How Modern Family Ruined Haley’s Story Arc

[@thetake]

Offset your carbon footprint on Wren: wren.co/start/thetake The first 100 people who sign up will have 10 extra trees planted in their name!

[@Josh729J]

props to the US we reduced our Carbon footprint by 13 percent while China and India increased theirs! woot woot

[@hayleydavidson6261]

I didn’t love Haley’s ending because she was proving herself so much in the fashion world and just let that all go. However, after seasons of Claire comparing Haley to her own path, I can see why the writers had her follow in Claire’s footsteps. She got pregnant by her high school sweetheart and becomes a stay at home mom. I hope this can only mean that once the twins are older, Haley, just like Clair, returns to the her job to show off her badassery.

[@AJ-zg1nq]

Exactly this! I really wish that after the twins are a bit older, Haley returns to work and kills it in the fashion industry mirroring Clair's arc.

[@imbuffysummers]

@@AJ-zg1nq tbh if in 5 years they came out with a show about this I’d watch it (as long as it’s not a girl meets world fuller house type half assed cash grab thing)

[@TheDiego517]

It just felt more like lazy writing. Another example Alex’s ending was pretty simple, she should’ve gotten the trip instead of Manny, after all those years studying her going to see the world would’ve been better in my opinion of course

[@esikazemese]

It's fucking sad that they tried to shove this conservative nightmare down fans throats. The whole storyline made no sense.

[@Noobmaster-rb1ey]

Why can't Dylan just be a stay home dad instead?

[@MnMsandOreos]

It’s funny, Dylan actually went through the arc that Haley should have gotten. He achieved professional fulfillment despite his “dumbness”

[@jordachejordan90]

Wow. This is so spot on.

[@bigsistahtips]

And why is that bad?

[@StrawberryRie]

@@bigsistahtips It's not bad for him exactly but Hailey deserved a similar ending

[@ohh_heavy]

Dylan was divorced so I don't see it as an achievement

[@bigsistahtips]

@@ohh_heavy marrying a divorced guy is a bad thing?

[@LivelyLinnea]

they did Haley so dirty, which is infuriating. but even more it came at the expense of Alex and Luke. Haley got the most screen time out of the kids, and Alex and Luke got the least amount. Luke did basically nothing, he just became dumb and horny. Alex did what she would do, college, but we could've gotten so much more from her! I hated that she ended up with Arwin, Haley's ex. She dated a lovely himbo fireman who was so good for her and then had him dump her over the stupidest shit. It was annoying.

[@leiutos]

Thank you! I hated her and Arwin so much. That's not only Haley's ex, she left with him, and for what.. And Alex and Bill were actually really refreshing! Alex finally had an age-suitable partner and nothing like that employee of her mom's, who even cheated on her. Modern Family gave Haley so much more, and she even ended up pretty happy, and with a promising future.

[@studiostyx7075]

Yeah, the show really spiraled with the kid characters. Luke was such a funny, cool little kid and Alex had potential too but they just pushed them into lazy half-baked tropes (Luke being dumb and horny, Alex being the cynical know-it-all). At least with Manny there was some continuation of his younger sensibilities and good heart and Lily kind of grew into her weirdness in a funny way.

[@armanhammer18]

💯💯💯

[@filthy0819]

No I like about Alex she had maybe the weirdest sex life I think I've ever seen on TV from Sanjay to Luke's friend Ruben to the himbo you were talking about to arwen she just could never get it right in her love life it was always awkward and weird and I loved it

[@filthy0819]

@@leiutos always do it Haley and arwen was just stupid it made no sense and Alex and Erwin made sense from the beginning

[@trinaq]

Claire and Haley are more similar than they'd like to believe. They both had a past of dating immature guys, but instead fell for sweet guys like Phil and Andy. Sadly, history doesn't repeat the same way. I wished that we'd got some closure on Andy, and had Adam appear one last time, to wish Haley well.

[@Dm34421]

They both had kids and settled down. Claire and Haley had the same character arc. Haley had a lot of potential but the writers didn’t know what to do with her

[@alecoloxa]

I really cried when I knew Andy won't be with Haley

[@jeffreyschueler2223]

@@alecoloxa I really thought the writers were setting Andy up as Haley's soulmate. I guess we saw something they didn't.

