tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-777275832557506542024-02-19T01:51:14.591-08:00Are You Smarter Than Alex Dunphy?(If he feels it's not the bowl, it's NOT the bowl!)Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.comBlogger573125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77727583255750654.post-79404663682656232422020-06-08T18:13:00.000-07:002020-06-08T18:13:20.252-07:00"So This Is (Finally) Goodbye"I wish I had more to say with my final post to this blog, but I couldn't think of much to say.<br />
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Even that book about Modern Family didn't really give me much to add, While the book as a whole was an interesting read, probably not surprisingly it was very lean on details about Alex, or even Ariel for that matter (though having said that, thankfully they did not mention her situation with her biological mother).<br />
<br />
The only think of note was that in writing Alex's story in "Under Pressure", Elaine Ko drew on her own personal life, specifically noting how she herself went through the solitary pressure of a grade school spelling bee (she did not say whether or not "responsibility" was her winning word).<br />
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And near the end, it was mentioned that there was consideration given to have a farewell party for Alex be part of the finale, they went in the direction we saw instead.<br />
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And, as for the final season, I really can't think of anything new to say other than what I said over the past few months.<br />
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So, sadly, that's it.<br />
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As I said earlier, I'll keep the blog going as long as Blogger will leave it up, but unless something really crazy happens, this really is goodbye.<br />
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Again, I thank everyone who read this blog over the past six years. Yes, I wish there more about Alex on the show during these six years, but, there at least there was enough to keep the blog going.Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77727583255750654.post-14903289016189321382020-05-03T14:12:00.001-07:002020-05-03T14:12:25.683-07:00"So What Are You Doing Back?"Actually, I still haven't left - like everyone on the finale I'm still having a hard time saying goodbye.<br />
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I will get to a recap of last season eventually - I tried to start writing it a few days ago but my writer's block kept acting up (maybe if the season had more Alex then that wouldn't keep happening).<br />
<br />
And I want to wait for <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Family-History-Televisions-Groundbreaking-ebook/dp/B082RRCKXM/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=modern+family&qid=1588540051&s=digital-text&sr=1-1">this book about the show</a> to come out (it's due to hit my Kindle app on May 19th), just to see if there are any Easter egg type trinkets about Alex (possibly even from Ariel herself - the book is supposed to have input from the actors about some of the behind the scenes information). If so, that will probably be the cornerstone of my final post. Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77727583255750654.post-42058959001290662452020-04-16T20:33:00.001-07:002020-04-16T20:33:42.001-07:00"Still Crazy After All These Years"For those still wondering, I've been pretty busy at work the past few days (we're essential enough to be open, and Easter weekend was still crazy even if I don't exactly consider Easter candy essential), and I've just wanted to rest when I have been home. But I'm not quite done with this site yet.<br />
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I will get to the wrap-up post(s) hopefully in the next few days. After that, even though I won't be adding anything new, I'll keep this site up as long as Blogger doesn't deactivate it (I like to read some of my earlier posts too once in a while) - I'm not sure what their policy is on that.Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77727583255750654.post-37920015478897008232020-04-09T11:27:00.001-07:002021-03-21T13:53:23.006-07:00“Many Months Have Passed Us By” (“Finale” Recap)There's not a lot more I could have asked for from last night's final two episodes.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>While it wasn't nearly as sad for me as some of the things that happened (and still might) in my own life, I had plenty of opportunities to cry (and not all involving Alex). But there were still some laughs as well.<br />
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It actually got off to a rocky start – based off Phil and Claire's comments inside the RV, I thought they were going to blame all of the chaos on Alex, because she quit her job at Helo, left her fancy apartment and moved back home again (maybe they should have blamed Arvin?). I won't say that I was happy when it became more of an “it's all the kids' fault” story, but at least Alex wasn't alone.<br />
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Alex did agree with my sentiment about who should leave - if just Haley and Dylan and the twins were leaving there would only be half as many people living in the Dunphy house.<br />
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One other thing that started bothering me several hours after I watched this – I didn't really buy that Alex suddenly returning home would lead to the house becoming a complete mess. Did they really go down that road again where Alex returning seemingly turned a good family bad (i.e. like in “The Long Honeymoon”)? I was not happy about that development either.<br />
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I <i>was </i>happy though that they gave Alex and Arvin some time to develop/finish their story. At first, I feared that the real reason that he wanted that meeting with Alex was either 1) the project was being canceled or 2) he wasn't going to hire Alex after all. But, instead, Alex gets to work in another cold foreign land: Switzerland. At least that won't be nearly as cold as Antarctica, and I'm guessing the food will be better<sup>1</sup>.<br />
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And then, after a few back and forths about whether or not they'd become romantically involved (including Arvin being hesitant for, among other reasons, their age difference, a point I wondered about two seasons ago) they decide to send each other an “we are an item already – don't fire us for this” text. In one sense I'm surprised Alex suggested this, given how that's where the trouble with Bill (remember him?) started. Which finally led to a selfie kiss which turned really funnily awkward - hopefully the next several hundred won't be so, especially hopefully the most important one (the one that would come after “you may now kiss the bride”).<br />
