What I’m Watching: Modern Family

Modern Family: Season 6, Episode 14 “Valentine’s Day 4: Twisted Sister” (C)

When an episode’s title has a number as high as four in it, maybe it’s a sign that a show has outlived its originality to an extent. I remember the first time we met Clive Bixby and Juliana being extremely funny, and Claire getting her entire dress caught in the escalator was decidedly unforgettable. At this point, both the characters and the audience are tired of the expected, and Claire treating Phil as Phil only to realize that he was so much more enthralled by Juliana than by here didn’t result in too many laughs. The best part of the ordeal was the ending scene in which Phil refused to let Claire in because he was still pretending she was Juliana. Gloria’s sister didn’t get to do much aside from show up and inflate Jay’s ego while complicating his Valentine’s Day in a major way. Getting caught trying to seduce Jay on the baby monitor and having Gloria burst in to explode at her was a funny finish, but the rest of the plotline didn’t really pay off. Cam and Mitch didn’t get a Valentine’s Day story, and instead they got to repetitively give and steal gifts, which wasn’t particularly amusing. I guess kids aren’t allowed to show up in Valentine’s Day episodes, unless they’re Manny? It was strange not to have the three Dunphy kids around, and I’m not complaining about Lily’s absence since she doesn’t add nearly as much comedy to the show on a regular or consistent basis.