[@bengilhooly3616]

@@jeffreyschueler2223 the actor couldn't stay on the show anymore I heard. He was getting casted in bigger stuff such as Pitch Perfect. Maybe if the show didn't go on as long as it did, they might've ended up together

[@cuticlemuncher]

@@alecoloxa i literally mourned the relationship i like to believe that her and andy lived happily ever after

[@rochelle2758]

They did the same thing to Alex, in the service of the “brilliant but romantically incompetent” stereotype. Alex had several promising relationship starts (the sweet guy she meets at her college visit is just one example) that the writers literally pretended never happened, even as they made her more and more cartoonishly bad at the very basics of a relationship. That always pissed me off.

[@MMLynnmarie]

She was supposed to end up back with Andy but he couldn't get his schedule clear to shoot it so they went to Dylan. I really liked her with Andy. He was my favorite.

[@worldofmehak]

Alex too was pigeonholed into the nerd role who couldn't have a suitable boyfriend at all.

[@mukta4689]

Also nobody calls out on her not so good behaviour towards her ex-boyfriends

[@bertkesurf]

Much like Joey from Friends, they developed him so well, until about season 8 or 9, and then they regressed him and he lost maturity. It's like the writers got lazy and just took him back to his season 1 attitude.

[@suneelj93]

Joey in seasons 8-10 was a parody of himself from 2-7. S1 Joey was something else. He was dumb but still witty and present, not oblivious to the world beyond women and sandwiches.

[@dhanashreegadhikar8281]

The show made so many half assed potential growth routes for Hayley it is almost irritating to watch her. They were trying too hard to give her an end like Claire. They did her dirty.

[@dhanashreegadhikar8281]

I felt the same for Luke and Manny too.....they were curious and different children who towards the end were only interested in picking up girls. They could have done much more with these 3 characters.

[@sakuranovaryan9261]

Sometimes sit coms don't give realistic character development and that's sad. I feel like someone like Haley would've made it great in the real world. But shallow characterization

[@dhanashreegadhikar8281]

@@sakuranovaryan9261 exactly!

[@justinbryan6249]

​@@dhanashreegadhikar8281 I agree with both of you. Plus the show did Alex dirty too. The only real development (if you can even call it that, because it was always gonna happen) for Alex was she was the smartest who went to college. Her love life (and attitude towards others less intelligent than her) was not that great.

[@helenchengmao]

This analysis of Hallie made me think of Alexis from Schitt’s Creek; Alexis was allowed to develop and potentially fulfill her potential unlike Haley was.

[@elizabeth184]

The only reason they got her pregnant was that this is a show about parents and young children, and all the children of the show had grown up at this point, some gone off to college. They needed an injection of young kids again, so they could carry on the same format. It's kinda annoying that tv shows Still make a woman's end point goal to be a mother, but it may be a while before that changes.

[@paulaqueirosz]

Exactly

[@bengilhooly3616]

Well Alex didn't become a mother but I guess I see your point

[@alexaofelia2750]

i totally agree! there was so much potential to showcase that Alex’s path of hardcore academics (while perfectly laudable) aren’t the ONLY means to achieving your goals

[@Josh729J]

that would have been awesome

[@summerskull9379]

Haley deserves her own spin off so we can finally see her reach her full potential

[@Svengali764]

Haley's story always has been about her being pretty and always involved a guy. Her story should've broken the trope and made her achieve something solid with her hardwork and street smarts. Alex's story should've ended with her being more interested in human side of science

[@oooh19]

Alex was just as pretty

[@sassythey194]

I really wish we see more of her career. She's good with people and she's really observant. I was so proud of her when she got picked in class to show her photos in that exhibition. And with her fashion knowledge, she could have been model photographer or something.

[@jessicavictoriacarrillo7254]

I kind of wonder where her story would have went if Haley was challenged by someone from a less privilege background than she, like a hardworking student at her school who has to be bussed and works a lot who she befriends or Haley gets involved in community service and has her popularity values challenged by what she sees and hears. Like sometimes I think the show could have done better by their woman characters. Also why do social and book smarts have to be mutually exclusive? Haley comes off as a spoiled brat, Alex is bratty but at least she takes advantage of her privileges and opportunities while Haley is lazy at school.

[@ACE112ACE112]

would have gone **

[@studiostyx7075]

I think that was the show's pitfall, that we only saw extremely affluent families in their admittedly affluent Los Angeles suburb. It got worse too as the series went on, with the vacations and gatherings and career perks (the super yacht Jay rents for the eclipse, that ridic apartment complex Alex lived in, etc) getting more and more Succession-like.

[@sakuranovaryan9261]

I think Hailey and Alex could actually balance each other out. Why is Alex always considered the gifted child that puts a lot of pressure on her. And Hailey dumb? When that's now true. She has great sense of fashion,social knowledge. As a person who doesn't have that I would tell you it's hard to achieve?

