[Sweet Embrace]

PUMPKINS WILL FLY WHEN THE FAMILY GETS TOGETHER ON THANKSGIVING, ON ABC'S "MODERN FAMILY"

Josh Gad ("Book of Mormon") Guest Stars

"Punkin Chunkin" - When an old neighborhood kid returns to town as a hugely successful internet billionaire, it gets Phil thinking of what could have been. Jay feels Manny could use a little dose of constructive criticism, and Cameron is offended when Mitchell questions the authenticity of his colorful childhood stories. It all comes to a head at Thanksgiving with the family divided between the "Dreamers" and the "Pritchetts" -- and nothing settles the score like a punkin chunkin challenge -- on "Modern Family," WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23 (9:00-9:31 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

Guest cast for "Punkin Chunkin" includes Josh Gad as Kenneth, Gretchen Morgan as Natalie and Aaron Krebs as Andy.

"Punkin Chunkin" was written by Ben Karlin and directed by Michael Spiller.

[L i N d $ @ y]

Love the ep! Not my favorite but I love it because of the whole dreamers vs. realist storyline and the life lessons I learned from this ep (and there a lot!). So are you a realist or a dreamer?

Jay, Gloria & Manny

So Manny made a Thanksgiving centerpiece that wasn't too...good. Gloria says it was good and encourages him even more when he asks what to wear for Thanksgiving by saying he looks good on anything. Jay thinks he should tell Manny the truth but Gloria doesn't want to because that's what parents do: be supportive & encouraging. Eventually, Jay does tell Manny the truth and he handles it well because he always does. Jay telling Manny the truth brings him back to reality that while his mom might have encouraged & praised his work, it doesn't look that good enough to be a centerpiece. So really Manny has the greatest parents in the world because he's got someone who always encourages him to no end and someone who will tell it like it is.

Cam & Mitch

Cam tells this couple about a time he & his friends chunked a pumpkin at a football field. It should've ended there, his story but he goes on & on about it which of course makes Mitch sigh & roll his eyes. He confronts him and asks if these stories were true because he's never heard of Cody before who happened to magically appear in this particular story. We all know how Cam is very talkative when he tells his stories (and didn't we just hear a farm story from last week?). Personally I think most of it is true (I admit, I'm a realist) but a part of me believes that most of it is true because it's Cam. He's probably done crazier things than Mitch growing up and has always looked at life joyously whereas Mitch was confined to the uptight upbringing of his dad. So really these two are made for each other because they bring out the best & the worst. Cam needs Mitch to get him back to reality because he tends to get excited telling his stories and Mitch needs Cam to let loose & enjoy life and just be. I think the beauty of this ep is that, not only did it teach me a ton of life lessons, it made me appreciate the relationships of the 3 primary couples of the show.

Phil & Claire

I think I've exhausted all explanations of why these couple work so I'll make this short. We first see Claire a bit riled up when Phil accepts a call from Kenneth who's coming over. Having not seen in each other in 10 years, Kenneth & Phil do the hilarious man-shake and catch up. Turns out Kenneth is a successful businessman despite not really faring well in college (alas Haley was around to hear this). Because of his story and how everytime he would do anything he would think "what would Phil Dunphy do?", Phil realizes that Claire is the obstacle to his dreams. Which of course isn't because Claire is but supportive of Phil and (just like with his brother & father) only looks out for his welfare. Phil might not see it at first being the dreamer he is. He even made a short video of his Headscatcher TM with his other dreamer son, Luke. After demonstrating it to the family, it didn't work. He continues to mock Claire by saying that he smells chicken on the table which irked her and thus made the entire family go prove a point by chunking a pumpkin.

So in the end, the realists win? Thanks to physics but I say the dreamers too because why were they there in the first place? If they were all realists, they wouldn't be there trying to prove a point. Cam's life lesson in the end is my absolute favorite line on the show: “There are dreamers and there are realists in this world. You’d think the dreamers would find the dreamers and the realists would find the realists. But more often than not, the opposite is true. You see the dreamers need the realists to keep them from soaring too close to the sun. And the realists, well, without the dreamers they might not ever get off the ground.”

