# Modern Family 5/22 "Goodnight Gracie" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 23, 2013, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-5-22-goodnight-gracie/659079 "2013-05-23T01:58:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-5-22-goodnight-gracie/659079/1 "2013-05-23T01:58:21Z")
Season Finale. Best episode EVER. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-5-22-goodnight-gracie/659079/2 "2013-05-23T04:11:19Z")
It certainly had its moments, but I think others have been better. Some of it veered into cartoonishness. And what are the chances that Mitchell is licensed to practice law in Florida? ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-5-22-goodnight-gracie/659079/3 "2013-05-23T05:46:54Z")
“I don’t want to go to jail for prostitution… Like you could afford me.” One of the best lines from Gloria ever. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-5-22-goodnight-gracie/659079/4 "2013-05-23T12:17:40Z")
“When my Dad is ready, he gets to pick his own girlfriend - that’s the big upside of your wife dying.” Phil’s best line ever. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-5-22-goodnight-gracie/659079/5 "2013-05-23T12:27:58Z")
I loved the way Cam, like most drama queens of either gender, doesn’t understand how he attracts drama and conducts it like a lightning rod. Loved the way Mitch morphed into a Southern Clarence Darrow type of lawyer. Who cares if he’s licensed in Florida? The scene with Phil at the front door of the woman his mom picked for dad was very sweet, and for once he expressed genuine emotion without turning it into a gag or a joke or a pratfall. I loved how Manny found his element among the retirees, and how he and Luke made the Old Man Noise at the end when they got up from their rockers. The ending with the fireworks was sweet and unexpected, and whoever said a while back that Alex is bustier than Haley was SO correct. I thought the storylines were nicely balanced among the family members and there wasn’t any goofiness, but there was real _feeling_ plus humor. ETA: I’m curious. Show of hands, please. I know most of you get the title of the episode. Who DOESN’T understand the reference in the title? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-5-22-goodnight-gracie/659079/6 "2013-05-23T12:41:19Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > The scene with Phil at the front door of the woman his mom picked for dad was very sweet, and for once he expressed genuine emotion without turning it into a gag or a joke or a pratfall. There was also the time that Phil yelled at Haley for getting kicked out of college, Also, was Phil’s mother ever shown in a previous episode? I don’t remember seeing her. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-5-22-goodnight-gracie/659079/7 "2013-05-23T13:12:28Z")
Wasn’t she in the episode where Frank shows up in the Winnebago, with his new dog? No credits for Grace Dunphy on imdb though. Maybe it was just her voice on the phone. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-5-22-goodnight-gracie/659079/8 "2013-05-23T13:26:55Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > “When my Dad is ready, he gets to pick his own girlfriend - that’s the big upside of your wife dying.” > > Phil’s best line ever. “That and not having to think before you speak.” Also liked: “When we woke up we set off a few fireworks of our own…” “Grandpa!” “You know… Roman candle, couple of sparkers. Then we had some epic lovemaking.” and Alex: “This is a lighter”… what does that even mean? Haley: I don’t know how she could have made it any clearer. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-5-22-goodnight-gracie/659079/9 "2013-05-23T13:45:08Z")
It was sort of a Haley character trait to not know the card opened, not an Alex one. But for the sake of the reveal, I guess you have to make it work. Loved Cam bonding with the old ladies playing mahjong. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-5-22-goodnight-gracie/659079/10 "2013-05-23T13:57:19Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > Loved Cam bonding with the old ladies playing mahjong. I wonder why he was given the line, “I’m gay.” Totally unnecessary. But when one of the women asked if he knew her gay nephew, it was great when Cam said something like, “Tall, skinny, circumcised?” Yeah, that’d be him. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-5-22-goodnight-gracie/659079/11 "2013-05-23T14:21:49Z")