[@aboutashow]

Using a working class person to advance the development of a main/affluent character is in pretty poor taste

[@jessicavictoriacarrillo7254]

@@aboutashow You don't know what storyline I'd be proposing (like Haley teaches her to be able to relax and speak her mind without guilt)

[@ayushikhetan9012]

So true. I felt she was the street smart which is important to be and she was a very intelligent person in her own way. Andy and Haley were the best and Haley could have had better love interest. Also Alex was kind of stuck to the her stereotype, she was arrogant till the end.

[@Dashingdiva73]

I HATED THAT SHE ENDED UP WITH DYLAN.. After she stood up for herself with her boss I thought, she is going to be okay. Then she met Andy and that was hot, and they put her with effing DYLAN!!! UGH...🤦🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️

[@leiutos]

I hope you can explore Alex's story as well. Kind of sad how Haley had exactly Claire's story, even if her and Dylan will probably end up as happy as Claire and Phil in the future. But Alex.. She was always only "the smart one" but dates nerdy teenagers as an adult, had an initially-secret man-child lover and she literally threw away a 'dream' job with great pay and ended up with Haley's ex (ew) and left for a 'lousy' job.

[@firewind3509]

No way??? Is that how it ends?? Wtf. So glad I stopped watching now, I’d definitely like an exploration of Alex - the therapy episode was very telling too.

[@ihartyoutubification]

I think a lot of people forget that Alex had a very obvious crush on Arwin first, he was her professor, she was working up the courage to tell him when Haley found and their relationship started. After that Alex went through a string of weird relationships, so its even worse than him just being her sister's ex. He was the only one we ever met on Alex's level, probably made her feel less alone like she admitted in the episode she had a breakdown. But she would had to watch them be together and honestly who wants to put themselves through that

[@thebitternubbin]

they do do Hayley dirty it's such a shame

[@nanalove3819]

I think the pregnancy would have been better with Alex cause it would have taken everybody by surprise : Claire was so focused on Hayley not becoming like her that she forgets Alex could too, so she is in shock when it happens.

[@lessultanas]

I kept being disappointed that Haley showed so many talents and it never paid off. Sometimes it felt like she was plain bullied in her own house. Any job she got she basically did good if not great

[@oooh19]

What if you’re socially and academically smart? You can be both

[@renatoespinozabarbaran1550]

I think it was because the actress had a lot of trouble filming her scenes due to her health, and since a long time had passed since the important event in her story line, the public forgot and had to start over.

[@rzeitouneh]

Thank god someone finally said it: yes, Haley and Dylan should NOT have ended up together. Nor do I think Haley should have had the twins. And I’m not just saying this because I think Haley should have ended up with Andy. But, of course I do, because her relationship with Andy was much more compelling and mature. And if Adam Devine had been able to stay, then I think they probably would have had Haley and Andy end up together. But, honestly, maybe they should have had her not end up with anyone by series end. I honestly would have preferred that over pigeonholing her into a life of forced motherhood before she was ready. And on that note, it really does seem odd that a show that billed itself as espousing modern, contemporary family values never had Haley, a woman in her 20s, meaningfully consider what many 21st century women in their 20s consider when in that situation. And yes, I’m talking about terminating the pregnancy. Wouldn’t it be so refreshing to have a portrayal of abortion on mainstream television that DOESN’T demonize it or make it out to be the worst thing in the world? One can’t help but think that we’d be in a better place in terms of reproductive rights in this country if more mainstream TV didn’t talk about abortion as it was a dirty secret. Okay. Sorry. I didn’t intend for this to become a referendum on reproductive rights in America.

[@CBMOA]

Have you covered about “the chosen one” tropes and seeing whether it’s outdated or overrated Edit: Reminds me when the creator of Ladybug and Cat Noir failed or didn’t want to make Chloe to have a redemption arc (maybe she’ll get it, if she finally sees after everything’s that happening or the creator making it happen)

[@j_ea8238]

She and Alex deserved so much better it breaks my heart

[@alfvina]

Andy is actually my favorite character 😭😭

[@zachryder3150]

They should've recast Andy.

[@MSeliskaZ]

Andy was perfect for her❤ it sucks that Adam DEVINE(😂😂) had a pretty busy schedule

[@jtp2r]

It bothered me more than I care to admit, when she got back with Dylan.

[@lindamaryninha]

Same!

