Earthquake (Modern Family)
Encyclopedia
"Earthquake" is the third episode of the second season
of the American Broadcasting Company
(ABC) American
sitcom, Modern Family
and the 27th episode overall. The episode originally aired October 6, 2010. The episode was written by Paul Corrigan and Brad Walsh and directed by Michael Spiller
. It guest starred Nathan Lane
as Pepper Saltzman, Cameron's ex-boyfriend, and Vic Polizos as a plumber.
In the episode, an earthquake causes Claire (Julie Bowen
) to be stuck in the bathroom with the plumber. Gloria (Sofía Vergara
) interprets the natural disaster as a sign that God wants Jay (Ed O'Neill
) to go to church, and Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson
) and Cameron (Eric Stonestreet
) use it as an excuse to not attend Saltman's party.
"Earthquake" received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics with Lesley Savage of Entertainment Weekly
saying "Every character had hilarious moments tonight.' The episode also received a nomination for Episode Comedy at the 2010 Writers Guild of America Awards
, but ultimately lost. According to the Nielsen Media Research
, the episode received a 4.6 rating/13% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49 receiving the same rating from the previous episode and also tied for being the highest rated scripted program with Glee
.
s when a plumber arrives. An earthquake
locks Claire in the bathroom with the plumber and knocks down the Dunphy's bookcase. Soon after a call between the three families, Phil realizes that if he can keep Claire in the bathroom long enough he can get the bookcase strapped to the wall like he told Claire he had already done. Haley also realizes she can go to the party while Claire is stuck in the bathroom, but Claire hears her telling Alex about the plan while Alex was blackmailing Haley into driving her to the Museum of Tolerance
in exchange for the lie. Soon Phil convinces Luke that the bookshelf "didn't fall". After Phil "tries" to get Claire out the plumber tells Claire that the reason she is being controlling to Haley is because Haley is much like Claire when she was her age, just as his son drove him crazy exactly for the same reason. Claire and the plumber finally get out of the bathroom on their own and Claire questions what took Phil so long. Alex lies for him and says he was helping everybody and checking that there were no gas leaks. Claire believes her and Phil takes Alex to the Museum of Tolerance.
Meanwhile Cameron and Mitchell get ready for Cameron's ex-boyfriend, Pepper Saltzman's (Nathan Lane
) new theme party, Oscar Wilde and Crazy Brunch. Unknowing to Pepper, Cameron and Mitchell have grown to dislike his parties because they take a lot of work and one has to assume a character and dress up in costume. While this is happening Mitchell realizes he can use the earthquake as an excuse to get out of the party and has Cameron tell Pepper because he is the one who always cancels, but Cameron panics while telling about the extent of the earthquake's damage because he is a bad liar. Since Pepper is on his way to their house, Mitchell starts breaking items to match Cameron's description of the damage which leads to a discussion with Cameron because he objects to the lies but not the benefits of the lie, just as "a mob wife". At the end Cameron tells Pepper they did not want to go to the party and Pepper reveals no one came to the party and begins to have a meltdown, to stop it, Mitchell lies by telling Pepper that Cameron still has feelings for him and then goes on a fake rampage of anger breaking items of Cameron that he hates because they are tacky (and were saved from the "earthquake damage"). Pepper announces they will not have to come to his upcoming parties.
At the Pritchett house, Gloria gets angry at Jay for going golfing instead of going to church
with her and Manny. As Jay tells them he is done with church, the earthquake occurs. Jay still goes golfing despite Gloria telling him the earthquake was a sign from God. Manny decides to go with him. At the golf course he asks questions about Jay's idea of hell and heaven. Jay's ideas soon worry Manny and at the end come to the conclusion that Manny is missing church because Jay is acting upon a hunch. When Gloria tells Manny of her vision of heaven he becomes even more fearful when she says there are butterflies (which he is afraid of) in heaven.
, marking his second directing credit for the season after the season premiere, "The Old Wagon
" and fifth credit overall for the series. "Earthquake" originally aired in the United States on September 30, 2010 on ABC as the third episode of the second season
. This episode of Modern Family was filmed on August 3, and August 16, 2010.
Part of the plot line was revealed at a Writers Guild of America
event at Paley Center in Los Angeles
. On August 1, 2010, Joyce Eng of TV Guide
reported that Nathan Lane
would appear on Modern Family
as Pepper Saltzman. He filmed his part on August 16, 2010. Lane had approached creators Christopher Lloyd
and Steven Levitan
if he could guest star on the series. Levitan stated in an interview with USA Today
he was "the perfect fit for the part" of Pepper. Levitan also said in the same interview they would stop stunt casting
actors like Nathan Lane
. Lane later reprised his role in the episode, "Boys' Night
".
