Airport 2010

Last updated
"Airport 2010"
Modern Family episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 22
Directed by Jason Winer
Written by
Production code1ARG19 [1]
Original air dateMay 5, 2010 (2010-05-05)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
"Travels with Scout"
Next 
"Hawaii"
Modern Family season 1
List of episodes

"Airport 2010" is the twenty-second episode of the American television sitcom series Modern Family and the twenty-second episode of the series overall. It premiered on May 5, 2010, on ABC. The episode was written by Bill Wrubel & Dan O'Shannon and directed by Jason Winer.

Contents

In the episode, Gloria invites the whole family on a getaway to Hawaii for Jay's birthday much to Jay's chagrin. While waiting for their flight, Mitchell realizes that he does not have his wallet and ID. Phil offers to drive him back home, something that upsets Claire, who has a fear of flying. Manny is kept for questioning after his name matches a name on a no-fly list and Haley flirts with a boy while Dylan is trapped inside the Dunphy's house.

The episode references Lost which Julie Bowen guest starred in. "Airport 2010" received positive reviews from critics, with specific praise for Ed O'Neill's performance as Jay. Despite the positive reviews the episode dropped three-tenths from last week's episode, "Travels with Scout", and was viewed by 9.48 million viewers according to the Nielsen Media Research.

Plot

For Jay's (Ed O'Neill) birthday, Gloria (Sofía Vergara) plans a vacation to Hawaii for the two of them; and then surprises him by revealing that she has paid for the entire family to come along. In addition to secretly desiring a quiet getaway, Jay wonders whether Gloria is deliberately avoiding spending time alone with him.

Meanwhile, Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) discovers he has forgotten his wallet, containing his ID, at home. He blames Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) for not packing it, although Cameron points out that Mitchell never specifically asked him to do so. Phil (Ty Burrell) convinces Mitchell that he can drive him home and back in time to make the flight. This annoys Claire (Julie Bowen) who believes her husband should have known how nervous flying makes her and he should stay with her. She visits the airport bar to calm her nerves, where she sees Jay and reassures him that Gloria loves him.

Haley (Sarah Hyland) notices a cute boy and flirts with him. Eventually, Haley discovers the boy is just fourteen, much to Alex's (Ariel Winter) amusement. In the meantime, she neglects a text from her boyfriend Dylan (Reid Ewing), who is locked inside the Dunphys' house by accident. Sad that Haley would be leaving, Dylan had accidentally fallen asleep beside her bed the night before and became trapped by the Dunphy's security system when the family left the following morning. On his attempt to get out of the house, he triggers the alarm.

While waiting in the airport, Claire complains to Cameron about Phil's inability to foresee her needs. Cameron tells her that she needs to be more vocal instead of expecting Phil to read her mind. After retrieving Mitchell's wallet, Mitchell and Phil have a parallel conversation about Cameron in the car, where Phil explains to Cameron he needs to try and pick up when Mitchell needs help even if he doesn't ask for it. When they reach the airport, everyone apologizes to their respective partners.

Meanwhile Manny (Rico Rodriguez) matches a name on a no-fly list and is held for questioning. Jay finds Gloria and Manny in the holding area, where Manny is being questioned. The guard is suspicious when he sees that Manny has a different return date than Gloria, something that makes Gloria reveal to Jay that she wanted to spend some time alone with him so Manny and the rest of the family will be returning home several days before she and Jay do. At the end, Manny and Gloria are cleared for flight and the entire family boards the plane to Hawaii.

Production

The episode was written by Dan O'Shannon and Bill Wrubel making it both their third writing credit. Wrubel previously wrote "The Bicycle Thief" and "Moon Landing" while O'Shannon previously wrote "Come Fly with Me" and "Undeck the Halls". The episode was directed by series main director, Jason Winer. The episode also guest stars Reid Ewing as recurring character, Dylan.