[@CrimsonNineTail]

Sounds like they did to Haley what they did to Trixie, from Fairly Oddparents. Only difference, besides being a cartoon, is that Haley is a main character.

[@kennek1976]

if it was a real Modern Family she should have been a single mom by the end of the 1st season and shown what that is like

[@noob_cat_art1784]

I have to disagree with Dylan is not a good partner for Hayley. Sure Andy would’ve been a better fit, but Dylan shows in several occasion that he loves Hayley for Hayley. One example is Dylan admits that he better himself so he’ll deserve Hayley. He always seen Hayley as this beautiful smart kick ass girl.

[@navi2710]

Hakey is a complicated character which I think the show writers were not will to invest in. Ironically a show like Modern Family had the long term opportunity to lay the foundations of Haley to succeed, fail and grow. I think it was just easier to make Haley be stereotypical rather then make effort to create a living character.

[@amritadey6575]

Alex belittles her sister because she always bullies her and all the bullies in her school are also basically Haley!

[@francinemaessen4788]

To me Haley always was the creative one (much more than Manny, because it seemed more intrinsic with her where Manny is constantly trying to uphold some oldfashioned ideas of creativity). Her eye for fashion, esthetics and photography is really downplayed as a talent too much. Would have been lovely to see her grow into a photographer that does fashion shoot and sometimes an artsy exposition.

[@rolanalberto3064]

Just finished binge watching all 11 seasons and had to put my 2 cents in. I kinda agree how they (the writers) screwed up Haley's Arc AND Alex's Arc too. And yeah, I lean towards the "Haley-Andy" rather than "Haley-Dylan" pairing solely because the screen chemistry between Sarah and Adam was just on-point. It reminded me of a goofier "Ross-Rachel" type of fling. It really did enhance both Haley and Andy's characters' story progressions, until they shot the whole thing down. I'll never understand how the writers "couldn't find the funny anymore" between them. She was also better at her Fashion/Stylist job and her brief Photography stint, rather than ending up being a "Senior NERP rep." I mean sure, the "Photog phase" was probably written out coz Manny is the "Artistic kid" of the Family, but atleast the career in fashion made Haley's character more interesting and fits better than the whole NERP thing. As for Alex, I'll never understand someone turning down a high-paying science corpo job for way less pay sooo abruptly. She was set for life working for Halo in NY....instead, she ends up going to Switzerland with Haley's last BF leftover, Arwin, with yet another "research plot device" about AI-tech or whatevertheheck Arwin was spewing on about. And the way the writers broke her and Fireman Bill up was stupid, like really: the "oh no, I thought you got my nudies on your phone" misunderstanding that led to Bill being "sensitive" and shit finding out on a Valentines date is quite harsh...and lazily written. Admit it: it should've been Bill at that finish line together with Alex. And then, there's Luke. Good thing he got into a college, I guess? Sigh.

[@kimberley3577]

I'm one minute in and...Haley should have ended up with Andy

[@robertvincent7385]

I think this take fails to take into account the overall arc of the series and how Hayley plays the biggest part in it. Hayley and Alex mirror Mitchell and claire. Jay makes several references to this calling Dylan new phil as such by the last episode we know Hayley will be a successful businesswoman because claire is the ceo of the year. She is beginning the same arc again of taking a career break and then going on to smash it. This is the overall arc of the series though it might not be shown it is implied.

[@bbl2019]

I’m AuDHD. always thought Haley was undiagnosed ADHD - talented in her special interests, gift of the gab, many projects started yet not fulfilled, differently smart so told she’s dumb and lazy because she’s not traditionally smart, always considered to have wasted potential, etc. and Alex is undiagnosed autistic - routine, booksmart, bad with social skills - the gifted girl to later late-diagnosed autistic woman with severe burnout is a real pipeline.

[@minnarvirt]

I didn't like this one. I think this just shows how devalued motherhood is compared to career. Motherhood in early adulthood is seen as disappointment and failure.

[@CRIMSONBAMBOO-g6f]

to me haley was the most painful to watch. i watched this show when i was a teenager, haley was totally opposite to me but i felt deeply related to her. every time the show ridiculed haley it felt like they were ridiculing me for not being 100 percent perfect. like there is no better life for women like her. she is such an old stereotype, i could not believe she could exist in this era. i was hoping for them to slowly break it and show us something new. i always thought alex would be the one who will take a heterosexual role, be a mother and have it all in both sides. and Haley go to a more queer route.