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So Alex did get one somewhat happy ending (although I did keep fearing as the night went on they\d pull the rug out from under her at the last minute). Too bad we won't get to see where that goes.<br />
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Which brings us to the second half, and the story of her saying goodbye to Haley and Luke.<br />
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In the beginning it was nice to see Alex and Haley just simply talking, without getting on each others nerves. As the story was going on and they brought in Luke to help them re-do that video they did as kids (I think that disc they pre-broke wasn't really the actual video – their original plan <i>was</i> to get in one last messing around with Luke moment), it felt like it was just going to be a simple funny story to pass some time before the final big family farewell. Not that there would have been anything wrong with that, but...<br />
<br />
<br />
... I loved that they changed direction at the end, and turned it into what I thought was the most emotional moment in a night with tons of them. Seeing them suddenly realize after playing around for a while that they really would miss each other and that hug really emptied my tear ducts.<br />
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The only small thing I wish had happened was hoping they would have kept the video running a little longer to capture that final moment for their parents.<br />
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I think that scene where Phil and Claire were in the empty bedroom and Alex came in asking them to help her figure out how big her apartment was going to be (by converting meters to feet) was part of an attempt to show how even as everything changes over the years, the more they stayed the same. I didn't think it worked that well for Alex nearly as much as it did for her siblings<sup>2</sup> - their moments were a better match for when the series began, but for Alex not to know a fairly simple measurement conversion seemed more like something that would have happened years before we ever saw her.<br />
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And finally I do wish we had seen Alex leaving for Switzerland. Oh, well.<br />
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It's time for the final “Alex's Line Of The Night”. Since this was a two-part episode (although surprisingly on iTunes it's one combined episode), I decided to select one line from each part. One of them is (mostly) funny, the other...<br />
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<b>Alex's Line Of The Night (Part 1):</b> (answering Haley's question about how Alex couldn't see she was a babe) <i>”Well, you did call me a frumpy nerd for 20 years.”</i><br />
<i> </i> <br />
I know I just praised the fact that were getting along without sniping when their part 2 story started, but that line was funny (with a slight tinge of sadness). And in its own way it showed how Haley has treated her better in the last few seasons.<br />
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<b>Alex's Line Of The Night (Part 2):</b> (to Luke as he was leaving after filming the Woofie video) <i>”Stay.”</i><br />
<i> </i> <br />
Just like I did with “The Closet Case” (Alex crying “I am alone”), for the last one of these I'm going with a simple line that totally tugged at the heart strings.<br />
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And with that, the blinds on the window into a remarkable young lady's life have been closed. Hopefully what we don't see from here on will be wonderful for Alex nonetheless.<br />
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At some point (maybe Sunday, maybe middle of next week), I'll wrap things up here too.<br />
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<sup>1</sup> I did try Swiss cheese once when I was a kid. I did not care for it. But I've always been a very fussy eater.<br />
<br />
<sup>2</sup> Haley was talking on her cell phone with Dylan, and Luke got his head stuck in something – not the banister this time but a bicycle lock.<br />
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<br />Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77727583255750654.post-69833827082701701382020-04-08T22:08:00.001-07:002020-04-08T22:08:15.824-07:00"It's Like A Feeling That You Can't Express"This is just a quick thoughts post about tonight's "Finale" - I've only done two paragraphs for the full recap. I'll get to that eventually tomorrow.<br />
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The crazy thing is even though I cried a lot tonight, it really hasn't totally set in that it is all over, that we won't see anything new about Alex. When that moment hits (probably when I wake up in the morning) I figure it's really going to hurt (which, again, is why I'm taking tomorrow off from work).<br />
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Hopefully it wouldn't surprise anybody that the moment that made me cry the most was the end of the scene of Alex, Haley and Luke reshooting the Woofie video. Seeing them hugging together really got to me.<br />
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And I'm glad Alex did get a happy ending in her story with Arvin (though it my mind it was touch and go for a little while).<br />
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More to come tomorrow.Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77727583255750654.post-51403654314980008512020-04-08T00:07:00.006-07:002020-08-10T09:46:17.626-07:00“It's Just A Dream Of Mine Is Coming To An End”The “Finale” (in two parts) is just about here – in just a few all too short hours Alex's story will conclude.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>And, not long after that, so will this blog. It won't end tonight (or tomorrow, depending on how long it takes to compose myself long enough to get a recap written) – I'll do a postmortem post or two about this season and Alex's 11 year story. But unless something crazy happens (e.g. Alex gets a highly unlikely spin-off) that will be that.<br />
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But the blog ending won't happen until at least the weekend – for now, let's get tonight back into focus.<br />
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We know Alex is part of a story in the first half hour, as (at least) one of the Dunphy kids will be asked to move out. I still think Alex is only the second most likely to leave, but the chance is still there, and I believe Alex might actually be better off for it.<br />
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Part 2 is much more hazy, as no individual story has been released, though there are pictures of Alex and Haley putting Luke in one final costume (not Betty Luke though, so I don't think the house will be burned down) so there will at least be a small story.<br />
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And then there's the wild card of Arvin showing up in one or both parts.<br />
