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Someone to Watch Over Lily
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"Someone to Watch Over Lily"
Modern Family episode
Cam (Eric Stonestreet) and Mitch (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) discussing about who will be Lily's guardians
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 20
Directed byMichael Spiller
Written byBill Wrubel
Production code2ARG18
Original air dateApril 20, 2011 (2011-04-20)[1]
Guest appearances
  • Alice Dodd as Dr. Klausner
  • Rachel Marie as Gabby
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Musical Man" 		Next →
"Mother's Day"
Modern Family season 2
List of episodes

"Someone to Watch Over Lily" is the 20th episode of the American comedy television series Modern Family's second season, and the 44th episode overall. It was originally aired on April 20, 2011. The episode was written by Bill Wrubel and directed by Michael Spiller.

In the episode, Mitchell and Cameron are looking to assign legal guardians for Lily in case anything were to happen to them, and are secretly assessing their family members. But no one is impressive, as they witness Jay giving Manny a dose of tough love, Claire secretly taking Luke to a child psychologist to assess his development, and Haley and Alex getting into some delinquent activities at school.

"Someone to Watch Over Lily" received generally positive reviews from critics. The episode was viewed by 9.83 million households and received a 3.8 rating/10% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, making it the lowest rated episode of the season tying with "Mother Tucker".

Plot

[edit]

Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) are looking for a legal guardian for Lily in case the two were to die, and are secretly assessing their family members. After turning down the option of Claire (Julie Bowen) and Phil (Ty Burrell) to be the ones, Mitchell is trying to convince Cameron that Jay (Ed O'Neill) and Gloria (Sofía Vergara) can be the best guardians while Cameron says that his family could be Lily's guardians, something that Mitchell rejects saying that Cam's family is in Missouri, far away from everything Lily knows.

Jay takes Manny (Rico Rodriguez) to a store and Mitch and Cam go with them. While they are discussing about who can be Lily's guardian, they witness Jay making Manny ascend a rock climbing wall in a sports store. In the meantime Gloria took Lily with her for a walk and she pierced her ears. When everyone comes back home and sees that, the discussion of Jay and Gloria being the best guardians comes up again.

Meanwhile, Claire is secretly taking Luke (Nolan Gould) to a child psychologist to assess his development because she is worried about him. Phil finds out about it and he is already there, surprising Claire. After the session is over, Claire and Phil are fighting about something Claire said to the psychologist; that she is afraid that Luke is turning into Phil. While they are fighting, they get into their cars to get back home, accidentally leaving Luke behind. Back home, while they are talking, they realize that they left Luke behind and they panic. On their way to go and find him, someone brings Luke back home by limousine. Listening to his story and how he managed to find someone to bring him back home, Claire says that he is an incredible kid and she should not be worried.

Claire asks Haley (Sarah Hyland) to take her sister Alex (Ariel Winter) to her cello lesson while she was picking up her friend Gabby (Rachael Marie). While she was dropping Alex off, Gabby told her something a classmate said about her. Alex comes back in saying her cello instructor wasn't home so Haley and Gabby take her with them to break into their school and spray shaving foam into the classmate's locker, for which a security guard arrests them. Haley and Alex manage to escape to the car where Alex reveals that she hadn't gone to her instructor's house and didn't really like playing the cello, Haley convinces her to stop, and sprays the shaving foam in her face.

Mitch and Cam want to make the announcement about who will be Lily's guardians. Mitch is ready to say that they will be Claire and Phil but Cameron, after a discussion he had with Manny about Jay, interrupts him and says that Jay and Gloria will be the ones. That makes Gloria really happy. Claire is not that happy with that decision and she is trying to ask why they did not choose her and Phil since they are raising three kids amazingly. While saying that, Phil tells her that they have to go because their daughters had vandalized the school.

Production

[edit]

"Someone to Watch Over Lily" was written by co-executive producer Bill Wrubel, his sixth writing credit for the series.[1][2] The episode was also directed by Michael Spiller, his thirteenth directing credit for the series.[1][3] The episode was filmed between January 17,[4] and January 21, 2011.[5]

Reception

[edit]

Ratings

[edit]

In its original American broadcast, "Someone to Watch Over Lily" was viewed by an estimated 9.83 million households and received a 3.8 rating/10% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49.[6][7] This means that it was seen by 3.7% of all 18- to 49-year-olds, and 10% of all 18- to 49-year-olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This made it the lowest-rated episode of the second season, tying with "Mother Tucker".[6] This also marked a slight drop in the ratings from the previous episode, "The Musical Man".[6][8] Despite this, the episode became tied for being the highest rated scripted program among 18-49 viewers.[9] The episode tied with Glee's "A Night of Neglect".[9]

Reviews

[edit]

The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics.

