"We're In The Same Boat On The Same Sea" (First Impressions - 'Blasts From The Past" - Season 10, Episode 12)

I feel like I should just cut and paste my comments from last week's post about the press release for "A Moving Day", since the press release for the following episode sounds awfully familiar.

No, the stories are definitely different, but, once again 1) no sign of Alex (or Bill), again, and 2) the focus in the Dunphy house is again on Haley and Dylan.  I get it that that story's a big deal, but are they throwing all their eggs into that basket the rest of the season and completely forgetting about Alex?  Will she even get even one more story this season?

Maybe I'm just doubling down on my disappointment and pessimism because I was really hoping this episode would at least mention Alex's 21st birthday (it airs on 1/16, the day before her likely birth date),  but instead it seems more likely we won't see her at all (again?).

And with that, we're on to 2019.  Hopefully I'll be able to look back at this last 2018 post and laugh about how stupid it wound up being, but...

"It's So Hard Waiting" (First Impressions - "A Moving Day" - Season 10, Episode 11)

This press release (and photos) for the first episode of 2019 actually came out a couple of days ago, but my work schedule this weekend (and through mid-week, actually) is so back and forth (evening one shift, morning the next day, etc.) that I really didn't have much time to get to it until now.

Not that it matters much -- there's no sign of Alex in any of this, and I'm already getting a feeling we may not even see her that night.

And the following week's episode title, "Blasts From The Past", doesn't give me much confidence either, barring a highly unlikely return of Sanjay.

Sorry for the Scrooge-like post going into the holiday.

“It's Not Christmas Without Grandma” (“Stuck In A Moment” Recap)

And the family came too close to comfort to finding out what Christmas without Alex would be like.  A little too much hyperbole?  Yes, but...

“A Baby Changes Everything”

There's a sneak preview for tonight's Christmas episode (“Stuck In The Moment”) on People Magazine's website that brings Alex deeper into Haley's story.

It seems that poor Alex having to keep the secret about Haley's pregnancy has caused her to become a nervous wreck, to the point that some of her hair is already turning gray.   (It's not a lot though and frankly I could barely notice it.)  She's keeping that a secret for now by wearing a hat.   Right now it looks like they're playing that part of the story for laughs - we already have a serious (pun not intended) contender for line of the night at the end of that preview.   But will it stay that way?

“'Cause You Had A Bad Day” (“Putting Down Roots” Recap)

It wasn't quite as much so as I hoped (a lengthy hug would have been nice), but I am glad that overall Alex was supportive of Haley tonight (especially given her mood towards her other sibling, which I'll get to in a moment).

“Like Trees Exposed By Fall, Time Reveals It All”

For some reason, last week they changed the title of tonight's episode to “Putting Down Roots”.  No idea why, and it really wasn't significant enough to merit mentioning until now.

On the other hand, the promo for the episode which I saw last night (unfortunately I can't find it online yet) [2:00 PM UPDATE:  I found it - I've posted it after the page jump], well that's another story:

“You See Right Through (Me)” (“Kids These Days” Recap)

If the biggest question about tonight's episode (is Alex changing her image?) were a controversial sports play being reviewed, whatever was the original call would stand based on inconclusiveness.  In other words, I can't really say whether or not tonight was the start of a new Alex.

“The Lady In Red”

On “Live With Kelly and Ryan” yesterday, during Ariel's segment¹, they aired a short clip from the scene where Alex was trying out that red dress (in front of Claire and Gloria) we saw in the promo pictures.

The biggest takeaways from that scene for me were: 1) she is shopping for outfits (including for later at night) for something going on with Bill, and 2) Claire seems to be on board (and even leading the way) with Alex trying to dress herself more attractively for Bill.

So where does that leave us going into tonight's “Kids These Days”?  In a way, tonight is like seeing the part of the story of Alex and Gloria actually shopping for the dress we didn't see during “Come Fly With Me”, except everyone's nine years older and Claire is along for the ride.  And it's a lot different occasion and look than for going to some friend of Claire's wedding that Alex has never even heard of.  But I wouldn't mind if Alex said something about finally wanting to wear a dress for that cute boy (Bill).

But that's far from all:

"I'm Looking Forward To Looking Back On These Days" (First Trimester Recap)

I will say this about the first seven weeks this season - I'm not feeling as pessimistic about the rest of the season for Alex as I was this time last year.

No I'm not saying the first third of the season was great, but at least some good things did happen for her, and there is at least hope for things to happen during what still appear to be the final 15 episodes of the series.

"So Hold Your Head Up High, It's Your Time To Shine"

Hopefully you've enjoyed (or will enjoy) your Thanksgiving meal today (or at least had a good day if you're not in the U.S.A.).  And you're not reading this after a six hour turkey coma (yeah, I've said before that's mostly(?) fiction).

It turns out there's actually some news about Alex to discuss.

One of the next two episodes has been made a lot more interesting with the release of some promotional photos ("Kids These Days", "The Tree Of Strife").   But which one?  Well, if you're viewing this from the home page, you're going to have to go past "Read more" to find out...

(Or click the links, I guess...)

"All The Leaves Are Brown" (First Impressions - "The Tree Of Strife" - Season 10, Episode 9)

So now we know some of what is inside the "Thanksgiving to Christmas" episode sandwich, as the press release is out for the middle episode.

