Here’s my theory for this entire episode: Mitchell and Cameron are in the throes of some elaborate Melrose Place fever dream, and if pressed, they will tell you all about Amanda Woodward sleeping with inappropriate people and being a bitch, while Billy Campbell is just off somewhere being creepy and boring. They also see this every night when they close their eyes:
Because thinking they’re trapped inside Melrose Place is the only way this storyline makes any sense whatsoever.
We’re halfway into the second season, and by this point it’s been well established that Mitch and Cam, along with the Dunphys, live in McMansions. Jay, lives in an actual mansion. The point is, WHAT APARTMENT UPSTAIRS? That doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. Homeowner associations with McMansions don’t allow apartment buildings to be constructed in peoples’ backyards.
I guess it’s possible that Barry could have been renting an apartment above a neighbor’s garage, but then why wouldn’t they say “next door” instead of “upstairs?” Did they think Barry was renting their guest room? He was in their private, fenced-in backyard! I know I’m getting a little crazy about this, you guys, but it’s been bugging me all night.
In any case, I did actually enjoy James Marsden‘s appearance on the episode, as well as Jami Gertz‘s as Claire’s arch-nemesis. It was a nice example of a show using recognizable guest-stars, but for the greater good instead of trotting them out like it’s The Love Boat.
“Slow down your neighbors” is also going to be my new go-to phrase when someone is getting ahead of themselves. “Whoa, whoa. Slow down your neighbors dude; just because dead birds are raining from the sky doesn’t actually mean it’s the apocalypse.”
I also love it when Luke wins, which he did in a big way in this episode. Bringing the super soaker out to teach Gloria how to ride a bike was pretty ingenious. Plus, the quick shot of him squirting the water into his mouth as Gloria rides away is one of those little moments that I love seeing in TV shows. It’s right up there with the look on his face as he’s flipping through the textbook in the final scene with the gun trained on Haley.
This episode was somewhat rare in that the entire family didn’t have a reason to come together at the end. Instead, everyone had their own separate storylines this week. It actually worked, and it wasn’t until the episode was over that I even realized it had happened. However, I would have loved to have seen the other branches of the family deal with Barry; it would have been amazing.
Clacked by Kona Gallagher 
on Jan 06, 2011 @ 09:57 EST5EDT
When they show the outside of Mitch and Cam’s house though, I always think to myself…they live in that BIG house??? The kitchen isn’t too big..we’ve seen Lily’s bedroom..the living room..etc. Have we seen their bedroom? Now you all know..that if there was a staircase in that house..Cam would have made a dramatic entrance by now!!! I would have thought it was a condo though. But if it is an apt..why would the hot tub be just theirs? Did they buy it themselves?
*POST AUTHOR*
I’m pretty sure we’ve seen stairs in their house, and it’s definitely a private backyard. You don’t put a princess castle and a hot tub in a community area. IT MAKES NO SENSE.
I always thought it was a condo too — sorry Kona! :-)
They certainly aren’t living in a McMansion. I thought that much was clear from the face that not much happens in their house and they don’t have vaulted ceilings. I do find it somewhat plausible that they live in some sort of town house like structure, where the backyard is subdivided between the people who live upstairs and the people who live downstairs. (The hot tub is not in a public area, supposedly, the hobo hippie thought it was in a area common to the two residences but was in fact in their private yard.
I’ve never noticed stairs myself, and can’t see any in the last five episodes. Cam and Mitchell do spend all their time on the ground floor, where the kitchen and both bedrooms are. It seems that it’s a two-unit duplex, and the second story unit must have an outside staircase to its front door. Or there could be a staircase in the entry, as the house front door has locks, but Cam and Mitchell’s inner door has locks as well. In that case, there wouldn’t be any common elements, just amenities for one or both units, so it could be that the garden is for the exclusive use of the ground floor unit.
How could you not mention Mrs. Ko’s “You two so lucky they don’t let you get married?”
My favorite part was how happy Gloria looked riding her bike just before her fear of being grabbed off of it was realized due to Claire. And I missed it myself, but read online how Claire repeated the Pritchett family “Laces… mirror… bell…” checklist and touched each one before riding off on the stolen bike.
Check that. My favorite part was Luke, Teacher of the Year.
I’d agree with you on the lack of continuity, but there house is a classic Los Angeles home and has nothing to do with McMansions. Indeed, the styling is late 20s through the 30s.
Now that I think about it, none of the family live in mcmansions. Cam and Cal, early 20th century; Claire and Phil, mid century traditional; Jay and Gloria, mid-century moderne.