What I’m Watching: Modern Family

Modern Family: Season 6, Episode 10 “Haley’s 21st Birthday” (C+)

When awards show nominations were unveiled last week, it’s interesting to see how Screen Actors Guild members still like their own, rewarding Ty Burrell, Eric Stonestreet, Julie Bowen, and the ensemble with repeat nominations, while the Golden Globes dumped Sofia Vergara and the show itself for the first time in its history. I’m of the opinion that this show is still better than some, but it’s lost much of its magic and creativity. This installment represents what’s most often problematic about this show, which is that it’s theoretically funny but then ends up being way too choreographed to be effective or, more importantly, actually funny. The best and most lamentable example of that is Lily asking her older cousins about how babies are made, which dragged on for a while before she revealed to her befuddled relatives that, despite her confidence, she in fact had no idea what she was talking about. It wasn’t hard to figure out where Jay’s overconfidence in thinking that he could get the better deal on a car was going, though I did expect Phil to prevail and be able to score his original price instead of Jay bribing the salesman to say that he gave him the deal. At least we got to see Phil light up at the notion that Jay actually what he thinks of him. I wasn’t too taken with the gay men dancing with overeager women at the bar, and it was much more entertaining to see Haley open up to her mother in an ill-advised way. Claire ending up with a tattoo was definitely not expected and, while out of character to a degree, still enjoyable.