What I’m Watching: Modern Family

Modern Family: Season 7, Episode 2 “The Day Alex Left for College” (B)

The second installment of this season was about the same as the first, relatively harmless but not too funny all-around. I did laugh a few times, which is something I haven’t done much with this show over the past few years, and therefore I appreciated this episode more than I’ve appreciated many recent offerings involved the Dunphy-Pritchett clan. Alex leaving for college actually turned out to be the strongest plotline, as she departed a day early with her sister rather than her tearful parents, giving them each just five seconds to hug her (which reminds me now of Cam’s famous 45-second hug with Jay). It was very amusing to see a hyperactive girl who was the opposite of Alex in so many ways show up as her unexpected roommate, and I loved just how much Haley was enjoying it. The dramatic resolution of Haley telling Alex that it’s nice to have someone worship you was sweet, as was their extended hug. Phil also had his bonding moment with Luke, who seemed to want to spend more time with his friends and his new look than his old dad but then got him duck eggs for them to hatch together. The house that made no sense with multiple floors somehow being on level was quite a trip and good for a few chuckles. Gloria literally shooting Jay in the foot to avoid going to Lily’s soccer game was a bit much, but I did like the effort they all put in to find an excuse to skip family time. Cam and Mitch’s stressed life was also fun to watch because of their reactions, and we learned an important lesson that French toast can mean more than one thing.