Manny Get Your Gun

Plot

The episode opens with Manny beginning his birthday speech to a table of angry family members, then flashes back 30 minutes. Claire hurries everyone to the party, prompting a contest with Phil to see whose route is faster. Phil rides with Alex and Haley; Luke goes with Claire. In Claire's car, Luke misinterprets her earlier comment about the parents "separating" and asks about it.

Claire reassures him and later stops to talk, growing sadder until Luke says he chose Phil because Phil seemed to need him more and that Claire's route is faster. In Phil's car, he tries to convince the girls the race is worthwhile, but the wheels go out. After fixing them, Haley and Alex say they do not want to go to family camp, causing Phil to cry, then the girls cry too. His motivation to beat Claire wanes but is restored by Haley and Alex.

Meanwhile, Mitchell and Cameron search the mall for a Manny gift. Cameron stops to help an elderly man, Donald, convince an old woman, Helen, to take him back, despite Mitchell's protests about time. Cameron is delighted until he learns Donald is an adulterer. They resume arguing about Mitchell's lack of spontaneity; Mitchell then joins a flash mob to "Free Your Mind," but Cameron becomes angry that Mitchell kept it secret.

They fight again in the car. At the Pritchett house, Gloria and Jay argue over Gloria's habit of losing things—currently her keys. Jay finds the keys in his own pocket but secretly places them in her purse instead of apologizing.

Production

The episode was written by Danny Zuker, based on a story by Modern Family co-creator Christopher Lloyd. It marked Zuker's fifth writing credit for the series and Lloyd's first story credit. Michael Spiller directed, his eighth episode for the show. Filming took place on October 20, October 21, and October 27, 2010.

The original press release titled the episode "Dash, Flash, Crash," later formally changed to "Manny Get Your Gun." Part of the plot came from a personal experience of Steven Levitan, who said in an interview that he and his wife constantly argue about which route home from a restaurant is faster. On October 15, 2010, TV Guide reported that Norman Lloyd of St. Elsewhere would guest star as a senior citizen befriended by Cameron; he filmed his appearance on October 21, 2010.

The episode was later submitted for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series along with "Caught in the Act," "The Musical Man," and "Mother's Day."

Reception

In its original American broadcast, the episode was viewed by an estimated 12.092 million households and received a 7.1 rating/11% share Nielsen rating, meaning 7.1% of households watched and 11% of televisions were tuned in. Among adults 18–49, it earned a 4.8 rating/13% share, tying the previous episode "Chirp." It became the second highest rated scripted series of the week after Glee. Critics gave overwhelmingly positive reviews.

Joel Keller of TV Squad called it "one of the better ones of the season," though he found the Mitch and Cam storyline "funny" but "not as funny as they usually are," adding that "sometimes Cam is too much Cam for his, or the audience's, own good." Donna Bowman of The A.V. Club gave an A− rating, feeling the episode was "a bit less than the sum of its parts" with jigsaw pieces "forced into place a little too emphatically." Rachel Maddux of New York gave a positive review, saying the episode brought the series "out of [its] slump" and was "pretty much why we started loving this show in the first place."

Kara Klenk of TV Guide called it "another great episode." Matt Roush described it as "comic gold" and "firing on all cylinders." James Poniewozik of Time gave a positive review, noting it "may not quite have reached the level of 'Fizbo'" but had "a run of funny and sweet moments." HitFix writer Alan Sepinwall, often critical of the second season, praised the episode, saying "nearly everything was clicking" and comparing it favorably to season one episodes where "everything came together at the end."