One of the old ladies was busy character actress [Mary Jo Catlett](https://www.google.com/search?q=mary+jo+catlett&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&oe=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=WyWeUcbVNpCy8QTF4oHYAg&biw=1536&bih=746&sei=YCWeUYmADIGu9ASTsIDwAw), who was a regular on _Diff’rent Strokes_ and on several episodes of M_A_S\*H and a voice on _Spongebob Squarepants_. (I mention because she was at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival for a play once and I used to talk to her in the park where I walked and she was a super nice person who loved my dog.) ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-5-22-goodnight-gracie/659079/12 "2013-05-23T16:52:32Z")
I absolutely loved this episode and it actually made me tear up-- both when the neighbor told Phil, “You’re a good son” and during the fireworks. Very sweet. There were several laugh out loud lines for me throughout the show, but I watched it right before bed and I’ll be damned if I can remember them all. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-5-22-goodnight-gracie/659079/13 "2013-05-23T16:55:10Z")
> [@Disheavel](#): > > “I don’t want to go to jail for prostitution… Like you could afford me.” One of the best lines from Gloria ever. Yeah, I loved that one. Hilarious! ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-5-22-goodnight-gracie/659079/14 "2013-05-23T16:56:56Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I wonder why he was given the line, “I’m gay.” Totally unnecessary. But when one of the women asked if he knew her gay nephew, it was great when Cam said something like, “Tall, skinny, circumcised?” Yeah, that’d be him. :rolleyes: It was just a Jewish joke (mixed in with a gay joke). She said his name and it was stereotypical Jewish sounding, so he replied “About this tall? Dark Hair? Circumcised?” Basically describing 95% of Jewish men. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-5-22-goodnight-gracie/659079/15 "2013-05-23T17:06:53Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > It was just a Jewish joke (mixed in with a gay joke). She said his name and it was stereotypical Jewish sounding, so he replied “About this tall? Dark Hair? Circumcised?” Basically describing 95% of Jewish men. Honey, I know that. That was, in fact, my point. (I’m Jewish, but you don’t need to be to get that joke.) :rolleyes: I meant that it was totally \*unnecessary \*for Cam to announce “I’m gay,” because it was clear when he walked up before he even opened his mouth that he’s gay. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-5-22-goodnight-gracie/659079/16 "2013-05-23T17:53:47Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I meant that it was totally \*unnecessary \*for Cam to announce “I’m gay,” because it was clear when he walked up before he even opened his mouth that he’s gay. Well, Cam is not the most self-aware person, so he may not think it’s obvious to others that he’s gay. Particularly not elderly people, who he might assume would be kind of clueless about such things. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-5-22-goodnight-gracie/659079/17 "2013-05-23T17:54:46Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I meant that it was totally \*unnecessary \*for Cam to announce “I’m gay,” because it was clear when he walked up before he even opened his mouth that he’s gay. I think the group’s relieved, “Ooooh!” response indicates that this was a source of confusion for them-- the answer relieved their confusion. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-5-22-goodnight-gracie/659079/18 "2013-05-23T18:15:49Z")
“She sent more men off to war than Lyndon Johnson.” I wish we would have met Gracie, but I guess it wasn’t necessary. I assume the title is from George Burns and Gracie Allen? ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-5-22-goodnight-gracie/659079/19 "2013-05-23T18:17:50Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I loved the way Cam, like most drama queens of either gender, doesn’t understand how he attracts drama and conducts it like a lightning rod. > > Loved the way Mitch morphed into a Southern Clarence Darrow type of lawyer. Who cares if he’s licensed in Florida? > > The scene with Phil at the front door of the woman his mom picked for dad was very sweet, and for once he expressed genuine emotion without turning it into a gag or a joke or a pratfall. > [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > I absolutely loved this episode and it actually made me tear up-- both when the neighbor told Phil, “You’re a good son” and during the fireworks. Very sweet. What they said. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-5-22-goodnight-gracie/659079/20 "2013-05-23T18:19:19Z")
What’s with Cam and Manny wearing matching outfits? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-5-22-goodnight-gracie/659079.md?page=2)