Review - Modern Family Season 3 Episode 5 Hit and Run

I was a big Modern Family fan in the first season and looked forward to every episode. Now, I would be fine missing an episode here or there or, if I were forced to, not watching altogether. My general apathy towards the show extends to "Hit and Run," which is not a bad episode, just nothing special.

There's Cam and Mitchell at odds, Phil's well-intentioned screw ups, Haley getting trouble, and a lot of Gloria (in more ways than one). It's amusing, but I didn't really find myself laughing. What's more promising is Claire's run for city council. She's not only running against David Cross, who's great as the smug politician, but it also gives her something more to do for multiple episodes.

Score: 8.5/10

Review - Modern Family Season 3 Episode 4 Door to Door

Modern Family is a hit or miss show, usually with one plot (Cam and Mitchell's most often) which doesn't work well. "Door to Door" has some great moments, but also more misses than usual. The three parties--Manny and Jay, Gloria and Cam, and Claire--end up canvassing the neighbor, and the sequence of cuts is very funny. This point, tying together three threads, was pretty clever and took me by surprise. Manny boosting Jay's ego to get the sale also took me by surprise and I liked how that played out.

Unfortunately, the other plots didn't have as much creativity. Cam and Mitchell have their usual freak out plot where they start screaming and tossing things around, though the adoption agency person coming through the door at the end was a great twist. Gloria finding Stella felt like something the writers tossed in either to fill in time or so Sofia Vergara got something to do.

Score: 8.3/10

Review - Modern Family Season 3 Episode 3 Phil on Wire

The return to the three plots per episode format reminds me that Modern Family works best when the show consolidates the characters. There's a lot going on in "Phil on Wire," but little of it felt important. Gloria off being annoyed at the dog and Phil managing to walk on a tightrope could have been taken out of the episode, because they contributed nothing to the episode (and Claire thinking Phil was showing his daughters what to do was a big stretch).

The main plot of the episode, Haley and Alex being in the same class, had much more substance, and I'd like to see it revisited in the future. Haley and Alex interacting is always great and this dynamic has lots of potential that the constraints of this episode tied down.

Mitch and Cam's plot was fun, mostly due to Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson, but the climax was the same as it is every week--one of them turning into a blubbering idiot. It seems like either one or both of them has to completely break down at the climax each week before calming down. Do the writers think that's why gay men do?

Score: 7.9/10

Review - Modern Family Season 3 Episode 1 Dude Ranch / 2 When Good Kids Go Bad

There seems to be a lot of people resentful of Modern Family's award success while better shows, such as Community and Parks and Recreation, are routinely ignored. While I don't believe Modern Family's sweep at the Emmys last Sunday was justified, I don't think there should be unfair backlash against the show for it. The show is still plenty funny and the two hours starting the season reflect that.

"Dude Ranch," the first installment of the night, doesn't have much of a central plot besides Dylan leaving the show to become a ranch hand. But, set in Wyoming, the episode leaves plenty of time for the characters to interact with the setting. The comedic timings of all the actors are so great that they can be funny with any situation, and especially in a special outdoors episode.

"When Good Kids Go Bad" returns to more familiar territory with the family back at home. There is a theme of people stealing, lying, etc and Sofia Vergara is hilarious as she tries to cover up Manny's theft. The episode ends with the funniest scene of either episode, with Claire busting out the video of Phil knocking her over. Julie Bowen's Emmy win appears to be well-deserved.

The most conspicuous change in the new season is Lily. Gone is the old Lily, the baby that sat there and did nothing. The new Lily talks and, based on my memory, is a lot bigger than the older one. I'm not sure the difference is realistic, but it doesn't matter too much because Lily finally has something to do.

Score: 8.9/10

Review - Modern Family Season 2 Episode 24 The One That Got Away

While "The One That Got Away" doesn't have the pomp of the graduation episode last week, it hits several striking, sweet notes and ends the season in a high note as expected. There are the jokes of misunderstanding along the way, but the episode is somewhere in the middle in terms of humor. What comes out in the end, though, to elevate the episode higher than a normal one is how it brings everyone's experiences together. Instead of being grumpy, Jay decides to be happy for what there is. After playing catch with Manny, Cam realizes he wants a son. Phil tells Claire how much she means to him after meeting his old rival. Those moments all come through with enough force and really grabbed me.