Nothing specific about Alex, again, but it could be at least a little bit interesting, as we get the followup to Dede's death last month.  Specifically, we find out what possessions she has left for her family.

I'll guess it's almost certain she won't leave Alex a lighter.  It's less certain but still more likely than not what she leaves her will be something eccentric.

But maybe it's nothing - what if Alex falls victim to being forgotten again as the middle child?   That would probably be the possibility that would be the most interesting, albeit the highly cruelest one.  Before Dede's death I wouldn't have thought Alex would have been too fazed by the possibility (because she had more of a connection with her other gramdmother), but after seeing her unexpectedly sadder reaction to losing her second grandparent maybe being ignored might hurt Alex more too.

I'll probably post something new on Thanksgiving - maybe the first third recap I promised earlier, maybe something else.

"Just Remember To Always Think Twice" (First Impressions - "Kids These Days" - Season 10, Episode 8, and "Stuck in a Moment" - Season 10 Christmas Episode)

There is a press release out for the next new episode in two weeks, and an early look (deep in an ABC-wide Christmas release) for the Christmas episode that airs two weeks later (December 12th).  No word yet on December 5th (I'm guessing new episode, but...).

They share one thing in common - Alex isn't mentioned in either of them.  I doubt she'll go missing for the Christmas episode, but I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't show up in "Kids These Days" - right now it seems like each episode is either all or nothing for her.

I'll probably do some sort of recap of the first part of the season over next weekend, but don't cancel any plans waiting for it.

“And What I Taste Is Bittersweet“ (“Did The Chicken Cross The Road?” Recap)

As soon as the first act went to commercial, three words crossed my mind: “I jinxed it.”

“Are You Ready For A Real Career”

The title “Did The Chicken Cross The Road?” may not sound exciting, but with a probably huge Alex story on the cards (she's trying to get a coveted government job, but her family isn't helping, especially, albeit unwittingly, Phil and his past), tonight is going to be a very interesting night.

And, someone is going to find out they are pregnant.  It's probably not Alex (my earlier thought that it's a 90 percent chance it's Haley still stands), but, if..

"When I First Found Out, I Hurt All Over" ("Did The Chicken Cross The Road?" Promo)

There's a promo commercial out for this Wednesday's episode already, and Alex's story at least shows up for a change.  And that may not be all:

“Banished...Banished...Forever”

OK, Alex was not banished forever but for only this week (for now), but it is still Halloween in some places.   So, I figured if there was no Alex, at least I could bring Ariel into the picture with a line from her song which at least sounds like a Halloween thing.

It beats saying “Bah Humbug”, and, despite tonight being another Alex-less episode, it was funny enough to deserve better.

On to next week, I guess.

“It's The (Third) Most Wonderful Time Of The Year”

Yep, Halloween is the third most wonderful time of the year.  Christmas is the second most wonderful time of the year.  Every other time of the year is tied for first.


OK, that's mostly my retail cynicism rearing its ugly head (as far as Christmas is concerned, anyway), but I really stopped enjoying Halloween many years ago, between not being allowed to trick or treat after I turned 10, and more than one bus ride at night coming home from work where said bus got egged.  I'm not quite at Cam's earlier level of hating/fearing the holiday (he does seem to have gotten over that over the years), but I do hate it.

So, now that that rant is over, let's get on with a more topical rant – what do I think about tonight's “On The Same Paige”?  Will Alex even be in the same library?

“At Least I Can Say That I Tried” (“Good Grief” Recap)

This morning I wondered why they'd do the death episode for Halloween.   After seeing it, I still wonder why.  Light-hearted comedy and sad stories don't mix too well – they tried too hard to be both.  I think this really should have been a stand-alone episode.

“Do You Like Shakespeare?”

Tonight's “Good Grief” might end up being one of the most talked about episodes of the season, what with some big news (possibly the death of someone that affects the whole family) being revealed.

And Alex's boyfriend Bill is there.  Will it live up to the expectations, or will it be “Much Ado About Nothing”?

"Just For Fun He Says, 'Get A Job'" (First Impressions - "Did The Chicken Cross The Road?" - Season 10, Episode 7)

Well, if I was surprised that next week will feature a new episode (instead of a rerun), I'm even more surprised we will have a seventh straight new episode on November 7th, as I was expecting the usual pre-emption for one of those music award shows that litter the airwaves around the turn of a new year.  But, it turns out, that show isn't happening until the following week (on the 14th), so we do get a new episode to start the month after all.

And, it's actually going to be a pretty significant one for Alex:

“Loving You Both Is Breaking All The Rules”

One door closes, another door opens.  Unless you are Alex, in which case you end up figuratively running into the door that Haley closed.   In other words, it looks like I was right about this being the last we see of Arvin.

Yeah, my metaphors suck.  At least I'm not using an unlit cigarette.

(Actually, Gus's metaphor was brilliant – too bad it didn't help him in the end.)

That's about all I've got to say about Alex-less Episode #25.

I was hoping we'd see a commercial for next week, but no go on that either.  I guess we'll be kept in suspense for a while longer.

“Couldn't Really Blame You, If You Turned And Walked Away”

Given as I said before how “Torn Between Two Lovers” is one of my all-time favorite songs¹, I wish I could be more excited about tonight's episode with the same title.  But I can't, at least as far as Alex is concerned.

