The Late Show (Modern Family)

Plot

Jay has made a reservation at a restaurant that required a six-week wait, but when the time comes, no one is ready. Gloria takes long to get ready after returning late from the hairdresser; when she comes downstairs, Haley remarks that her earrings are not big enough, and they both go back upstairs. Jay asks Manny to tell Gloria to hurry. Gloria and Haley eventually come down, but when Gloria needs to change her lipstick, Jay admonishes her for being late and rude.

At the restaurant, they discover they are the first ones there and cannot be seated until the whole party arrives. At the Dunphy house, Phil has put on a new suit that is too tight, but Claire does not notice because she is stressed from work. She is upset that Phil allowed Luke to stay home alone. On the way to the restaurant, Claire has a feeling something is wrong and they return home; Luke mistakes Claire for an intruder and hits her with a paintball gun.

Luke then needs to be driven to Jay's to stay with Haley and Manny. Cam and Mitch are also late because Cam cannot decide what to wear. When he is finally ready, they realize they have worn the same outfits again. They ask Alex and Lily to judge, but the girls refuse.

Both agree to change; while Mitch changes, Cam stalls, leading Mitch to accuse him of manipulating the situation to keep his current outfit.

Reception

When it aired in the U.S., "The Late Show" drew 10.94 million viewers, a slight increase of 0.30 from the prior episode. Critics were largely favorable. Leigh Raines of TV Fanatic awarded a perfect 5/5, hailing it as the series' best in a while and suggesting it deserved to be the 100th episode. Britt Hayes at Screen Crush praised it as a notable step up from recent installments. Joe Reid of The A.V. Club gave a B−, criticizing the show's repetitive payoffs. Martina Maio of TheCelebrityCafe.com also gave 5 stars, deeming it one of the season's strongest. Wyner from TwoCentsTV called it "cute," highlighting its focus on family time management and how the characters' personalities stood out.