Episode Title: The Incident
Ah, that crazy in-law/ex-significant other. That person most of us have at least one of in our lives whom we can't seem to get rid of.
It is in this episode when we meet DeeDee for the first time. Jay's ex-wife after 35 years of marriage has gone off the deep end of life. When she makes a return to try to make some amends for her "incident," it's just a little more than awkward. The difficult thing about these kind of people is they don't know they're the "red-headed step-child" of the family.
DeeDee does serve one person. When she intervenes in Claire and Haley's argument about Haley going to an overnight concert with Dylan. DeeDee serves as a mirror to Claire, who resented her mother for the same things when she was Haley's age. It's tough because Claire gets judged into making a decision that isn't what her mom would've done; it's really not a fair take on Claire's parenting decision, though, because Claire was making the right decision. Haley is way too immature and vulnerable to go out with Dylan in this situation. But because of DeeDee
Haley wants to go to the concert, and controlling Claire won't let her. So Phil uses his "peer-enting" technique to make peace with Haley, which is just the first of several signs that Phil can be soft as a father. He's non-confrontational, which mostly is because a) Claire is confrontational enough for the both of them, and b) he always tries to use humor as a diffusing mechanism. That's not the worst idea, but Phil rarely actually addresses any issues or asserts himself enough. But when he does, those are some of the best moments of the show.
NOTES:
-Manny get pranked after someone draws on his face without him knowing it. So naturally Gloria and Jay teach him about revenge, like good wholesome parents.
-One of my favorite lines is when Phil says "I got Gloria" during Gloria's scuffle with DeeDee. Twice.
-Dylan's insightful "I just want to do you" lyrics to Haley. In front of the whole family. Really?