"In My Book Of Dreams" (First Impressions - "On The Same Paige" - Season 10, Episode 6)

I'm surprised we're actually getting a new episode on Halloween night - I figured since this season's Halloween episode is next week, they'd just plug in a re-run for the actual night (either this season's opener or last season's quasi-Halloween episode). 

Actually there's still a small chance this episode might get pushed back - if the World Series goes to a seventh game, it would be played that night.  Last year, unlike other networks, ABC didn't make a last-minute switch-out when last year's World Series went to Game 7, but who knows what they'll do if it happens again this year.

“Sing For The Laughter, Sing For the Tear” (“A Sketchy Area” Recap)

For a while, I was beginning to think that one scene they showed between Alex and Gloria was going to be the only time that story would even be mentioned.  Then, at least they got back to it at the end.

“Hoping That The Answer Will Come Down”

When yesterday started, I was pretty much expecting this pre-show post for tonight's “A Sketchy Area” to be full of doom and gloom, with the main talking point being how big a chance it would be that it would be the first Alex-less episode of the season¹.

And then this happened:

"My Love For You's A Tragedy(?)" (First Impressions - "Good Grief" - Season 10, Episode 5)

When I first saw the  press release for the (previously mentioned) Halloween episode, I thought, OK, nothing new added, so not much news, right?

And then...

“Staring At The Blank Page Before You” (“Kiss And Tell” Recap)

I feel like I should have more to say than what you're going to see here, because it felt like there were a lot of bad optics for Alex (odd considering how little she actually had to do tonight), but I'm having a really bad case of writer's block.

“Hope My Boyfriend Don't Mind It”

Whatever microscopic chance of an Alex-less episode there might have been is no more, as Alex was in the promo commercial for tonight's “Kiss And Tell”¹, albeit it was a blink and you'll miss it moment again.   Foreshadowing the rest of the episode, anyone?

"There's Just This Empty Place Inside Of Me" (First Impressions - "Torn Between Two Lovers" - Season 10, Episode 4)

As soon as I saw the title for this episode, which also happens to be the title of one of my all-time favorite songs (not that I've ever had to deal with that - I've never even reached one), I pretty much knew Alex would once again be left out in the cold (she's only fared slightly better than me).  And, sure enough, the press release confirmed that (not surprisingly given the title Haley is the focus, again).

Actually it bugs me more that Manny has another story (he has one this week as well).  Nothing against Manny, but unless there is a surprise somewhere in the next three weeks, Haley, Luke and Manny will all have two or three stories each in the first month, while Alex probably won't have had much of anything (maybe being generous and counting last week as a third of a story?).  At the rate we're going, Lily and Joe will probably get stories before Alex, too.

I know that sounds like nothing new, but with time probably running out on the show as a whole...

“You Gotta Find The Spark That Will Pull You Out Of Wherever You Are” (“I Love A Parade” Recap)

I'm not sure I've found the spark for myself, but at least Alex did.  In more ways than one, actually.

“Come Back, Come Back To Life”

And so we begin another year's journey in the life of Alex, and the rest of her family.  Presumably it's still going to be the final journey we see, but there's no official word one way or the other (there's now a rumor that there might be one more slightly shorter season [18 episodes instead of 22 presumably over 17 weeks with a one hour double episode finale] next year).


So will tonight's opener, “I Love A Parade”,  be that significant in the grand scheme of things?

"No More Pencils No More Books" (First Impressions - "A Sketchy Idea" - Season 10, Episode 3)

I didn't think much about this episode when the first word of it came out - now that the press release and some photos for it have arrived, I really don't think much about it.

In fact, I already have a strong feeling this could be the first Alex-less episode of the season (I'm pretty sure but not quite 100%  we're safe for next week).

There is one small piece of Alex news, but don't get too excited.  This article on TV Insider has snippets of four stories, one of which tangentially involves Alex:

"When Alex (Ariel Winter) pursues a high-security job, it comes to light that dad Phil was once "an unwitting spy for the Soviet Union.""

I'm guessing Alex doesn't get this job (presumably a post-degree job), which is bad news.  Worse is the fact she may just be a prop in a Phil story which sounds rather bizarre.

"I'm Too Young To Fall Asleep"

Well, if Heaven forbid that Alex is the one to die later this season (I still don't expect it to happen, but...), I've found the song that I'll be listening to for probably the six months that follow it:

Head Above Water 🌊
Out Now https://t.co/AUuZ7oiaEb pic.twitter.com/by9Pe48Hwt

— Avril Lavigne (@AvrilLavigne) September 19, 2018

It was the line in this post's title that really brought out the ugly tears - I don't even want to imagine the pain Avril was going through at the time (she wrote this while she was going through her Lyme Disease ordeal).

"All For A Cuddle And A Peck On The Cheek" (First Impressions - "Kiss And Tell" - Season 10, Episode 2)

There's a potential major spoiler for next week's episode in the following episode's press release - no it doesn't involve the upcoming death nor does it involve Alex (she's not even mentioned in the release) so read it at your own risk.  All I'll say is one small note in my earlier prediction thread has already been invalidated by it.

There is one disappointment: As I noted a few weeks ago Alex usually does pretty well in second episodes of the season.  Unless there's a hidden story for her that will not be the case this year.

“You Got To Know When To Hold 'Em, Know When To Fold 'Em”

Time to get the saws ready – I'm about to begin my fifth, and, as of now, likely to be the last, season prediction thread of this blog.