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So, what do I think?<br />
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<b>Anticipation Level:</b> <i>Extremely High.</i> This is pretty much self-explanatory, except I'll say that about half of this is dreading the fact that tonight is the end.<br />
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<b>Emotional Moment Potential:</b> <i>Extremely High.</i> Maybe not quite at Hazel Grace's pre-eulogy to Augustus level, but it will be right up there, in both parts.<br />
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<b>Game Changing Potential:</b> <i>High.</i> Why not “Extremely” for this too? Because tonight doesn't really set up as changing a lot for Alex at the last minute. And, with this being the finale, we may never see what the fallout of anything happening tonight ends up being.<br />
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Moving out isn't going to be that big a change, since Alex already had her own apartment at one point. I'd think differently if I thought she would move into (or even buy) Mitch and Cam's old place, but the odds are against it.<br />
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The much more likely chance of a game-changer depends on what happens between Alex and Arvin. Could some romantic sparks fly tonight? I'm rooting for this so my answer is maybe – it's a better chance than Alex moving into Mitch and Cam's place but it's still not probable.<br />
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Or (worst case scenario), they have a disagreement (professional or otherwise) she leaves this job and her story ends with her life in total limbo. I don't expect this to happen, but, given how the show has denied Alex happy endings in the past, I wouldn't put it past the powers that be to do that to her one last time either.<br />
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<b>Are There Any Other Questions?</b> I can't really think of anything. If I do think of something (and it would not necessarily be a question) I'll make another post before show time.<br />
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As I said above, I'm not sure when I'll feel like putting up the recap (the earliest would be after the west coast feed ends around 1:00 my time or 10:00 Pacific). Unless nothing really happens (highly unlikely) it will probably be later as I'm probably going to need some time to gather my thoughts and clean up those puddles of tears I'll likely end up crying (one way or another).Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77727583255750654.post-13075695271993335752020-04-01T21:32:00.000-07:002020-04-01T21:32:12.025-07:00“Slip Slidin' Away” (“I'm Going To Miss This” Recap)Did tonight go worse for Alex than I thought it would or did it go better? I'm honestly not completely sure, but I'm leaning towards worse.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Yes, Alex didn't get yelled at by Phil or Claire for her role in the first party. But Claire did get a chance to subtly lecture her when she pulled off her little ploy to get Doug out of the picture. While much of what she said about Alex was part of the act, I sensed that least a few of those words (the kids not being responsible) were a real attempt to express disappointment in what Alex did (more so than Haley and Luke, I'm guessing).<br />
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And, as far as we saw, Alex was the only one who had to pay for what she did (almost literally, but I'll get back to that) – neither Luke nor Haley were admonished (on screen) about their role in that party – Phil even helped them get out of their predicament with the snake (yes Claire helped Alex as well, but, she also chose to get in a dig at Alex in the middle of it).<br />
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I'm not saying Alex was blameless in this (if nothing else she was willing to be part of the party), but she shouldn't shoulder most of the blame either.<br />
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Of course, there is still next week, so this may not yet be over. The piano leg will probably collapse again, and somehow Alex will end up taking the blame for that as well.<br />
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As for Doug, I'm calling shenanigans<sup>1</sup> on his slip and fall. He fell by the staircase and Luke and Alex spilled her drink in the living room. I could be totally wrong but I have a feeling that he was trying to get back at Alex for rebuffing him minutes earlier. And even if he really did step on that ice cube, why not go after Luke as well (if not alone)?<br />
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No, I think he thought he was a big deal, and was looking to embarrass Alex, right up to his last “task” for her.<br />
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At least Alex didn't have to go full Harley Quinn (just the wig) – I don't know a lot about that character (superheroes/villains aren't really my cup of tea) but she does not seem like an Alex thing (maybe her ex-roommate Maisie, who had a superhero poster in their dorm, might have related better?).<br />
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I wonder how much that check was going to be. If Claire's plan hadn't worked would it have been more than the incidentals' charge that Alex's family ran up at her apartment earlier?<br />
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I'd love to see the end being Alex moving into Mitch and Cam's now old house (perhaps even buying it outright – a bit of a stretch but hopefully she has enough money saved for a down payment, although the job-hopping she's done these past few months might hurt her in getting a mortgage), but I still won't hold my breath looking for that. Perhaps if there was a Season 12...<br />
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<b>Alex's Line Of The Night:</b> (talking about helping Doug get his online MBA) <i>”Actually, I might finish that. I really think we could make the Dean's List.” </i> He does need all the help he cam get, and not just with college. I guess there's a new “bad” sheriff in town when it comes to Dunphy neighbors – I thought Ronnie and Amber had retired that award 5 years ago.<br />
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So now there's one night (and one hour left). I don't know if I'll laugh. I'll almost certainly cry. I hope I don't end up angry.<br />
________________________________________________________<br />
<sup>1</sup> Actually, I'd use the much stronger term, but I want to keep this SFW, even in the blog's last days.<br />
<br />Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77727583255750654.post-63723919192728505282020-04-01T02:55:00.003-07:002020-04-01T02:55:19.924-07:00“There'll Be Swinging, Swaying, And Records Playing”OK, it will be mp3s and not records that will probably be playing in tonight's “I'm Going To Miss This” - I think Alex might be the only one of the kids to know what a record is. <br />