The A.V. Club's Donna Bowman wrote positively of the episode, praising the use of "conventional plots" and adding "professionalism, a keen eye, good timing, and an approach that rediscovers the delight in this standard situation." She also called it an improvement over "The Musical Man" and ultimately gave this episode an A−.[10] TV Squad writer Joel Keller called the episode "mediocre", writing that it didn't reach its potential of being "one of the top episodes of the year". Despite this, he said the episode was "still pretty damned good".[11] Alan Sepinwall of HitFix, who has had serious issues with the show's second season and moved the series out of his "commenting on every episode" rotation, gave the episode a positive review.[12] He called it "ambitious episode, but never one that felt overstuffed." He ultimately called it the best episode since "Manny Get Your Gun".[12]

New York writer Rachael Maddux praised the episode's writing and pacing, saying it is "in the running for best of the season". She also praised the character development writing that it featured the most character development "than perhaps any other single episode in the whole series so far."[13]

Lesley Savage of Entertainment Weekly praised the Dunphy family plot, commenting, "Their craziness [...] had me dying throughout the entire episode."[14]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Someone to Watch Over Lily

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
"Someone to Watch Over Lily" is the twentieth episode of the second season of the American television sitcom , which originally aired on ABC on April 20, 2011. Directed by and written by Bill Wrubel from a story by , the episode runs for 21 minutes and centers on the Pritchett-Tucker for their adopted daughter Lily's future guardianship amid other family dynamics. It features the core ensemble cast, including as Jay Pritchett, as Claire Dunphy, as Phil Dunphy, as Gloria Pritchett, as Mitchell Pritchett, as Cameron Tucker, as Haley Dunphy, as Luke Dunphy, as Alex Dunphy, Rico Rodriguez as Manny Delgado, and Jaden Hiller and Ella Hiller as Lily Tucker-Pritchett. In the main storyline, Mitchell and Cameron grapple with the decision of selecting a for Lily in the event of their untimely deaths, considering options among their members while navigating emotional and practical concerns. Parallel subplots include Claire's anxiety over her son Luke potentially inheriting his father Phil's quirky personality traits during a school project, and an unexpected bonding moment between sisters Haley and Alex as Haley helps with Alex's practice. The episode explores themes of family legacy, parental fears, and sibling relationships within the mockumentary-style format characteristic of . Upon release, "Someone to Watch Over Lily" received positive reviews for its emotional depth and ensemble balance, earning an 8.0 out of 10 rating on based on nearly 2,900 user votes. Critics praised its ambitious handling of multiple storylines without feeling overstuffed, highlighting standout performances from the cast in addressing poignant issues. The episode drew 9.95 million viewers, contributing to the season's strong Nielsen ratings.

Production

Development

"Someone to Watch Over Lily" was written by Bill Wrubel from a story by , who served as a co-executive on Modern Family during its second season. This episode marked one of Wrubel's key contributions to the season, alongside his work on other installments such as "The Old Wagon" and co-writing "." The script's development followed the series' collaborative writing process, where the team drew from personal experiences to craft relatable narratives. The episode's core concept originated from an exploration of Mitchell and Cameron's anxieties about their daughter Lily's future, reflecting broader real-life parental concerns often faced by same-sex couples raising adopted children. Wrubel and the incorporated these elements during daily brainstorming sessions, focusing on authentic emotional stakes to drive the narrative. To balance humor with emotional depth, the writing integrated multiple subplots drawn from the writers' own lives, ensuring every main character received a meaningful role in the story. This approach aligned with the show's emphasis on letting genuine generate organically, rather than prioritizing punchlines. The episode bears the production code 2ARG18 and aired as the 20th installment of season 2, the 44th overall in the series. It was directed by .

Filming

The episode was directed by Michael Spiller, a frequent collaborator on Modern Family who helmed over 20 episodes across the series, emphasizing the show's mockumentary aesthetic through dynamic single-camera techniques. Filming took place in early 2011 at the Fox Studios lot in Los Angeles for interior scenes of the Pritchett and Dunphy houses, with exterior shots captured at the show's established residential locations in the Los Angeles area and school sequences filmed at Palisades Charter High School. Production faced notable challenges in coordinating the young cast, particularly the Hiller twins (Jaden and Ella) as Lily and Nolan Gould as Luke, whose limited working hours under California child labor laws required careful scheduling to balance emotional depth in family dynamics with comedic timing. To preserve the series' signature format, employed handheld cameras for a verité feel during action sequences and integrated confessional-style interviews, allowing actors to break the while capturing the ensemble's improvisational energy.