Score: 9.0/10

Review - Modern Family Season 2 Episode 23 See You Next Fall

I think "See You Next Fall" was originally intended to be the season finale. Its name has lots of meaning behind it since the characters fall down a lot and  the show is returning during the fall. There is also a sense of completion, Alex graduating from middle school. It's probably inconsequential in the long run, but it's a big milestone for Alex in her short lifespan.

Instead of the three-plot system which made up a majority of the worse episodes this season, it brings all the characters together for a funny time. At the heart of the episode is Claire and Phil, who realize that their younger daughter is entering high school and may forever be changed. Despite Phil's initial goal of inducing her freak-out, his maturity comes on as he realizes the implication alongside Claire.

For the laughs, there are a couple gags going on. Jay gets Botox and half of his face is left stiff and Cam keeps getting into minor accidents while the Pritchetts laugh at him to his dismay. But that was the least of it, because Phil and Claire rolling down the hill to get to the graduation had to be the funniest part of the episode, and Cam agreed.

What disappointed me was that Alex falls in line and delivers the speech everyone wanted to hear instead of what she really thought. I mean, those same people who disliked her will still talk about her behind her back and see her as the nerd. In the end, it's not like anything changes, despite what those cheers might indicate. In a more subjective complaint, I didn't like the content of her speech either. Yes, everyone has their problems, but the degree of culpability in their problems is also something to consider. If Haley might not go college because she doesn't study enough (which we frequently see), then that's her problem. Haley has far more opportunity than most people--money, a good school, good family life--and yet she's complaining about college when she clearly does not put any effort in it. She'd probably argue that she less intelligent than her peers, which is probably true, but guess what? No one cares--study twice as much.

Score: 9.0/10

All missed reviews

Here are the short reviews for shows I missed through the week. I included reviews for shows I've stopped reviewing to balance things out. Also, you might have notice that reviews for Breaking In and The Good Wife are still missing. Blogger still hasn't restored them, but since the Glee review was restored, I assume the other posts should follow. If that does not happen by Monday, I repost them. (If you really want to read them, they're on Insidepulse TV.)

Body of Proof Season 1 Episode 8 Buried Secrets: "Buried Secrets" is a reminder that Body of Proof is a mash up of different shows. Every part of the episode has been done before in large amounts, but Body of Proof does them well, which makes the show worth watching.

Modern Family Season 2 Episode 22 Good Cop Bad Dog: I normally find plots of Modern Family to be somewhat realistic, but Jay and Gloria’s plot with Guillermo and the dog seemed like it belonged on Breaking In instead of Modern Family. But Phil and Claire were great in the episode, and realistic, so it mostly balanced out.

The Chicago Code Season 1 Episode 11 Black Sox: I’m not particularly interested in Jarek and his lady problems, especially since it’s been one of the least developed plots. It looks like Gibbons is finally making his move, whatever that they be. We originally thought he put a hit out on Teresa, but that turned out wrong. Is he capable of ordering her murder if she gets too close?

House Season 7 Episode 21 The Fix: It was really out of the blue for House to suddenly decide to fix himself with an experimental rat drug. But this contrivance does put House in some kind of danger. That’s better than nothing, right? OK, maybe not, but we should see what the writers do first before casting too much judgment.

The Big Bang Theory Season 3 Episode 23 The Engagement Reaction: Priya wasn’t mean in this episode for once. She talks to Penny without being bitchy and is actually fine with Leonard being near Penny. The Raj stuff was again weak and random, but that’s to be expected. As far as the main story goes, the stuff between Howard and his mother was hilariously creepy, especially when Bernadette yelling reminded me of Howard’s mother while Howard thought it was sexy.

Parks and Recreation Season 3 Episode 13 The Fight / 14 Road Trip: Two episodes of Parks and Recreations!! And if that wasn't good enough, next week has two more episodes! While I enjoyed both episodes, I would give the edge to “The Fight.” There were so many great moments with the actual fight, Snake Juice, and Ron. Ben and Leslie finally make out in “Road Trip,” so there was development on that front for once.

