What I’m Watching: Modern Family

Modern Family: Season 5, Episode 3 “Larry’s Wife” (B+)

I’m delighted to find that this show is still very funny five years in, even more dependable and reliable than it was in season four. All of this episode’s plotlines were decently entertaining, and it was nice to see each and every character used to great effect. Phil taking on too many divorced women as clients and ending up having to juggle his time between convincing all of them that they were his first priority was funny, and Claire got the perfect revenge when she saw him at the supermarket and got the chance to insult him while pretending to complain about her ex-husband. Back at the Dunphy house, it was a rare opportunity to see all three kids work together for one common goal. It might have been better to actually see the poker game, but the snapshot summaries we got from Luke, Haley, and Alex were perfectly adequate. Mitchell getting stuck in the vent was given exactly the right amount of time, while Cam’s lavish fake pet funeral was quite funny. Gloria being concerned about the curse was not entirely creative but also given an appropriate level of focus. Jay and Manny’s trip to the movies was among their best interactions in a long time, allowing them both to express their rage at people who were disrupting their pleasant experiences at the movies. Though I have a hard time believing that Manny actually liked “Death Wish,” it was well worth it, particularly for Gloria’s hilarious confusion of the film with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. More episodes like this, please!