait for it, here comes the "But...")

“Don't Take Me Half The Way” (Second Quarter Recap)

So, we're 11 episodes down (actually we've been 11 down for quite a while now), and 11 to 13 to go (more than likely only 11 – that's why I'm doing this now instead of after next week's episode) in Alex's freshman year at CalTech (a/k/a Season 7). While the second quarter of the season didn't have nearly as much emotion as the first quarter, it still had its moments.

"When I'm Telling A Story And You Find It Boring" (First Impressions - "Thunk In The Trunk" - Season 7, Episode 13)

The press release for the February 17th episode is here, but don't get too excited.

Alex is not mentioned in it (none of the kids are, except for Manny), but there is one intriguing note in it - there is a "College Dean" listed in the guest characters list.  Before I saw that I had a feeling that Alex might not even be in this one (that still isn't totally out of the question - since it doesn't mention if the dean is from CalTech it could conceivably involve Manny and/or Luke and their getting ready to plan for college after next year).

I'm probably going to get to that long-overdue review of the second quarter tomorrow and then I'll elaborate further on why I thought that, and why I think the upcoming quarter will almost certainly have at least one Alex-less episode (if not more).