Moon Landing (Modern Family)
Encyclopedia
"Moon Landing" is the fourteenth episode of the first season
of Modern Family
. The episode was originally scheduled to premiere on ABC
on January 27, 2010, but it was preempted by the State of the Union address
and pushed back a week to February 3, 2010.
The episode was written by Bill Wruber and directed by Jason Winer
. The episode aired in the United States
on February 3, 2010 on ABC and achieved a Nielsen rating of 3.9/10, attracting 9.07 million viewers. The episode received positive reviews from critics.
) feels inadequate when she meets up with her old work colleague Valerie (Minnie Driver
). Jay (Ed O'Neill
) and Cameron (Eric Stonestreet
) play racquetball at Jay's gym, and they have a disturbing locker room moment. Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson
) tries to help Gloria (Sofía Vergara
) with a legal issue after she gets into a car crash. Things get a little ugly when Manny tells Mitchell that it was all his moms fault. When Mitchell brings the possibility up, Gloria accuses them of being stereotypical and says that she doesn't need Mitchell to be her lawyer anymore. After storming out, Gloria rushes back in to apologize. She asked Mitchell for help again after crashing into a restaurant while she was attempting to leave.
with 9.194 million viewers and a Nielsen rating
of 3.9/11. The episode ranked 14 in the 18–49 rating, but couldn't break the top 20 in total viewership. The episode got favorable reviews. Robert Canning of IGN
gave the episode an 8, saying that it was "Impressive" and "If any one of these story lines had been given more time within the episode, their comic potential could have been better fulfilled. It's possible Valerie could have become more of a character than a cutout. Jay could have had more time to deal with, and more politically incorrect things to say about, his butt bump. But as it were, though the stories were less than fulfilling, Modern Family still delivered a decent amount of laughs." Jason Hughes of TV Squad gave it a positive review saying that "Sometimes I wonder if I could just write up a review of 'Modern Family' by listing all of the great quotes that come out of this show. Line for line, this has to be one of the cleverest series on television today. Even the episode title, 'Moon Landing,' recalls a great moment". Donna Bowman of The A.V. Club
gave it a B+, saying fans of the ABC
hit Lost
would be satisfied by the episode. Lesley Savage of Entertainment Weekly
gave it a positive review saying that "Could last night’s episode of Modern Family been any funnier? I mean, I may as well have transcribed the entire episode, because every line had me practically running to my own Porta-Potty. While the whole clan had their side-splitting moments — hello Cam and Jay’s moon landing, which is apparently not as bad as a splashdown — the Dunphy family stole the evening".
Modern Family (season 1)
The first season of the television comedy series Modern Family aired between September 23, 2009 and May 19, 2010, on ABC in the United States. The season was produced by 20th Century Fox Television and Lloyd-Levitan Productions with series creators Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan as executive...
of 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...
. The episode was originally scheduled to premiere on ABC
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...
on January 27, 2010, but it was preempted by the State of the Union address
State of the Union Address
The State of the Union is an annual address presented by the President of the United States to the United States Congress. The address not only reports on the condition of the nation but also allows the president to outline his legislative agenda and his national priorities.The practice arises...
and pushed back a week to February 3, 2010.
The episode was written by Bill Wruber and directed by Jason Winer
Jason Winer
Jason Winer is an American director, producer, writer, actor and comedian. He is best known for being one of the directors on the award-winning series Modern Family on ABC.Winer was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland...
. The episode aired in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on February 3, 2010 on ABC and achieved a Nielsen rating of 3.9/10, attracting 9.07 million viewers. The episode received positive reviews from critics.
Plot
Claire (Julie BowenJulie 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...
) feels inadequate when she meets up with her old work colleague Valerie (Minnie Driver
Minnie Driver
Minnie Driver is an English actress and singer-songwriter. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the 1997 film Good Will Hunting, as well as for an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe for her work in the television series The Riches.- Early life...
). 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...
) and 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...
) play racquetball at Jay's gym, and they have a disturbing locker room moment. 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:...
) tries to help Gloria (Sofía Vergara
Sofía Vergara
Sofía Margarita Vergara Vergara is a Colombian actress, comedian, television hostess and model.Vergara had been widely known for co-hosting two TV shows for Univisión in the late 1990s. Her TV career opened up for her a window of exposure to North American audiences prior to her first notable...
) with a legal issue after she gets into a car crash. Things get a little ugly when Manny tells Mitchell that it was all his moms fault. When Mitchell brings the possibility up, Gloria accuses them of being stereotypical and says that she doesn't need Mitchell to be her lawyer anymore. After storming out, Gloria rushes back in to apologize. She asked Mitchell for help again after crashing into a restaurant while she was attempting to leave.
Cultural references
- Claire calls Phil MarioMariois a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
while he's wearing the mustache. - Haley's boyfriend Dylan tries to win her back by standing outside her window playing music on his iPod. When Haley's father, Phil, comments "Oh, I get it, Say Anything!", Dylan doesn't get the movie reference, and instead just says "Anything."
- Luke and Phil have an argument about Rick Astely'sRick AstleyRichard Paul "Rick" Astley is an English singer-songwriter, musician, and radio personality. He is known for his 1987 song, "Never Gonna Give You Up", which was a #1 hit single in 25 countries...
song "Never Gonna Give You UpNever Gonna Give You UpA group of London dance producers, called The Rickrollerz made a house music cover version of "Never Gonna Give You Up" on that day, and in honor of that event....
," a reference to the cultural meme rickrollingRickrollingRickrolling is an Internet meme involving the music video for the 1987 Rick Astley song "Never Gonna Give You Up". The meme is a bait and switch; a person provides a hyperlink seemingly relevant to the topic at hand, but actually leads to Astley's video...
.
Reception
The episode surprisingly survived against American IdolAmerican 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...
with 9.194 million viewers and a Nielsen rating
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
of 3.9/11. The episode ranked 14 in the 18–49 rating, but couldn't break the top 20 in total viewership. The episode got favorable reviews. Robert Canning of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the episode an 8, saying that it was "Impressive" and "If any one of these story lines had been given more time within the episode, their comic potential could have been better fulfilled. It's possible Valerie could have become more of a character than a cutout. Jay could have had more time to deal with, and more politically incorrect things to say about, his butt bump. But as it were, though the stories were less than fulfilling, Modern Family still delivered a decent amount of laughs." Jason Hughes of TV Squad gave it a positive review saying that "Sometimes I wonder if I could just write up a review of 'Modern Family' by listing all of the great quotes that come out of this show. Line for line, this has to be one of the cleverest series on television today. Even the episode title, 'Moon Landing,' recalls a great moment". Donna Bowman of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
gave it a B+, saying fans of the ABC
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...
hit Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
would be satisfied by the episode. Lesley Savage of 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...
gave it a positive review saying that "Could last night’s episode of Modern Family been any funnier? I mean, I may as well have transcribed the entire episode, because every line had me practically running to my own Porta-Potty. While the whole clan had their side-splitting moments — hello Cam and Jay’s moon landing, which is apparently not as bad as a splashdown — the Dunphy family stole the evening".
External links
- "Moon Landing" at ABC.com