What I’m Watching: Modern Family

Modern Family: Season 7, Episode 21 “Crazy Train” (B)

This episode gets points for creativity, if nothing else. Setting the episode on a train allowed it to be more inventive and turned out to be much more entertaining than a lot of the destinations this show has traveled to in search of comedy. As Mitchell pointed out, saying “hello!” at the end of every joke doesn’t necessarily make it funny. Fortunately, this episode did turn out to be mostly entertaining. Phil and Cameron running into their favorite author, played by Simon Templeman from “House of Lies,” and ruining his book after he tried to get rid of them by giving them a chapter was a fun use of their time, resulting in them acting the entire thing out to find a way it could work before Haley ruined it and then a newly intelligent Luke showed up to solve it again. Luke’s interest in an older woman led to an unexpected geography lesson, something that Luke accepted even though he really didn’t want to learn. Alex’s time spent in “steerage” was mildly amusing, and of course it all ended with a stolen wallet and a visit from a confused Manny. I’ve never seen a meaner train crew, and you’d think they’d at least give passengers the chance to show their tickets before shouting them down as trying to move up into a different class. Jay struggling to get Dede’s new stepson not to tell his father to call off the wedding was fun, and the fact that Dede is ultimately just as crazy as her new arsonist husband was great. Will the wedding be the main focus of the finale? We’ll see – it could be enjoyable.