Up next in 10
Through Modern Family's 11 season run, there have been a fair number of ups and downs. The later seasons started to dip in quality, but the early seasons of Modern Family have some truly incredible episodes. Though this episode in particular represents everything Modern Family got right during it's lengthy run on ABC.
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
the show modern family has had more than its fair share of hilarious moments but
0:14
one episode stands above the rest episode six of season two halloween an unusual take on the
0:20
holiday episode trope halloween treats the holiday with the same reverence other sitcoms
0:25
typically give to Christmas or Thanksgiving. The episode is a masterclass in the funny side of fear
0:31
and proved so popular that the characters celebrated this spooky holiday seven times throughout Modern Family's 11-season run
0:39
Jordan Peele once described horror and comedy as two sides of the same coin
0:44
And while this episode isn't that scary, fear and insecurity are at the core of every joke in every character's arc
0:50
Can you imagine? One minute you're happily married, the next minute you're completely by yourself from phil's anxiety about marriage to mitchell's
0:59
fears of humiliation at the office to glorious insecurity over her accent all swirling around
1:05
claire's obsession with having the perfect haunted house each character's attempts to avoid their
1:10
fears and control the situation plunge them deeper into hilarious disaster hello i'm trapped in a
1:17
men's room and all i have on is a spider-man suit hot who is this oftentimes holiday episodes end up
1:23
being standalone events divorced from the overall plot of the show at large. In some cases, writers
1:28
will go as far as to make a holiday-themed episode into an alternate reality. There's usually a focus
1:35
on spectacle rather than character development or story, which can result in some really fun
1:40
adventures. But it also creates some of the most boring and nonsensical episodes of TV. Luckily
1:46
Modern Family's Halloween avoids becoming the latter. While the show would try in later seasons
1:51
to capture the same magic as this first Halloween holiday episode, none of the other attempts would come remotely close to the same level of success
2:00
Halloween was a special event that checked all of the boxes to make it truly great
2:04
Later versions felt more like hollow echoes of the original family plot vision with cheaper tricks and fewer treats Is it cold in here or is it just me because I am the Frozen Lady from Frozen
2:18
Season 2's Halloween makes an effort not only to advance their characters' personal arcs
2:23
but to do so in a fun and themed way with just enough Halloween spectacle to go around
2:28
The way the show seamlessly threads entire strings of jokes out of one simple fear
2:32
pushes characters to confront those fears and continuously subverts our expectations, also makes Halloween the perfect episode of the show overall
2:41
Halloween's center of gravity is Claire's intense love for the holiday. If there was a new horror movie in town, I was the first in line
2:49
One, please. And her grand plan to run a haunted house for trick-or-treaters
2:53
a plan which requires the whole family's enthusiastic participation. As with everything in her life, Claire becomes a perfectionist about the haunted house
3:01
consumed by the fear that anything less than total success is a total failure
3:06
and that maybe, just maybe, everyone's secretly ready to give up on Halloween
3:10
and ready to give up on her. Yeah, Halloween, I realize it is a crazy-ass holiday
3:15
for a grown woman to care about this much, but it is my crazy-ass holiday
3:19
Claire was a wild child as a kid, and projects that fear onto her own children
3:23
consistently worried that without her intervention, they'll end up like she did
3:27
Similarly, as a child of divorce, Claire worries that if her family isn't perfect, it's headed for disaster
3:34
These long-term fears play out throughout the series as a high need for control
3:38
This means that besides decorating the house, most of Claire's preparations are just keeping everyone in line
3:44
Check it. I'm a scary black cat. The only person that costume scares is me. Go change it
3:49
In other words, she spends the whole day micromanaging people and controlling the situation
3:53
so that this year's haunted house goes perfectly. This ties directly into Phil's arc
3:58
He doesn't just want to give Claire the perfect Halloween, he wants to be the perfect husband
4:02
or at least avoid getting divorced. So when their neighbor Jerry tells him
4:06
that he and his wife Judy are getting divorced, this sends Phil spiraling
4:10
He becomes so consumed with doubt and anxiety about his own marriage, he spends the rest of the day
4:15
trying to do the opposite of Jerry. But every forced effort causes problems
4:19
and pushes Claire away This obsession with keeping his marriage healthy is a common theme throughout Phil character arc in the series Bringing it into a holiday episode and having a heartfelt resolution at the end