, making it the third most viewed show of the night. It received 6.8 rating/11% share among viewers and a 4.6 rating/12% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. It received the same rating as the previous episode, "The Kiss
", but the viewership figure decreased from 11.877 million to a 11.36 million. The episode also became the highest rated scripted show of the original week it aired tying with Glee
s "Grilled Cheesus
".
praised the use of the characters and cast members saying "Every character had hilarious moments tonight". She also called Manny the best character saying he "stole the show" James Poniewozik of Time
called it "solid and grounded" and also commented ""Earthquake", especially in its main storyline with the Dunphys, worked because it took this basic principle and quickly, simply showed how this family reacts to sudden disorder.
Alan Sepinwall stated in his review "every now and then the show will give us a wholly satisfying, very funny episode with the three groups in isolation. "Earthquake" was one of those episodes" he also called the show "simple, effective, very funny outing." Kara Klenc of TV Guide
said "I thought there were a ton of hilarious moments in this episode" Donald Deane of TV Squad named the episode one of the "Five Funniest TV Clips of the Week" between October 3 and October 9, 2010.
facing six other programs including the Modern Family episode, "Starry Night
". The episode eventually lost to 30 Rock
s Robert Carlock
for his work on "When It Rains, It Pours
". Also, Nathan Lane was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards
.
Modern Family (season 2)
The second season of the comedy television series, Modern Family premiered September 22, 2010 and ended on May 25, 2011 on the American Broadcasting Company in the United States. The series is produced by 20th Century Fox Television and Lloyd-Levitan Productions with creators...
of the American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
(ABC) American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sitcom, Modern Family
Modern Family
Modern Family is an American television comedy series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, which debuted on ABC on September 23, 2009. Lloyd and Levitan serve as showrunner and executive producers, under their Levitan-Lloyd Productions label...
and the 27th episode overall. The episode originally aired October 6, 2010. The episode was written by Paul Corrigan and Brad Walsh and directed by Michael Spiller
Michael Spiller
Michael Alan Spiller is an American cinematographer and television director.Spiller has directed on numerous series and has also served as a cinematographer prior to directing and worked frequently with Hal Hartley. He was a regular director on the HBO series, Sex and the City where he also served...
. It guest starred Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane is an American actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his roles as Mendy in The Lisbon Traviata, Albert in The Birdcage, Max Bialystock in the musical The Producers, Ernie Smuntz in MouseHunt, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to...
as Pepper Saltzman, Cameron's ex-boyfriend, and Vic Polizos as a plumber.
In the episode, an earthquake causes Claire (Julie Bowen
Julie Bowen
Julie Bowen is an American film and television actress. She played Carol Vessey on Ed and Denise Bauer on Boston Legal. She is best known for playing Claire Dunphy on the sitcom Modern Family, for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2011...
) to be stuck in the bathroom with the plumber. Gloria (Sofía Vergara
Sofía Vergara
Sofía Margarita Vergara Vergara is a Colombian actress, comedian, television hostess and model.Vergara had been widely known for co-hosting two TV shows for Univisión in the late 1990s. Her TV career opened up for her a window of exposure to North American audiences prior to her first notable...
) interprets the natural disaster as a sign that God wants Jay (Ed O'Neill
Ed O'Neill
Edward Phillip "Ed" O'Neill, Jr. is an American actor. He is best known for his role as the main character, Al Bundy, on the Fox Network sitcom Married... with Children, for which he was nominated for two Golden Globes...
) to go to church, and Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Jesse Tyler Ferguson is an American actor who portrays Mitchell Pritchett on the ABC sitcom Modern Family. Previously he played the role of Richie Velch in the CBS sitcom The Class. He is openly gay.-Life and career:...
) and Cameron (Eric Stonestreet
Eric Stonestreet
Eric Stonestreet is an American actor, known for his starring role as Cameron Tucker on the ABC comedy Modern Family. Stonestreet has received critical acclaim for his performance in Modern Family and won the 2010 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his...
) use it as an excuse to not attend Saltman's party.
"Earthquake" received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics with Lesley Savage of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
saying "Every character had hilarious moments tonight.' The episode also received a nomination for Episode Comedy at the 2010 Writers Guild of America Awards
Writers Guild of America Awards 2010
The 63rd Writers Guild of America Awards honored the best film, television, and videogame writers of 2010. Winners were announced on February 5, 2011.-Best original screenplay:Inception — written by Christopher Nolan; Warner Bros....
, but ultimately lost. According to the Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
, the episode received a 4.6 rating/13% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49 receiving the same rating from the previous episode and also tied for being the highest rated scripted program with Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
.