[@ghinwamoujaes9059]

Glad to see it wasn't just me who hated who the writers failed Haley

[@twokindsofovenfries32]

Haley still works at nerp at the end. That’s why she moves to paris

[@lenore8767]

Haley became a actual relatable person when she went outside to use Larry’s litter box. That’s kind of sad & I like to think that Haley has just turned into an ironic version of her own mother.

[@rapbattlefan2008]

At 10:11 I could’ve sworn that was Walter White in the car!

[@librasun321]

Success isn't defined solely career-wise. Having children and a supportive family doesn't mean she's a failure. Being a SAHM while your children are small doesn't mean your life ends. Like Clair she could have always focus on her career after the children are older

[@Tinymoezzy]

I think it was well done. Family does this to kids. It represented what I grew up with as a kid. She is a success. We are in on it. The family is the one who is late to that party.

[@cwalker6911]

I love this character but they really underestimated her. Why did this make me want to cry? 😅

[@zelinair]

I honestly was so disappointed when Haley didn't end up with Andy

[@Neddoest]

Eleven seasons?! Wow. I stopped paying attention after like 3

[@ilooli]

It’s almost as if that show was a comedy 🥴

[@dawnleah29]

I'm watching this all the way through and I was happy Alex and Hailey were with men who are there opposite. .and after reading the comments I'm disappointed 😞. Every character got paid good money so inspite of there story they are good

[@JC-yr5by]

This came right on time, I'm currently at season 7, and extremely disappointed with how the show is taking all the character but mostly Haley (still can't believe they made her and Andy have an affair). I will try to finish the show, nevertheless

[@lyndsaybrown8471]

Here to point out how fucked up it is to put your kids against each other in terms of their accomplishments.

[@lesliefitzgerald2354]

Sitcoms are ALL the same, smart sister, dumb sister with good looks, a Desi and lucy team (Gloria and Jay) and kids that get only into MINOR trouble. Doesn't anyone have an original thought out there? Hey writers, do something unexpected and make me laugh for a change !!!

[@mezi99360]

they really did poor Haley dirty in the end :(

[@RomaroBrandon]

Skip the five minute mark to 6:17 if you want to avoid their stupid sponsors.

[@sarah_notheotherone8954]

I am not a fan of this sentiment going around lately 😭😅 I wish more people talked about how Hailey is a young women who is a gigantic mess, parties, gets high, and makes mistakes. And the world doesn’t disproportionately punish her for it because shes the hot one. I love when shows have a complex female character who just can’t seem to get it right- a direct response to the culture that makes Claire so high strung and guilt ridden. I totally agree that writers did not do a very good job of hiding that things outside the show impacted the plot (Sarah Hylands health, Adam Devine leaving) but I think we over look the fact that we got an example of a teenager who loved her life and fucked up every way her mother feared- and is still ok. Like Claire, she has a lot of time to find herself and her path. Feels very reassuring to me

[@Aaron-kj8dv]

Yeah I don't know why everyone on the show deserves all of their wildest dreams to come true and if they don't they've somehow been screwed over. It's actually a very mindset. Hailey bailed on almost every responsibility she ever had, was rarely accountable for her own actions and now one day we expect her to meet all of her goals? For what reason exactly? Same goes for Luke, he showed no potential for really anything so why would we expect crazy success for his ending?

[@sarah_notheotherone8954]

@@Aaron-kj8dv totally, and it’s not very modern to think, “well if hailey would have married Andy or went to college she’d be reaching her potential” why? She literally got the job she was dreaming of since HS while w/ Dylan, no college, and pregnant. I think viewers wanted Luke and Hailey to get the April or Andy Dwyer treatment, a ton of potential accessed because we like them as an audience.

[@natalie651]

Totally agree with all of this.

[@KingHumphrey]

I don't know whether she had surgery, was ill or she just peaked early, but Haley in the final season looks awful compared to how she was in the rest of the show.

[@bigsistahtips]

Why does literally EVERYBODY have to grow up according to you? Some people don’t and the only thing you can do is wish them the best. She was a narcissist who always treated everybody as if they were beneath her, including Dylan. In fact, it is thanks to him that she grows a little. Him and the nanny guy, whose name I always forget. But didn’t do it for herself, did it because other people outside her family made her. You can’t say her parents didn’t support her when there where many times they tried to talk to her. And Alex wasn’t always mean. She also tried to help her but she refused. I know people like that who act like victims and only want external approval but not from their family. It’s only good if it comes from people outside of it. They lie saying “nobody understands me. Nobody supports my dreams” and when you meet their parents you realise that’s entirely false. These are attention seekers. Oh, and she didn’t stay with Dylan because of the babies, he chose Dylan before they because she loved him and he feels like family. Some people do fall in love with their first partners and it doesn’t make you stupid or a cliché.

