What I’m Watching: Modern Family

Modern Family: Season 1, Episode 12 “Not In My House” (B+)

This week we have three equally fantastic plotlines, and that’s a great thing. Phil’s concealment of him being the one looking at the topless image was pretty funny, as was Claire’s anger and Luke’s cluelessness. It was great to really see all of the family members and have them yell at each other for all of the annoying things they do. The best part was that the way it was wrapped up, with Claire not actually being mad at Phil but rather concerned about the innocence of her baby Luke. Her description of her children was perfect – Haley as living in her own world, Alex as never having really been a kid, and Luke as the baby she wants to stay young forever. Barkley the Dog was really funny, and seeing Gloria’s hysteria every time she accidentally came across it him was fantastic. For a guy who’s terribly stubborn and feels the need to put the word “gay” in when ever he’s talking to his son about his relationship problems, Jay really is quite a compromiser, ultimately taking the high road at the end of every episode to do what’s best for his family. This show has been excelling recently at blending comedy and drama, and that’s commendable. But of course the most fantastic part of this episode comes from one of its outright comic moments: when Cameron, trying to prove that he knows the gardener personally, makes up a name for him, and the best he can come up with is Caesar Salazar, a slight variation from the more popular Caesar Salad.