Season 5, episode 6 of ABC’s Modern Family was entitled ‘The Help.’ In the sixth episode of the season, each of the three families sought out a different form of help. Gloria and Jay searched for the right nanny, Mitch and Cameron a perfect wedding planner, and Claire and Phil help for Phil’s depressed father, Frank. This week, all three of the plots remained separate from each other which stressed the importance of each family’s issue.
The tease of the episode begins with Gloria’s struggle with keeping a nanny. She expresses in a talking head that it’s not completely her fault,since Manny continually hits on the nannies. Manny’s romanticism is shown when he approaches a nanny asking what her dinner plans are. Gloria quickly interjects “You’re eating Dino bites because you are a little boy!” which sets the tone for the rest of the episode.
Guest star Adam DeVine makes his debut at the park where he portrays the character of Andy, the male nanny, or “manny.” Andy impresses Gloria with his upbeat attitude, and adorable interaction with the kids at the playground. Gloria then convinces Andy that he could be much happier working for her.
The episode then jumps to Mitch and Cam’s house where their friend Pepper the wedding planner is throwing ridiculous and over the top ideas at them. “I see you riding down the purple aisle on...a unicorn!” Things start to get complicated when Mitch and Cam turn down Pepper’s mystical wedding vision, and take advice from none other than Pepper’s assistant Ronaldo who is constantly pushed to the background. The entire situation between Cam, Mitch, Ronaldo, and Pepper mirrors an affair of some sort. After wooing Cam and Mitch with his elegant ideas Ronaldo runs for the door, “No I mustn’t this is wrong...french bistro stemless wine glasses! I’ve said too much!” Mitch and Cam call out to him in desperation and longing, creating an overly dramatic but humorous tone for their storyline.
Meanwhile, at the Dunphy’s Phil and Claire are struggling not only with Alex and Haley’s constant bickering, but with Phil’s father Frank’s break up depression. Claire suggests that they call Frank a therapist, and decides to call Jay to get his opinion on the matter. Phil’s lovable humor comes into play when he expresses exasperated that Jay doesn’t understand emotions, “When a man is overcome with emotion at a Celine Dion concert you do not tell him to grow a pair!” Jay immediately turns down the therapist approach and proposes that he, Phil and Frank go out on the town to meet some women.
When Gloria takes Andy home, Manny and Jay are not enthused. Jay states “he’s a weird man like Phil!” and the two of them vote against Gloria when she asks to keep him as the new “manny.”
The episode really picks up comedically when Phil and Frank wake up the next morning after going out. The father and son duo chat in the kitchen about Frank’s evening, that Phil thought was spent with a nice woman named Marcie that they met at the bar. The shocker hits when Frank tells Phil that he met another woman on the way home...and that she is demanding $500 for her services. Yes, Phil’s elderly father hired a hooker. Phil and Frank attempt to scrounge up the money before Claire get’s home. When she does return, the hooker awaits her compensation in the kitchen, so Phil’s genius idea is to tell Claire that she is the therapist.
The most comedic scene in the episode takes place in the Dunphy’s kitchen between Claire and the hooker. Claire approaches the hooker thinking that she is a therapist. She states, “I’ve always wanted to do what you do” continuing with “I already do it for the whole neighborhood might as well get paid!” When the “therapist” gives Alex and Haley some sisterly advice, Claire realizes that she is in fact a hooker.
At the Pritchett household, Andy the “manny” wakes Jay up with freshly pressed underpants and a healthy breakfast. Jay and Manny are furious, and ready to fire him once and for all until Andy proves himself very useful. When Gloria storms in and starts screaming at Jay and Manny for disregarding her wants, Andy calms her down saying “Sometimes the louder we are the less we are heard.” Jay then agrees to hire him.
The drama continues at Mitch and Cam’s house when Ronaldo returns because he just can’t seem to stay away from the couple. The three of them oooh and ahh over his wedding designs when Pepper storms in, in a fury! Ronaldo runs to hide, but then reveals himself, and him and the couple’s indecency. The storyline ends with a soap opera-esque scene between Ronaldo and Pepper who discover they are in love.
The theme of “The Help” was not as encompassing as the past five episodes of the season. Though as always, it did have it’s hilarious bits I wouldn’t say it was the strongest. I’m personally hoping that Adam DeVine’s character arc is extended for a few more episodes. One of the highlights of “The Help” was of course the tag, where Lily is shown covering her ears, mocking her father’s and Pepper with hand signals, and slamming her head against the table as they chatter in the other room.
Despite the overall connectivity of “The Help”, Modern Family manages to deliver an abundance of laughs on this Wednesday evening.