The Office Season 7 Episode 24 Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager: Dwight is a guy who often expresses wacky ideas, but since he’s never in a position of power, nothing really comes of it. Well, this was Dwight’s chance to shine. Unfortunately, his excessive regulation in the office ends up with him shooting a gun in the office and eventually being demoted. The episode has the Dwight and Jim dynamic that was been lessened over the years, so that was nice to see. And as Jim tells Dwight, Dwight did one good thing in making all the orders on time.

The Mentalist Season 3 Episode 22 Rhapsody in Red: Before the two-hour season finale next week, The Mentalist dished up a fairly standard episode. Jane solves the crime while the rest of the team fills in the background. I did like, however, the increased attention on Cho, who is easily the funniest character other than Cho, and he got to tackle something close to home for once.

The Event Season 1 Episode 20 One Will Live, One Will Die: This new plot device the writer are using is the one where they show us part of what’s going on to mislead us. In the previous episode, it was the cocaine trafficker who turned out to be irrelevant, and in this episode, we only hear half of the phone call. To be honest, it’s plain stupid.

Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 23 Ua Hiki Mai Kapalena Pau: "Ua Hiki Mai Kapalena Pau" heads directly into the season finale, mixing a standard standalone plot with the only search for Wo Fat and Chin Ho’s admission of guilt to stealing the money. The episode is tense, with the whole island potentially in danger, but as always, the day is saved.

Blue Bloods Season 1 Episode 22: The first season of Blue Bloods ended with a resolution to the Blue Templar plot, which chugged slowly along as the season went. It is resolved as expected, with the acknowledgement that the Blue Templars are just a couple of bad eggs in the basket. As always, the Reagans and police department come out looking like the greatest heroes ever.

Camelot Season 1 Episode 7 The Long Night: After last week’s snoozer, Camelot came back with a fairly strong episode. Morgan had some really nefarious schemes up her sleeves, deceiving Arthu and the rest of them, while stealing Igraine’s place at the end of the episode, using her shapeshifting ability. Oh, and gratuitous nudity!

Breakout Kings Season 1 Episode 10 Paid in Full: “Paid in Full” puts all the dirty laundry out there. The cons find out that Ray is not actually a Marshall and the audience and other cons learn that Lloyd was sent to prison for writing a fake prescription which ended in a girl dying. Charlie’s big speech at the end is a tinge disingenuous with his big “revelation” of a congenital heart defect, but it makes a point: everyone has their secrets and problems, but they have to trust each other. Considering what Shea was doing in the previous episodes, there is still a lot to be resolved.

Treme Season 2 Episode 3 On Your Way Down: In an episode riddled with crime, there is an obvious standout, the rape of Ladonna, which was harrowing to say the least. The fallout is executed brilliantly with Khandi Alexander coming through. As the visible crime affects several characters, there is also an undeniable crime in the background being perpetrated against all New Orleans, Nelson’s slimy dealings with the city’s money.

Review - Modern Family Season 2 Episode 21 Mother's Day

When it comes to these event-type episodes, Modern Family usually does something larger than normal, like the Halloween, Valentine, etc episodes. "Mother's Day," though, is a fairly low-key episode. The plot doesn't spiral out of control and there isn't a running gag which is that funny. But the episode has an underlying sweetness to it, as the strength of family comes out in the end, making the episode very satisfying even if it wasn't at the top with regard to humor.

Score: 8.8/10

Review - Modern Family Season 2 Episode 20 Someone to Watch Over Lily

My main complaint about episodes of Modern Family has been the usage of Cam and Mitchell who rarely get much to do or have plots where things just go crazy. The writers put them to good use in "Someone to Watch Over Lily," not giving them the most screen time, but using them effectively in a supporting role, as Mitchell tries to decide who will be Lily's guardian in light of something happening to him or Cam.

Jay and Gloria are eventually picked after a bit of trouble. Cam sees Jay pushing Manny to climb the rock wall and it troubles him, because his parenting ideology is different. Likewise, Gloria gets Lily's ears pierced and the protective parents aren't too happy. But Jay isn't hard on Manny all the time and Gloria's enthusiasm should be enough, so Mitch and Cam come to a decision.

