Three Dinners

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"Three Dinners"

Modern Family episode

Episode no.

Season 5
Episode 13

Directed by

Steven Levitan

Written by

Abraham Higginbotham
Steven Levitan
Jeffrey Richman

Production code

5ARG15

Original air date

January 22, 2014

Guest actors

Chazz Palminteri (Shorty)
Jennifer Tilly (Darlene)
Eddie McClintock (Brandon)
Leslie Grossman (Katie)
Tony Cavalero (Brian)

Season 5 episodes

2013–2014

1. "Suddenly, Last Summer"
2. "First Days"
3. "Larry's Wife"
4. "Farm Strong"
5. "The Late Show"
6. "The Help"
7. "A Fair to Remember"
8. "ClosetCon '13"
9. "The Big Game"
10. "The Old Man & the Tree"
11. "And One to Grow On"
12. "Under Pressure"
13. "Three Dinners"
14. "iSpy"
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.

← Season 4

Episode chronology

← Previous
"Under Pressure"

Next →
"iSpy"

List of Modern Family episodes

"Three Dinners" is the thirteenth episode of the fifth season of the American sitcom Modern Family, and the series' 109th overall. It was aired on January 22, 2014. The episode was written by Abraham Higginbotham, Steven Levitan & Jeffrey Richman and directed by Steven Levitan.

Plot

Jay (Ed O'Neill) and Gloria (Sofia Vergara) host Shorty (Chazz Palminteri) and his wife, Darlene (Jennifer Tilly) for a dinner at their house. During the dinner, Shorty tells Jay and Gloria that they are moving to Costa Rica in a couple of weeks. Jay gets upset with the news and he doesn't know how to react. He tries everything to make Shorty change his mind but the two of them end up fighting with Shorty leaving the house. Gloria tries to make Jay admit that the reason he reacted that way is because he is afraid that Shorty will like Costa Rica and he won't come back. Even though Jay denies it, later he accepts the possibility of "losing" his best friend and gets very emotional when he tells him goodbye.

Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cam (Eric Stonestreet), due to the stressed days they go through the last couple of months with the wedding planning, they decide to go on a romantic date at a restaurant to reduce the tension between them. With the subject of the wedding and Lily (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons) out of the table, they don't have much to say but things get more interesting when they start talking to the couple who's sitting next to them, Brandon (Eddie McClintock) and Katie (Leslie Grossman), and Brandon reveals them that he wants to propose to Katie.

Phil (Ty Burrell) and Claire (Julie Bowen) decide to take Haley (Sarah Hyland) out for a dinner so they can discuss her future. They worry that she doesn't know or have any plan about her future and they decide that it's time to talk to her about it. Haley understands their intentions and why they asked her out and when she reveals to them what she wants to be in the future, things get reversed when she asks them what are their plans for the future when all three of them (Alex (Ariel Winter), Luke (Nolan Gould) and herself) leave the house.

Reception

Ratings

In its original American broadcast, "Three Dinners" was watched by 9.59 million; up 0.45 from the previous episode.^[1]

Reviews

"Three Dinners" received positive reviews.

Joshua Alston of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B+ rate saying: "...it’s a solid episode that does nothing to push against the show’s boundaries, but it was brisk and had some solid laughs. [...] In the first three seasons, “Three Dinners” would have been an average episode, but in season five, it’s pretty sterling."^[2]

Leigh Raines from TV Fanatic rated the episode with 5/5 saying that the show "gave us one [dinner] that was surprising, one with difficult emotions and one that ended up really, really awkward."^[3]

Madina Papadopoulos from Paste Magazine rated the episode with 9.2/10 saying: ""Three Dinners" could have been a stage play, and it would have received a standing ovation. [...] this episode proved that sedentary table talk can make you fall out of your chair with laughter."^[4]

Jordan Alder from We Got This Covered gave a good review to the episode saying that "it is the finest episode of Modern Family this season and one of the best half-hours in the show’s run. Its structure is simple, its humour more refined and less shrill than typical for the sitcom, and the mix of drama with levity balances out just right" while praising the three writers "[It] feels less like an episode of a comedy series that’s been through 100 episodes, and more like short segments from a comedy play. That’s how sharp the writing is [...] The writers use a night out, paced and structured expertly as the characters examine the pace of their own lives at the current moment. It’s as lovely an episode from Modern Family as we have seen in years."^[5]

References

↑ Bibel, Sara (January 23, 2014). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Arrow' & 'The Middle' Adjusted Up; 'Modern Family' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers.
↑ Alder, Joshua (January 23, 2014). "Three Dinners". The A.V. Club.
↑ Raines, Leigh (January 23, 2014). "Modern Family Review: Dinner for Schmucks". TV Fanatic.
↑ Papadopoulos, Madina (January 23, 2014). "Modern Family Review: "Three Dinners" (Episode 5.13)". Paste Magazine.
↑ Alder, Jordan (January 23, 2014). "Modern Family Review: “Three Dinners” (Season 5, Episode 13)". We Got This Covered.

v t e Modern Family

Created by: Steven Levitan & Christopher Lloyd

Episodes	Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 4 Season 5

About	Awards and nominations Characters Quotes

Category

v t e Modern Family episodes

Season 1	"Pilot" "The Bicycle Thief" "Come Fly With Me" "The Incident" "Coal Digger" "Run for Your Wife" "En Garde" "Great Expectations" "Fizbo" "Undeck the Halls" "Up All Night" "Not in My House" "Fifteen Percent" "Moon Landing" "My Funky Valentine" "Fears" "Truth Be Told" "Starry Night" "Game Changer" "Benched" "Travels with Scout" "Airport 2010" "Hawaii" "Family Portrait"

Season 2	"The Old Wagon" "The Kiss" "Earthquake" "Strangers on a Treadmill" "Unplugged" "Halloween" "Chirp" "Manny Get Your Gun" "Mother Tucker" "Dance Dance Revelation" "Slow Down Your Neighbors" "Our Children, Ourselves" "Caught in the Act" "Bixby's Back" "Princess Party" "Regrets Only" "Two Monkeys and a Panda" "Boys' Night" "The Musical Man" "Someone to Watch Over Lily" "Mother's Day" "Good Cop Bad Dog" "See You Next Fall" "The One That Got Away"

Season 3	"Dude Ranch" "When Good Kids Go Bad" "Phil on Wire" "Door to Door" "Hit and Run" "Go Bullfrogs!" "Treehouse" "After the Fire" "Punkin Chunkin" "Express Christmas" "Lifetime Supply" "Egg Drop" "Little Bo Bleep" "Me? Jealous?" "Aunt Mommy" "Virgin Territory" "Leap Day" "Send Out the Clowns" "Election Day" "The Last Walt" "Planes, Trains and Cars" "Disneyland" "Tableau Vivant" "Baby on Board"

Season 4	"Bringing Up Baby" "Schooled" "Snip" "The Butler's Escape" "Open House of Horrors" "Yard Sale" "Arrested" "Mistery Date" "When a Tree Falls" "Diamond in the Rough" "New Year's Eve" "Party Crasher" "Fulgencio" "A Slight at the Opera" "Heart Broken" "Bad Hair Day" "Best Men" "The Wow Factor" "The Future Dunphys" "Flip Flop" "Career Day" "My Hero" "Games People Play" "Goodnight Gracie"

Season 5	"Suddenly, Last Summer" "First Days" "Larry's Wife" "Farm Strong" "The Late Show" "The Help" "A Fair to Remember" "ClosetCon '13" "The Big Game" "The Old Man & the Tree" "And One to Grow On" "Under Pressure" "Three Dinners" "iSpy"

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