It's incredible how packed the dialogue of Modern Family is. Everywhere you turn is a clever line, and they don't stop coming until the end of the episode. The stories don't have to be unique or groundbreaking for the episodes to be good. The separate family stories aren't as strong, but that doesn't mean the show is any less funny.
Jay inadvertently kills Manny's pet tortoise hilariously named Shel Turtlestein (the other pet names were just as good, Zsa Zsa Gaboa!!). Like any responsible parent, the goes to great lengths to cover up the truth, creating a scene to incriminate a raccoon. Manny questions how it happened, and Jay comes up with excuse after excuse. Finally, Manny catches Jay who readily admits his part. They end of forgiving each other for one incident.
Mitchell gets into lots of trouble when he refuses to take any more from his bosses. After missing Lily do many things for the first time, he snaps and quits his job. Sure, the "modern family" consists of rich people, but they still have financial problems without jobs.
Phil has been dabbling around on Facebook, talking to his ex-girlfriend. Like all text that goes across the internet, it's hard to get what people really mean. I've been guilty of not being clear when I'm trying to be sarcastic. Phil's ex-girlfriend played by Judy Greer comes over for drinks, and Claire is wary at first. She warms to Phil's ex, but his ex soon makes her moves. Phil eventually puts an end to things, but not before both his ex and Claire realize that Phil may have been dating both at the same time.
Score: 9.2/10
