"First Days" is the second episode of the fifth season of the AmericansitcomModern Family, and the series' 98th overall. It was aired on September 25, 2013, the same day as the premiere episode, Suddenly, Last Summer. The episode involves each character dealing with the difficulties of beginning new challenges. As the kids start school again, the parents find challenges in juggling schedules, beginning intimidating new jobs and coping with children growing older and less dependent. The episode was written by Paul Corrigan & Brad Walsh and it was directed by Steven Levitan.
Plot
Luke and Manny have their first day at high school. The two of them take this change really well, something that is not happening with Phil and Gloria because they realize that the boys are growing up very fast and they are going to lose them. Claire starts working at Jay's closet company making her big return. On her first day, she tries to get close to her co-workers and to convince them to not look at her as "Pritchett's daughter" but as Claire. Cam starts a new substituting gig at the high school where Alex is attending and the lesson he has to teach is History. The only problem is that Cam does not know anything about the subject and Alex is the one who ends up teaching the other kids. Cam realizes that he can not teach History and he quits. However, as he is quitting, Cam incidentally reveals his keen coaching prowess and is immediately re-hired as a gym teacher and coach of the football team. Mitch, with Cam going to his new job, tries to juggle Lily's first day of preschool and a very important meeting at work. Lily has a little accident, so Mitch takes her with him at the office and calls Haley to come and baby sit her. When Haley arrives at Mitch's office, his boss hits on her, making Mitch very uncomfortable.
Reception
Ratings
In its original American broadcast, "First Days" was watched by 11.68 million.
Reviews
"First Days" received generally positive reviews. Joe Reid of The A.V. Club gave a 'B+' grade to the episode saying: " "First Days" is less heartwarming, by design, but it pairs up the characters interestingly enough that it works." Leigh Raines of TV Fanatic rated the two episodes with a 5/5 saying that both of the show's episodes were strong. "I laughed out loud a few times, got a little misty eyed at moments and did a combination of the two when Jay started crying at Manny's letter and wanted to mail him his second robe. Only the best shows can bring out that kind of dual reaction!" Matt LeMaire from The MacGuffin net rated both episodes with 8/10. "All in all, it’s a good episode that’s a bit too predictable given our knowledge of these characters, but it still provides some good laughs." It closes the review with: "As a premiere, both episodes did a good job of bringing us back into the world of Modern Family and while there were certainly some predictable elements, it’s our love of these characters that shines through as they navigate through their daily lives." Emily Carlstrom from Better With Popcorn rated both episodes with 7.5/10. "This is another thing the show does well. It subtly undermines stereotypes: Cam being the more theatrical of the gay couple is also a tough country boy and former football player."
