It’s a shame that finale was so uneventful, huh?

Seriously, the first seven minutes were so action-packed, I actually laughed when the Nashville opening credits popped up on the screen. They could’ve ended the show right there, right when Maddie showed up at Deacon’s doorstep saying, “I think that you might be my father” and I would’ve said, “Now THAT was a satisfying finale.” But we were just seven minutes in, people. Seven minutes in. (Oh, before we go any further, can I rectify an omission from last week’s recap? How did I not mention that the last thing Dante heard before getting shot was, “Give me the SD card.” Literally, the least gangster way someone can be taken out. But I digress.)

For a split second, it seemed like our season four finale was going to be … serious? Phil’s mother, Gracie, whom we never had the pleasure of meeting, has died. Even small doses of Fred Willard’s Frank Dunphy have explained so much about why Phil is the pun-addicted, trampoline-loving, Clive Bixby–creating, irretrievably goofy man he is; it’s a shame we’ll never see the maternal side of this mystery unveiled.

So yes, grandma has died, but the tragedy is more of a setup for vacation high jinks than it is any kind of  grim episode-dominator. ModFam’s three households are all convening in Florida to be together with grandpa and Phil. As this journey begins, it’s very important to Alex you don’t forget she shared a very special connection with her grandmother. More so than, say, Luke, or Haley.