Modern Family Episode 1.08 Great Expectations

Phil is psyched to give Claire her anniversary presents. Yes, we said presents - plural. But Claire's only gift for her hubby is coupons he can redeem for five free hugs. She says Phil is impossible to buy for because he never wants anything. Out of Claire's earshot, Phil rattles off a wish list of gifts that includes: a robot dog, night vision goggles, a bug vacuum, a GPS watch, speakers that look like rocks and a yogurt maker.

Claire knows she dropped the ball. So...DING DONG! Someone's at the door. Yes, it's the Iz himself, aka Izzy LaFontaine (guest star Edward Norton). Don't know who Izzy LaFontaine is? That's okay, neither does Phil. Claire explains that she tracked down a member of Phil's favorite synthpop music group, Spandau Ballet. The band's 1983 hit "True" is their song.

Ahh. Now Phil gets it. Wait! No, he doesn't! Phil doesn't like Spandau Ballet. He doesn't know anything about them. Things get a bit awkward during the private concert. The Iz realizes that Phil is not a "Fandau" of his music. Phil finally fesses up that his favorite synthpop group is actually Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and their song is "If You Leave." Phil even sang it at their wedding.

Claire feels horrible. She worries that because she can't even give Phil a decent anniversary present, he'll never know how much she loves him. But Phil knows. He says her gift is awesome because she just gave them a new song. Even the Iz is moved by the fact that his music shot a ray of hope into their gloomy suburban life. Claire and Phil dance the night away to the synthetically slick sounds of Izzy LaFontaine.

Mitchell and Cameron decide they need a grownup night out. Jay and Gloria will babysit Lily, as all the other grandkids are already coming by for Jay's traditional sleepover. It's a family tradition complete with Sloppy Jays (aka Sloppy Joes) and western movies. Haley hopes to skip out on her grandpa's shindig in order to go to a party three short blocks away. Think Jay will go for that?

Alex tortures Luke by leading him to believe that his grandpa doesn't have long to live. No wonder Jay is confused by Luke's emotional hugs and random pulse checks. As Manny pines for Haley, she's still thinking about that party. She tries to sneak out, but Jay thwarts her prison break. It's nothing he hasn't been through before with Claire. He even catches Dylan waiting for Haley in the bushes outside.

Jay wants to keep the grandkids close to home because he doesn't know how many nights like this he has left. This comment triggers another panicked hug from Luke. Gloria convinces Jay that he can't force the issue and he finally relents. Haley can go to the party. But when Dylan sees that the movie Jay picked is one of his favorite westerns, he's not going anywhere. Looks like they'll need a few more Sloppy Jays!

Mitchell and Cameron meet up with their best friend from their pre-Lily days. She's a wild party girl named Sal (guest star Elizabeth Banks, who we always loved on Scrubs.) Sal hasn't changed a bit. Well, we shouldn't say that. She did get a boob job, which Mitchell takes for a test drive. He says, "I'm gay, not dead." Speaking of death, Sal says Cameron and Mitchell should consider killing their baby. Huh? Did she just say... Yeah, she did.

Hey, Sal's always had a dark sense of humor. She was just joking, right? Cameron suggests that their old BFF is jealous of their baby. They used to spend a lot more time with Sal, but that hasn't been the case since they became parents. When Sal refers to Lily as Yoko because she broke up their group, their suspicions of jealousy are confirmed. But when Sal finally meets Lily over at Jay's place, she can't help but think she's adorable. Of course, the guys won't be calling on her to babysit in the near future.

Probably not in the distant future, either. This much is true-ooh.