“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...

Anticipation Level: Very High.   Just like “Five Minutes” last season, tonight's episode has a very strong “last chance” feel to it, meaning this will probably be Alex's last opportunity for a big story this season – certainly there isn't a lot of optimism for anything the next two weeks and there's only three episodes left after those.  That alone ramps up my anticipation for tonight.

There is one fly in the ointment which could diminish things – there is actually a split in the story of Haley and the professor tonight – one branch is Alex's story, the other is a story about Phil and Claire competing to see who, in the presence of the professor, is smarter.  It will be disappointing if the latter story dominates.

Emotional Moment Potential: Extremely High.  The way this season has gone for Alex, I'd say it's highly likely tonight ends in bitter disappointment again for her.  Two of the myriad of possible outcomes that would be particularly painful are 1) Bill breaks up with her, or 2) she and Haley have a major blowup about the professor.  If they play this story seriously (even unintentionally) at least one of us (Alex or I) will likely be in tears before the night is over.

But could they play Alex's story for laughs instead?  Of course they could.  I would be seriously ticked off if they do, but even if that happens, I'll probably find the dark lining in the silver cloud and be sad for her anyway (like her stories in “Queer Eyes, Full Hearts” or “A Stereotypical Day” which ostensibly were played for laughs but still left me crying).

Game Changing Potential: Medium to High.  I don't see either Bill or the professor as a long-term romantic interest for Alex, so this isn't as high as you might think it would be.  On the other hand, there is still the possibility (albeit not as likely as the first time we saw him) that the professor being around could lead to academic ramifications for her, especially if Alex decides to express her feelings to him (yet another potentially heartbreaking outcome).

Are There Any Other Questions?  So there's a show debuting right before Modern Family
tonight called Alex, Inc., but it has nothing to do with our Alex?  Seriously?  Yeah, sorry, not interested.

Tune in later tonight – It;s pretty safe to say that one way or another I'm going to have a lot to talk about in the recap.