Plot
Haley and Claire are arguing about Haley's wanting to go to a party instead of staying home and prepare for her SATSAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
s when a plumber arrives. An earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
locks Claire in the bathroom with the plumber and knocks down the Dunphy's bookcase. Soon after a call between the three families, Phil realizes that if he can keep Claire in the bathroom long enough he can get the bookcase strapped to the wall like he told Claire he had already done. Haley also realizes she can go to the party while Claire is stuck in the bathroom, but Claire hears her telling Alex about the plan while Alex was blackmailing Haley into driving her to the Museum of Tolerance
Museum of Tolerance
The Museum of Tolerance , a multimedia museum in Los Angeles, California, USA, with an associated museum and professional development multi-media training facility in New York City, is designed to examine racism and prejudice in the United States and the world with a strong focus on the history of...
in exchange for the lie. Soon Phil convinces Luke that the bookshelf "didn't fall". After Phil "tries" to get Claire out the plumber tells Claire that the reason she is being controlling to Haley is because Haley is much like Claire when she was her age, just as his son drove him crazy exactly for the same reason. Claire and the plumber finally get out of the bathroom on their own and Claire questions what took Phil so long. Alex lies for him and says he was helping everybody and checking that there were no gas leaks. Claire believes her and Phil takes Alex to the Museum of Tolerance.
Meanwhile Cameron and Mitchell get ready for Cameron's ex-boyfriend, Pepper Saltzman's (Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane is an American actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his roles as Mendy in The Lisbon Traviata, Albert in The Birdcage, Max Bialystock in the musical The Producers, Ernie Smuntz in MouseHunt, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to...
) new theme party, Oscar Wilde and Crazy Brunch. Unknowing to Pepper, Cameron and Mitchell have grown to dislike his parties because they take a lot of work and one has to assume a character and dress up in costume. While this is happening Mitchell realizes he can use the earthquake as an excuse to get out of the party and has Cameron tell Pepper because he is the one who always cancels, but Cameron panics while telling about the extent of the earthquake's damage because he is a bad liar. Since Pepper is on his way to their house, Mitchell starts breaking items to match Cameron's description of the damage which leads to a discussion with Cameron because he objects to the lies but not the benefits of the lie, just as "a mob wife". At the end Cameron tells Pepper they did not want to go to the party and Pepper reveals no one came to the party and begins to have a meltdown, to stop it, Mitchell lies by telling Pepper that Cameron still has feelings for him and then goes on a fake rampage of anger breaking items of Cameron that he hates because they are tacky (and were saved from the "earthquake damage"). Pepper announces they will not have to come to his upcoming parties.
At the Pritchett house, Gloria gets angry at Jay for going golfing instead of going to church
Church service
In Christianity, a church service is a term used to describe a formalized period of communal worship, often but not exclusively occurring on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of those churches practicing seventh-day Sabbatarianism. The church service is the gathering together of Christians to be...
with her and Manny. As Jay tells them he is done with church, the earthquake occurs. Jay still goes golfing despite Gloria telling him the earthquake was a sign from God. Manny decides to go with him. At the golf course he asks questions about Jay's idea of hell and heaven. Jay's ideas soon worry Manny and at the end come to the conclusion that Manny is missing church because Jay is acting upon a hunch. When Gloria tells Manny of her vision of heaven he becomes even more fearful when she says there are butterflies (which he is afraid of) in heaven.
Production
"Earthquake" was written by Paul Corrigan and Brad Walsh making it their fifth writing credit for the series. The episode was also directed by Michael SpillerMichael Spiller
Michael Alan Spiller is an American cinematographer and television director.Spiller has directed on numerous series and has also served as a cinematographer prior to directing and worked frequently with Hal Hartley. He was a regular director on the HBO series, Sex and the City where he also served...
, marking his second directing credit for the season after the season premiere, "The Old Wagon
The Old Wagon
"The Old Wagon" is the second season premiere of the American sitcom Modern Family and the 25th episode overall. "The Old Wagon" premiered on September 22, 2010.. The episode was written by Bill Wrubel and was directed by Michael Spiller...
" and fifth credit overall for the series. "Earthquake" originally aired in the United States on September 30, 2010 on ABC as the third episode of the second season
Modern Family (season 2)
The second season of the comedy television series, Modern Family premiered September 22, 2010 and ended on May 25, 2011 on the American Broadcasting Company in the United States. The series is produced by 20th Century Fox Television and Lloyd-Levitan Productions with creators...
. This episode of Modern Family was filmed on August 3, and August 16, 2010.
