A Fair to Remember (Modern Family)

Plot

The whole family except Haley goes to the school fair. Gloria signs Jay up as a fair cop; Manny enters the cake-baking competition; Alex and Luke compete for the same girl; Cam worries about his football coaching job; and Phil and Claire mark their 20th wedding anniversary. Phil and Claire each plan a surprise for the other. Claire, whose gifts are traditionally poor, has arranged a surprise at home and tries to get Phil to leave the fair.

Phil, however, has arranged with the band to sing a song for her and wants her to stay. His plan is ruined when pharmacist Harold Grossman performs before Phil can go on stage, singing impressively. Claire enjoys Harold's singing, and Phil, frustrated, abandons his plan and goes home with Claire, where she surprises him with Chinese acrobats. Claire finally gives Phil a good gift.

Manny's cake-baking participation displeases Jay, who thinks Manny does not belong among the elderly female contestants. Gloria later agrees and destroys Manny's cake, leading Manny to suspect another contestant. Cam, anxious about his winless football team, is threatened by a parent and tries to intimidate his players. He eventually finds that Manny is what his team needs to win. Jay, partnered with Derrick—the man he earlier argued with over a parking space—enjoys his duties as a fair cop.

Cultural references

The episode title references the film An Affair to Remember. Harold Grossman sings Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is." Claire gave Phil a plate of Planet of the Apes. Jay mentions Betty Crocker, Mrs. Fields, and Little Debbie as examples of female bakers. Cam says casting Russell Crowe in Les Misérables was a bad decision. Phil mentions R2-D2. Derrick is hit with a snow cone by a teenager he calls "Jean Jacket," a name later used for the monster in Nope. The episode ends with Andy telling Jay to "be careful up there," an homage to Hill Street Blues.

Reception

In its original American broadcast, the episode was watched by 10.75 million viewers, up 0.43 from the previous episode. Reviews were mixed. Leigh Raines of TV Fanatic gave it 5/5, saying she "always loves an episode that brings the whole family together." Madina Papadopoulos of Paste Magazine rated it 8/10, noting the episode "had a very classic theatrical structure" and the writing "was brilliantly executed." Britt Hayes from Screen Crush said the episode was "all over the place" and would have benefited from trimming plots. Phil Dyess-Nugent from The A.V. Club gave it a C+.