Season 3, Episode 7
Comedies don’t have to be substantial in order to be
good. Sometimes – okay, most of the time – it is acceptable for them to just be
funny in a way that’s true to the characters and doesn’t rely on tired or lazy
situations. Now, as I’ve said before, being a family sitcom puts Modern Family in a tenuous position, as in
this genre, perhaps more than any other that’s not science fiction, it becomes
really had to determine the line between archetype and cliché. And while it “Treehouse”
wasn’t a perfect episode, but it mostly stayed on the right side of those
lines, and it was better for it.
But let’s back up for a second. Tonight’s episode was
billed as a star-studded episode. Now, there is of course the debatable level
of those stars – Chaz Palminteri, Jennifer Tilly, Leslie Mann, and Kevin Hart –
who really don’t rise above “hey, it’s that guy” status. But what was
particularly interesting what how these guest start are used. In the family sitcoms
of the 80s and 90s – a format the show is clearly indebted to – guest stars
(true guest stars, not the C-level acts on displays tonight) would be forced
into stories in the most obtuse way possible, as networks sought to get the
most airtime out of a star as possible. So it’s interesting that Modern Family didn’t take that track,
that all of the guests were relegated to fairly small roles with the narrative.
Sure it might have been a product of these stars low caliber, and it robbed
some talented people of a chance to show off its skill, but it’s admirable that
this episode focused more on the characters we know than resorting to some
cheap gimmicks.
And no plot better signifies that than Cam’s story, which
saw him attempting to prove his charm by acting straight and getting a woman’s
phone number. Now, there were a few marks against this episode – it was fairly
predictable that she didn’t buy Cam as a straight man, a reveal which seemed to
undercut the plot’s subversion of gay stereotypes – but luckily the story stuck
to what worked, and that was an exploration of Cam’s pride and self-delusion.
Along those lines, Jay and Gloria’s plotline, gave us
another insight into their relationship, and why they still work as a couple,
despite their age difference and divergent tastes. It’s a story that’s been
told before, but here it not only allows Jay to team up with Manny once again,
but it also serves as yet another sweet reminder of just how much that they
mean to each other. (I also love that Jay’s love for Gloria goes so deep that he
would risk taking illegal drugs just so he can do something that she wants.
Even better, it turns out Mitchell only gave his baby aspirin, which both show
the power of Jay’s love that he doesn’t need drugs to undertake what he considers
torturous activity for Gloria’s sake, and it undermines the “gay men use ecstasy
in clubs” stereotype that the show seemed to being using.)
The titular plot, wherein Phil attempts to build a tree
house for Luke, was the one I was most worried about going into tonight’s
episode, and that may be why I enjoyed it as much as I did, even if it was
highly inconsequential. Yes, it is a plot that’s been done in many sitcoms past,
but I think it avoided most of the trappings. Though this is usually a time
that’s all about how incompetent men are at building things, and that’s the
angle this story took, it’s helpful that we know Phil to be an incompetent man
in many of his endeavors (just check the callback to “the step”) and so it didn’t
feel forced here. (Also helpful: the limited screen time mean it didn’t get too
old too quick). But this wasn’t really about Phil’s incompetence, it was about
his quest to recapture his youth, at a time when he had real friends, and this
tree house not only allowed him to reminisce, it also won him a new friend,
Andre (Hart).
Modern Family
is never going to be groundbreaking comedy, as much as I feel like it should
be. It’s the old family sitcom style wrapped up in some new packaging. But when
the show applies those modern day sensibilities more directly, as did here
tonight by placing character over hackneyed plot, that’s when it really shines,
and I’m reminded of why I once loved it, and how I could possibly grow to love
it once again.
Quotes, Etc:
As far as that D-plot: Yes, Claire leaving Haley out in
the middle of nowhere was mean, but I’m a sucker for life lesson and schadenfreude, and it was also pretty
damn funny, so it gets a pass from me.
Kevin Hart’s appearance will only be worth it if he
becomes a recurring character. Search you feelings; you know it to be true.
Jay and Shorty are so similar, they both marry younger,
large-chested women. Of course. (I guess that confirms the fact that Shorty isn’t
gay, for all you continuity nerds.)
“If you let me keep that, those geese would have followed
me to the wetlands.”
“It’s ironic, like the Gift of the Vagi.”
“Raccoons can and will get up here, so don’t leave any
food up here, because they will get territorial, and they will attack.”
“Gabby’s mom is a hoarder. That essay practically writes
itself.”
“I won cutest baby at the 1974 Jasper County fair. People
say I could go Gerber.”
“It was like that scene from Beauty and the Beast.
Actually, that was the song. Manny picked it; he didn’t like me back then.”
“I find if that you say ‘Are you dad, are you?’, he’ll
grow silent and won’t notice when you walk off.”
“You’re the whole package. I just prefer someone who has
one.”
“You’re psychotic!” “Use spell check!”
“Plus he’s a badass black man who gives me tons of street
cred…That was his joke.”
I’m a big fan of sitcoms and when they introduced the style of show like The Office where it was like a fake reality show but not filmed in front of a live audience I hated the idea until Modern Family came along. I was laughing so hard when Cam is explaining to the woman he picked up in the bar that he is actually gay because he thought she was convinced he was straight; poor Cam. Honestly I wouldn’t even have time to watch TV if I didn’t get a free DISH Network Sling adapter that gives me live or recorded TV from my employee DVR anywhere I go. Now with my iPhone and Galaxy Tab I watch when I have spare time and still spend quality time with my family when I get home.
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