This episode is the first of a two-episode story arc in which all three families go on a trip to Hawaii to celebrate Jay's 63rd birthday. [2] The episode was filmed the week of March 1–7, 2010. [2] The episode was revealed by co-creator and executive producer Steven Levitan to Michael Ausiello. [2]

Cultural references

The episode title is a reference to the Airport sequels, Airport 1975 , Airport '77 and The Concorde ... Airport '79 .

Luke (Nolan Gould) makes a reference to fellow ABC show Lost , which was ending the same year this episode aired and guest starred Julie Bowen as Sarah Shephard. [3]

When Luke sits on Jay's "Ludlums" (eight novels by Robert Ludlum on his e-reader) Jay opens the cover and the glass tinkles into his lap, he says "not fair, it's not fair." This references the original Twilight Zone episode "Time Enough at Last". In the episode there is an antisocial man with bad vision and very thick glasses who wants nothing more than to be completely alone so he can read his books. One day there is a disaster that kills everyone but him, and one of the only buildings left standing is the library. He sits down to read to his heart's content, but his glasses fall off and hit the ground, he picks them up to put them on and the glass from the lens falls tinkling on to his lap. He sits down and says "it isn't fair, it just isn't fair."

Reception

Ratings

In its original American broadcast, "Airport 2010" was viewed by an estimated 9.32 million households, according to Nielsen Media Research. It scored an 18-49 rating of 3.8 and a share of 11%, which is down three tenths from last week's episode, "Travels with Scout" and coming second in its time slot. [4] "Airport 2010" also became the top rated scripted on Wednesday for the 10th consecutive week. [5] The episode also ranked 9th in the weekly 18-49 ratings the 3rd highest rated ABC show on the list. [6]

Reviews

"Airport 2010" received positive reviews.

Robert Canning of IGN gave the episode a 9.4 saying "There was a lot to enjoy in "Airport 2010." It was nonstop fun from beginning to end" and praised Ed O'Neill's performance saying "it was O'Neill's [ sic] performance as our favorite lovable curmudgeon that kept this zany episode grounded." [7]

Jason Hughes gave the episode a positive review as well writing "Only 'Modern Family' could pull off having a set-up episode for their big Hawaiian vacation and have it succeed in its own right." and also "am really looking forward to watching this ensemble and this cast cut loose on Hawaii". [8]

Donna Bowman of The A.V. Club gave the episode a A− saying "But I think this was Modern Family back in cracking good form. Not everything worked perfectly, but this is a great start to what amounts to a three-part season finale." She also noted "Ed O'Neill's mumbly, wounded bitterness really makes it work." [9]

Margaret Lyons of Entertainment Weekly gave the episode a positive review as well, writing "Like most ensemble comedies, Family is its best when the various storylines converge or illuminate one another, and this episode at least boasted a central theme" [10]

TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4 out of 5 writing "We loved watching Jay's exasperated reaction as the surprises piled up" and loved the Lost reference. [3]

James Poniewozik of Time gave the episode a positive review as well, writing "It was an insightful way of showing the kinds of misunderstandings that can crop up between people who care about each other, but show it in different ways." [11]

Sean Gandert of Paste gave the episode an 87 out of 100 writing "This is the most well-put together episode of Modern Family we've had in months, with no lazy plots or parts thrown in just because." [12]

BuddyTV gave the episode a positive review saying "Though not a complete laugh riot, the episode played out nicely, balancing the silly with the sweet." [13]

Related Research Articles

Come Fly with Me (<i>Modern Family</i>) 3rd episode of the 1st season of Modern Family

"Come Fly with Me" is the third episode of the first season of the ABC sitcom Modern Family and the third episode of the series overall. It originally aired on October 7, 2009. The episode was written by Dan O'Shannon and directed by Reginald Hudlin.

"The Incident" is the fourth episode of the American family sitcom television series Modern Family. It premiered on ABC in the United States on October 14, 2009. The episode was written by co-creator and executive producer of Modern Family, Steven Levitan and directed by series main director, Jason Winer.

"Undeck the Halls" is the tenth episode of the first season of the American family sitcom television series Modern Family and the tenth episode of the series overall. It premiered on ABC in the United States on December 9, 2009. The episode was written by Dan O'Shannon and directed by Randall Einhorn. Fred Willard guest stars as Phil's dad, Frank Dunphy.

