What I’m Watching: Modern Family

Modern Family: Season 6, Episode 23 “Crying Out Loud” (C+)

As usual, my quibble with this show is that it is always either too literal or too suggestive and never both at the same time. The way that each plot point arises also requires considerable suspension of disbelief, something that this show shouldn’t need. You’d think that Claire would try to have a more direct conversation with her father about whether he really wants to have her stay at the company and pass up a better opportunity rather than just assuming that his tearfully looking at a photo of her in his office contradicted everything he has ever indicated to her about his feelings. Phil, Haley, and Luke forcing Alex to miss school on Senior Skip Day was a fun idea, but the actual field trip was pretty silly. I don’t buy that Haley would ask Alex if she was ever going to call her since she too never wears her emotions on her sleeve or expresses them in a way that makes it seem like she cares about other people. That questionable exchange came at the same time as a very staged physical routine that was played entirely for laughs and didn’t turn out to be terribly funny. Lily growing up never does much for me, and Mitchell serving as the unemotional one to Cam’s permanent bucket is nothing new. While Gloria trying to prevent her son’s latest relationship from continuing wasn’t all that spectacular, I do appreciate that it gave Gloria something to do other than stutter through English or have people stare at her.