OK, I'm way out on that limb right now, and the view is, as has been the case lately, not that pretty:

"Tomorrow Comes And We Might Go Away(?)"

First the smallish stuff:  Episode 2 will be titled "Kiss And Tell".  I suppose this could involve Alex and Bill, but who knows?

Now, the biggish stuff, maybe:

As you've probably heard by now, Modern Family plans on killing off a "significant" character, later this season but probably within the first half (November, probably?), with ramifications for many if not all of the characters.

I'll say more over the weekend, but I think it's almost certain they won't kill off Alex, so I wouldn't worry too much about it.  There is more than one reason (including one highly cynical one) for this, but the biggest one is I really doubt they'll kill off any of the 12 main family members in mid-season, even/especially in the likely-to-be final season.

"The Sun Always Shines On TV"

We can stop worrying about Alex going missing for the season opener: while she did not appear in the promo photos ABC released earlier today,  she did appear for a split second (at the parade with Claire) in the promo commercial I saw at the end of tonight's rerun.   If and when I can find it online I'll post it here.

It doesn't make the opener a big deal by any means (that Alex is at the parade probably means a minimal role) but a small deal is better than no deal, especially considering what a potential absence could have meant for the season overall.   But more on that this weekend or next Monday.

"Sky Rockets In Flight" (First Impressions - "I Love A Parade" - Season 10, Episode 1)

Remember how vague the plot details in the press releases were getting as Season 9 went along?  Well, some things haven't changed with the new season, at least with the press release for the season opener.

"East Bound & Down"

Now I really wish "The Last Movie Star" was a bigger deal than it turned out (and deserved) to be - with the passing of Burt Reynolds today at 82 this will end up being his final movie.  I wasn't one of his biggest fans (until "The Last Movie Star" came out his best movie IMO was probably the first "Smokey And The Bandit" movie which was a fun movie in which you could actually root for a guy breaking dozens of laws) but he was definitely one of the biggest stars of his generation.

Ariel posted this beautifal tribute to Burt on Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

The world lost a legend today. Not only on screen, but also in life. Burt Reynolds was an incredible man to everyone he encountered, and I am deeply grateful that I got to spend time with him in the way that I did. They don’t make them like him anymore— he truly was the last movie star. Burt was a kind, loving soul that could brighten your day with just a smile, and always cared to make sure he asked how your day was going or just cheer you up with a charming compliment. While today is a sad day, Burt lived an incredibly full life and while he’s no longer here physically, he is always in our hearts and minds. Will love and miss you always Burt.

A post shared by ARIEL WINTER (@arielwinter) on Sep 6, 2018 at 4:18pm PDT

R.I.P. Bandit.

(P.S. Normal Alex musings will return next week, hopefully with the first press release of the season.)

"You're Simply The Best. Better Than All The Rest."

OK, let's take one more trip in the (almost) way back machine before Season 10 approaches.

No, I'm not going to pick apart any more past comments that blew up in my face (for now) - instead, I'm going to answer the question of which season's first, second, third, etc. episode was the best of all of the first, second, third, etc. episodes.

Each list is in chronological order - I'm not going to rank each episode in each group from 1 to 9 (1 to 6 for Episodes 23 and 24), but in each list I will highlight in green which episode of that group was the best, then make a few brief comments about the list (also, for the masochists in the audience, I'll mark the Alex-less episodes in each group in red).  This is mainly because I don't remember a lot about many of the episodes where Alex had a minimal role.

Usually the best episode will be the one with my favorite Alex story or Alex moment within the group.  However, there is one exception where the best episode wasn't nearly as Alex-centric as some of the others.  Which one was it?

"Happy Anniversary, Baby - Got You On My Mind."

I wish I had more to say today, given that it's the fourth anniversary of this blog's beginning (and because it's unlikely, but  not impossible¹ that there will be a fifth one), but there really isn't much to say.  That and a couple of other distractions (nothing earth-shattering or life impacting) is why you haven't heard from me in almost three weeks.

I am a bit worried about the opener in one sense - on my typical social media channels I saw no sign of Ariel on set during the first week of filming (but she and others did post some pictures during the second week).  I'm not in panic mode by any means (any official word about what might happen in the opener is still probably about 2-3 weeks away), but if, somehow, the opener turns out to be Alex-less (which sounds preposterous until you think back to how close we came to last season's finale being so), don't say you weren't warned.

There is also one more episode title out for the third episode ("A Sketchy Idea"), but so far it doesn't appear to have much for Alex, either.
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¹ Even though it's one of the co-creators talking about possibly continuing beyond Season 10 in that link, for now my money is still on this being the final season.

"The Love Parade Is On Even Against All Odds"

Based off this tweet from the first table read of the season (production starts tomorrow), it looks like the tentative title for the opener is going to be "I Love A Parade" (freeze the video at about 12 seconds when Eric pans over to the script):

"I'm Not Going Through The Motions(?)"

Finally, some actual news:  Season 10 starts on September 26th.  So, as of now, nine more weeks until we see Alex again.

And, speaking of nine - just how did my predictions for what would happen last year work out?   About as well as the ones for Seasons 6-8, probably.

Unlike the first three prediction threads, there were actually some footnotes in this one - I left them in as they were:

"Too Blind To See It"

Well, it's finally mid(ish)-July, so it's time for me to look back at my wild guesses on what I thought would happen to Alex in Season 8.