"Fifteen Percent" is the thirteenth episode of the first season of the American family sitcom television series Modern Family, and the thirteenth episode of the series overall. It originally aired on ABC on January 20, 2010. The episode was written by co-creator Steven Levitan and directed by Jason Winer.

Moon Landing (<i>Modern Family</i>) 14th episode of the 1st season of Modern Family

"Moon Landing" is the fourteenth episode of the first season of the American family sitcom television series Modern Family and the fourteenth episode of the series overall. It was originally scheduled to premiere on ABC on January 27, 2010, but it was preempted by the State of the Union address and pushed back a week to February 3, 2010. The episode was written by Bill Wrubel and directed by Jason Winer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Funky Valentine</span> 15th episode of the 1st season of Modern Family

"My Funky Valentine" is the fifteenth episode of first season of the American family sitcom television series Modern Family and the fifteenth episode of the series overall. It premiered on ABC on February 10, 2010. The episode was written by Jerry Collins and directed by Michael Spiller.

Starry Night (<i>Modern Family</i>) 18th episode of the 1st season of Modern Family

"Starry Night" is the eighteenth episode of the first season of Modern Family and the eighteenth episode of the series overall. It originally aired on ABC on March 24, 2010. The episode was written by Danny Zuker and directed by Jason Winer.

Hawaii (<i>Modern Family</i>) 23rd episode of the 1st season of Modern Family

"Hawaii" is the twenty-third episode of Modern Family on the first season and the twenty-third episode of the series overall. It originally premiered on May 12, 2010, on ABC. The episode was written by Paul Corrigan & Brad Walsh and directed by series co-creator Steven Levitan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Old Wagon</span> 1st episode of the 2nd season of Modern Family

"The Old Wagon" is the second season premiere of the American sitcom Modern Family and the 25th episode overall. It was aired on September 22, 2010. The episode was written by Bill Wrubel and was directed by Michael Spiller. The episode is also Wrubel's first credit as co-executive producer.

The Kiss (<i>Modern Family</i>) 2nd episode of the 2nd season of Modern Family

"The Kiss" is the second episode of the second season of the American sitcom Modern Family and the 26th episode overall. The episode aired September 29, 2010. It was written by Abraham Higginbotham and directed by Scott Ellis. The episode also featured guest starred Aaron Sanders as Jeremy, Alex's love interest. The episode serves as a response to a criticism for the first season that Mitchell and Cameron never kissed.

Unplugged (<i>Modern Family</i>) 5th episode of the 2nd season of Modern Family

"Unplugged" is the fifth episode of the second season of the ABC sitcom, Modern Family, and the 29th episode of the series overall. The episode originally aired October 20, 2010. It was written by series co-creator Steven Levitan and directed by Michael Spiller.

"Chirp" is the seventh episode of the second season of Modern Family and the 31st episode overall. It originally aired on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States on November 3, 2010. The episode was written by Dan O'Shannon and directed by season two's main director, Michael Spiller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manny Get Your Gun</span> 8th episode of the 2nd season of Modern Family

"Manny Get Your Gun" is the eighth episode of the second season of the sitcom, Modern Family and the 32nd overall. It originally aired November 17, 2010 on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). The episode was written by Danny Zuker, from a story by Modern Family co-creator, Christopher Lloyd and was directed by Michael Spiller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Children, Ourselves</span> 12th episode of the 2nd season of Modern Family

"Our Children, Ourselves" is the 12th episode of the second season of the American television comedy series, Modern Family and the 36th overall episode of the series. Executive producers Dan O'Shannon & Bill Wrubel wrote the episode, and Adam Shankman directed it. The episode originally aired on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States on January 12, 2011. It featured guest star Mary Lynn Rajskub as Mitchell's ex-girlfriend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Someone to Watch Over Lily</span> 20th episode of the 2nd season of Modern Family

"Someone to Watch Over Lily" is the 20th episode of the American comedy television series Modern Family's second season, and the 44th episode overall. It was originally aired on April 20, 2011. The episode was written by Bill Wrubel and directed by Michael Spiller.

