See You Next Fall
Encyclopedia
"See You Next Fall" is the twenty-third episode of the American comedy television series, Modern Family
Modern Family
Modern Family is an American television comedy series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, which debuted on ABC on September 23, 2009. Lloyd and Levitan serve as showrunner and executive producers, under their Levitan-Lloyd Productions label...

's second season
Modern Family (season 2)
The second season of the comedy television series, Modern Family premiered September 22, 2010 and ended on May 25, 2011 on the American Broadcasting Company in the United States. The series is produced by 20th Century Fox Television and Lloyd-Levitan Productions with creators...

 and the 47th episode overall. The episode originally aired on May 18, 2011 on American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

 (ABC). The episode was written by Danny Zucker and directed by Modern Family co-creator and executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...

, Steven Levitan
Steven Levitan
Steven E. Levitan is an American director, screenwriter and producer of television comedies. He has created such TV series as Just Shoot Me!, Stark Raving Mad, Stacked, Back to You, and Modern Family....

.

The episode revolves around the family getting prepared for Alex's graduation, while Jay (Ed O'Neill
Ed O'Neill
Edward Phillip "Ed" O'Neill, Jr. is an American actor. He is best known for his role as the main character, Al Bundy, on the Fox Network sitcom Married... with Children, for which he was nominated for two Golden Globes...

) tries to hide a Botox mishap, Cameron (Eric Stonestreet
Eric Stonestreet
Eric Stonestreet is an American actor, known for his starring role as Cameron Tucker on the ABC comedy Modern Family. Stonestreet has received critical acclaim for his performance in Modern Family and won the 2010 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his...

) feels hurt by Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Jesse Tyler Ferguson is an American actor who portrays Mitchell Pritchett on the ABC sitcom Modern Family. Previously he played the role of Richie Velch in the CBS sitcom The Class. He is openly gay.-Life and career:...

) laughing at his expense and Phil (Ty Burrell
Ty Burrell
- External links :*...

) comforts Claire (Julie Bowen
Julie Bowen
Julie Bowen is an American film and television actress. She played Carol Vessey on Ed and Denise Bauer on Boston Legal. She is best known for playing Claire Dunphy on the sitcom Modern Family, for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2011...

) so he can go with his friends to Las Vegas. Also Haley (Sarah Hyland
Sarah Hyland
Sarah Jane Hyland is an American actress, currently starring as Haley Dunphy on the ABC comedy Modern Family.-Life and career:...

) gives Alex (Ariel Winter
Ariel Winter
Ariel Winter Workman , known in television shows and films as Ariel Winter, is an American teen actress and singer. Winter is best known for her current role as Alex Dunphy in the TV series Modern Family, for which she has won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series, along...

) advice on her Valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...

 speech.

"See You Next Fall" received positive reviews from critics, with many praising the slapstick
Slapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...

 featured in it as well as the performances of Sarah Hyland
Sarah Hyland
Sarah Jane Hyland is an American actress, currently starring as Haley Dunphy on the ABC comedy Modern Family.-Life and career:...

 and Ariel Winter
Ariel Winter
Ariel Winter Workman , known in television shows and films as Ariel Winter, is an American teen actress and singer. Winter is best known for her current role as Alex Dunphy in the TV series Modern Family, for which she has won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series, along...

. Many said it felt like the season finale. According to Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...

, the episode was viewed by little more than 10 million viewers and received a 4.0 rating/10% share in the 18-49 demographic marking a 7 percent drop in the ratings from the previous episode, "Good Cop Bad Dog
Good Cop Bad Dog
"Good Cop Bad Dog" is the twenty second episode of the American comedy television series Modern Familys second season and the 46th episode overall. The episode originally aired on May 11, 2011 on American Broadcasting Company . The episode was written by Abraham Higginbotham and Jeffrey...

".

Plot

The main theme of the episode is dealing with one's insecurities.

The episode begins at Franklin School, where Alex is giving a speech as the Valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...

 (as it turns out, Alex became the class' Valedoctorian after Sanjay Patel, the only one who was doing better than her in school, was attacked by a robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...

 of his own creation and had to miss classes), the entire Pritchett Family is there, except for Phil and Claire. Then the episode shifts back four hours eariler to the Dunphys where all are preparing for Alex's graduation and Phil and Claire are extremely happy much to the annoyance of Alex. Alex is rehearsing her speech but is continually interrupted by Claire who wants just to hug and kiss her little girl, but Alex asks her to leave her alone to practice. Meanwhile Phil has planned a trip to Las Vegas with his cheer squad friends for the next day and he needs Claire to have her meltdown today, so he keeps lovingly taunting Claire on account of Alex's behavior. Alex's speech evolves around the idea that the entire class has treated her as if she was invisible but Haley walks in and tries to convince Alex not to give that speech and that instead she should only rephrase old songs just as Don't Stop Believin'
Don't Stop Believin'
"Don't Stop Believin is a popular song by the American rock band Journey, originally released as a single from their 1981 album Escape, which became a #9 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 on its original release. It re-entered the UK Singles Chart in 2009 as a result of increased prominence of digital...

 or Get the Party Started
Get the Party Started
"Get the Party Started" is a song performed by Pink, and was the first single from her second album, Missundaztood . It became an international hit and reached the top ten in many countries. The song was Pink's highest selling at that time...