"I Don't Know Why Love Has Set Me Free"

Time for Round 2 - let's see how my predictions for Season 7 turned out.  As before, the updated comments are in green.  I left in most of the original formatting though (I took out one link at the beginning).

"Somewhere Back In Time, You Became A Friend Of Mine"

Ah, the dog days of summer (not dog years, although sometimes it seems that long) are here.  And so far re-run season has been less than enthralling (tonight it's another Alex-less episode, "Tough Love", and next week is the one-and-done "Brushes With Celebrity"), and with the final season still more than three months away (and probably any spoilers at least two months away) there really isn't much to talk about right now.   So, for those of you new to this blog,  don't expect to see a lot of posts in June and July, and only a little bit more in August.

But I don't want to leave this blog totally dormant, so I've come up with an idea for a series of (approximately) semi-monthly posts.  It's far from the most original idea around, but I'm going to go back and repost my pre-season prediction posts for the past four seasons, with additional comments about how well they went (hint: usually pretty badly) and other little snide remarks.

I'll leave the original formatting as is (there might be some links that may or may not still work) and add my thoughts today in [bracketed bold and italicized green like this].

Today, we start with what was going to happen in Season 6 (the first season of this blog), the season when Alex graduated from high school and got accepted into CalTech.

“I'm Really Bored It's Getting Late” (Season 9 Recap)

I'm sorry I'm late with the recap, but, honestly, it was hard getting motivated to do this, given the nothingburger this season turned out to be.

“She Turns On TV And Guess Who She Sees?” (“Clash Of Swords” Recap)

Admit it, going into the last part of the episode, you thought just like I did that Alex really wasn't going to show up¹.

And then, from out of nowhere, there she was, if only really for one scene (plus one quick look of her getting busted by Claire faking reading a magazine when she was really reading a library book).

That one small scene with Manny would have made for probably the most interesting Alex story of the season, if they had actually made it a full story and had them go on that road trip (of sorts) and Alex and Manny came to a self-realization or two (e.g. Alex finally is forced to face the “fear” of actually having to relax for a change, because something happens to her laptop along the way).   It still was the most interesting scene of the night².

The one bad news aspect about that scene was that it did confirm that Alex will not be doing that internship at MIT this summer (I had held out the smallest of hopes she'd changed her mind after Phil had talked her out of it and into enjoying her summer).

Alex's Line Of The Night: ”Of course I know you're right. But it's hard - people are out there discovering planets, and I'm in here doing BuzzFeed quizzes like 'if I were to be a Beatle who'd I be' and I'd be Ringo. Who cares, Manny?”   Just who was the smartest Beatle, anyway?

That actually sounded a lot like her Sweet 16 birthday rant (where she feels she's seriously underachieving compared to others), just before she smashed her cake, albeit a lot calmer.

And so, Season 9 finally comes crashing to its disappointing end.  Final thoughts to come this weekend, I guess.
________________________________________________________
¹ Luke and Lily were both missing again, which I still can't believe they'd do to two main characters on the final (two) episode(s).  I'll probably speculate about what that might mean for Alex next season as it draws closer.

² Tonight was OK, but it sure didn't have much of a season finale feel to it, save maybe for Jay possibly merging his closet company with that hipster hi-tech one (presumably how that plays out will be one the show's biggest stories of next season).  And maybe Mitch and Cam finally having a "brother" for Lily.

“When You Turn Around Can You Recognize My Face?”

The biggest question about tonight's finale, “Clash Of Swords”: At the end of the night, if Alex were to ask us the above question¹, would we be able to say yes? Well, if she ends up not being there, would we? After all, we won't see her again until September.

“When The World's Crashing Down”

A promo commercial for Wednesday's season finale was posted online tonight:

“All I Want Is To Forget”

So much for faint hopes.

When Modern Family's Twitter account (@ModernFam) posted a 10 second clip this afternoon showing Phil and Claire at home (before they went to see Jay's sister) talking about Haley's boyfriends (in what turned out to be the opening scene), I thought there was at least a chance that Alex might show up after all, even if only in one scene.

But, of course, it was not meant to be.

So now the Alex-less episode count stands at five¹, which means my prediction before the season started has sadly come true. Unless...

There was only one small possible silver lining tonight, and I'm not even totally happy about that (for non-Alex reasons): It appears that Haley and Professor Fennerman are still a couple for now, so maybe next season Alex could find her way into a story or two about them.

But in spite of that possibility, I'd still rather see Haley and Andy back together (from an overall show standpoint, that was the bigger “so much for faint hopes” moment), even though that seems highly unlikely now (never say never though).

One more episode to go – one last chance to salvage something from this season which for Alex has made the Titanic look like The Love Boat.
________________________________________________________
¹ And 24 in total, which means Alex has missed effectively an entire season over the course of the series.

“Hey, Those Days Are Long Gone”

I'm not sure what's more depressing – today being my last day of vacation, or the possibility that tonight's “The Escape” could really finish it on a down note.

I'm going to go out of order today with my pre-show thoughts, and start with the worst:

“You Make Me Wanna Scream” (“Mother!” Recap)

My take on the “bad news” that Alex had tonight? I feel like she overthought things about what really didn't seem like much of a deal at all.

“Before It's Too Late This Could All Disappear”

Yes, I know it's now the month of May, but I figured I'd keep the Avril lyrics going for a while. Maybe until I go on semi-hiatus for the summer, but no guarantees.

