What I’m Watching: Modern Family

Modern Family: Season 8, Episode 2 “A Stereotypical Day” (C)

I’m debating whether I should continuing reviewing or even watching this show since I just don’t find it funny anymore, and it’s not that enjoyable to trash it every week. This episode skipped a few steps to show its characters where they were a long way into their current plotlines, and while I’m not sure that seeing how they got there would have been any better, it just added to this show’s constant problem of being so plotted out. Phil getting locked in a room and having the doorknob fall off was the biggest instance of that, since, as usual, Ty Burrell was off in his own universe acting out Phil’s plotlines. There’s a reason that Burrell is the only member of the cast still nominated for an Emmy each year, but unfortunately his material isn’t anywhere near as good as it used to be. I feel like we’ve already seen Claire as the killjoy at her office, though everyone immediately stopping having any fun the moment she walked into a room was excessive, and Alex has also been the at-home bummer before. That’s a recycled plotline we don’t need to go back to, and at least we had both Luke and Haley stealing Alex’s homework so that they wouldn’t have to learn anything in school. Manny being a communist now was about as random as Joe wanting to live outside, and Gloria being angry at the remote was hardly a sophisticated subplot. Mitchell and Cameron being excited that Lily is supporting a transgender child was at least somewhat creative, and Jay did make an interesting point about their tolerance as he fought unsuccessfully to not seem like a racist.