What I’m Watching: Modern Family

Modern Family: Season 8, Episode 8 “The Alliance” (B-)

One thing that isn’t often covered on this show is the difference between the Pritchett family and the people who chose to marry into it. We know that Mitchell, Claire, and Jay are much more alike than they would prefer to admit, and to see their spouses united in occasional misery and intimidation is decently entertaining. Cam was never subtle, and the sight of Mitchell holding a pitcher of orange juice when he claimed to be running out to purchase the very same thing was entertaining. Gloria dealing with the Russian tenants upstairs by speaking just a few lines of broken Russian to intimidate them worked well, but the whole scheme was fated to fall apart once their spouses caught on to how strange they were acting. In this show’s typical style, getting the Pritchetts to vindictively decide on Italy as a vacation spot was all part of their plan and they were very pleased with themselves for planting the idea along the way. Phil being subject to the effects of the dog collar paled in comparison to that far more worthwhile card-crushing scene a few seasons back, but there’s no denying his skill with physical comedy. Haley having to babysit Rainer’s daughter was a fun subplot, giving her the opportunity to see how horrible teenage girls can be and then turning into her mother - speaking of Pritchetts - when she finally broke and yelled at her for being such an ungrateful, obnoxious brat. I don’t see her having a child anytime soon, so it’s good for her to skip straight to the teenage years.