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I wish that was all that was going to be happening as Alex, Haley and Luke throw one last (parents not invited) party before we wrap everything up, but we all know there's almost certainly going to be at least one disaster happening. And who wants to take a wild guess who likely gets to take the blame when it all goes wrong?<br />
<b></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><b>Anticipation Level:</b> <i>Very High.</i> It's the second to last week of the series, so yes even a story with Alex potentially getting into trouble has to be at least anticipated more than a run in the mill episode from years ago. But clearly there's a lot more dread of something bad than hope of something good happening.<br />
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<b>Emotional Moment Potential:</b> <i>Low to Medium.</i> Medium if you count the emotion of anger. Phil and Claire will not be happy campers if they get there and see all you-know-what has broken (or burned) loose. I suppose Alex could get mad at her siblings too if she's not a big part of the disaster but still suffers the same if not more consequences.<br />
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<b>Game Changing Potential:</b> <i>Medium.</i> Actually if the first part of next's week's finale didn't have a story about one of the kids being told to leave (and/or Alex didn't quit her job and have to move out of the fancy apartment that came with that), this would be a lot lower – this would have been a story with much lower stakes for Alex if there wasn't the chance for ramifications next week, since she's grown up now and can't be grounded. But I feel like if things go bad, Alex is going to take the brunt of Phil and Claire's wrath (i.e. they'll feel she should know better than Haley or Luke), and will probably be the one first asked to leave.<br />
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Now, as I said last week Alex would not be in a tough spot if she had to go – I think she would have little trouble finding a new place (Arvin could factor into this too). But I'd still hate to see her be the one being punished.<br />
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One good thing – no more “Chance Of An Alex-Less Episode” paragraphs, ever – they will not be missed.<br />
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<b>Are There Any Other Questions?</b> <i>How awkward is it that we even have a story about a party, given how much life has changed in the past month?</i> Let's just say there probably won't be much social distancing going on tonight.<br />
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I'm off tonight, so the recap should be up at the regular time. I doubt I'll be using many happy words.Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77727583255750654.post-62196751283864066202020-03-26T14:27:00.000-07:002020-03-26T14:27:31.968-07:00"And Now, The End Is Near" (First Impressions - "Finale, Part 1" & "Finale Part 2", Season 11, Episodes 17 & 18)Here's the <a href="https://www.spoilertv.com/2020/03/modern-family-series-finale-finale-part.html">press release</a> for the two part series finale. There will also be a <a href="https://www.wdtvpress.com/abc/shows/modernfamily/press-releases/">one hour retrospective</a> on the show at 8:00 before the finale.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>There's very little said about the second part, other than everyone having trouble saying their goodbyes. But there is something known possibly about Alex's role in the first half:<br />
<br />
<i>"...and Phil and Claire decide that <b>one of the kids</b> needs to move out in order to take control of the house again."</i><br />
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But will Alex be the one to leave? If I were to weigh the odds on which one leaves (of course two or even all three could leave, which certainly could happen, given how close to the end we are), she'd actually be in the middle (Haley would be the most likely since she has Dylan and the twins and that could make things the most "in control". Luke being the youngest would make him the least likely.)<br />
<br />
I wouldn't see Alex leaving as a bad thing - she already had her own apartment this season until she quit her job to join Arvin's research team, so I'd actually think she'd be very open to the idea.<br />
<br />
The one concerning thing actually has to do with the party in next week's episode - is that party going to be such a disaster that it forces Phil and Claire to think that somebody needs to go? I didn't think there'd be much stakes in next week's story, but now...<br />
<br />
Arvin is in fact going to be in at least one of the two episodes (hopefully both), so Alex will probably have something to do one way or another. There is hope that Alex's story ends with a bang instead of a whimper. Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77727583255750654.post-57050732745436044572020-03-23T07:30:00.001-07:002020-03-23T07:30:19.466-07:00"Party All The Time" (First Impressions - "I'm Going To Miss This" - Season 11, Episode 16)So, the Dunphy kids are <a href="https://www.wdtvpress.com/abc/shows/modernfamily/episodes/im-going-to-miss-this/">going to have another party while their parents aren't around</a>? Haven't we seen this already?<br />
<br />
At least Alex is old enough that she can't get grounded (hopefully she's found a new apartment now that she's left her old job and had to move out of the Prescott). But that last photo where a fire starts (even if Alex isn't involved, I hope) worries me a little.<br />
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The info for the finale should come out in the next couple of days.Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77727583255750654.post-83186082415204945262020-03-19T07:32:00.002-07:002020-03-22T07:59:11.014-07:00“If You Change Your Mind, I'm The First In Line” (“Baby Steps” Recap)Well, I did add up some of the pieces correctly. I'd say good enough for government work, but, given the way they're handling things right now, I might actually be overachieving. Not at Alex's level, of course (that would take a miracle along the lines of hitting Powerball), but...<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>I do wonder, though, just how Alex succumbed to the temptation of taking that job with Helo. The allure of making tons of money and the other luxurious perks seems more like something enticing to Haley. In the end, I'm a bit disappointed in Alex – maybe she believes she was doing good things for the world in that job but based on what I heard about what they really do tonight she probably should have had second thoughts.<br />
<br />
Now, at least she gets a second chance with Arvin's artificial intelligence project. Yes, it's possible for bad things to come from that ("cough...Skynet...cough") , but for now I don't see Arvin turning evil.<br />