Also on the side, although not such an integral part of the story, I think, Alex & Haley as a team trying to hide the dent of their mom's car was nice to see in that we also see something of a dreamer/realist between these two. Alex is definitely a realist and Haley is...a dreamer? Although sometimes I think she's a realist too. I love that Alex crumbled in the end and had to tell Claire the truth about the dent but too bad she said it early as Cam chunked the pumpkin right at their car door. Also Kenneth played by the brillant Josh Gad, is hilarious in this ep especially that entire man-shake with Phil. Whou would've thought that a kid who Claire wasn't fond of (makes sense) would be a successful businessman now? I just wished he was on more in the ep, I felt that it was too short. Overall a good Thanksgiving ep, very heartwarming with a lot of life lessons for us.

[itsKnotC]

I laughed my ass off for the very first scene...with Phil and his buddy. "Why hug if you can do...manshake"... "Roll up the curtain"...

The Dreamers vs the Pritchetts was the BEST part of this episode..and I LOVE the ending. GREAT Thanksgiving episode!

BTW, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

[SaraSidleStokes]

I thought it was a great Thanksgiving episode I Loved all the families stories in this one

[L i N d $ @ y]

Yes, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone here who's celebrating it.

It's an overall good Thanksgiving ep, glad to see the family all on this one. And yes, the dreamers vs. the Pritchetts was the story of this ep. Wasn't it nice to see Jay/Mitch/Claire on one side all slyly making comments about Phil/Cam/Gloria and how they will fail? They were right but they also boosted their confidence to try it again because that's what dreamers are: they need a reality check but will definitely try it out until their dream is fulfilled. It's kind of perfect they all found each other.

On the side, this is why I want Dylan for Haley. Dylan is such a dreamer who is perfect for Haley!

[itsKnotC]

On the side, this is why I want Dylan for Haley. Dylan is such a dreamer who is perfect for Haley!

he's a weird dreamer...

But yeah, this was another great epiosde where in the end you'll be thinking of what you are..if you are a dreamer or a realist. LOVE..LOVE..LOVE it!

[fly me to the moon]

I really love what they said at the end of the episode since I really enjoy it so far.. Plus everything was amazing in this episode..

[L i N d $ @ y]

Originally Posted by itsKnotC (View Post) But yeah, this was another great epiosde where in the end you'll be thinking of what you are..if you are a dreamer or a realist. LOVE..LOVE..LOVE it!

So what are you: a dreamer or a realist?

Steph: The ending was great, especially when they were all sharing what things they'll save if their house was on fire. Claire's answer was the best of all, I think.

[Touldengal]

this episode was amazing. I absolutely loved the ending and i actually cried during the voiceover of dreamers and realists. its such a beautiful way of looking at things and its so true. Its the reason why i adore Phil and Claire so much. Their balance makes them perfect.
usually I'm used to shows where the husband is always doing the wrong thing and the wife is always correcting him, but i love the balance on this show. Sometimes his dreams need correcting, but then sometimes her serious attitude needs to be taken down a notch.

[Sweet Embrace]

I've been so busy with work, I've only JUST seen the episode but it was a very solid thanksgiving episode!

Right from the get go we get introduced to Kenneth and he and Phil do that awesome man shake! Right when you think its gonna end, it turns into some bizarre dance! I laughed out loud with that moment. I actually really liked Kenneth! How he was very touchy with Claire - he must have fancied her at some point - and how he talked about how he learnt from Phil - and how it made Phil feel like he had wasted his life because Claire held him back.

Manny made his bizarre masterpiece and as always Gloria goes over the top to support him. I kind of think she has always been like this because she has such a tight bond with Manny she would hate to criticise him in any way. Whilst I'm with Jay on that retrospect, good critism builds up character.

I really loved Cam and Mitch in this episode. Even before Cam told the story Mitch says it should only take 3 secs, he sighs and even as Cam is telling it, he's MOUTHING THE WORDS! I laughed so hard at that too. I call Mitchell a skeptic, because you know what I believe Cam, but maybe I'm a dreamer too That should answer your question Lindz.

I'm also glad the sisters got a good story. It was great to see how natural Haley was at lying and holding up a good front whilst Alex crumbled. I can't believe the pumpkin hit the car at the exact same place!!

Luke doesn't get much airtime but I love how he was with Phil making that video. How they fit in the aspirin gun in there.

