Modern Family: "Good Cop, Bad Dog"

Season 2, Episode 22

Clichés, Archetypes, and Characterization

I have written in the past about how Modern Family, for all its positive qualities, sometimes devolves into clichés. Yet as much as I and other critics winge about this fact, I think that we have to except on some level that this is going to happen from time to tim; I’m not saying that the show’s use of clichés is okay, but Modern Family’s premise essentially requires it to deal in archetypes, and the line between archetype and cliché is a lot thinner than we like to think. Such thought it essential to appreciating “Good Cop, Bad Dog,” an episode that both deals in cliché’s (and archetypes), yet somehow manages to rise above them by imbuing all the stories with good character moments.

“Honey, these are the parts that we’ve been playing. Is it just me, or is it working?”

-Phil

Of all of the complaints lodged against season two, one of the most prominent is that the show often seems content with having Claire operate as the nagging wife/mother, and not much else. Yes, the show has taken time to show that Claire can be loving, etc., but I maintain that they don’t do this enough, that they just rest on those few times we’ve seen her be something other than a nag for us to know that she is capable of doing so. Tonight’s episode took on a bit of a meta turn, as Claire, attempting to upend he children’s perception of her as the “Bad Cop” of the family, decides she will have fun with Luke (and Manny, for some reason), while Phil lays down the law with the girls.

Enter Cliché #1: The Spouse Swap. We’ve seen it a hundred times; in an attempt to undo an image, or just because they are bored, one spouse proposes (read: demands) that the two of them switch the roles of their dynamic. Usually it ends with both partners realizing that they are not fit for the role of the other, and it did so here tonight, but not in the expected ways. Most times, this cliché ends with both partners failing miserably, yet here Claire and Phil succeeded in their roles, albeit a little too well. Claire pushes fun down Luke’s throat till he pukes, and Phil takes his new Bad Cop role to far, denying his daughters lunch and duct taping their laptops shut in order to deny them computer privileges. Phil and Claire are the kinds of people who will throw themselves into anything, especially when they are trying to prove something to the other person. By couching this storyline in this dynamic – and using this storyline to address Claire’s more troubling aspects – the show managed (and I mean this in a good way) to draw our focus away from the tired structure at play here.

“It’s the one gay cliché I allow myself.”

-Mitchell

Here we go again. I have written three times now about how attempting to write well-crafted for gay characters is often  hindered by the fact that there has yet to evolve within our culture a “standard” as it were for these types of characters, a line to know when something is “true” and when something is “stereotypical”. This has often caused a big problem for Cam and Mitchell, who as characters often manage to breakdown gay stereotypes, yet also seem to end up in stereotypically gay situations. It is a difficult line for both the show and for me, as I sometimes end up in that difficult place between laughing with and at these characters. Take tonight’s plotline, which was motivated in part my Mitchell’s desire to attend a Lady Gaga concert, but soon ended up in the most effective mode for these two: showing a gay couple acting out a scene from a “traditional” marriage.

Enter Cliché #2: The Sick Partner Whose Illness encroaches on the Other’s Happiness. Though usually this plotline is considered dramatically “weaker” that Cliché #1, as it is usually meant only for laughs and not to tell us something new about the characters, tonight the show managed to make it stronger, both for the reason stated above, and for the fact that it did tell us something new about the characters.

We know that Cam can be needy, and we know that Mitchell can be dismissive. This plot fits their dynamic well in this regard. But it also manages to show us something that the show doesn’t always communicate all that well: Why these two are together. Though Mitchell may become irritated at Cam’s overly-emotional nature at times, it turns out he secretly loves it, for as needy as Cam may be when he’s sick, he’s also super caring of Mitchell when he falls ill. And Cam understands that Mitchell….okay, so maybe we didn’t get to see that side of their two-way street. But I’m willing to accept this shortcoming as I feel we received enough information on these two tonight.

“I need a man who challenges me, who tells me no. Instead, I have Jay.”

-Gloria

And here is where my cliché theory comes to an end, and my archetype theory picks up. (At least I’m assuming “wife surprises husband with a stranger who has a business proposal to shill” isn’t a cliché.) But stay with me; while archetypes can be rich additions to any story, often times they can feel false or shoehorned. Take tonight’s return of the hacky voiceover, where Gloria mentioned Archetype #1: The Opposites Mates Who Are a Perfect Match. Is such a saying true? Yes. Does it apply to all of the couples here? Yes. But did this episode properly set up this statement? Probably not.

Though placing Phil & Claire and Cam & Mitchell into this archetype based on what we saw tonight was a bit of a stretch, it worked perfectly for Jay and Gloria, especially with the conversation about how one partner need to be the one to say “no.” Though Guillermo and his dog treats were a bit too wacky for my taste (and adding in Gloria’s adoption of the dog became Too Much Plot), it was the perfect showcase for the two personalities to bounce off of one another, and that’s all I really look for in a Jay and Gloria plot. So in that regard, all was right with the Pritchett household.

Clichés are bad. Subverting clichés is good. As long as Modern Family can do the latter as opposed to the former, it hits a television sweet spot. But even when the show falls into clichés – as it did tonight – it’s good to know that the show can soften the blow considerably by masking them under the make-up of characterization.

Quotes, Etc.:

The only good thing about Luke’s report card? He didn’t lose it.

“So…how do this usually start?”

“She’s got a big heart. It’s the one thing I’d like to change about her.”

“We could sell the tickets online…oh, wait, there’s that Craigslist Killer.”

“You were surprised because it’s not true.”

“Welcome to the ground floor.” “Actually, she’s peeing on the ground floor.”

“Note to Claire: If you want intense family drama, rent Spy Kids.”

“Guillermo, your ambition is infectious. Clearly, my wife needs to be inoculated.”

“Dad, we haven’t had lunch yet.” “Neither have half the kids in Africa. Get back to work.”

“I don’t like being you.” “Nobody does.”

“Excuse me miss, are there any naked ladies who can shake it for my family.”