<br />
Now it is too bad things are ending in the next few weeks because I'd love to see that story. While it appears there's little chance that they will ever become romantically involved (it's not totally out of the question but I'd bet against it) professionally I think they'd have good chemistry together. <br />
And while Haley did manage to sneak into the story at CalTech, I was glad to see that they fairly quickly went past Haley and Arvin's past relationship and let most of the focus be on Alex.<br />
<br />
<b>Alex's Line Of The Night:</b> <i>”I'm going to go see if I can still return these.”</i> I don't know if I've bought $1,000 worth of shoes <i>total</i> in my whole life.<br />
<br />
90 minutes left - have we seen the last big story for Alex? Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77727583255750654.post-12845562456451269122020-03-18T07:18:00.000-07:002020-03-18T07:18:08.196-07:00“Baby Baby, Always And Forever”R.I.P. Stella (a/k/a Beatrice in real life). Given how much Ariel loves dogs in real life, I'm surprised Alex never had much (if any) interaction with her on the show. Needless to say this was not good news at a time in real life when we could use some.<br />
<br />
<br />
With only four episodes left - tonight's “Baby Steps”, an episode titled “I'm Going To Miss This” on April 1st (there is press release out which I'll discuss later this week), and the two part finale on April 8th, tonight's episode title seems out of place – I'd hesitate to call anything happening a baby step at this point. And that really might be true for Alex. <br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Ariel was on “Live With Kelly And Ryan” last week, and while she didn't say much of anything about the last few episodes, there was a clip of (presumably) tonight's episode where Alex is talking to Haley about visiting CalTech to talk about (I think) her new job<sup>1</sup>. So I think this is why Arvin is on tonight's episode – it sound like he maybe wants her to speak at one of his classes. Also, she mentioned her apartment, so maybe she didn't get evicted after all.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Anticipation Level:</b> <i>Very High.</i> Two things here: 1) we are almost to the end, so I would be looking forward to all of the final four episodes, and 2) could we actually have a story where Alex does not have to share the spotlight with the rest of her family?<br />
<br />
<b>Emotional Moment Potential:</b> <i>High.</i> Just because this starts with Alex and Arvin getting together for a school-related activity doesn't rule out the possibility that being back together could lead to a romatic relationship between the two. Y es, I'd still be a bit leery about the age difference, but at least Alex isn't a student anymore (little chance for a serious backfire in her educational life if things don't work out) and is a couple of years older.<br />
<br />
<b>Game Changing Potential:</b> <i>Very High.</i> There are many ways that things can change for Alex tonight. Earlier this season one of the storylines rumored for Alex was that at some point she'd have to decide whether she wanted to keep a high paying job or do something which is more helpful to society. Perhaps one of the students asks her something which causes that moment to happen. And/or maybe she gets offered a job at CalTech?<br />
<br />
And who knows where this could lead with any kind of relationship with Arvin, romantically or professionally?<br />
<br />
<b>Are There Any Other Questions?</b> <i>Will “Baby Steps” even air tonight?</i> Who knows – with the coronavirus changing things seemingly every few minutes, don't be surprised if part if not all of tonight's episode gets pre-empted. Obviously any breaking news is of much higher priority (although hopefully the episode will still be available on iTunes tomorrow morning if it comes to it). Also, I'm working tonight (staying home to avoid getting sick is not an option for me, even though I'd dearly love to stay out of harms way) so I won't know until later whether or not it aired – one way or another I probably won't have a recap until the morning or later. <br />
________________________________________________________<br />
<sup>1</sup> Sorry, I couldn't find this online – the only clips from this show were the first few minutes of it, and brief parts of Ariel's interview which did not include that clip.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77727583255750654.post-55429926122621554122020-03-05T20:16:00.000-08:002020-03-05T20:16:25.369-08:00"Comin' In and Out of Your Life" (First Impressions - "Baby Steps" - Season 11, Episode 15)I'm surprised there actually will be a <a href="https://www.wdtvpress.com/abc/shows/modernfamily/episodes/baby-steps-6/">new episode</a> on March 18th, as I'd expected ABC to wait until the following week to start the final four episodes - I presumed single episodes on the 25th and April 1st, and a two-part finale on April 8th. Now I'm not sure how the rest of the schedule will look.<br />
<br />
Anyway, the potential big story is not in the synopsis nor in the promo photos - Alex is nowhere to be found in those. But, Arvin (the professor from CalTech who taught at least one of Alex's classes and had a brief relationship with Haley, somewhat to Alex's chagrin), is returning.<br />
<br />
And this might not be a one-shot deal - during filming of the final episodes a couple of weeks ago both Ariel and Sarah posted selfies on their Instagram stories with Chris Geere, the actor who plays Arvin.<br />
<br />
Now this could just mean Arvin is trying to get back into Haley's life, even though she's married to Dylan and has the twins. But, maybe, just maybe, one way or another, his road may (finally) take him to Alex? Yes, I still think the probable age difference is a bit much, but, at least, since Alex is no longer at CalTech that possible conflict of interest is off the table.<br />
<br />
Or, maybe there is one more possibility - maybe Arvin offers Alex some sort of job (e.g. assisting him at CalTech)? Since we haven't heard anything about Alex's current job since she let Margaret go as her assistant, maybe she's having second thought about staying there?<br />
<br />
Let's keep an eye on this - this last month may still have a happy (or sad) twist for Alex. Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77727583255750654.post-41896741712340647882020-02-19T21:32:00.000-08:002020-02-19T21:32:17.851-08:00“Flashback, Warm Nights Almost Left Behind”Given that I'm posting when I said I might not be tonight should answer the most obvious question:<br />
<br />
Even though Alex was only there in flashback mode (two blink and you'll miss it moments from long-time ago episodes), my feeling is that technically qualifies this to not be an Alex-less episode.<br />
<br />
