Dude Ranch (Modern Family)

"Dude Ranch"
Modern Family episode
Episode no.	Season 3 Episode 1
Directed by	Jason Winer
Written by	Paul Corrigan Brad Walsh Dan O'Shannon
Production code	3ARG03
Original air date	September 21, 2011[1]
Guest stars
Tim Blake Nelson as Hank Reid Ewing as Dylan Matthew Gumley as Jimmy
Season 3 episodes
2010–2011 "Dude Ranch" "When Good Kids Go Bad" "Phil on Wire" "Door to Door" "Hit and Run" "Go Bullfrogs!" "Treehouse" "After the Fire" "Punkin Chunkin" ← Season 2
Episode chronology
← Previous "The One That Got Away" Next → "When Good Kids Go Bad"
List of Modern Family episodes

"Dude Ranch" is the third season premiere of the American sitcom Modern Family and the 49th episode overall. The episode originally aired on September 21, 2011 on American Broadcasting Company (ABC) and ran back-to-back with "When Good Kids Go Bad".^[1] The episode was written by Paul Corrigan, Brad Walsh and Dan O'Shannon and directed by Jason Winer. It featured guest stars Tim Blake Nelson as Hank and Reid Ewing as Dylan. The episode revolves around the three families going to a dude ranch in the first part of the one hour season premiere.

"Dude Ranch" received positive reviews from critics with many praising Nolan Gould's performance as Luke Dunphy, with Alan Sepinwall calling him the MVP of the episode. The episode was viewed by more than 14.54 million viewers and received a 6.1 rating/5% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, marking an 18-percent rise from the second season premiere, "The Old Wagon". The episode also became the highest rated and most viewed episode of the series. It also ranked as the highest-rated ABC series for the week of broadcast and fourth overall.

Plot

The three families travel to a dude ranch in Wyoming. In the Pritchett family storyline, Gloria (Sofía Vergara) experiences hearing difficulty following the plane ride while a cowboy, Hank (guest star Tim Blake Nelson), flirts with her. Gloria's husband, Jay (Ed O'Neill), takes notice of, but Gloria doesn't notice. Later, Hank grabs Gloria's butt leading to Jay coming to tell him to back off, which he does.

Meanwhile, in the Dunphy family, Dylan (Reid Ewing), Haley's boyfriend, tags along on the trip, much to Claire's chagrin, but Phil (Ty Burrell) eventually convinces her that she should try to get to know Dylan. She attempts to when Dylan proposes to Haley (Sarah Hyland) around the campfire one night, which causes Claire (Julie Bowen) to instantly say no for Haley, leading to Dylan running away. The families go off and look for him, where Haley reveals she wouldn't have accepted Dylan's proposal. It is also revealed that Dylan gets a job at the ranch and decides to permanently stay in Wyoming, breaking up with Haley. Also, a teenage boy named Jimmy flirts with Alex Dunphy (Ariel Winter) and later kisses her, angering her that he took her first kiss, but she reciprocates the kiss back to him.

Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) and Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) reveal that they are adopting a boy from the United States. Mitchell worries that he won't be able to do all the father/son things because of his sexuality and his inability to do "manly" stuff like catching and shooting. Despite this, he reassures himself after he blows up a birdhouse with a firecracker with Luke (Nolan Gould).

Production and themes

"Dude Ranch" was written by Paul Corrigan, Brad Walsh and Dan O'Shannon. The episode was also directed by Jason Winer, his first director's credit since the first season.^[1] It aired on September 21, 2011, back-to-back with the "When Good Kids Go Bad".^[1] "Dude Ranch" was filmed between August 17 and August 19, 2011^[2][3] on location in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.^[4] Other cities that were under consideration were Tucson, Arizona and Bozeman, Montana.^[5] Tim Blake Nelson guest starred in the episode as a cowboy who "intimidates the guys and sends the girls' hearts a-twitter".^[6] Reid Ewing returned as Dylan, in his final appearence for the series.^[1] Near the second season, there were rumors of the producers recasting the role of Lily, and change her age from a baby to a toddler.^[7] In July 2011, a casting call for a "3- to 4-year-old daughter of Mitchell and Cameron" was put out by the producers.^[8] Co-creator and executive producer Steven Levitan stated that:^[9]

