New Kids on the Block is the first episode from Season 11 of Modern Family. It aired on September 25, 2019.
Summary[]
Haley is determined to follow the advice in her parenting books with the twins, but Phil and Claire think their old methods are better. Meanwhile, Manny is set to direct Jay's dog bed commercial in the hopes of winning his ex-girlfriend back.[1]
Plot[]
Life is hectic around the Dunphy household as the family adjusts to the 'new normal' following the arrival of Haley and Dylan's twins, Poppy and George (so named because Haley loves poppy seeds while George came out looking curious... like Boy George). Everyone around the house is exhausted as the twins can't sleep and perpetually cry. Phil and Claire try to persuade Haley to stop following the advice in her parenting books and instead learn from their own experiences, but a very stubborn Haley refuses to. The trio manages to lock themselves out of the house, but Haley climbs the roof and enters a window and finally calms her twins.
Alex has been away on an internship in Antarctica. She complains to her parents, Luke, Jay and Mitch that a guy can't stop trying to seduce her, but finally finds him attractive as she leaves the base for good.
At Jay's, Gloria tells that she is chosen to make the Spanish version of a commercial of his. It turns out that Manny will be the advertising's, director but he learns that his ex-girlfriend Sherry Shaker will provide Stella's voice. Gloria gives him a few tips in order to win her ex's heart back and it works, but Manny loses Sherry again when his new position gives him a new ego.
At Mitchell's, Cameron has decided to form a band with a group of teenagers who happen to be rebels. In order to calm them down, he decides to act cool and even let them call him Cam much to Mitch and Lily's dismay. However, things change when he discovers someone has stolen an hideous clown's statue which represents a hobo. Cam tries to resolve the mystery but Mitchell reveals that he's the one who threw it away because he never liked it and he also tossed all stuff which didn't belong to him and whom he disliked.
However, it was a trap because Cam knew that he made it and just wanted him to admit it. The teenagers were in fact High's school theater's members.
At the end of this episode, Phil and Claire finally can sleep again until Haley arrives in their room and the babies are once again, awake.
Main Cast[]
(The characters struck out do not appear in this episode)
- Jay Pritchett
- Gloria Pritchett
- Manny Delgado
- Joe Pritchett
- Claire Dunphy
- Phil Dunphy
- Haley Marshall
- Alex Dunphy
- Luke Dunphy
- Mitchell Pritchett
- Cameron Tucker
- Lily Tucker-Pritchett
- Dylan Marshall
Guest Starring[]
- Hillary Anne Matthews as Sherry
- Miska Kajanus as Yngvar
- Jeremy Isaiah Becerra as Carlos
- Justin Elling as Kyle
- Kristen Li as Suzie
- Alejandra Lopez as Belinda
- Charles Lott Jr. as Derek
Trivia[]
- Reid Ewing is elevated as a main cast member beginning with this episode. However, the opening credits are not updated to include him.
- Luke, Dylan, Lily and Joe barely appear in this episode. Luke only appears in the teaser and one scene, Dylan in the teaser, one interview scene and one end scene, Joe in one scene and Lily in two scenes.
- Dylan's van reappears from Did the Chicken Cross the Road?, SuperShowerBabyBowl and Commencement.
Continuity[]
- This episode aired exactly six years after Suddenly, Last Summer and First Days.
- This is the third episode to feature "kid" in the title after When Good Kids Go Bad and Kids These Days.
- Sherry's fifth appearance.
- This is the second episode when someone has an advice book after Schooled, in which Phil made his own philosophy guide.
- This is the fifth episode in which Cam plays with kids or teenagers after The Musical Man, The Butler's Escape, Bad Hair Day and Tough Love.
- This is the third episode which partially revolves outside the United States after Australia and A Tale of Three Cities
- This is the fourth episode, in which Alex has a Skype conversation with her relatives after Connection Lost, The Closet Case and The Verdict. After the closet Case, this is the second episode in which Luke mistakenly believes that his sister is too lazy to talk directly to him.
- This is the third episode in which Manny directs something after Mother! and SuperShowerBabyBowl.
- This is the fifth episode in which someone get locked outside a house after The Big Game, Do It Yourself, Catch of the Day and In Your Head.
- This is the sixth episode in which a character suffers from insomnia after Knock 'Em Down, I Don't Know How She Does It, Express Yourself, Five Minutes and Red Alert. It's also the third time for Phil and the second for Claire.
- Dylan's 46th episode.
Cultural References[]
- The title of this episode is a reference to the phrase "New Kids on the Block", referring to new people in an area; it could also refer to the boyband.
- The Method Phil uses in order to put Haley to sleep is similar to the one Mike uses in order to put Sue to sleep in The Middle Episode, Eyes Wide Open.
- We hear realtor versions of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", Brahms' Lullaby and "Pop Goes the Weasel".
- Dylan names George "Curious" after Boy George, not Curious George.
- The coordinates given for the Antarctic base are 89°59'24"S 63°27'11"W. This is about 1.4 km (0.8 mile) from the South Pole. The real base, Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station, is actually located at 89°59′51″S 139°16′22″E, 2.2 km (1.4 miles) away from the coordinates given.
- Luke thinks a mention of peanuts refers to the comic Peanuts (with Snoopy and Charlie Brown)
- Ingvar learned English from Family Matters.
- Manny mentions that Spike Jonze and Guillermo del Toro started in commercials.
- Mitch celebrates Lauren Bacall's birthday (September 16th). Lily thinks it's for an Eklund (presumably Pelle or Fredrik).
- Mitch is reading Cornelius Sky by Timothy Brandoff.[1]
Reviews[]
- The A.V. Club gave it a "B".