That's all I have to say – I still have a ton on my mind right now (and some of the scenes tonight didn't help take my mind off them), and semantics are really the furthest from my mind.Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77727583255750654.post-16413253224657731792020-02-19T05:11:00.001-08:002020-02-19T05:11:37.890-08:00Just a quick post todayI'm sorry, but I've got a lot of stuff on my mind today (it's been a pretty rough last 24 or so hours), and right now any thoughts about what happens to Alex have to go on the back burner for a while (that's also why there's no lyric in this post).<br />
<br />
Not that there's a lot going on tonight for Alex in "Spuds", anyway. While there is at least a small (20%?) chance we actually see her tonight (unlike last week when there was zero chance), I still expect tonight to be the second of back-to-back episodes, and even if she is there (the best chance would be before the rest of the family goes to that restaurant) I don't expect much for her.<br />
<br />
I'll post something later if she does show up, otherwise I'm going to be taking a break from posting for a while.<br />
<br />
Also, I was trying to tweak the Disqus comment settings and I found out that setting comments to moderated is pretty much irreversible. I'm not sure what will happen if someone tries to post, but likely either a) you might have to verify your Disqus account and/or email (not through me, but the system, I think) or b) I'll have to approve any messages before they show up (I'll try to do that when I can - I'm probably not going to be on this site much the rest of this week). I'm sorry about that too.Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77727583255750654.post-84636474431285026422020-02-12T06:41:00.000-08:002020-02-12T06:41:23.332-08:00"One Week Without You"With Alex not appearing in tonight's episode ("Paris"), I really don't have a lot to say - not even enough for a typical pre-show post.<br />
<br />
The best I can hope for is that they give us a plausible explanation as to why she didn't go on the trip (e.g. a major project at work which prevented her from taking time off).<br />
<br />
And unless something happens that could change her life even if she isn't there, I'm not planning on doing a post tonight. That and I have to work tonight so I don't know when I'll get around to watching it anyway.Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77727583255750654.post-15231781665978330202020-02-06T21:01:00.000-08:002020-02-06T21:01:10.178-08:00"And I'm Hungry Like The Wolf" (First Impressions - "Spuds" - Season 11, Episode 14)I was beginning to think we weren't getting a new episode on February 19th, until this <a href="https://www.wdtvpress.com/abc/shows/modernfamily/episodes/spuds/">press release</a> came out today.<br />
<br />
But having seen it, I think I'm going to wish there wasn't one. It's an episode where it appears all the action will occur in just one setting (a restaurant), and Alex isn't mentioned in any of the three stories.<br />
<br />
It looks like back-to-back Alex-less episodes may be in the cards (we already know next week's episode in Paris will be Alex-less) - maybe they should sub-title this "Three More Dinners"? And even with only four episodes left after this one, I wouldn't be shocked if this one still isn't the last one.Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77727583255750654.post-81865174168614841862020-01-28T10:54:00.001-08:002020-01-28T10:54:26.061-08:00"I'll Close My Eyes And Make A Wish"Actually, I won't, and Alex probably won't either (I'm still not sure if she's even been allowed near a birthday cake for the past six years...)<br />
<br />
But one person hopefully will, today.<br />
<br />
Happy 22nd Birthday, Ariel!Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77727583255750654.post-62179445921331838292020-01-23T13:31:00.000-08:002020-01-23T13:31:48.868-08:00"If You Won't See Me"About 25 years ago, there was a movie called <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113097/">"Forget Paris"</a>. Unfortunately, for us Alex fans, it looks like that title will be our mantra when the Paris episode airs in three weeks.<br />
<br />
I already had low expectations for that episode as it was, since there was no sign of Alex in the synopsis. It turns out there's almost certainly a reason why - in an <a href="https://hollywoodlife.com/2020/01/22/nolan-gould-modern-family-finale-episode-season-11-interview/">interview that Nolan Gould did for Hollywood Life</a>, he mentioned that not everyone will be seen in that episode:<br />
<br />
<i>"Unfortunately, I’m not in the episode. Me and <strong>Ariel [Winter]</strong>
both aren’t in it. But there are two French extras in the background of
one of the shots who look a shocking amount like me and Ariel, so keep
an eye out." </i><br />
<br />
I don't see Nolan as being the type to troll the media or the fans, so I'm about 99.99 percent certain this means there will be no Alex in this episode. I hope Ariel didn't have to pay to fly over there if they weren't going to use her (she posted pictures of herself on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B45BGMkA2_P/">social media</a> in France while the show was filming over there, so the natural assumption at the time was she would be in the episode).<br />
<br />
(And, yes, if there is an Alex look-alike but no Alex, it does count as an Alex-less episode.)Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77727583255750654.post-2000949574641055942020-01-22T21:32:00.001-08:002020-01-22T21:32:40.525-08:00 “Whoa, I Never Meant To Brag” (“Dead On A Rival” Recap)No, it's definitely not me bragging – not only was I wrong about Alex not being there tonight (of course that's not a bad thing<sup>1</sup>), but unlike what I also thought this morning might happen she was the only female Dunphy not offered a job by Phil's ex-neighbor turned tech guru.<br />
<br />
But Alex does have at least something about which to brag – she's been with this company (about which we still know very little) for only a couple of months and she's already hiring and firing assistants. And, if she follows through with Jay's suggestion, after dismissing Margaret she might just have a hunky guy as an assistant. Hopefully he really is the best candidate – I want her to hire someone who can be a good assistant to her.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>As for the story itself, it wasn't the most consequential one we've ever seen for Alex, and pairing her with Jay's long-time assistant Margaret was rather random. I would like to think we'll see at least one more story with Alex at her office (and find out just what her job is) that has a lot more impact on her life, but with only five episodes left (not counting the one that's set in Paris) I don't like the chances for that.<br />
<br />
But it was a sweet little story, and I liked that Alex was at least gentle with Margaret when she did have to fire her. Plus, again I thought we weren't going to see Alex tonight, so any screen time was a bonus anyway, And she had a few on-screen moments away from her family for a change<sup>2</sup>. The story did drift a bit away from her at the end to Jay and Margaret's relationship, but she was far from being just a piece of the scenery at her office.<br />
