"Boys' Night" deviates from most of the previous episodes in that there are not three well-defined plots. Instead, there are two main plots--Jay hanging out with Cam and Mitchell's gay friends, and Phil and Claire dealing with their crotchety neighbor who Luke has befriended--and several other elements which pay off in the end.
Jay with the gays was the highlight of the episode, as one would expect Jay to feel weird and give some wide-eyed stares towards the camera. However, the writers turn it around, making Jay quickly befriend the group of guys which makes Mitch feel uneasy at first, but later allows him to open up as well. What's great is that the events the next day tie directly back into Jay ditching Gloria and Manny the night before. Jay wants Gloria to fake a serious condition to avoid shopping with Pepper, which she agrees to, until Pepper actually arrives and Gloria says everything is fine.
The other plot is rather predictable, with the old, seemingly mean guy actually turning out to be nice, but it was nice to see Phil and Claire completely on the same page this time around. Haley had something substantial to do this week, babysitting Lily for a night and defies all expectations by not messing up. Yes, she brings Dylan over, which Cam catches on the camera, but she promptly kicks him out.
What was the point of Alex randomly popping in to express her fear of something silly? It was far too brief to develop and was more awkward than funny.
Score: 9.0/10