Claire and Phil are the other choices, but from their actions in the episode, it's no wonder they weren't chosen. After bringing Luke to a child psychologist, Claire blurts out that she doesn't want Luke to end up like Phil. All is well in the end, however, even after they leave Luke at the parking lot.

Haley and Alex get a plot of their own as Alex goes with Haley to vandalize the school. What could easily turn into pure silliness becomes a nice sister moment when Alex admits that she hates the cello and actually went to the wrong house for the lesson, but wants to continue because she's the only one in the family that can do these things.

Score: 9.0/10

Review - Modern Family Season 2 Episode 19 The Musical Man

When the plots of Modern Family falter, as they have several times this season, you can still rely on the clever word play of the writers to make the episode watchable. The Dunphy's plot about the horribly misplaced and badly worded ad on the van never went anywhere, but it had me laughing until the end of the episode. Balancing the humor Jay and his brother have some touching moments, which didn't have that many jokes.

All too often in season two, Cam and Mitch have been marginalized, and that was again the case. Cam has something more substantial to do this week, but the plot turns into the usual Cam going overboard thing. It's just tiresome at the end of the episode after Cam demands too much out of the kids when it's obvious the musical won't work out. Mitch, as usual, is afraid of being upfront, but tells the truth in the end. Perhaps the plot would work if the writers fleshed it out more, but that would also mean cutting back on the other plots, which they seem unwilling to do.

Score: 8.5/10

Review - Modern Family Season 2 Episode 18 Boys' Night

"Boys' Night" deviates from most of the previous episodes in that there are not three well-defined plots. Instead, there are two main plots--Jay hanging out with Cam and Mitchell's gay friends, and Phil and Claire dealing with their crotchety neighbor who Luke has befriended--and several other elements which pay off in the end.

Jay with the gays was the highlight of the episode, as one would expect Jay to feel weird and give some wide-eyed stares towards the camera. However, the writers turn it around, making Jay quickly befriend the group of guys which makes Mitch feel uneasy at first, but later allows him to open up as well. What's great is that the events the next day tie directly back into Jay ditching Gloria and Manny the night before. Jay wants Gloria to fake a serious condition to avoid shopping with Pepper, which she agrees to, until Pepper actually arrives and Gloria says everything is fine.

The other plot is rather predictable, with the old, seemingly mean guy actually turning out to be nice, but it was nice to see Phil and Claire completely on the same page this time around. Haley had something substantial to do this week, babysitting Lily for a night and defies all expectations by not messing up. Yes, she brings Dylan over, which Cam catches on the camera, but she promptly kicks him out.

What was the point of Alex randomly popping in to express her fear of something silly? It was far too brief to develop and was more awkward than funny.

Score: 9.0/10

Review - Modern Family Season 2 Episode 17 Two Monkeys and a Panda

Once again, the families are left separate with three distinct plots. One of these days I'm going to tally up the percentage of episodes with separate plots and compare them with last season, because something feels off. Anyway, there wasn't anything that bothered me about any of the plots, except that the format is inherently weaker than when the entire family is together.

Phil and Claire are mainly off doing their own things, as Phil goes to the spa and learns about women, while Claire runs around town trying to find the same sweater of Alex that Haley rips. It doesn't turn out well, but Phil, armed with knowledge of what Claire wants, is there to make her feel better.

Jay wants to buy a "drawer" for him and Gloria when they're dead, but this brings up an important issue: what if Jay dies long before Gloria does? That's certainly a possibly given their age difference. What if Gloria got remarried? Jay doesn't buy it and accepts what may happen in the future, which is very nice and understanding.

Cam and Mitchell fight over Lily's name, which is not hyphenated as Cam discovers. The plot explores Mitchell's former insecurities about the relationship and it really could have been extended. After enjoying Cam and Mitchell tonight, despite them still having little to do, a thought occurred to me. When it's an individual plot without the other family members, the two are better when there is literally no one else they talk with other than themselves. From my recollection, whenever they interact with other people, it just turns into a silly mess.

"Two Monkeys and a Panda" wasn't that funny to me, but I liked how it went deeper than the surface, exploring the various relationships to a degree we don't usually see.