, but Alex shall not relent stating that Gandhi went on a hunger-strike for what he believed, to which Haley replies that he did it only "because no one would eat with him at the cafeteria". Later on as Claire wants to get Alex ready and car pool with her father to school, to which Alex answers coldly that she will be riding with Haley because she wants to be early.

While at their garden where they were playing with Lily in a mini-pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...

, Mitchell and Cameron are commenting on how impressive it is that Alex is graduating and shall be going on to high school and that makes them feel a bit old, while Cameron is talking about his life in the farm back in Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

, he steps on a toy and falls into the pool, which causes Mitchell to laugh hysterically much to Cameron's anger.

Jay arrives home and Gloria notices that his eye is droopy, he initially scoffs at it because he went to the dermatologist and it is probably the effect of a numbing cream that he had but he later admitts that he had botox
Botulinum toxin
Botulinum toxin is a protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, and is considered the most powerful neurotoxin ever discovered. Botulinum toxin causes Botulism poisoning, a serious and life-threatening illness in humans and animals...

 and it was drifting.

The whole family gathers at Jay's house before heading out to Alex's graduation. As Mitchell and Cameron arrive, Claire orders Luke to stop playing with a basketball that is floating in the pool to avoid him falling in, to which Cameron states that if he were to fall, his uncle might laugh at his expense. Mitchell defends his position while laughing and describing how Cameron fell into the pool earlier but the rest of the family is concerned that he might not have had any injuries. As they all prepare to leave, Cameron walks into a glass door, which prompts all the Pritchetts to laugh to the amazement of Phil and Gloria and increasing Cameron's anger, and eventually making Cameron believe that these random accidents keep happening to him because of his bad luck
Bad Luck
Bad Luck may refer to:* Harmful or negative luck* Bad Luck , a 1960 film directed by Andrzej Munk* "Bad Luck" * "Bad Luck" * Bad Luck, an album by Trophy Scars...

. When Jay takes off his glasses the entire family is horrified at the state of his face, which has gotten worse and all indicate that he should go to the hospital, but all are taken aback when Mitchell guesses that it is a botox job gone wrong. When all seems calm, the front gate will not open and Claire finally explodes as Phil had wanted. With the entire family stuck inside the house Gloria proposes that Claire and Phil jump over the fence that they will then throw a Tandem bicycle
Tandem bicycle
The tandem bicycle or twin is a form of bicycle designed to be ridden by more than one person. The term tandem refers to the seating arrangement , not the number of riders. A bike with two riders side-by-side is called a sociable.-History:Patents related to tandem bicycles date from the late 19th...

 over the fence, which they take, but midway to the school the chain breaks and they are stuck, which causes Claire to continue with her meltdown, since she believes that they are losing Alex just as much as they have lost Haley. Phil and Claire begin crying and stop a passing car with Latin immigrants and ask them in Spanish to take them to school, despite the fact that the immigrants speak perfect English.

Meanwhile Haley still tries to convince Alex to say something different at her address to the class but she will not relent, even after Haley has stolen her notes but she had duplicates. While Alex keeps on practicing Haley has read the rest of the speech and asks Alex if she hates her because she sees herself in her notes and berates Alex saying that her life is not perfect and that her sister will only be outcasting herself despite being a funny, bright, good-looking girl, which makes Alex doubt herself. At Jay's the gate finally opens on its own, with Luke believing that he opened it with his mind, and all rush out to the school. As Alex is about to begin her speech, the entire family is there wondering where Phil and Claire are, they arrive just in time not before falling down a hill but standing up with as much dignity that they have left and take their places, which causes Cameron to laugh non-stop.

Alex's speech goes as originally intended, but she stops suddenly and quotes Don't Stop Believin' and Get the Party Started, after stating that all her classmates are amazing and deserve to be where she is because all are trying to figure out who they are. After the ceremony is over Alex gets invited to a party but Haley states that she wants to go to have lunch with her parents to which they hug her effusively, embarrassing her in front of the entire school.

Production

"See You Next Fall" was written by Danny Zucker, his seventh writing credit for the series. The episode was also directed by Modern Family co-creator and executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...

, Steven Levitan
Steven Levitan
Steven E. Levitan is an American director, screenwriter and producer of television comedies. He has created such TV series as Just Shoot Me!, Stark Raving Mad, Stacked, Back to You, and Modern Family....

, his second directing credit for the series, having previously directed the first season's penultimate episode, "Hawaii
Hawaii (Modern Family)
"Hawaii" is the twenty-third episode of Modern Family on the first season. The episode originally premiered on May 12, 2010 on American Broadcasting Company ....