[@jacobdenness8659]

You just had to end on a positive note didn’t you, you could just have said Hayley was done wrong

[@haninboukhris8729]

i feel like modern family has always been very realistic in a bunch of family dynamics and so making Hayley end up the way she's always been told she can only be is actually the only way to go that's why through all of her potential she can't grow more

[@Be1smaht]

I agree

[@Karma-ej7gl]

Andy was the better fit

[@redpanda881]

She should off became a fashion designer.

[@josabby474]

I’m okay with Hailey ending up with Dylan. She could be herself with him. Other guys she dated often made her feel bad about herself. Andy was also with someone else when he started hooking up with Hailey. Modern Family had issues that come from being renewed over and over because it has high ratings, rather than because there was more organic story. Pretty all the characters had their growth crapped on, especially when compared to Modern Family’s contemporary shows like Parks and Recreation and Schitt’s Creek.

[@laurenpaterson3475]

Yes hailey is penny she knows how cope with society

[@sebaspolanco6423]

Hayley should’ve ended up with Andy. They build them up to them las half a season I mean come on

[@blueblack3591]

Another channep had the exact same topic months ago

[@TrillyThough]

Meh

[@itsalexvargas]

100% AGREED

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

I hated everything about the character I hate everything about the way she was played out I hate everything about her story She’s the only character in the entire show who I don’t like except for the boyfriend they gave her I hate him more

[@oliviabolivia5853]

IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ANDY!!!!!

[@johnappleseed3428]

yessss! yes yes yes!

[@izribeirox]

I honestly think that she ended up being with Dylan because he’s so close to Phil and Claire often says that Hailey is just like young her

[@rochelle2758]

Andy was also a lot like Phil: they even made a joke about that when Haley first started falling in love with him.

[@quintadouglass8017]

I LOVE ANDY HE THE BEST FOR HER HE LOVE HER FOR HER HE THE BEST LOVE HER , 💋🖤

[@satwikbardhan3245]

It's all jamie lynn's fault

[@AashraiRavooru]

Literally all the kids in Modern Family were spoilt brats. They be messing around, sleeping around in their family's home well into their adulthoods like it was nothing. Only lily's arc of the struggles of being raised by two gay dads had some story to it.

[@WhiteRaven696]

Before I watch the video… is this another “Hayley Should’ve Ended Up With Andy” argument? Because I agree so, so, so much. Dylan sucks. 😭😭😭

[@greentree211]

this is the same video nerdstalgic did a month ago... shame

[@contextualbandit]

Nope, they didn't let anything down, she is more like her mother and same thing happened with her mother, may be later as she gets old she will become successful like Claire.

[@filthy0819]

I don't get why people hate on dealing and all this Andy love Dylan loved her in all the right ways when she got into college and they were moving in together he broke up with her so she could go and not feel guilty and he said he was going to work on himself until he felt that he was good enough to deserve her and like she said she could always be herself with Dylan and she knew he would always love her for that no matter what you can't find a love better than that

[@acausedes]

i actually wish alex was the one who had the accidental pregnancy instead. i think it would have been great to show her "mess up" in a way but still own it, and still be a hardworking kickass career woman.

[@SummerFilmsit]

Could not agree more

[@filthy0819]

Alex is way too planned out and contribute for that to ever happen she's the type of person who either is an IUD on the pill in condoms up every single time she plans out every single aspect of her life in real life that's exactly how Haley's life would have played out exactly the way it did

[@clarasundqvist6013]

@@filthy0819 while this is all true, having the IUD fail or the condom break (none of these are 100% preventative anyway) would also be good for Alex. she took all the necessary precautions and still ended up knocked up. although she would probably end up having an abortion since she is so career driven, even that would've been nice to see, especially if she'd rely on Hayley for emotional support

[@loiracitr]

@@filthy0819 Haley is clearly sexualy active for several seasons so it's safe to say (pun intended) that she uses precautions in bed. I agree that Alex could use with a bit of a shock to her system but I don't think that the majority of watchers would have appreciate her having any different from what she worked so hard to get. She was always the nerd who gave up on having fun, have friends, have a standard adolescence in order to succeed professionally. If she had to be knocked up at the end, many would have thought she was stolen from her final moment to shine

[@alim.9801]

@@loiracitr that's a good point

[@dcamaraman939]

Honestly they failed Manny and Lilly even more, why does no one talk about these wasted characters?

