What I’m Watching: Modern Family

Modern Family: Season 3, Episode 19 “Election Day” (B+)

Whenever the extended Dunphy-Pritchett clan bands together to something, it’s a recipe for unlikely success and uninhibited hilarity. Claire’s dual tooth mishaps were quite inconvenient, and Julie Bowen handles the physical comedy very well. I loved how everyone tried to help out, and how they summarized just how little they did after Claire enthusiastically thanked them for their contributions. Cameron and Mitchell’s megaphone usage was probably the most obviously funny, as they got too caught up in it and didn’t realize they were broadcasting their thoughts and their gossip to everyone around them. Jay’s run-in with a former flame was amusing, especially since that’s a side of him we haven’t seen before. Gloria’s inability to remember and describe animals was great, and I liked Manny’s reaction to Jay giving him notes – “I didn’t bring a pen.” Phil driving Philip Baker Hall’s Walt around to get food, pills, air, and everything else he needed was wonderful, and the fact that Walt didn’t even want to vote because he didn’t want to be told what to do was very entertaining. Phil’s convertible sign that easily switched from “Congratulations” to “Condolences” was brilliant, and I like how the family ended up gathered around Haley as she opened her fifth college notice, celebrating her getting waitlisted as a monumental achievement. The closing credits provided a fantastic end that likely and rightly won’t lead to anything, as Claire discovered the stop sign her victorious opponent had put up in honor of her defeat, which was ignored by a passing driver, prompting Claire to vow to get a speed bump installed.