What I’m Watching: Modern Family

Modern Family: Season 6, Episode 11 “The Day We Almost Died” (C)

This comedy’s first effort in the new year is hardly a resounding success, an attempt at a dramatic catalyst for a thought-provoking humorous half-hour that just doesn’t land. Showing the same starting moment for each specific character focus throughout the episode was an irritating device, and it didn’t lead to any creative comedy. The most unapologetically unoriginal plotline was Haley being grateful for not having lost her phone and Alex thinking that she was talking to her. Alex’s makeover was too atrocious to be believed, and then it just turned into Alex slamming Haley on the floor with her martial arts skills. Phil purchasing an animal for the house was a bit of a leap from helping Cam to fight for the correct color of his new laundering appliance. Claire trying to relinquish her controlling nature wasn’t a pretty sight, and Mitchell managed to have quite a bad day with Claire showing up to ambush him and get him robbed by a homeless man in the tunnel while on roller skates. Gloria babying Manny and then making him think that a criminal was within his sights wasn’t terribly compelling either. You know things haven’t gone well when Jay is clamoring to get in on a hug at the end of the episode. As we go into a Golden Globes ceremony where this show isn’t nominated in any category, I think I’m moving further and further away from the memory of this show being one of the funniest comedies on TV.