"It was a hard decision, and this was not remotely having to do with us wanting to upgrade the acting ability or jump the character in age. The twins who play the part (Jaden and Ella Hiller) were not happy. We started feeling like we were just being mean to these little girls, making them come to the stage. And the character is reaching an age where she would talk, and that was going to be an asset to us to have Cam and Mitch communicating with her."

They eventually cast Aubrey Anderson-Emmons to play the toddler-aged, Lily, replacing Jayden and Ella Hiller.^[10] The episode also features the addition of two new writers, Ben Karlin as a consulting producer and Cindy Chupack as co-executive producer.^[11]

The episode mainly deals with the male characters in the episode and "the flaws and foibles of the menfolk", hence the episode title, "Dude Ranch".^[12] Mitchell deals with being not manly enough to raise a boy while Jay deals with the cowboy flirting with Gloria.^[12] Phil attempts to gain Jay's respect, a recurring theme in several other episodes.^[12][13] Eventually, all the characters gain their confidence with Mitchell blowing up a birdhouse with Luke, Jay standing up to the cowboy and Phil standing up to Jay.^[12]

Reception

Ratings

In its original American broadcast, "Dude Ranch" alongside the following episode, "When Good Kids Go Bad", was viewed by an estimated 14.54 million households and received a 6.1 rating/15% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49.^[14] This means that it was seen by 6.1% of all 18–49 years olds, and 15% of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This marked an 18% rise in the ratings from the second season premiere, "The Old Wagon", making it the highest rated and most-viewed episode of the series and became ABC's top-rated season premiere in six years.^[15][16][17] The episode also ranked first in its timeslot, beating the highly-promoted new Fox reality series The X Factor, CBS drama series Criminal Minds, NBC drama series Harry's Law and CW reality series, America's Next Top Model.^[15] Added with DVR viewers, who viewed the episode within three days of the original broadcast, the episode received a 7.7 rating in the 18-49 demographic, adding a 1.7 rating to the original viewership.^[18] "Dude Ranch" was the third most-watched scripted show for the week of broadcast among adults aged 18–49 and the eleventh most watched show among all viewers.^[19]

Reviews

Nolan Gould's performance was praised by critics.

The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics. Maris Kreizman of New York called the episode "not all that surprising and a little sentimental, but charming nonetheless."^[20] She also complemented the development of Alex's character commenting that it "was nice to see a bit of real character development for Alex.".^[20] The A.V. Club reviewer Donna Bowman compared the episode to the second season episode, "Halloween" and ultimately gave the episode a B+.^[21] HitFix reviewer Alan Sepinwall commented that "Sitcom vacation episodes, as a rule, tend to not be very good. There have been exceptions[...]"Dude Ranch" was unfortunately not one of them".^[22] Despite this, he complimented the subplots for the kids, but criticized the plots for the adults calling them "much less memorable".^[22] He eventually called it the weaker episode of the hour.^[22] Entertainment Weekly writer Sandra Gonzalez praised the episode, saying it proved the show deserved the second Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series.^[23] Despite her mainly positive review, she criticized the Gloria storyline, writing that she "wish she [Sofia Vergara] had more to do than scream the entire episode".^[23]