Anyway, tonight's “Mother!” is likely to be the final chance this season to see Alex play a part in a story (giving bad news of some sort to her mother, which is the main theme of the Dunphy story tonight). Whether or not it's the last chance to see Alex at all remains to be seen (I still think it's highly unlikely she'll miss both of the final two episodes, but the chance is not zero).

"You Know How The Story Goes"

As expected, there's little additional information in the actual press release for "Clash Of Swords" than what we already knew about it, so we're no closer to finding out what Alex's role will be in the season finale.  I doubt she won't be there, but for now I'm not optimistic about there being much for her either.  I also doubt if and when there are promo photos they will shed any more light on things.

One silver lining is Elaine Ko co-wrote it, so if Alex does have a role, it could be good.

I'll be back Wednesday to start the homestretch run (and a little vacation) unless something crazy comes up.

"I Wanna Know Everything, Everything" (First Impressions - "Clash Of Swords" - Season 9, Episode 22)

Well we don't know everything yet abut the season finale, but this mini(?)-synopsis of the finale (from a more general release press release about the end of the season on ABC) can probably be summed up in one word: Meh.

Two stories are revealed (I shouldn't be surprised that Phil is in the story that involves the title, about a superhero adventure convention), but, naturally, Alex is not mentioned in either of them.  Will they mention a third story when they issue the regular press release, probably next week?  Maybe, maybe not - the releases this season have left a lot of stories hidden until showtime.

"Hey Hey, You You, I Know That You Like Me" (First Impressions - "The Escape" - Season 9, Episode 21)

Remember at the end of my comments about the press release for "Mother!" how I thought we'd probably have no more Alex-less episodes this season?

Well, after seeing the press release for the next episode, I'm a lot less certain of that.

"I Can't Stop, 'Cause I'm Having Too Much Fun(?)"

OK, that's one adjective I wouldn't exactly use for Season 9, but since "What The Hell" was next on my list, I figured, um, well, you know...

Anyway, there were promo photos added for next week's "Mother!", and most of them involve the Dunphy story.

"Let's Talk This Over - It's Not Like We're Dead" (First Impressions - "Mother!" - Season 9, Episode 20)

So, does Alex have a big story in the next episode?  Not really.  Does she have a small one?  Yes, I guess:

"Love That Once Hung On The Wall"

Yes, this is one of those times this month when the blog title isn't going to have anything to do with the post subject - I couldn't really find a line from "Let Me Go" (my 5th favorite Avril song) to fit this one.

The last three episode titles have been released, and it's been confirmed that the Season 9 finale will air on May 16th:

“All I Wanna Do Is Lose Control(?)”

OK, I won't go that far, but I am definitely not a happy camper after tonight.

I probably should have taken it as an omen that my worst fear from this morning would come to pass when I got stuck with a “wait a second I just remembered I needed something else” customer to finish my shift (which took a lot longer than a second, of course), causing me to miss my bus. I did get home with a couple of minutes to spare before the show started, but now I wonder why I bothered to stress out about it.

So dubious history was made tonight, as Alex went missing for the fourth time this season, which has never happened before.

The worse part is I still don't think tonight is the last one, even with only three more to go. That prediction of five Alex-less episodes I made before the season started is still very much in play.

Of course we'll now have to wait three weeks (at least – no definitive word yet on what's up for May 2nd) for the first “opportunity” for that to happen.

Well at least I am getting tomorrow off for working today. That's about the best I can do for now.

“And We're Never Gonna Change”

Too bad I can't say that line to “Here's To Never Growing Up” applies to my work schedule – I had to trade shifts so I'm working today (I'm supposed to be off tomorrow to make up for it, but I'm not certain that part will still be true by the end of today). I should be home in time for tonight's episode, “ChiPs And Salsa”, so hopefully the rest of my routine will fall into place.

“We Were Made For Each Other” (“Daddy Issues” Recap)

Well at least the lyric from “When You're Gone” I chose does have something to do with two of the stories tonight and wasn't totally random – it just doesn't have meaning to Alex's part.

Tonight was a case of putting Alex in the wrong story. I know I've been looking for a story about Alex mentoring Lily about handling life as a smart person, but tonight she could have been a different kind of mentor.

“What's Wrong, What's Wrong Now? Too Many, Too Many Problems.”

So, it's now April, or, if you're in France or other places that speak French (such as parts of Canada), Avril. Three years ago, during this month all of my posts came from lyrics from my favorite singer, also named Avril (Lavigne, of course). After a two year hiatus, I've decided to bring this theme back for this year's month of Avril. This time, I'm going to start with a lyric from my favorite Avril song, “Nobody's Home”, and work my way down through the list (e.g., tonight's recap will feature a lyric from “When You're Gone”, my second most favorite Avril song¹).

Each time I'll try to find a lyric relevant to the post topic (which I try for normally), but it won't always be possible so expect some random lyrics to crop up this month.  And also I know I've used lyrics from many of these songs once already so there will be second go rounds for many.

And the first lyric mostly falls under that category – while this post is about the pre-show post for tonight's “Daddy Issues”, I couldn't find a lyric to “Nobody's Home” that will relate to anything I'm about to say. On the other hand, the one I chose does fit in with the way life has gone for Alex this season (yes, she's had way too many problems to deal with since September), so it's not totally random.

Anyway, back to tonight.

