Last night's episode of Modern Family addressed the fact that in a homosexual relationship, heteronormative society still expects one partner to fill the masculine role and the other to fill the feminine one. Cam felt hurt, offended, and marginalized when he was treated as an "honorary mom" on Mother's Day. Because Mitchell goes to work while Cam stays home with their daughter Lily, he is regarded as the "mother." When Mitchell brings him breakfast in bed, it's hurtful enough for Cam that his partner views him "as the woman" in their relationship. Later at Lily's play group's Mother's Day picnic, all the other childrens' parents refer to him in the same way.
Modern Family may include a gay partnership and an inter-ethnic/trans-generational second marriage among its characters, but in all three of the nuclear families portrayed, one partner stays home to parent full-time while the other works outside the home. In the two straight partnerships portrayed, the stay-at-home parents are women. This episode did very little to challenge the strictly enforced rules that women are the nurturers, the ones who parent instead of working, the ones who like the color pink. None of the other families at Lily's play group seemed to have a stay-at-home dad, two parents who share work/home duties, or outside child care help while both parents work. Being a stay-at-home dad made Cam "the woman," and it was roundly accepted by all but him.
These rules are so hard-wired into our society that people expect for homosexual couples to adhere to the same binary. I'll tell you right now: when two men are in a relationship, neither one of them is the woman. And when two women are in a relationship, both are! When a man and a woman are in a relationship, and the woman works while the father stays home to look after the children, the woman is still the woman and the man is still the man. I'm reminded of a blog entry I once read by a new mother who was tired of constantly being asked, "Who's watching the baby?" or, "Is your husband babysitting tonight?" whenever she was out somewhere alone. It was presumed that the mother and the baby would never be apart, and when the father was caring for their child, it was referred to as "babysitting." This is demeaning both to women who cannot be allowed to carry on with their daily lives without being harangued as to why they are not with their kids, and to men who are viewed as incapable oafs unable to keep their children alive.
This is all part of a bigger problem (isn't it always?). Being viewed as feminine or womanly is a bad thing. While it is fair for Cam to be incensed that he is being incorrectly defined against his will, it is made very clear that to be "the woman" in the relationship is to be inferior, to be weaker. He even directly tries to counter this assertion by stating how physically he is much bigger and stronger than Mitchell. When women dress in men's clothing, it is acceptable, fashionable, even sexy. When men dress in women's clothing, it is laughable, or demeaning. If a man throws "like a girl," it implies that he is weak. "Be a man," they are told, meaning, "be big, be strong, be better." Women are the "fairer, gentler, weaker" sex. Society continues to reinforce the binary, that a couple must have a man and a woman, and the man is superior over the woman. The sooner we can equalize our expectations of both genders, the better off we'll all be.
(For the record, I believe gender performance is partially socially constructed, but that there are inherent gender traits we all have. Some men are more masculine/feminine, and the same with some women. I don't think we should all forgo gender definition and live in some sort of Barbie-crotched world of neutrals. But I think if we let people define their own identities a little more freely instead of immediately putting our babies in worlds of pink OR blue - never both! - we'd stop judging people so harshly when they don't conform. Next thing you know, they'll be giving women the vote!)
Showing posts with label Modern Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Modern Family. Show all posts
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Thursday, October 21, 2010
A quick one
It's the week after October sweeps, so a lot of shows have been airing reruns, making this a great week to catch up on Netflix Instant. I don't have a whole lot to say about last night's episode of Modern Family, but I thought there were a lot of great jokes throughout which I wanted to highlight.
The premise of parents struggling to get their child into an elite elementary school is inherently amusing to me as a Los Angeles native, and as someone who was once one of those children. However I have to call out ModFam for stealing a major bit from The L Word, when Mitchell and Cam feel that their diversity credibility is threatened when they see a lesbian couple, with one partner in a wheelchair, and an adopted baby, applying to the same school as they are. Swap the genders and we've seen this exact scene before.