Mothers Day (<i>Modern Family</i>) 21st episode of the 2nd season of Modern Family

"Mother's Day" is the 21st episode of the American comedy television series, Modern Family's second season and the 45th episode overall of the series. It originally aired on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) on May 4, 2011. The episode was written by Dan O'Shannon & Ilana Wernick and was directed by Michael Spiller.

The One That Got Away (<i>Modern Family</i>) 24th episode of the 2nd season of Modern Family

"The One That Got Away" is the 24th episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Modern Family, and the 48th episode overall. It is the last episode of season 2. It was originally aired on May 25, 2011. The episode was directed by James Bagdonas and was written by Paul Corrigan, Brad Walsh and Dan O'Shannon.

Door to Door (<i>Modern Family</i>) 4th episode of the 3rd season of Modern Family

"Door to Door" is the fourth episode of the third season of the American sitcom Modern Family, and the series' 52nd episode overall. "Door to Door" first aired on October 5, 2011, on ABC. The episode was written by Bill Wrubel and directed by Chris Koch.

"The Last Walt" is the 20th episode of the third season of the American sitcom Modern Family and the series' 68th episode overall. This episode originally aired on ABC on April 18, 2012. It was written by Dan O'Shannon, Paul Corrigan & Brad Walsh and directed by Michael Spiller.

"The Wedding" is the finale of the fifth season of the American sitcom Modern Family. It aired in two parts, on May 14, 2014 and May 21, 2014. The first part was written by Abraham Higginbotham, Ben Karlin and Jeffrey Richman, and directed by Steven Levitan. The second part was written by Megan Ganz, Christopher Lloyd, and Dan O'Shannon and directed by Alisa Statman. Both episodes received mixed reviews from critics, however the various guest performances were highly praised. This episode was filmed at the Trump National Golf Club, Los Angeles.

References

  1. "Modern Family - 'Airport 2010' Episode Info - MSN TV". Tv.msn.com. May 5, 2010. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 Ausiello, Michael (February 26, 2010). "Scoop: 'Modern Family' heads to Hawaii! | Ausiello | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 1, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  3. 1 2 "Modern Family Review: "Airport"". TV Fanatic. May 6, 2010. Archived from the original on 9 July 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  4. "TV Ratings: Overnight Nielsen Ratings for Wednesday, May 5, 2010, American Idol ratings, Lie To Me ratings, Happy Town ratings, Mercy ratings, Law & Order: SVU ratings, Modern Family ratings, Cougar Town ratings, The Middle ratings, New Adventures of Old Christine ratings, Two and a Half Men ratings, Criminal Minds ratings, CSI: NY ratings, Fly Girls ratings, High Society ratings, America's Next Top Model ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 9, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  5. ""Modern Family" Wednesday's Top Scripted Show For 10th Consecutive Original Broadcast". TV by the Numbers. May 6, 2010. Archived from the original on May 14, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  6. "TV Ratings Top 25: DWTS Again Tops With Viewers; Idol, Glee Still Tops With 18-49". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 15, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  7. Canning, Robert (May 6, 2010). "Modern Family: "Airport 2010" Review - TV Review at IGN". IGN. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  8. "'Modern Family' - 'Airport 2010' Recap". Tvsquad.com. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  9. Bowman, Donna (May 5, 2010). ""Airport 2010" | Modern Family". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 11 August 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  10. Lyons, Margaret (February 26, 2010). "'Modern Family' recap: Come fly with me | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  11. Poniewozik, James (May 6, 2010). "Modern Family Watch: Tell Me What You Really Think". Time . Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  12. Gandert, Sean (May 6, 2010). "Modern Family Review: "Airport 2010" (1.22)". Paste . Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  13. "'Modern Family' Fan Columnist: Come Fly with Me". Buddy TV. May 6, 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-05-09. Retrieved August 6, 2010.