Most of all, as you have all mentioned, I love the ending. That they ended it with the pumpkin chunkin. Esp what Cam said in his voice over. That was deep and so true.

[fly me to the moon]

Originally Posted by L i N d $ @ y (View Post) Steph: The ending was great, especially when they were all sharing what things they'll save if their house was on fire. Claire's answer was the best of all, I think.

Completely agree w/ you on this!

[Barrybgb]

This was a great episode. I love how Cam gets into his stories and Phil thinking he's some kind of Yoda or something. Lol. A fine episode with great stories all around and the typical whip smart dialogue and humor.

[Sweet Embrace]

Lindz I think you're talking about "After the Fire"'s ending rather than the Pumpkin ending

Barry that's what made this episode great. The importance of thanksgiving made them all see that opposites attract and they were all with the right people, in the end.

[Static Waves]

Dreamers vs Realists was so precious to watch imo. Seeing them all work together was so heartwarming, especially because I'm totally a realist

[L i N d $ @ y]

Originally Posted by Touldengal (View Post) this episode was amazing. I absolutely loved the ending and i actually cried during the voiceover of dreamers and realists. its such a beautiful way of looking at things and its so true. Its the reason why i adore Phil and Claire so much. Their balance makes them perfect. usually I'm used to shows where the husband is always doing the wrong thing and the wife is always correcting him, but i love the balance on this show. Sometimes his dreams need correcting, but then sometimes her serious attitude needs to be taken down a notch.

Awww, I love your reaction. This is what I love about the show, a lot of times it makes us laugh but it has it's life lessons which is very relatable. It makes you cry because of the realization that it is true. Phil & Claire are just like Mitch/Cam and Jay/Gloria - they all balance each other out and this ep clearly showed us that.

Originally Posted by misst89 (View Post) Right from the get go we get introduced to Kenneth and he and Phil do that awesome man shake! Right when you think its gonna end, it turns into some bizarre dance! I laughed out loud with that moment. I actually really liked Kenneth! How he was very touchy with Claire - he must have fancied her at some point - and how he talked about how he learnt from Phil - and how it made Phil feel like he had wasted his life because Claire held him back.

Kenneth's appearance was too quick but he definitely is a loveable character. I do know he won't be back for the time being but I'll still be hoping soon (as I do with Dylan, at least some part of me).

Manny made his bizarre masterpiece and as always Gloria goes over the top to support him. I kind of think she has always been like this because she has such a tight bond with Manny she would hate to criticise him in any way. Whilst I'm with Jay on that retrospect, good critism builds up character.

Do we know how long Gloria & Javier are divorced? Because that could be a good indication of the strong mother-son bond Gloria & Manny have. I'd understand how Jay would have a hard time adjusting to them when he met Gloria and found out she has a son.

I really loved Cam and Mitch in this episode. Even before Cam told the story Mitch says it should only take 3 secs, he sighs and even as Cam is telling it, he's MOUTHING THE WORDS! I laughed so hard at that too. I call Mitchell a skeptic, because you know what I believe Cam, but maybe I'm a dreamer too That should answer your question Lindz.

I think I've been a dreamer lately but I still am a realist, especially when it comes to the family. This aspect of the ep actually made me think who the realists & dreamers are in my family.

Most of all, as you have all mentioned, I love the ending. That they ended it with the pumpkin chunkin. Esp what Cam said in his voice over. That was deep and so true.

The ending and Cam's voice-over was stellar, best line of the ep. It summed up what the ep was about and I love that he said it.

And oh yes, my bad. That was 3x08 ending I was talking about. Clearly, I still can't get over the ep.

Originally Posted by Barrybgb (View Post) This was a great episode. I love how Cam gets into his stories and Phil thinking he's some kind of Yoda or something. Lol. A fine episode with great stories all around and the typical whip smart dialogue and humor.

It's a great Thanksgiving ep and it came perfect because most of the shows I watch are on hiatus and having seen some of the Thanskgiving ep of some shows, this one really stood out from the rest.

Originally Posted by Static Waves (View Post) Dreamers vs Realists was so precious to watch imo. Seeing them all work together was so heartwarming, especially because I'm totally a realist

Both of us. I keep on insisting I'm a realist because I know I am but my friends & family say I'm a dreamer. Hmmm.