“Maybe I Think Too Much But Something's Wrong” (“Royal Visit” Recap)

I guess it's fitting that one of the stories tonight involved sports, because tonight's Alex story felt like a big game where someone dropped the ball, leading to a painful loss for a favorite team.

I said earlier that tonight was probably going to be the last big story of the season for Alex, and it just fell totally flat.

Let's count the ways things went awry tonight:

“You Were Out Of My League”

In tonight's episode, “Royal Visit”, Alex gets to contemplate what might have been, as Haley brings Professor Fennerman (for whom Alex also has feelings) home to meet Phil and Claire, leaving Alex with whom she apparently feels is a consolation prize, a good looking fireman named Bill whose intellect doesn't hold a candle to his looks.

Yeah, I doubt much will happen tonight...

“Head Out On The Highway” (First Impressions - “CHiPs and Salsa” - Season 9, Episode 19)

I thought there might be a repeat on April 11th, but I guess not – here’s the press release for the episode airing that night.  There’s nothing about Alex so far, but there’s only two stories listed, and Haley is the only Dunphy with a story, so there is still a chance for something.  But there’s also a chance for nothing, of course.

As best as I can tell, I’m thinking the two weeks after this one (April 18 and 25) will be repeats, and the first three weeks of May (2, 9, 16) will feature the final three new episodes of Season 9, unless there is a pre-emption or additional repeat extending the season to May 23rd (the last day of May sweeps).

"Thank You Gentlemen For This Opportunity. Now Move On Down The Road."

Is life imitating art again?  Sadly, it just might.

"A Present From You, Strawberry Letter 22"

It would have been interesting (but not really in a good way) if they had let Alex be the designated driver instead of Manny, especially with the dynamic between her and Haley and the professor.   Would Alex have given in to temptation and partaken in the wine tasting herself in spite of what would have been her role?  And, if so, would she have done damage to the tiara on purpose, in a wine-fueled fit of revenge?

I guess we’ll never know, and that’s not a bad thing, actually.  Or, maybe, we’ll get an inkling what might have happened next week.

Even though this is the third Alex-less episode of the season, I have a feeling it will not be the last.  And that would be a bad thing.

“Saturday Wait, And Sunday Always Comes Too Late”

So most of the family is off on a “Wine Weekend” tonight, but Alex won't be there. If you've read my updates leading up to tonight, you probably have a good idea where this is going.

“And A Father Should Be Great” (First Impressions –“Daddy Issues” – Season 9, Episode 18)

As soon as I saw the title for this upcoming episode, I figured Alex probably would not be mentioned, since we just had a story with her and Phil, and that happens only about once a year, if that.  Not to mention she’s got a fairly big part in next week’s episode.

And, sure enough, nothing.

“But They All Disappear From View”

A few sneak peek clips have been added to SpoilerTV's page for this week’s episode (“Wine Weekend”), and still there is no sign of Alex (there are actually four clips combined into one video).   The first part is the key, as we see everyone who is going to be at the wine tasting arrive at Haley’s boss’s house.

Right now I’d say giving  a 50/50 chance of not seeing Alex this week would actually be highly conservative. 

"You'll See I'm Almost Over You(?)" (First Impressions - "Royal Visit" - Season 9, Episode 17)

So, based off the press release for this upcoming (March 28th) episode, it looks like Alex might actually have already moved on from her disappointment over Professor Fennerman.

Or has she?

“Please Come To Boston” (“Spanks For The Memories” Recap)

You would think after a surprise Alex and Phil story which ended with a hug I would be happy, right?

Well, not totally – I was somewhat happy for the most part but I did have one somewhat big issue with what happened.

“'Cause You're Everywhere To Me”

Tonight's “Spanks For The Memories” could be the most unpredictable episode ever. At least until “Wine Weekend” airs in two weeks.

Between 1) only two stories being known about tonight, and neither one involving the Dunphys (let alone Alex), 2) this episode was supposed to air last week, but was reversed at almost the last minute with “Written In The Stars”, and we don't know why that happened, and were they supposed to air this way or are they out of intended order, 3) whether or not there will (ever) be a follow-up to Alex's story from last week, and 4) I haven't seen a promo or preview for tonight, so it could still be Alex-less, there are so many wild cards out there that a straight flush might not win.

"Put The Bottle Down" (First Impressions - "Wine Weekend" - Season 9 - Episode 16)

I feel like whomever has the job of writing the press releases with the synopses for future episodes was in a hurry and/or wanted to go home early when they wrote this one for the next new episode. It's probably the vaguest one I've seen since I started doing this blog.

“Every Time I Get My Hopes Up, They Always Seem To Fall” (“Written In The Stars” Recap)

There's a rational part of me that wants to think that maybe what happened to Alex tonight was for the best: Professor Fennerman is much older than her (even more so than Ben¹, and a lot of people felt Ben was too old for Alex) – he's probably too old even for Haley. Plus would we really want a romantic interest for Alex to hold her academic fate in his hands?

But that rational part of me is losing big time to the irrational part right now. And here's that recap.

"If We Share This Nightmare Then We Can Dream"

I did say I'd update if I found out anything that rendered moot any of my pre-show thoughts.

Too bad this tweet from the actor playing the professor (from late last night) rendered my one hope moot:

Tomorrow night! @Sarah_Hyland and I do our very own star crossed loving. First date. Valentines. ❤️ @ModernFam 9pm

— Chris Geere (@cwgeere) February 28, 2018

I can't say I'm shocked, but so much for Alex being a big part of that story.