That said, Mitchell's line about feeling inadequate in the preschool race, "Leave it to the gays to raise the only underachieving Asian in the country," was pure Mitchell, and tied in nicely to one of the show's funniest and most uncomfortable running gags, which is how uncomfortable Cam acts around minorities. There was an episode last season in which he struggled with Gloria, because while he is not a racist, his yen to be as politically correct as possible often manifests in excruciatingly awkward actions and misunderstandings. So when he pretended to be a Native American in order to give Lily a better chance at getting into the school, I was horrified and could not stop laughing. He described his daughter as having skin the color of "maize." Unreal.
The Jay/Gloria storyline did nothing for me, but at the Dunphy household, Claire implored her family to compete to see who could go the longest without using cell phones, video games, and internet. Phil described the challenge as an experiment in being Amish, whose lifestyle includes "witnessing murders." Amazing. Luke finally had an opportunity to use his imagination, which involved building miniature cities and destroying them. I have to admit that I loved when he acted out, "There's no fire escape; they cut corners!" "I'll cut your corners!"
Finally, when Claire herself broke the no-internet rule, she was discovered when Phil heard the computer call out, "You've got mail!" Because of course Claire still uses AOL!
The premise of parents struggling to get their child into an elite elementary school is inherently amusing to me as a Los Angeles native, and as someone who was once one of those children. However I have to call out ModFam for stealing a major bit from The L Word, when Mitchell and Cam feel that their diversity credibility is threatened when they see a lesbian couple, with one partner in a wheelchair, and an adopted baby, applying to the same school as they are. Swap the genders and we've seen this exact scene before.
That said, Mitchell's line about feeling inadequate in the preschool race, "Leave it to the gays to raise the only underachieving Asian in the country," was pure Mitchell, and tied in nicely to one of the show's funniest and most uncomfortable running gags, which is how uncomfortable Cam acts around minorities. There was an episode last season in which he struggled with Gloria, because while he is not a racist, his yen to be as politically correct as possible often manifests in excruciatingly awkward actions and misunderstandings. So when he pretended to be a Native American in order to give Lily a better chance at getting into the school, I was horrified and could not stop laughing. He described his daughter as having skin the color of "maize." Unreal.
The Jay/Gloria storyline did nothing for me, but at the Dunphy household, Claire implored her family to compete to see who could go the longest without using cell phones, video games, and internet. Phil described the challenge as an experiment in being Amish, whose lifestyle includes "witnessing murders." Amazing. Luke finally had an opportunity to use his imagination, which involved building miniature cities and destroying them. I have to admit that I loved when he acted out, "There's no fire escape; they cut corners!" "I'll cut your corners!"
Finally, when Claire herself broke the no-internet rule, she was discovered when Phil heard the computer call out, "You've got mail!" Because of course Claire still uses AOL!
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| Modern Family, 9pm Wednesdays on ABC |
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Sitcoms Part 1
Raising Hope, 9pm Tuesdays on Fox
This show has so far retained the sweetness it initially impressed me with, but I just wish that they could manage to expand on more than one joke per episode. This week's episode was very Martha Plimpton -centric, which I thought was great, because she is so much more interesting than the actors who play her son or her son's love interest. I loved how she chastised her son in front of the girl that he likes for being too much of a "Ross." Her crazed determination to stage a perfect family portrait year after year was extremely relatable, and in the end, very touching when she admitted that as a housekeeper, she wants a family portrait to feel like the people whose homes she cleans.
Running Wilde, 9:30pm Tuesdays on Fox
I think this has been the best episode of the series so far. With luck, this show will transcend a weak first season, à la The Office (US) and Parks and Recreation. There was a classic blend of miscommunication and Will Arnett playing a sexual pawn in his own game (see Arrested Development, 30 Rock, and Arrested Development again). It was so clear that Keri Russell would get the preteen boy to fall in love with her, and Will Arnett would get Andy Richter in a mustache to fall in love with him, but a lot of fun to watch those storylines play out. The extended scene of Arnett washing a car Paris Hilton -style pulled the trick where it carries on way past being funny, and then swings back to being funny again. I swear I saw Arnett and Richter scissoring at one point. Once again, Peter Serafinowicz stood out as Fa'ad pretending to be a New York mobster as trained by Alan Alda. Weird and hilarious.
