S9E3 "Catch of the Day"
Phil is convinced that he is going to have a bad day due to a superstition that he has. It seems weird that we would never know about this superstition until now, but this is the kind of thing sitcoms often introduce in their later years. Claire is in denial about this superstition carrying any weight, though enough coincidences convince her. The whole point of this story seems to be for Ty Burrell physical comedy opportunities, which can be very funny, but a story definitely needs more than that.
Jay believes that Gloria has been in an accident, but she refuses to admit it. It's funny when he tries to bribe Joe to get information, and even funnier when Gloria uses nonsense logic to try to prove that a picture on her phone doesn't prove anything. Jay goes to talk to Manny, who tells him that as long as Gloria doesn't admit she's been in an accident, he knows that's the worst thing she has done. When Jay returns home, however, Gloria admits that she got in an accident.
Mitch and Cam are continuing to disagree about things in the kitchen remodel. Mitch also feels like he is being treated like a trophy wife, which he doesn't like. While most of this story isn't that great, it has an ending that has both a sweet part and a funny one, where Cam agrees to something Mitch wanted, and the construction worker calls Cam "boss" because he forgot his name, and it turns out that they have been calling him by the wrong name.
There are also two smaller stories this week. The first involves Haley, who Claire and Phil are trying to teach responsibility to. It's really sad and annoying that Haley has become even more irresponsible recently, rather than growing up, like she was for a while. Without her phone, Haley drastically changes, which is typical of a show to do and unrealistic, but funny. The second of these stories has to do with Cam eavesdropping on his sister. This story doesn't seem to have much of a point in the episode, aside from making fun of their Missouri upbringing and Cam's protectiveness in largely unfunny ways.
A big problem with this episode were stories that felt pointless. That would be Phil and Claire, and both of the smaller stories. Luckily, there were better parts of the episode, such as the ending of Mitch and Cam's story, and some great scenes in Jay's story, such as the one with Joe and the ice cream, and the one where Gloria remains in denial despite the picture. However, these good moments can't save the whole episode, which put a lot of the show's flaws in its old age on display.
Score: 4/10
What did you think of "Catch of the Day"? Leave your thoughts in the comments!