Henry Hanks of CNN said the episode was equal to the first-season episode, "Hawaii" saying that the episode "[showed] once again why it's one of the most consistently funny shows on TV.^[24] He also noted that his favorite moment "had to be Jay's struggles with the horse" and called Jay the MVP of the episode, saying Ed O'Neill deserved to win the Emmy over Ty Burrell.^[24] Paste writer Christina Ziemba said that the episode proved that the series deserved to win at the Emmy's saying it was "rife with great gags, jokes and one-liners".^[12] She ultimately gave this episode and "When Good Kids Go Bad" a 8.5/10 calling it "commendable".^[12] Zac Oldenburg of Television Blend criticized the Phil-Jay subplot for repeating ideas.^[13] He eventually called the episode a "rough start" and considered it worse than the following episode.^[13] Multiple critics praised Nolan Gould's performance in the episode, as Luke.^[22][25] Sepinwall called him the MVP of the episode.^[22] Other critics also called the episode superior to the second half-hour, "When Good Kids Go Bad".^[24][21]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Daily News Releases". Abcmedianet.com. http://abcmedianet.com/assets/pr/html/090211_05.html. Retrieved September 3, 2011. 
2. ^ "Asset Display". ABCmedianet.com. August 17, 2011. http://abcmedianet.com/web/display/display_item.aspx?item=ph/htm/125230_7459.htm. Retrieved September 13, 2011. 
3. ^ "Asset Display". ABCmedianet.com. August 19, 2011. http://abcmedianet.com/web/display/display_item.aspx?item=ph/htm/125232_4877.htm. Retrieved September 13, 2011. 
4. ^ "'Modern Family' Season 3 Premiere Set At Dude Ranch In Jackson Hole, Tourism Office Psyched (VIDEO)". The Huffington Post. September 22, 2011. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/22/modern-family-season-3-pr_n_972082.html. Retrieved September 24, 2011. 
5. ^ "Wyo. city in running for 'Modern Family' premiere". Forbes. June 29, 2011. http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/06/29/business-broadcasting-amp-entertainment-us-american-family-jackson-hole_8541063.html. Retrieved October 30, 2011. 
6. ^ "Keck's Exclusives: Modern Family Corrals Tim Blake Nelson for Premiere - Today's News: Our Take". TV Guide. August 10, 2011. http://www.tvguide.com/News/Modern-Family-Tim-Blake-1036295.aspx. Retrieved August 12, 2011. 
7. ^ Rice, Lynette (2011-05-26). "Modern Family finale 2011 | Inside TV | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/05/26/modern-family-finale/. Retrieved 2011-06-01. 
8. ^ Lyons, Margaret (July 7, 2011). "Modern Family Wants to Trade In Its Baby". New York. http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/07/modern_family_wants_to_trade_i.html?imw=Y&f=most-viewed-24h5. Retrieved July 7, 2011. 
9. ^ Brissey, Breia (September 21, 2011). "'Modern Family' season 3 spoilers | Inside TV | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/09/21/season-3-modern-family-sofia-vergara-ty-burrel/. Retrieved October 30, 2011. 
10. ^ Franich, Darren (August 12, 2011). "Modern Family replaces Baby Lily | Inside TV | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/08/12/baby-lily-modern-family/. Retrieved August 12, 2011. 
11. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 21, 2011). "Staffing Season Highlights: Who Got Hottest Jobs, Which Shows Attracted Most Writers –". Deadline.com. http://www.deadline.com/2011/06/staffing-season-highlights-who-got-hottest-jobs-which-shows-attracted-most-writers/. Retrieved September 17, 2011. 
12. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Modern Family Review: "Dude Ranch" and "When Good Kids Go Bad" (3.01 / 3.02) :: TV :: Reviews :: Paste". Paste. September 26, 2011. http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2011/09/modern-family-review-dude-ranch-and-when-good-kids.html. Retrieved October 30, 2011. 