<br />
Although I'm a little wary of the fact that Alex knew it was bourbon that Margaret put in her coffee. And I'd prefer a steak to a salad.<sup>3</sup><br />
<br />
<b>Alex's Line Of The Night:</b> <i>”I definitely have to carve out some extra time for giggling.”</i> I guess interacting with guys from Stanford has that effect on Alex – perhaps it was a good thing after all she didn't go to Stanford with Sanjay – she probably would have giggled herself to death...<br />
<br />
Next week's a repeat (the Alex-less “Tree's A Crowd”), and there's no word what the plan is for February 5th (the Paris episode is on the 12th). So there will be at least a one week break and probably two before the next new episode. I know there will be one post I'll be more than happy to make before that.<br />
________________________________________________________<br />
<sup>1</sup> That is, at least as long as she's not being thrown under the bus by her family.<br />
<br />
<sup>2</sup> Of course the way Jay was talking to Margaret at the end in his own mind he considers her a part of the family, to a degree. And, no, I'm not talking about the little joke about Mitch – I mean he's know her about as long as almost anyone else in his actual family.<br />
<br />
<sup>3</sup> That may not be saying a lot – there's tons of foods I wouldn't eat on a dare that I'd prefer over eating a salad. And Steak Diane would be one of them – I want just the meat without the fancy sauces.Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77727583255750654.post-27996290463630583492020-01-22T00:04:00.000-08:002020-01-22T00:04:21.963-08:00“Only To Rise And Fall Again”This pre-show to “Dead On A Rival” is going to be a quickie, since A) I'm starting a vacation today, and I'm focused more on getting out and about than I am about tonight's episode, which, B) doesn't look all that interesting anyway:<br />
<b></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><b>Anticipation Level:</b> <i>Low .</i>Only the fact that it's three weeks until the next new episode keeps this from being lower. I don't see Alex having much to do tonight (and that's if she's even there).<br />
<br />
<b>Emotional Moment Potential:</b> <i>Very Low.</i> I think the show in general used up a lot emotion last week, so don't look for much tonight, and even less so as far as Alex is concerned.<br />
<br />
<b>Game Changing Potential:</b> <i>Low.</i> One of the stories could lead somewhere if Alex is a part of it (see below), but I'm not holding my breath<br />
.<br />
<b>Chance Of An Alex-less Episode:</b> <i>High.</i> I'm actually more pessimistic about tonight being Alex-less than last week, and we know how that turned out. I'm guessing slightly worse than 50/50.<br />
<br />
<b>In Which Story Do I Want To See Alex Be A Part?</b> Well, since Phil's story is about a former neighbor who's big into tech, that seems like the story most up her alley. Depending on what happened after the family's hi-jinks at her apartment two weeks ago, maybe she needs another new job?<br />
<br />
<b>Are There Any Other Questions?</b> <i>So why start a vacation on a Wednesday?</i> Well, I wanted a week off (after another crazy holiday season), including a weekend, and, for obvious reasons (22 of them if it's not that obvious), I wanted next Tuesday off. But I didn't want to be off next weekend for work reasons, so I basically split the difference.<br />
<br />
I'll be back around the usual time tonight, although I doubt I'll have much more to say.Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77727583255750654.post-81410954491236592462020-01-19T20:51:00.002-08:002020-01-19T20:51:48.739-08:00"I Was There, To Match My Intellect, On National TV"A random thought that just crossed my mind:<br />
<br />
With ABC just having finished this big <b><i>Jeopardy!</i></b> tournament earlier this month (including a round that aired just before "The Prescott"), why didn't someone think to do a <b><i>Modern Family</i></b> episode where Alex appears on the show?<br />
<br />
OK, I doubt they'd let her win, and they probably would have set it up where she gets clobbered and finishes with a negative score (like Weird Al in the above lyric), but even that would have been better than having Alex get in trouble at her (former?) new apartment because of her family.<br />
<br />
And who knows, maybe they could've brought Sanjay back as a competitor (and at least give closure to that story before they wrap up things)?Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77727583255750654.post-63482082614474132262020-01-15T21:33:00.000-08:002020-01-15T21:33:01.653-08:00 “In A Flash, It Takes Hold Of My Heart”...and rips it right out of my body. Just when I thought they were going to let Frank be OK. I'm not sure what I think about how they handled that.<br />
<br />
Other than that, since Alex wasn't there tonight I really don't have a lot to say - will they let her or Luke or Haley react to their grandfather's death next week? It's highly unlikely. (Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if next week is Alex-less also – I'll have more to say about that next Wednesday.)<br />
<br />
And I guess we'll have to wait and see if Alex and Jay have a serious bonding moment now that he's her last living grandparent.Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77727583255750654.post-28139943884492938832020-01-15T01:14:00.000-08:002020-01-15T01:14:14.855-08:00“As Long As Your Father Told You”For the most part when a new episode comes around, I'm always trying to figure out what will happen to Alex. Tonight's “Legacy” will be a rare exception, mainly because I am actually more interested in a story that won't really revolve around Alex than in what she does tonight (if in fact she's even there – more on that shortly).<br />
<br />
In this case, the story involves Phil and his father (and Alex's grandfather), Frank, who may reveal some terrible news about his health. I have a feeling I'm going to get very emotional about this story, since I've fretted often throughout my life about losing my own father (thankfully that hasn't happened yet) and any type of fictional story I see like that usually hits a lot closer to home than maybe it should. Even if Alex isn't a major (or any) part of it.<br />
<br />
Having said all of that, the level and potentials you'll see in the next three sections won't totally jibe with those of the episode as a whole – they still will be tied into where I think things go with Alex tonight.<br />
<b></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><b>Anticipation Level:</b> <i>Low to Medium.</i> Since I'm not even sure if Alex will even be there, from that perspective there isn't a lot interesting about tonight. Unless she has a big hidden role in Phil's story.<br />
<br />
