Punkin Chunkin (Modern Family)

Plot

The Dunphys receive a visit from former kid neighbor Kenneth, who dropped out of college and became a billionaire through an investment company he started with a friend. Kenneth credits Phil for encouraging him to follow his heart. Haley argues that college is not the only path to success, upsetting Claire. Phil begins to believe Claire's scorn for his ideas held him back.

Haley and Alex go for a drive; Alex distracts Haley, causing her to crash into a stone trash can. They try to hide the damage from Claire. At the Pritchett-Delgado home, Jay attempts to give Manny constructive criticism about a messy centerpiece, but Gloria stops him, not wanting to hurt Manny's feelings. Mitchell and Cameron are out with friends; Cameron tells a story about using a catapult to launch a pumpkin across a football field.

Mitchell questions the story's authenticity and other tales Cameron tells. The family gathers at the Dunphy house, where Jay tells Manny his centerpiece is not good. Manny throws it away, sparking an argument that divides the family into Dreamers (Cameron, Phil, Gloria) and Realists (Jay, Mitchell, Claire). The argument leads them to a football field so Cameron can prove his pumpkin-chunking story is true.

Reception

In its original American broadcast, Punkin Chunkin was watched by 12.72 million viewers, slightly down from the previous episode. The episode received mixed reviews.

Claire Zulkey from The A.V. Club gave a B+ rate, stating the show did not go anywhere new but was good entertainment for the night before Thanksgiving. Leigh Raines of TV Fanatic rated it 3/5, calling the episode just depressing. Maris Kreizman from Vulture gave a good review, noting that the push and pull between the three main couples is the show's lifeblood, even if revisiting that dynamic sometimes hurts plot and character development.