Episode Title: Coal Digger
Claire and Phil were surprised to see Jay and Gloria in the principal's office. Apparently Luke and Manny had a fight during which Luke sat on him. But of course, this turned into a fight between the parents, particularly the mothers. Claire and Gloria nit-pick the other's son, and later they say mean things in front of each other. Is it just me, or is it all too common for parents to "fight" vicariously through their children?
When Cam paints a line straight up and down to split half of his face in preparation for watching the football game, he asks Mitch if "he's straight." It's one of the earliest examples of the classic double-meaning phrases that the writers get pretty elaborate with more as the show progresses. The best aspect of this mechanic is how natural it feels. It almost always fits in the conversation and doesn't feel too jokey, like the writers went out of their way to fit in a funny line.
Cam is painting his face because the boys are watching a game. It's the perfect time to let the testosterone flow and get in some male bonding. Mitch even bones up on the game a bit so he doesn't sound like a total idiot. What starts out as a manly ritual, though, turns into an awkward moment as Cam (a former college football player) demonstrates to Jay the proper way to a snap a football to a quarterback. I think there's a reason most quarterback stick to shotgun these days.
Notes:
- Manny is already frickin drinking coffee. A nd he uses aftershave. Ugh.
- Luke looks cool with his inside-out backwards shirt tied through his pants zipper. Such a little Einstein. "Some people ask why. Luke asks why not?" asks Phil.
- I really love irritating people with the repeated-question tactic! "Do you honey? Do you?" "Are you really doing that?" Are you?"