“But There Ain't No Cure For The Summertime Blues”

Yes, that lyric doesn't seem particularly relevant at this time of year (well, here in much of the U.S.A. and the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, anyway), but I'll explain it later.

Actually, just when things looked darkest for this week's “The Alliance”, a tiny piece of good news popped up on Twitter:

That awkward moment when you have to meet your boyfriend's daughter. 😳 #ModernFamily pic.twitter.com/W9c4ATISna

— Modern Family (@ModernFam) November 29, 2016

So at least we don't have to worry about an Alex-less episode after all (I was going to estimate the chance at about 25% before that, which would be in the “very high” range¹).

But does it mean I'm looking any more forward to tonight?

Anticipation Level: Low. Not really – that scene removes the “Very” from this category but I still doubt Alex is going to have much of a role tonight (there's also every chance that may be her only scene).

Yes, she is at her new job in that tweeted scene, but it's highly unlikely much more than a line or two will be devoted to it. We'll still likely have to wait until 2017 to see an actual story about her job (assuming tonight itself isn't the only time we see her there – I do NOT want to think about that possibility.).

Emotional Moment Potential: Very Low. No change here though – I don't expect anything, and I don't plan on this rating biting me in the behind later.

In Which Story Do I Want To See Alex Be A Part? If this is more than a one-and-done hopefully she stays with Haley's story.

Are There Any Other Questions?

So, why the “summertime blues” reference in the title? Starting with last week's repeats, we're looking at a six or seven week period (depending on when in January² the new episodes resume) with only two likely forgettable (or worse) new episodes buried within a mass of repeats. Therefore, in a way, right now feels a little like the middle of summer, at least as far the scheduling of Modern Family goes. It's not a perfect analogy of course – there are no new episodes during the four months of summer re-run season.

Also, it's not like I've never used an off-season lyric before – I've used Christmas song lyrics at least twice during summertime.
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¹OTOH, barring something similar popping up before the next episode (“Snow Ball”) two weeks from now, the chance that episode ends up Alex-less is now almost off the charts.

² There's no guarantee that January 4th will be that date – historically the holiday break has been three episodes long. (“Lifetime Supply” did air on the 4th in Season 3, but there was no new episode on December 14th that season unlike this season - “Express Christmas” aired on the 7th , followed by three weeks of repeats.)