Part of the plot line was revealed at a Writers Guild of America
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
event at Paley Center in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. On August 1, 2010, Joyce Eng of TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
reported that Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane is an American actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his roles as Mendy in The Lisbon Traviata, Albert in The Birdcage, Max Bialystock in the musical The Producers, Ernie Smuntz in MouseHunt, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to...
would appear on Modern Family
Modern Family
Modern Family is an American television comedy series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, which debuted on ABC on September 23, 2009. Lloyd and Levitan serve as showrunner and executive producers, under their Levitan-Lloyd Productions label...
as Pepper Saltzman. He filmed his part on August 16, 2010. Lane had approached creators Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Lloyd (screenwriter)
Christopher Lloyd is an American TV screenwriter and producer of Wings, Frasier, Out of Practice, Back to You, and Modern Family...
and Steven Levitan
Steven Levitan
Steven E. Levitan is an American director, screenwriter and producer of television comedies. He has created such TV series as Just Shoot Me!, Stark Raving Mad, Stacked, Back to You, and Modern Family....
if he could guest star on the series. Levitan stated in an interview with USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
he was "the perfect fit for the part" of Pepper. Levitan also said in the same interview they would stop stunt casting
Stunt casting
Stunt casting is a term in casting that refers to hiring well known actors, such as movie stars, to play bit parts on television series and in films. Stunt casting now also occurs in Broadway productions...
actors like Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane is an American actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his roles as Mendy in The Lisbon Traviata, Albert in The Birdcage, Max Bialystock in the musical The Producers, Ernie Smuntz in MouseHunt, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to...
. Lane later reprised his role in the episode, "Boys' Night
Boys' Night
"Boys' Night" is the eighteenth episode of the American comedy television series, Modern Familys second season. The episode was written by series co-creator Steven Levitan and Jeffrey Richman, and was directed by Chris Koch. It also featured the return appearance of Nathan Lane as Pepper Saltsman,...
".
Ratings
In its original American broadcast, "Earthquake" was viewed by an estimated 11.36 million households according to the Nielsen Media ResearchNielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
, making it the third most viewed show of the night. It received 6.8 rating/11% share among viewers and a 4.6 rating/12% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. It received the same rating as the previous episode, "The Kiss
The Kiss (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, and was written by Abraham Higginbotham and directed by Scott Ellis. The episode also featured guest starred Aaron Sanders as Jeremy, Alex's...
", but the viewership figure decreased from 11.877 million to a 11.36 million. The episode also became the highest rated scripted show of the original week it aired tying with Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
s "Grilled Cheesus
Grilled Cheesus
"Grilled Cheesus" is the third episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 25th episode overall. It was written by Brad Falchuk, directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, and premiered on the Fox network on October 5, 2010...
".
Reviews
The episode received overwhelmingly positive reviews. TV Squad's Joel Keller wrote "that it was a great job all the way around. I'm hoping the show can keep avoiding a sophomore slump for as long as they possibly can." Donna Bowman gave the episode a B calling it a "merely solid half-hour". Lesley Savage of Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
praised the use of the characters and cast members saying "Every character had hilarious moments tonight". She also called Manny the best character saying he "stole the show" James Poniewozik of Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
called it "solid and grounded" and also commented ""Earthquake", especially in its main storyline with the Dunphys, worked because it took this basic principle and quickly, simply showed how this family reacts to sudden disorder.
Alan Sepinwall stated in his review "every now and then the show will give us a wholly satisfying, very funny episode with the three groups in isolation. "Earthquake" was one of those episodes" he also called the show "simple, effective, very funny outing." Kara Klenc of TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
said "I thought there were a ton of hilarious moments in this episode" Donald Deane of TV Squad named the episode one of the "Five Funniest TV Clips of the Week" between October 3 and October 9, 2010.
Awards and nominations
Paul Corrigan and Brad Walsh received a nomination for an Episodic Comedy at the 2010 Writers Guild of America AwardsWriters Guild of America Awards 2010
The 63rd Writers Guild of America Awards honored the best film, television, and videogame writers of 2010. Winners were announced on February 5, 2011.-Best original screenplay:Inception — written by Christopher Nolan; Warner Bros....
facing six other programs including the Modern Family episode, "Starry Night
Starry Night (Modern Family)
"Starry Night" is the eighteenth episode of the first season of Modern Family. It premiered on ABC on March 24, 2010. In the episode, Claire and Phil take rival approaches to keeping Haley and Luke focused on projects that are due the next day. Manny's ribbing of Mitchell during a trip with Jay...
". The episode eventually lost to 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
s Robert Carlock
Robert Carlock
Robert Carlock is an American television producer and screenwriter most widely known for his work as a writer for several NBC television comedies, particularly his work with Tina Fey as show runners for 30 Rock.-Early years:...
for his work on "When It Rains, It Pours
When It Rains, It Pours (30 Rock)
"When It Rains, It Pours" is the second episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 82nd overall episode of the series. It was written by co-show runner and executive producer Robert Carlock and directed by series producer Don Scardino...
". Also, Nathan Lane was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards
63rd Primetime Emmy Awards
The 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, honoring the best in primetime television programming from June 1, 2010 until May 31, 2011, was held on September 18, 2011, at the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, California. Fox televised the ceremony within the United States. Actress Jane Lynch hosted...
.
External links
- "Earthquake" at ABC.com