[@studiostyx7075]

I feel like they turned Manny's character around eventually but for awhile he was no better than Luke, just a smarter version of the same shallow horny teen. The actress who played Lily was kind of limited but I feel like the writers worked with that and ultimately created a character who was a bit like April Ludgate from Parks and Rec.

[@firewind3509]

Unpopular opinion but Lilly had the potential to have a lot of dimension to her.

[@dcamaraman939]

@@firewind3509 Exactly! She is the Vietnamese adopted daughter of 2 gay men and they did NOTHING with her!

[@filthy0819]

Well Lily's character was too young to really do anything when she was with 13 when it ended and honestly nobody really cared that much about Manny's character he was very annoying

[@sapodilla25]

Lily's actor was really bad at acting, she couldn't have pulled off anything more complex than monotone and dead eyes.

[@slospop1125]

Haley was another character filled with wasted potential, one of my personal favorite scenes of the series was her breaking up with Dylan in season 6, because it felt like she had outgrown that relationship and was ready to grow up.

[@bigjbird4427]

Season 6 was my favourite Haley arc when she was working in fashion and went to all the music festivals for “research” hahah

[@danielebowman]

@@bigjbird4427 I agree, for that middle part of the series, Hayley got really funny and had great character arcs. They they re-set her and sent her back to Dylan.

[@cuticlemuncher]

EXACTLY she had was growing and maturing and she had found the perfect guy (andy) who is totally husband material he loves kids and is great with them and always brings out the best in haley then she had the fashion job at the same time and she was at her absolute peak then the downfall

[@Crimson28]

Haley should’ve ended the series starting her own business, maybe get knocked up by Dylan but doesn’t end up marrying him. They co-parent together and Andy comes back into her life.

[@tlahmed]

Yes! That was she was on the same trajectory as Claire but changed the outcome.

[@azules2688]

am i the only person who thinks andy, beth, and hayley were all sh*t people during that arc?

[@i-burncube8449]

@@azules2688 fr tho everyone forgets how andy and hayley got together in the first place by cheating, and when beth admits to doing it as well andy just acts all surprised and heartbroken as if he didn't do the same thing

[@migaish_]

I was about 12 when Modern Family first started airing, and I related to Hayley. I was an average student while my younger sister got straight As with ease. Instead of comparing our intelligence, my parents encouraged us both to work on things we're good at. For me it was art and literature. For my sister it was academics and sports. I know Modern Family is "just a show", but it really does reflect how we all see people. Instead labelling the Hayley's and Luke's as "dumb", we should help them find their passionate and live a fulfilling life.

[@luismogollon4787]

Tbh Modern Family also failed other characters like Manny, Lily, Mitch and Cam. The further it went on, the worst it got

[@ohh_heavy]

Only jay was in the end with the most character development

[@mariabittencourt5179]

They never even tried to write Alex

[@rochelle2758]

Yep, they turned Manny from a sweet precocious kid into a series of homophobic jokes.

[@simranbansal9303]

It feels like the show ended before we could see her get settled in her new home and start her job again to actually show off her growth in both personal and professional settings.

[@trinaq]

Yes, I will take it to my grave that Haley deserved much better than the ending the show gave her. Haley grew so much as a person, that having her end up with her immature high school boyfriend Dylan felt like an undoing to her growth. She was better suited to Andy, in my opinion, but Adam Devine's busy schedule probably led to him getting written out quicker than expected.

[@jessicavictoriacarrillo7254]

Imagine if Haley ended single.

[@trinaq]

@@jessicavictoriacarrillo7254 Preach. What happened to the girl choosing herself instead of a love interest? I hope that Nancy ends up with neither Jonathan or Steve, and hate that they're forcing another love triangle situation down our throats again.

[@jessicavictoriacarrillo7254]

@@trinaq I am a Jancy sucker but true. I think one thing I see is the kids in MF are so privileged. Like Haley makes me roll my eyes because she has it good: affluent parents and neighborhood, good schools, little financial stress but doesn't bother in school, which came off as ungrateful and bratty to me. I think a better written arc and characters would be Joan Holloway and Tuca Toucan

[@DeathnoteBB]

Nah I wish she ended up single or at least never had the kid, and went into her fashion career. She could have been a modern Elle and instead they made her a housewife.

[@nanalove3819]

yeah, but if Adam Devine couldn't be there (I think he was the original plan as they wanted to redo Claire and Phil's story, and Andy looks more like Phil than Dylan), they could have given her a new love interest, or just no love interest at all. I like Dylan as a character but it just didn't make sense to have him ended up with Haley.