Plot and Themes

Plot Summary

In the episode, Mitchell and Cameron update their will and begin secretly evaluating family members as potential legal guardians for their daughter Lily in the event of their untimely deaths, observing each household's dynamics to make an informed choice. They start by visiting the Dunphy home unannounced, where they witness a series of mishaps: Phil accidentally starts a grease fire while cooking, Luke juggles knives under Phil's encouragement, gets locked in the garage during an argument, and Claire frantically tries to manage the chaos while hiding her own stresses. Meanwhile, Claire has been secretly taking Luke to a child psychologist, concerned that his quirky behavior—exemplified by his lack of focus and resemblance to Phil—might indicate deeper issues; Phil discovers this through her calendar and confronts her in the parking lot after the session, leading to a tense discussion about their styles. At the Pritchett home, Jay takes a tough-love approach with Manny, pushing him to overcome his fears during preparations for a school camping trip by making him climb a rock wall at a sporting goods store; Manny initially struggles and panics, but Jay later softens, allowing him to opt out of the trip due to his discomfort with group showers and praising his honesty as a sign of maturity. Cameron joins them on the wall for a demonstration but dramatically falls when Jay drops the rope in frustration upon learning about the guardian evaluation, heightening Mitchell's doubts about Jay's suitability. Gloria enthusiastically campaigns to be Lily's guardian, even joking about eliminating Mitchell and Cameron, but tensions rise when Mitchell learns she pierced Lily's ears without permission, mistaking "earrings" for "hair things," leading to a heated argument over boundaries. In a involving the Dunphy daughters, Haley convinces Alex to skip school so they can bond and get revenge on a classmate by stuffing her locker with ; their plan escalates into minor delinquency when they shoplift hair accessories from a mall store, resulting in their and a call to Claire and , who must retrieve them from station. The sisters' adventure includes a where they attach a harness to Luke earlier in the day, pretending it's a gadget, which backfires comically during the family chaos. Lily provides sassy commentary throughout, quipping about the adults' decisions and reacting dryly to the ear-piercing incident with lines like "This is going to be a ." Ultimately, after reflecting on the observations—including the Dunphys' disorganized but resilient environment and the Pritchetts' blend of discipline and warmth—Mitchell and Cameron decide to name and Gloria as Lily's legal guardians, a choice affirmed when Manny vouches for Jay's supportive nature and Lily appears comfortable with despite the earlier mishap. Claire and Phil reconcile over their insecurities about Luke, who demonstrates resourcefulness by finding his way home alone after being left in a parking lot, while Haley and 's bonding experience—during which Alex confides her dislike for playing the due to the classmate's mockery—strengthens their sisterly relationship; following the , Claire permits Alex to quit the instrument amid the consequences of their actions.

Themes

The episode "Someone to Watch Over Lily" explores guardianship and legacy within non-traditional family structures, particularly through Mitchell and Cameron's deliberations over selecting a for their adopted daughter Lily in the event of their untimely deaths. This process underscores their anxieties as gay parents navigating societal and familial judgments, as they weigh options between the chaotic Dunphy household and the more stable Pritchett home, while also considering Cameron's conservative relatives. A review in notes that this storyline ties the ensemble together, emphasizing the couple's fears of leaving Lily in environments that might not fully embrace her multicultural heritage or their values. Contrasting parenting styles are highlighted across generations, with Jay's authoritative yet supportive approach to Manny's fears contrasting Claire's overprotectiveness toward Luke and Phil's more laissez-faire attitude. Jay encourages Manny to confront his aversion to outdoor activities, reassuring him that his fears about the camping trip are not a big deal compared to the ways he’s already brave, illustrating a blend of toughness and empathy absent in Claire's frantic responses to household mishaps like kitchen fires. Meanwhile, Gloria's warm, impulsive nurturing—evident in her enthusiastic agreement to raise Lily and her decision to pierce the child's ears—provides a counterpoint to the more restrained styles, adding layers to intergenerational family dynamics. Sibling dynamics and come to the forefront in Haley and Alex's , where their initial evolves into a moment of bonding during a , revealing growth in their relationship amid typical adolescent conflicts. TV Fanatic's review points out Haley's genuine concern for Alex's struggles, marking a rare instance of sisterly support that humanizes their usual bickering and underscores themes of familial . This arc subtly comments on the pressures of teenage identity, contrasting with the guardianship concerns to show continuity in challenges across ages. The episode offers a subtle commentary on child and behavioral issues, particularly through decision to take Luke to a therapist amid worries that he might emulate Phil's quirks, such as staring blankly at a can shaker. Luke's session, where he quips that the doctor is "the best ever… I didn’t even have to take my pants off," injects humor while addressing parental about developmental norms, as discussed in Uproxx. Similarly, Lily's precocious observations and Cameron's playful yet revealing photo shoot with her dressed as highlight the complexities of raising an adopted child with unique cultural influences. Much of the episode's humor stems from family imperfections, reinforcing Modern Family's style that portrays relatable flaws through exaggerated, confessional asides. Scenes like Phil's failed cooking attempts and Cameron's harness mishap during a rock-climbing evaluation elicit laughs while exposing vulnerabilities, with praising how these moments balance the heavier guardianship theme without undermining its emotional weight. This approach amplifies the show's commentary on the imperfections inherent in all families, regardless of structure.