“I'm Not Gonna Write You A Love Song”

So after an almost summer-like¹ six weeks of reruns and preemptions , we finally have a new episode of Modern Family on tap tonight, “Written In The Stars”. But is there much reason to cheer this, given that we don't know what role, if any, Alex has in it?

"What Are You Waiting For?" (First Impressions - "Written In The Stars" - Season 9, Episode 14)

For those who believe that good things come to those who wait, there's good news and not so good news.  Since the "not so good" pertains to Alex, let's start with that.

"If I Could Change The World" (Almost Last-Minute Schedule Change)

"Spanks For The Memories", the new episode which was supposed to air this coming Wednesday (February 28th), has been pushed back a week to March 7th, according to a release on ABC's press site. 

ABC has not confirmed that it is switching places with "Written In The Stars", but both my DirecTV box and SpoilerTV's episode database show that there is a switch with the latter airing on Wednesday.   There also is still no information about that episode as far as I know, so we are really flying blind here.

"We've Got Stars Directing Our Fate, And We're Praying It's Not Too Late"

So, for the 2 or 3 (give or take 3 or 4) that have been waiting with baited breath to find out when I'm going to get around to watching The Last Movie Star on DirecTV, I've decided to hold off until after I get home from work on Saturday night.  It's just easier for me that way - I don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn tomorrow on a work day or rush into a viewing after work (around 11:00) when I have to go back to work on Friday.

$11 is pretty pricey for a PPV, by the way, about the cost of seeing it at night in a movie theater (granted it hasn't had a regular run in any theaters yet, and outside of New York City or Los Angeles it may never).  Hopefully it will be worth it.

As for Alex news, I don't have much - the March 7th episode is titled "Written In The Stars", but that's all I know right now.  I would love for that to turn into an Alex story that's reminiscent of The Fault In Our Stars (anyone up for a pre-eulogy for Sanjay, or better yet, so to speak, Reuben?), but I figure there isn't an infinity big enough to hold the odds against that.  Plus I'm sure Phil doesn't want to give up his sad(?) swing set.

"This Is For Those Who Wait" (First Impressions - "Spanks For The Memories" - Season 9, Episode 14)

Hello, remember me?  Finally some things are happening, though I'm not sure how good they will be.

Anyway, ever since I first heard this title for the next new episode (about a week ago), I've had nothing but dread about what it might mean if it related to Alex.  The last thing I want to see is Alex being involved in spanking, one way or the other (and I thought of one very possible storyline which would be particularly maddening, which could potentially turn even Alex's most loyal fans against her, but I'll keep that to myself for now if not longer).

Well, the press release finally came out Thursday on ABC's press site,  and there is nothing at all about Alex in it.  But that alone doesn't mean she doesn't have one - only two stories are listed in the release, and there is no mention of any of the Dunphys yet, so there could still be something.  I'm not totally ready to breath easy about Alex, though.

For those only interested in what may be next for Alex, I'm done here.  But click on if you want the latest on The Last Movie Star, although actually it's hard to say what that latest is.

"This Is Gonna Be The Best Day Of My Life"

OK, maybe not for me personally (but compared to recent days it should be a better one) but hopefully for Ariel it will be (at least for now).

Happy 20th Birthday Ariel!

"Baby, Baby Let Me Sleep On It"

It turns out this break that Modern Family is on will be much longer than I thought.   I figured after these two weeks of reruns there would be one new episode on February 7th before they would take another two weeks off to stay away from the Winter Olympics on NBC.

“I Know It's Done For Me If You Steal My Sunshine” (“In Your Head” Recap)

Well, here I am - nasty head cold and all I'm still getting this recap out on time.  Too bad that's the good news.

For a few minutes before tonight's episode aired, I had the tiniest of hopes that things would go alright for Alex.

“And There's A(nother) Little Green Man In My Head”

And he's making my life miserable. Yep, I've got another head cold, so this one's going to be short. So what's “In Your Head”?

“I Never Can Say Goodbye” (“Dear Beloved Family” Recap)

At the first commercial break, I fired off this tweet (sorry – I'm going to make you jump past “Read more” this time to see it):

“Doctor, Doctor, Give Me The News”

First things first, I will be watching tonight's “Dear Beloved Family” on time after all. I wound up canceling that foot procedure appointment for this past Monday (that storm that hit us would have made getting around in a walking boot too much of an adventure, so I'm going to wait until spring to do it). And my store manager was nice enough to let me switch work days (I wanted it not just because of tonight – now I don't have to work four nights straight this week) so I have today off and will be home at 9:00.

So, as for tonight's 200th episode, is there any reason to get excited?

“One Step Forward, Two Steps Back” (“He Said, She Shed” Recap)

So I was off by one – Alex actually appeared twice tonight. Not that much came of it as expected (other than indignation at the term "she shed" and a few other choice snipes), but there were still a couple of talking points.

“And I Go Back To December All The Time”

Well, that's what it felt like yesterday at my store: with a suddenly blossoming storm on the horizon, everyone decided to buy their last minute whatevers and descended upon us, making it look like Christmas was still just around the corner and not in the rear-view mirror.

Thankfully that storm won't be here until tomorrow morning so I should be able to watch tonight's “He Said, She Shed” without interruption (although there may be a “no school” list crawling at the bottom for distraction). But just how thankful should I be?