4:30
really helps to keep the episode feeling grounded and meaningful. The best holiday episodes of any TV show
4:36
tend to be heartfelt and focus on character dynamics in the context of the holiday in question
4:42
Since days like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and yes, even Halloween tend to be so family-focused in the real world
4:48
it only makes sense for TV show episodes featuring them to have a similar core
4:52
Episodes like The Office's Classy Christmas understand this. The name is Bond. Santa Bond
4:59
The runtime is stuffed with heartwarming character-driven moments that highlight both the biological and found family of The Office
5:05
while keeping things light and funny. Modern Family's Halloween does the same
5:09
bouncing between main characters and their individual Halloween struggles in a familiar yet entertaining way
5:15
while bringing it all home with an emotional ending centered on the titular modern families
5:20
Mitchell's subplot is another great example of not only what makes a great holiday episode
5:25
but a great episode of TV in general. His fear of not fitting in at his new job comes to a head when he shows up dressed as Spider-Man
5:32
while virtually nobody else dressed up. He spends the entire day wearing his Spider-Man costume underneath his suit
5:39
On the surface, he looks good, but because it keeps making annoying squeaking sounds when he moves
5:44
Mitchell has to work hard to avoid blowing his cover, which, at the end of the day, is how he always feels at work
5:52
It's a super clever way to use the Halloween theme to provide drama
5:56
explore, and attempt to deal with a character's main struggle, and keep the audience entertained
6:01
which is exactly what a good episode of TV should do, whether it's holiday-themed or not
6:06
But a lot of shows don't take this to heart. As an example of what not to do
6:10
Glee's season 5 Christmas episode, previously unaired Christmas, has the exact opposite effect as Modern Family's Halloween. None of the drama in that episode is
6:19
really tied to its Christmassy setting, and given that it takes place in the past, there's no
6:23
exploration of any of the characters' struggles or headway made to deal with them. It's a big mess
6:29
that ultimately ends up being more offensive than it does entertaining Halloween avoids that fate with its focus on the fears of Claire Phil and Mitchell but plenty of attention is paid to other main characters as well Gloria deals with her
6:42
insecurities regarding her accent. Cameron vaguely brings up his traumatic past Halloween experience
6:47
and the kids just generally aren't interested in Halloween at all. All of these arcs culminate in the disastrous opening of Claire's haunted house. A reluctant
7:00
Mitchell gets recruited to wear a Scarecrow costume because he refused to keep wearing his
7:04
Spider-Man costume. Gloria speaks in a bizarre American accent that ruins her evil village
7:09
Bruja character. Welcome to your Nimer, ha ha ha ha. Cameron can't stop telling the Halloween
7:15
story he's alluded to through the entire episode. And then the townspeople started chasing me
7:20
that's when I wet my pants. And the kid's lack of enthusiasm ruins the mood. It's a funny sequence
7:25
which eventually leads to the emotional core of the episode, when Claire gives a passionate speech about how much Halloween means to her
7:33
and how disappointed she is to see that none of her friends and family are willing to take it seriously
7:38
After Claire storms out of the house, Phil follows her, and the two of them have a sweet moment together
7:43
wherein Phil's anxieties about their marriage are quelled. While they're away, several kids wander up to the house
7:49
With Claire not inside stressing everyone out, and her speech having apparently resonated
7:53
her friends and family decide to take the haunted house seriously, and it goes off without a hitch
7:58
It's a final wholesome note to end the episode on, which ties together the whole Halloween theme
8:03
with each individual character's personal struggles. It's in line with the humor fans have come to expect from the show
8:09
and it's got a great moral at the center of it all. This episode exposes the futility of running from the truth
8:15
and teaches us that when we try to control life to avoid facing our fears
8:20
our forceful efforts can cause our fears to come true. If Phil hadn't been so worried about his marriage
8:25
he would have been more helpful that day. If Mitchell hadn't been so insecure about his status
8:29
in the office, he might not have worn the Spider-Man costume in the first place and avoided a day of embarrassment
8:35
And if Claire hadn't been so obsessed with having the perfect haunted house, maybe everyone else
8:40
would have had more fun. Because in the end, that's what Halloween and holiday episodes
8:44
of TV shows are about, having fun with friends, family, and characters that we all love
#Humor
#TV Shows & Programs
#Family Films
#Horror Films