Reception

Viewership

"Someone to Watch Over Lily" originally aired on April 20, 2011, on ABC as the twentieth episode of Modern Family's second season. The episode drew 9.83 million total viewers and achieved a 3.7 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic, corresponding to a 10% share of that audience. This viewership figure placed it slightly below the season's average of 11.17 million viewers but represented a solid performance for a mid-season installment, outperforming repeats in competing time slots. Following its U.S. premiere, the episode aired in various international markets shortly thereafter, including on Sky1 in the as part of the ongoing second-season rollout, further bolstering the series' emerging global appeal during its early years.

Reviews

The episode "Someone to Watch Over Lily" received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. On , it holds an average user rating of 8.0 out of 10, based on over 2,800 votes. praised its ensemble balance and energetic execution, noting how it rediscovered delight in familiar family dynamics without feeling overstuffed. Critics highlighted several strengths, including the strong performances by the child actors. Nolan Gould's portrayal of Luke in his subplot involving a school psychologist visit was singled out as particularly effective, contributing to the episode's humor and heart. Similarly, Sarah Hyland's work as Haley in the sisters' bonding antics provided laugh-out-loud moments through their everyday mishaps. The central guardian theme was lauded for its heartfelt exploration of family responsibilities, while subplots like the sisters' escapades added consistent comedic relief. Reviewers also appreciated the episode's subtle handling of LGBTQ+ , addressing Mitchell and Cameron's concerns without preachiness or heavy-handedness. Some criticisms emerged regarding the episode's formulaic elements. observed that the situations lacked originality, echoing patterns from the prior week's installment. Paste Magazine echoed this, finding secondary plots like the psychologist visit and sister bonding less impactful compared to the main storyline, resulting in a somewhat predictable structure. Notable quotes captured the episode's appeal: TV Fanatic called it "a laugh riot from start to finish," emphasizing its pure hilarity derived from relatable scenarios. HitFix (now Uproxx) described it as "an ambitious episode, but never one that felt overstuffed," crediting its skillful integration of the full cast.

References

  1. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1627455/
  2. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1627455/fullcredits/
  3. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1627455/plotsummary/
  4. https://uproxx.com/sepinwall/modern-family-someone-to-watch-over-lily-keep-yourself-alive/
  5. https://www.avclub.com/modern-family-someone-to-watch-over-lily-1798168000
  6. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1627460/
  7. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1627444/
  8. https://filmla.com/the-modern-writers-behind-modern-family/
  9. https://www.dga.org/craft/dgaq/issues/1202-spring-2012/modern-family
  10. https://www.seeing-stars.com/locations/ModernFamily.shtml
  11. https://giggster.com/guide/movie-location/where-was-modern-family-filmed
  12. https://www.tuko.co.ke/facts-lifehacks/guides/593683-where-modern-family-place-real-life-locations-filming-spots/
  13. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/modern-family-replaces-baby-lily-222692/
  14. https://7news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/modern-family-star-nolan-gould-reveals-harsh-reality-of-being-a-child-actor-c-16097147
  15. https://deadline.com/2011/09/emmys-comedy-series-director-handicap-172701/
  16. https://ew.com/recap/modern-family-season-2-episode-20/
  17. https://www.vulture.com/2011/04/modern-family-recap-someone-to-watch-over-lily.html
  18. https://www.tvfanatic.com/modern-family-season-2-episode-20-recap-someone-to-watch-over-lily/
  19. https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/modern-family/modern-family-review-someone-to-watch-over-lily-ep
  20. https://www.tvfanatic.com/modern-family-review-someone-to-watch-over-lily/
  21. https://seat42f.com/nielsen-tv-ratings-for-4202011/
  22. https://uproxx.com/hitfix/tv-ratings-american-idol-breaking-in-keep-fox-on-top-on-wednesday/
  23. https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/modern-family-ratings-2011-2012/
  24. https://modernfamily.fandom.com/wiki/Season_2
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