Should you watch it, wiki it, or wait for the recap? Watch it if you like Alex, Wiki it if you don’t.
Claire brings Alex to her alma mater in the hopes of getting her to enrol there, while Cam and Mitchell have difficulty getting Lily to smile properly for their new family photos. Jay tries a different, handmade tact in his anniversary gift to Gloria. But while all this is happening, the rest of the Dunphys are trapped in an elaborate science experiment…
“Do Not Push” is the second episode of the sixth season of Modern Family, and it begins a new plot thread for Alex. Thus far Alex has grown into one of those love ’em or hate ’em kind of characters – there’s no way you can be neutral about her now that she’s the sarcastically smart character of the family. So really, whether you like this episode depends on whether you like Alex, because she’s a big part of it.
There’s very little Luke in this episode too – sadly, just as Alex has been portrayed as increasingly intelligent over the seasons, Luke has become drastically dumber to compensate. If you think about it, it’s almost as if Luke’s brain cells have been running over to Alex’s cranium. Anyway, on to the highlights!
Highlights
Alex’s love interest, Jason
Again, whether or not you consider this a highlight depends on whether you like Alex. I always like smart characters, regardless of how obnoxious they can be, and I like how Jason brings out a different, vulnerable side of Alex, a side we rarely see. Thankfully, he’s just as smart and as awkward as her, so watching them confess their future feelings to each other will be enjoyable.
Mitch and Claire’s sibling relationship
This episode reaffirms the fact that Mitch and Claire are siblings, a fact we sometimes overlook when they don’t interact (since they are so different from each other). It’s fun to see how well they know each other, and the familiarity they bring to each other as brother and sister – especially when Claire inadvertently insults Mitch.
Self awareness and character development for Haley
Haley grows up a little more this episode, and reveals that she’s not as air-headed as we all thought (remember the whole webcam incident last episode?). It shows how she has matured, and that despite her confidence in her looks and attractiveness, she’s just as insecure as the rest of us.
Letdowns
Lily is as irritating as ever
Lily is becoming more of a spoilt, selfish brat as the series goes on. I hope this leads to some development where she learns that the world doesn’t revolve around her. Every time Lily is the central problem in the episode, I hope a building collapses on her.
Gloria and Jay’s relationship takes a step back
The key to Gloria and Jay’s relationship is that it seems shallow but is actually built on much deeper foundations (she’s not the coal digger we think she is). Yet this episode regresses their relationship, placing it solely on the material wealth and comforts they bring each other. What?
Dunphys portrayed as idiots
This just irks me. Last episode, they were portrayed as morons who would come within an inch of killing themselves without Alex’s intervention. This episode, they find themselves trapped in their own psychological game. What happened to their IQs between Season 5 and Season 6? Did they get a frontal lobotomy without us knowing? Should we call them Dumbhys now?
“Do Not Push” isn’t as satisfying as some of other episodes, but Jason breathes some fresh life and possible new dynamics into the family (hopefully he’s not a 2/3 episode guest star). At least the girls have a boyfriend who’s not dumb. When is Luke getting his love interest?
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