Score: 8.9/10

Review - Modern Family Season 2 Episode 16 Regrets Only

My favorite part of Modern Family is when the writers are able to find clever ways to make different pairings than normal. Increasingly, though, the writers seem to be shying away from that in favor of three separate stories in each episode for the different families.

"Regrets Only" sets up the great tag team of Phil and Gloria to decipher exactly what Phil did wrong, so we get clips of Phil and Claire interspersed among Phil and Gloria in a hilariously awkward situation of boobs and potential throat-cutting. Meanwhile, Jay and Claire go to the mall which was became infinitely more funny when Alex, who is supposed to be working but actually doesn't have a job, spots her mom making "noises" while being massaged.

Cam and Mitch weren't as marginalized as they were in the past, but it's clear they were the lowest priority in the episode. Cam has a fundraiser and Mitch forgets sending the invitations, so the usual hijinks ensue. While it's not blatantly dumb like many of their plots as of late, the plot isn't expanded much beyond Mitch saving the day. Overall, even if Cam and Mitchell weren't given the proper respect they're due, "Regrets Only" was a funny episode for me.

Score: 9.0/10

Review - Modern Family Season 2 Episode 15 Princess Party

Nearly two-thirds of the way through Modern Family's second season, and consensus on the internet, from both critics and fans, is that the second season simply isn't as good as the first season. While the ratings have increased and the show continues to grab awards everywhere, you can see grumblings all over the internet. The large majority of criticism is fair (basically anything not, "This show sucks!!"). This season hasn't had the standout episode, and most episodes are based on run-of-the-mill misunderstandings. The writers used to be a spin on typical sitcom tropes, but now a lot of the plots are typical sitcom tropes.

"Princess Party" isn't spectacular, but it presents a typical sitcom trope--the return of an ex--with a couple unexpected twists. Claire's mother, Dede, brings Claire' high school boyfriend, Robbie Sullivan, to dinner and starts a very uncomfortable conversation about how they couldn't start touching each other. If that wasn't bad enough, Claire sees them making out outside.

But the situation is saved, at least partially, during Lily's birthday party, where Dede explains to Jay why she had to act this way. Mitchell and Cam teased us with the possibility of Fizbo's return, and we do get him to some extent--a tortured British version--but the real Fizbo is still out there, ready to return and shock us once again.

Score: 9.0/10

Review - Modern Family Season 2 Episode 14 Bixby's Back

Because I watched Parks and Recreation before Modern Family this week, it was still fresh in my mind when "Bixby's Back" turned in the direction of bring back Clive and Julianna, Phil and Claire's alter-egos, respectively. Parks brought back a character as well, Ron's crazy ex-wife, Tammy. The big difference, however, is that Parks meets, and even tops, the first outing while Modern Family sticks with the usual misunderstanding, leading to Clive being in the wrong room and almost arrested.

Mitch and Cam, as has been the case lately, have yet another dull, unimaginative plot with Mitchell's assistant seeming to have a crush on Mitch. In reality, he has a crush on Cam, another misunderstanding which resolves itself.

Thankfully, Gloria saves the day, avoiding another misunderstanding. Instead, she plays the ultimate prank on Jay, by screwing with his Valentine's Day plans and then pretending to be mad before the final reveal. Well played, Gloria.

Score: 8.4/10

Review - Modern Family Season 2 Episode 13 Caught in the Act

The main plot of "Caught in the Act" is very funny, with Claire and Phil caught have sex by their kids. Naturally, both parties completely freak out. Matters are complicated when Phil and Gloria show up to apologize to Claire about an scathing email accidentally sent. The initial conversation is hysterical, as Gloria's discussion of whipping and cupcakes evokes all sorts of double entendres. Eventually everything is resolved after Phil makes up a story about the email containing a naked photo of Gloria, and Phil and Claire talk to their kids. The episode doesn't have the emotional hook we're used to, but the humor was solid nonetheless.

Unfortunately, the Mitch and Cam plot doesn't work at all, beginning with the initial deception to the cliched bumbling fools trying to cover up a stain with more deception. It kind of relates to the "caught in the act" theme (if you really stretch to find the connection), but they detract from the main plot and we've seen Cam and Mitch get into these situations before. Saying or doing something accidentally just isn't novel anymore, especially when it's a singular, isolated plot.

