What I’m Watching: Modern Family

Modern Family: Season 4, Episodes 2 and 3 “Schooled” and “Snip” (B+)

After a so-so season premiere two weeks ago, this show rebounds in a big way with two episodes high in hilarity. Each family unit is going through a distinctly different stage in terms of their children: Jay and Gloria welcoming a new baby, Cameron and Mitchell sending Lily to kindergarten, and Phil and Claire dealing with Haley going off to college. I very much enjoyed the appearance of the lesbian moms in the first episode of the evening, and Cameron and Mitchell’s visual Venn Diagrams were the best part. Phil making a Haley Dunphy Moving Company t-shirt and protesting Claire buying Haley condoms was typically amusing, but nothing could compare to the extremely funny excerpts from Phils-osophy, which I think should be published as a real book. Gloria and Jay’s parenting class was the weakest of the plotlines, but I liked their focus on burrito comparisons. In episode three, Cameron’s refusal to even talk about going back to work created some funny scenarios, namely his ready-packed suitcase for Mitchell, complete with tissues and chocolate. Gloria’s inability to comprehend the fact that she did in fact look pregnant was a bit too obvious, but it played well for a few laughs. Phil’s nervousness about his vasectomy was quite understandable, and I like that, even in the middle of a tender moment, Jay found time to use Phil’s always convenient ads to mock him without his knowledge. Claire slowly realizing that her kids do appreciate her was a nice dramatic touch, and while I don’t think another baby is the answer, it’s good to see sentiment every once in a while.