". The episode features a guest appearance from Gina St. John
Gina St. John
Gina St. John is an American actress and television presenter. She has hosted shows including CNET Central and E! News Daily, and has had roles in television dramas such as Crossing Jordan and Commander in Chief.-References:...

 as the principal of Alex's school. The episode was filmed between March 14 and March 18. It was originally set to be the season finale
Season finale
A season finale is the final episode of a season of a television program...

 and was the last episode of the season filmed. Ty Burrell
Ty Burrell
- External links :*...

 said in an interview with TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...

, called the episode "it was actually one of the most fun episodes I've ever filmed". He also said it was difficult for him and Bowen to convince the producers to let them fall down the hill without using stunt actor
Stunt actor
A Stunt actor or Stunt actress is a person who both plays an essential acting role and actively perform his or her own physical demanding stunts without a stunt double for scenes in a film or television, commonly in the action genre...

s. Burrell later named it his favorite scene to shoot of the season.

Ratings

In its original American broadcast, "See You Next Fall" was viewed by an estimated 10.08 million households and received a 4.1 rating/11% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. This means that it was seen by 4.1% of all 18–49 years olds, and 11% of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This marked a slight drop in the ratings from the previous episode, "Good Cop Bad Dog
Good Cop Bad Dog
"Good Cop Bad Dog" is the twenty second episode of the American comedy television series Modern Familys second season and the 46th episode overall. The episode originally aired on May 11, 2011 on American Broadcasting Company . The episode was written by Abraham Higginbotham and Jeffrey...

". In its timeslot, "See You Next Fall" was defeated by Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...

 reality
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...

 series, American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...

which received a 7.2 rating/20% share in the 18-49 demographic. However the series defeated CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

 crime drama Criminal Minds
Criminal Minds
Criminal Minds is an American police procedural drama that premiered September 22, 2005, on CBS. The series follows a team of profilers from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit based in Quantico, Virginia. The BAU is part of the FBI National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime...

which received a 3.3 rating/8% share, a rerun episode of the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

 reality
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...

 series Minute to Win It
Minute to Win It
Minute to Win It is an American prime time game show on NBC hosted by Guy Fieri. Contestants take part in a series of 60-second challenges that use objects that are commonly available around the house....

which received a 0.9 rating/2% share and the season finale of CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...

 reality series America's Next Top Model
America's Next Top Model
America's Next Top Model is a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry....

which also received a 0.9 rating/2% share. "See You Next Fall" was the most-watched scripted show for the week of broadcast among adults aged 18–49, and was the eighteenth most-watched show among all viewers. Added with DVR
Digital video recorder
A digital video recorder , sometimes referred to by the merchandising term personal video recorder , is a consumer electronics device or application software that records video in a digital format to a disk drive, USB flash drive, SD memory card or other local or networked mass storage device...

 viewers, "See You Next Fall" received a 6.2 rating marking a 51 percent rise from the original viewership.

Reviews

"See You Next Fall" was met with critical acclaim from multiple television critics with the scene featuring Phil and Claire falling down receiving positive reviews. HitFix
HitFix
HitFix, or the HitFix.com is an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information and providing reviews and critiques of film, music and television...

reviewer Alan Sepinwall said that the episode "the show has been on a real roll these last few weeks, and [...] 'See You Next Fall' continued that strong trend." He praised the Dunphy plot, saying that it showed "silliness plus heart at its best" and complimented the episode's tag scene, calling it an "hilarious moment" and that "Sarah Hyland's reaction to the hug was terrific". TV Squad writer Joel Keller wrote that the episode would have worked as a perfect season finale. Keller also praised Hyland's performance calling it "[her] best acting job". Christine Ziemba of Paste
Paste (magazine)
Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...

complemented the episode for being "a little more tender then hilarious" calling it a "welcome relief". She also praised Ty Burrell
Ty Burrell
- External links :*...

 and Julie Bowen
Julie Bowen
Julie Bowen is an American film and television actress. She played Carol Vessey on Ed and Denise Bauer on Boston Legal. She is best known for playing Claire Dunphy on the sitcom Modern Family, for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2011...

's performance saying they "[stole] the spotlight", mainly pointing out "the two rolling down a hill of the school just as Alex’s speech begins". She ultimately gave the episode 7.3 calling it "respectable".

Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...

writer Lesley Savage said the episode "established why this cast is one of the best comedy ensembles on television", praising their ability to "deliver an acerbic quip that leaves us in stitches or a tender moment". Meredith Blake of The Los Angeles Times positively compared the episode to "Manny Get Your Gun
Manny Get Your Gun
"Manny Get Your Gun" is the eighth episode of the second season of the sitcom, Modern Family and the 32nd overall. It originally aired November 17, 2010 on the American Broadcasting Company...

" and praised the writers for featuring multiple story lines and making it "work perfectly". She also praised the episode for letting "everyone in this fantastic ensemble has something to do this week" calling it a "major factor in the success of the episode". James Poniewozik
James Poniewozik
James Poniewozik is an American journalist and television critic. He writes Times Tuned In column and has a blog with the same name.Originally from Monroe, MI, Poniewozik attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, graduating with a BA in English. He subsequently attended the graduate program...

 of Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...

praised the episode for its "high-quality interaction among the three family groups" commenting that it helped make the episode seem like the season finale.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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