About 80% of the episode is great (my estimation for how much time the main plot took), while the other 20% is a complete waste. Since Modern Family is using more separate plots as of late, I'd like to see a lot more consistency inside each episode.

Score: 8.7/10

Review - Modern Family Season 2 Episode 12 Our Children, Ourselves

Going through past reviews, I found that Modern Family hasn't done a single plot episode since the Halloween episode 6 episodes ago, only briefly dabbling with everyone together during Manny's birthday (that episode was still in mid-November). The biggest problem of the three separate plots format is that with each plot occupying an exact third of the episode, everything must be on point. In addition, the time alloted to each plot leaves tons of room for underdevelopment. When will we see more complete family and is the frequency decreased?

After not seeing Alex last week, it was kind of disappointing to see her slide into the background while Phil and Claire took over the plot. Luckily, the couple trying to top Sanjay's parents by watching a snooty French film instead of the octopus crocodile 3D movie was pretty great.

Mitchell and Cam engage in a very awkward case of misidentification with both believing that Mitchell has a child with his ex. When they go Chloe's house, they have a gift for the child--but he's actually a red-haired midget. Oops.

The Jay and Gloria plot is confounding to no end, with no relevance or direction, throwing random awkward scenes into the episode. I guess it tangentially relates to everything else because it is about a misunderstanding, but it's still not remotely funny.

Score: 8.5/10

Review - Modern Family Season 2 Episode 11 Slow Down Your Neighbors

Blogger is acting up, so I'll keep this super short and add on more in the morning if it is working better.

"Slow Down Your Neighbors" is a mixed bag for me. The biking lesson was hilarious and the creepy homeless guy plot was out of the norm, starting with Cam and Mitchell ogling over him before the whole thing blows up. On the other hand, Claire chasing around Phil's client was more confusing than anything else. Why couldn't Phil just calm Claire down for a moment, explain the facts, and quickly sell the house? I know that Phil isn't always the sharpest, but he wasn't overly aloof in the episode.

Score: 8.7/10

Review - Modern Family Season 2 Episode 10 Dance Dance Revelation

"Dance Dance Revelation" spends way too much time following the characters fighting each other. A normal episode will have a conflict here and there, stemming from understandable disagreements or misunderstandings. However, "Dance Dance Revelation" makes us dislike the characters.

After acting bitchy the entire episode, Claire claims she only cares about the dance which is why she went crazy when she saw Gloria intruding in her area. That still doesn't excuse her mean behavior. Cam and Mitchell fighting, literally, over Lily was just sad. Like the other overreacting family members, Jay's overreaction to Phil's non-reactions prompts Phil to overreact.

Since there were three separate plots this week, all very average, there wasn't a real tie-up to everything that binded everything into that one emotional moment that we usually see. Instead, Phil delivers a voiceover while we see everyone having a good time. Does it excuse their behavior during the episode? In my eyes, not really.

Score: 8.3/10

Review - Modern Family Season 2 Episode 9 Mother Tucker

It's Thanksgiving eve and no Thanksgiving episode? Too bad... it's a holiday perfectly suited to the theme of the show and would work well. It's especially weird since "Mother Tucker" keeps everyone apart into three distinct groups. Maybe the writers will do one next year.

Anyway, like I said, "Mother Tucker" has three distinct plots with the Dunphies taking the lead. Haley breaks up with Dylan after some encouragement from Claire and the fact that she makes out with her tutor for correct answers. While Phil usually acts as the immature guy, getting along with Luke for the most inane of things, Phil shows that he is also an adult, helping Dylan during the breakup. His execution may not be there, but his message of moving on is not a random trivial Phil-ism, but an actual lesson to take to heart.

Meanwhile, Cam's mom comes home and she really touchy with Mitchell, so Mitchell concocts a plan to let Cam get the idea by letting his mom get too far. Jay has a medical problem, but because of Gloria's insistence that it's not manly, he decides not to go to the doctor, instead relying on Manny who browses the web for medical answers. In the end, Jay actually needs surgery, but it's all fine since it's not serious.

"Mother Tucker" doesn't do too much, sticking with its tried and true formula of lots of comedy punctuated by a couple emotional hooks, and for me, that's enough to keep coming back.

Score: 8.8/10