What I'm Watching: Modern Family

Modern Family: Season 2, Episode 22 "Good Cop Bad Dog" (B+)

This episode was clever in the way that it had all three of its main couples reverse their traditional roles, though it wasn't as clear-cut obvious from the start when it came to Jay and Gloria. I realize that it's the basic format of each of the episodes, but it's still exceptional when it works so brilliantly like this. Though subtlety is not always this show's strong suit when it comes to Cameron and Mitchell, I was delighted to see just how effective that one shot of Mitchell being carried from the kitchen by Cameron was, and also how the closing scene with Cameron recognizing Mitchell's telltale lights from the concert was very quickly and hilariously done, just like his handing back of Dylan's shoes to Haley several weeks ago. The dynamic between Gloria and Jay is funny enough to carry most plotlines, and Jay being pitched a horrible idea and ending up with a dog that he couldn't resist was very amusing. Seeing Phil and Claire switch roles, however, took the cake, as both failed miserably in their efforts to exude qualities unbecoming of them. It was entertaining and horrifying to realize that Phil's scare tactics involved not feeding his daughters for the entire day, and Claire pushing junk food on Manny was one of their best interactions to date. I also liked Luke's line about how he's supposed to be 13 on the bumper cars and only 11 when he goes to the movie theatre: now that's smart, productive, and cost-effective parenting.