<b>Emotional Moment Potential:</b> <i>Medium.</i> If Alex is around, certainly she'll probably get at least a little emotional if the worst happens. Not as much as Phil, but remember she took DeDe's death surprisingly hard last season (harder than I would have expected given she had a much closer bond to her other grandmother, Grace), so something happening to Frank could still hit her hard.<br />
<br />
And if something does happen, that could lead to...<br />
<br />
<b>Game Changing Potential:</b> <i>Low to Medium.</i> If Frank passes away, now Alex will be down to one grandparent to turn to, Jay. Since he wants Alex to be the leader of his family someday, will both of those events lead to them bonding even closer?<br />
<br />
This is more a game changer for the future - Alex doesn't have to be around tonight for this to possibly happen. Speaking of which...<br />
<br />
<b>Chance Of An Alex-less Episode:</b> <i>Medium.</i> I'm getting very mixed signals about this. On one hand, there's been no sign of Alex in any media involving this episode, so that (especially these days) strongly hints that she won't be there.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, it seems illogical that she won't be there, given that Phil will want to lean on everyone in his family in his time of need, and I don't think normally Alex wouldn't be there, let alone not want to be there.<br />
<br />
Of whatever number of Alex-less episodes we end up having this final season, if this is one of them it will probably rate as the one which will the least chance of happening. But I'd still put it at around 25 percent.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Are There Any Other Questions?</b> <i>Tonight is the sixth anniversary of the original airing of “Under Pressure” (and the first January 15th to fall on a Wednesday since that immortal night). Will I be binge watching that today while waiting for tonight's episode?</i> Well, I've already watched it three times today before I even got around to posting this, so, um, yep. I'm not sure how many more times today I'll watch but that number should at least double by midnight. (I will slow the pace down somewhat - I've yet to sleep this early morning and I might want to do one or two other things on my day off.)<br />
<br />
Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77727583255750654.post-7743885589061660802020-01-08T21:34:00.003-08:002020-01-08T21:34:19.794-08:00 “And You (Erupt) Like A Volcano” (“The Prescott” Recap)OK, I'm fudging that line a little, but the actual word replaced by "Erupt" is NSFW and doesn't really fit my mood<sup>1</sup> (it's from a song called <a href="https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/lizphair/supernova.html">“Supernova”</a> - the link is NSFW as well ). “Erupt” <b><i>does</i></b> fit absolutely perfectly, as I am really, <span style="font-size: large;"><b>REALLY</b></span> ticked off at how the family and the show in general treated Alex this week.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>And it's not even like I didn't see this coming. I actually was thinking of changing the “Emotional Level Potential” category in the pre-show to “Poor Alex Potential” because of this possibility, but decided with so few episodes left it wasn't worth it. If I had used that it would have been even higher (Extremely High at least) and I would have nailed it.<br />
<br />
If Alex does transfer to New York at/after series end (as she hinted at during the Christmas dinner she might do), tonight might have been the night that clinched that decision.<br />
<br />
Tonight was “A Stereotypical Day” squared – the family taking advantage of Alex to selfishly get their own needs satiated. While Alex wasn't sick this time, in many ways it was worse – this time their selfishness got Alex into trouble that she did not deserve.<br />
<br />
And I'm not sure with whom I'm angriest at the most – it's pretty close to an eight-way tie. Probably Jay is the one with whom I'm least angry because all he originally wanted to do was see a movie in peace. But he too stole Alex's pass code so he is not nearly totally blameless.<br />
<br />
As for the rest, for now I'll invoke the “if you can't say something nice about someone don't say anything at all” rule. For now.<br />
<br />
<br />
At least Alex finally got to read everyone the riot act the next day. Personally, I wish she had caught them all at the cabanas (was that what they called “Westworld”?) and got them arrested for trespassing.<br />
<br />
Or, if she hasn't been evicted (more on that shortly), make them drive all the way back to her apartment to yell at them instead of driving over to her parents' house.<br />
<br />
<br />
And at least we did see Alex in that closing credits scene – after the opening minute she was barely there until the end. Considering this entire episode was set at her apartment building I find it borderline <i>disgraceful</i> that she had so little to do there – it was even worse than the first two times we saw her at her coffee shop job three seasons ago (at least she was still in the background then).<br />
<br />
And even though the letter Alex had was just a bill for all the charges they rang up (by my calculation just shy of $1,500 plus the cost of the eight sliders and coconut water that Phil tried to have<sup>2</sup>), I'm not totally convinced she didn't get evicted on top of that – the possibly that it still could have happened as well was left unsaid.<br />
<br />
The only bright spot was we didn't see Alex at her office, so there should still be an episode there (I'm not holding my breath for a second one). But if it ends up anything like tonight, even that won't be particularly bright.<br />
<br />
Honestly, maybe this episode was hysterical to many watchers, maybe even to a couple of people reading this (it was a lot like the “Las Vegas” episode from Season 5). But I just can't get past the fact that poor Alex got totally shafted on so many levels to ever look at this one without being angry about it.<br />
<br />
<b>Alex's Line Of The Night:</b> <i>”My new company is putting me up at the Prescott, a luxury residence with full amenities. I admit this extravagant lifestyle can make me uncomfortable. </i>(Alex turns to her pedicurist) <i>Gentle, Marta!”</i> I still doubt she'll have to worry about that too much longer.<br />
<br />
I just hope I can get this anger/frustration out of my system before I go back to work tomorrow afternoon, or it's going to be a very long (or very short) day. Maybe I'll just be merely depressed by then.<br />
________________________________________________________<br />
<sup>1</sup> Well, not literally, anyway. Figuratively, OTOH, as an expression of anger...<br />
<br />
<sup>2</sup> Alex didn't mention the amount – it's also possible those were included in the $200 tab for Jay's Sugar Babies. And there was no mention of Claire's hair dye treatment so I don't know if Alex was charged for that either.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Noahproblemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169940077744279916noreply@blogger.com0