My Modern Thoughts On Last Night's Modern Family

Modern Family has now hopped into its sophomore year, after being all the rave in its debut season. I've confessed my Modern Family love before on this blog, and did not hide the fact I was eagerly anticipating its return to television (well, technically it never left, since you had its dry leftovers all summer, but that can only sustain you for so long when you know there is fresh, warm episodes right around the corner). Despite my unapologetic love for the show, I do have to admit I was a little nervous before the season premiere last week. Modern Family had an incredibly strong first season, so strong that it won numerous awards (including the Emmy for Best Comedy) and quickly became the critics' darling. It hit it big so quickly, that I had a few worries it would run out of fresh and hilarious material just as quickly. TV shows always have a peak period, and then tend to start resting on their laurels after that ( or completely losing their way), and so, I think I was a little justified in being worried that Modern Family may hit that wall rather quickly since it found success almost immediately.

After watching last week's premier, I almost believed that my fears were being justified. Don't get me wrong, it was a good episode and I even laughed at parts. It was funny and smart. BUT it wasn't Modern Family funny and smart. I really feel the show set a rather lofty standard for the current crop of sitcoms. It is a standard that the show itself may have a hard time measuring up to. I felt that the premier episode missed the mark a bit. The show often tries to find a balance between being extremely funny, but also having a relevant message about. . . well, the modern family (duh!). I thought, the premier was trying too hard to convey a message, and not enough on being outright hilarious. And if the message was really profound and powerful, then I'd have given them a pass, but it really wasn't. Though, it also gave me a complete season of non stop awesome, so that afforded them the pass anyway and I hoped, it was only a little premier jitters rather than a sign of what the sophomore season would be like.

I can now say with confidence, that after watching last night's second episode of the season, that my fears were completely and indisputably unwarranted. Last night's episode was absolutely hilarious while also maintaining the usual Modern Family warmth and charm. It hit the perfect balance and proved the writers definitely still have it.

I am not going to bother recapping the show because a) you can find that rather easily elsewhere b) there is a strong likelihood if you're reading this that you already watched the show or c) you're going to be watching it soon thus don't want it spoiled. Instead, I do want to mention I think the chemistry on this show is really what makes it so great. The interaction with Jay and Phil throughout the episode was pure gold, especially how Phil was trying his very best to impress Jay but so awkwardly failing. The topper was near the end when Phil was clearly expecting some type of thanks (would you want a kiss from your father-in-law?), which lead to a few seconds of uneasy exchange. The whole 'affection intervention' was fantastic and really demonstrated where this show shines when it comes to comedy. Of course, the entire 30 minutes was peppered with hilarious one liners and asides. I also got a real kick out of Gloria's version of revenge on Jay for slandering her culture. The whole ghost storyline was underdeveloped, but still pretty good for a few strong laughs. All in all, it was probably one of my favourite episodes and made me very confident we're lined up for a fantastic season.

On a totally different note, Google has informed me that it is the 50th anniversary of The Flintstones. So really, I only have one option for ending today's post.

Yabba Dabba Doo!