13. ^ ^{a b c} http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Modern-Family-Watch-Season-3-Premiere-Dude-Ranch-Good-Kids-Go-Bad-35301.html
14. ^ Seidman, Robert (September 22, 2011). "Wednesday Final Ratings: ‘The X Factor,’ ‘Modern Family,’ ‘The Middle,’ And Others Adjusted Up; ‘Revenge’ Adjusted Down - Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/09/22/wednesday-final-ratings-the-x-factor-modern-family-the-middle-revenge-and-others-adjusted-up/104596/. Retrieved September 22, 2011. 
15. ^ ^{a b} Seidman, Robert (September 22, 2011). "TV Ratings Wednesday: ‘X Factor’ No ‘Idol’; ‘Modern Family’ Premieres Big; ‘Revenge’ Gets Nice Start; CSI > SVU - Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/09/22/tv-ratings-wednesday-x-factor-no-idol-modern-family-premieres-big-revenge-gets-nice-start-csi-svu/104503/. Retrieved September 22, 2011. 
16. ^ Seidman, Robert (September 23, 2010). "Wednesday Finals: ‘The Middle,’ ‘Modern Family,’ ‘Cougar Town,’ ‘Undercovers’ All See Small Gains". TVbythenumbers. http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/09/23/wednesday-finals-the-middle-modern-family-cougar-town-undercovers-all-see-small-gains/64917. Retrieved 2010-09-23. 
17. ^ "TV Ratings: 'Modern Family' Premiere Up 18%; Fox's 'X Factor' Drives Night's Win in Key Demo". Hollywood Reporter. September 23, 2011. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-ratings-modern-family-premiere-239168. Retrieved September 25, 2011. 
18. ^ "‘Modern Family’ Leads Early Premiere Week Live + 3 Day DVR Ratings Increases - Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". TV by the Numbers. September 26, 2011. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/09/26/modern-family-leads-early-premiere-week-live-3-dvr-ratings-increases/104922/. Retrieved September 26, 2011. 
19. ^ Gorman, Bill (September 27, 2011). "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: ‘Two And A Half Men’ Tops ‘Sunday Night Football’ For Week Ending September 25, 2011 - Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/09/27/tv-ratings-broadcast-top-25-two-and-a-half-men-tops-sunday-night-football-for-week-ending-september-25-2011/104976/. Retrieved September 17, 2011. 
20. ^ ^{a b} Kreizman, Maris (September 22, 2011). "Modern Family Recap: Saddle Up - Vulture". New York. http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/09/modern_family_recap_10.html. Retrieved September 22, 2011. 
21. ^ ^{a b} Bowman, Donna (September 21, 2011). "“Dude Ranch”/“When Kids Go Bad” | Modern Family | TV Club | TV". The A.V. Club. http://www.avclub.com/articles/dude-ranchwhen-kids-go-bad,62112/. Retrieved September 22, 2011. 
22. ^ ^{a b c d e} Sepinwall, Alan (September 23, 2011). "Season premiere review: Modern Family - Dude Ranch/When Good Kids Go Bad: Lets hear it for the boy". HitFix. http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-alan-watching/posts/modern-family-dude-ranch-when-good-kids-go-bad-angry-birds. Retrieved September 23, 2011. 
23. ^ ^{a b} Rice, Lynette (September 14, 2011). "Modern Family season premiere recap | Season 3 Episode 01 | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. http://tvrecaps.ew.com/recap/modern-family-season-3-episode-1-and-2/. Retrieved September 23, 2011. 
24. ^ ^{a b c} "Cowboy up! 'Modern Family' is back – The Marquee Blog - CNN.com Blogs". CNN. September 22, 2011. http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/22/cowboy-up-modern-family-is-back/. Retrieved September 25, 2011. 
25. ^ "'Modern Family' Season Premiere Recap: Dude Ranch / When Good Kids Go Bad". Hollywood.com. September 22, 2011. http://www.hollywood.com/news/Modern_Family_Season_Premiere_Recap_Dude_Ranch_When_Good_Kids_Go_Bad/7842112. Retrieved September 23, 2011. 

External links

• "Dude Ranch" at the Internet Movie Database
• "Dude Ranch" at TV.com
• "Dude Ranch" at ABC.com