[@whiteowl82]

She really should have stayed with Andy. They were perfect together!

[@GoldenRose116]

Andy used her as a side chick and when they got together he couldn't communicate at all with her

[@filthy0819]

I never really got all this Andy Love in the truth is if they stayed together long-term if you're being honest with yourself Haley's probably going to get bored with him he's a very boring person and they had nothing in common

[@Spicie95]

It is sad that when Modern Family first came out, it was criticised for its portrayal of Claire and Gloria being stay-at-home-moms depended on their husbands, since that meant the show had no career successful adult woman. Then they rectified that later on, but still managed to end the show with Haley just becoming a stay-at-home-mom. Basically, the writers were the ones who didn't grow.

[@paulaqueirosz]

And women were not included in the "modern" aspect

[@suneelj93]

Haley is gonna raise her kids and resume her career later like Claire did. She’s still an idiot despite her growth and needs the stability that comes with her new family.

[@Kristina-wq4sq]

Please it’s not “just” stay-at home mom. Being a mom is hard and time taking! It’s a wage less job but it’s still a job

[@Spicie95]

@@Kristina-wq4sq I in no way mean to devalue the hard work involved in parenting. My point was merely that the show received criticism for something, then they rectified said criticism, only to repeat it again in the end. They could have taken the time to demonstrate that a woman can raise small children while still being in the workforce, rather than having her step completely out of it, for 5-10 years.

[@aonsayss]

not to be rude or anything, but the ending of modern family was really disappointing. rather than the ending tying all of the stories in nice way, it felt extremely rushed.

[@zachryder3150]

The ending was completely disrespectful to Luke.

[@firewind3509]

@@zachryder3150 hope you don’t mind me asking, I stopped watching after season 6. What did they do to Luke?

[@zachryder3150]

@@firewind3509 Search "Alex and Hayley pull a final prank on Luke" it explains everything.

[@firewind3509]

@@zachryder3150 I just watched it but I don’t get what’s so bad?

[@zachryder3150]

@@firewind3509 He's still treated like the idiotic joke of the family.

[@palomapacchioni6980]

I don’t think that the show doesn’t appreciate Hayley’s “different” type of inteligence. In fact, in many episodes Claire and Phil imply that her practical skills are better tan Axel’s academic knowledge. They shame Alex all the time for not having friends or not like to party, Claire never tells Hayley off for making fun of Alex by saying things like “we feel pity for you because books are your friends”. In many ways Hayley (and also Claire andPhil) are to blame for Alex’s lack of social skills and insecurity. So no, I dont think Hayley is the one being tease

[@mamaya311]

I think Modern Family had a real weak spot with the kid characters in general. All the adults were given rich and complex layers that showcased how they were more than their original stereotypes. It never felt like they developed the kids the same way, especially Haley. With the exception of some minor growth through adulting, Haley didn't really feel like she changed that much at all at the end of the show. It was such a missed opportunity that she didn't end up with Andy, in my opinion, mainly because I think he pushed her to grow the most. He was sweet, secure, and didn't take any of her crap. I think she really needs someone like that in her life to force her out of her immaturity.

[@happychaosofthenorth]

I think there's something very realistic about Haley's arc and figuring out who she is. I just wish that it wasn't so closely tied to her relationships, but there's nothing wrong with that either. But I like the parallels with Claire and Haley, and I like Dylan and I like that she was happy.

[@nikakozar832]

I agree, I actually had more of a problem with how the show treated Alex than Haley! Also, there is still time for her to get back to a career after her children get bigger, not everything has to be shown on screen -- we were shown she is capable! And being a "kickass career woman" is not the only way you can have a successful and fulfilled life -- for some people, yes, but that never seemed to be a priority or a strong personal value for Haley. I think she was just feeling pressured into being excellent in something to prove she's not dumb, which she is clearly not. I thought Haley has grown so much and that she's become an amazing person, while Alex and Luke didn't get as much growth. Luke did, somewhat, but Alex, personality wise, didn't develop beyond her teenage years. She didn't learn anything about relationships and is continuing to only prioritise work over everything else, which results in her lacking depth as a character and kind of boring to watch, which made me sad, as I related a lot to Alex in earlier season, I was a similar kid. The only way the show did Haley her dirty, imo, is that they didn't make other characters acknowledge how much she has grown and what a cool person she is and has become, and apologised for constantly making her feel dumb throughout the years, which undoubtedly led to a lot of emotional scarring for her.