Modern Family, 9pm Wednesdays on ABC
I always like scenes when Claire and Mitchell get to interact with each other, and them teasing each other during a workout was a great brother-sister scene. When they tried to break bad news to each other's partners, Strangers on a Train style, Mitch couldn't bring himself to tell Phil how awful he is at telling jokes, but Claire was able to tell Cam that his too-tight bike shorts are inappropriate. Cam and Mitchell loving each other so much but never being able to be on the same page was great, with a back-and-forth about who is luckier to be with whom that was very believable. It was momentarily upsetting to see how Claire felt the only way to save Phil from himself was to steal his notecards, but perfectly redeemed when his lame humor was perfect for the realtor dinner, and also for Claire. Is there a sweeter married couple on television today (suck it, Jim and Pam)? Also, the shot of her laughing without her eyes was creepy and amazing.
This show has so far retained the sweetness it initially impressed me with, but I just wish that they could manage to expand on more than one joke per episode. This week's episode was very Martha Plimpton -centric, which I thought was great, because she is so much more interesting than the actors who play her son or her son's love interest. I loved how she chastised her son in front of the girl that he likes for being too much of a "Ross." Her crazed determination to stage a perfect family portrait year after year was extremely relatable, and in the end, very touching when she admitted that as a housekeeper, she wants a family portrait to feel like the people whose homes she cleans.
Running Wilde, 9:30pm Tuesdays on Fox
I think this has been the best episode of the series so far. With luck, this show will transcend a weak first season, à la The Office (US) and Parks and Recreation. There was a classic blend of miscommunication and Will Arnett playing a sexual pawn in his own game (see Arrested Development, 30 Rock, and Arrested Development again). It was so clear that Keri Russell would get the preteen boy to fall in love with her, and Will Arnett would get Andy Richter in a mustache to fall in love with him, but a lot of fun to watch those storylines play out. The extended scene of Arnett washing a car Paris Hilton -style pulled the trick where it carries on way past being funny, and then swings back to being funny again. I swear I saw Arnett and Richter scissoring at one point. Once again, Peter Serafinowicz stood out as Fa'ad pretending to be a New York mobster as trained by Alan Alda. Weird and hilarious.
Modern Family, 9pm Wednesdays on ABC
I always like scenes when Claire and Mitchell get to interact with each other, and them teasing each other during a workout was a great brother-sister scene. When they tried to break bad news to each other's partners, Strangers on a Train style, Mitch couldn't bring himself to tell Phil how awful he is at telling jokes, but Claire was able to tell Cam that his too-tight bike shorts are inappropriate. Cam and Mitchell loving each other so much but never being able to be on the same page was great, with a back-and-forth about who is luckier to be with whom that was very believable. It was momentarily upsetting to see how Claire felt the only way to save Phil from himself was to steal his notecards, but perfectly redeemed when his lame humor was perfect for the realtor dinner, and also for Claire. Is there a sweeter married couple on television today (suck it, Jim and Pam)? Also, the shot of her laughing without her eyes was creepy and amazing.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Midweek comedy revue
Raising Hope, Tuesdays at 9pm on Fox
This show has so far not managed to exceed the precedent it set up in its pilot. It is a serviceably funny and cute show, and probably fills the role of being today's Married...With Children or Malcolm in the Middle. There are usually one and a half big laughs per episode, and I wish that number were higher, but it remains a very sweet sitcom that shows a family of people who really do love each other and want to work together, so I just like seeing that on TV. I love puns way more than I should, so when a character mentions that he plans to name his boat "Cirrhosis of the River," I got a big guffaw out of that.
Running Wilde, Tuesdays at 9:30pm on Fox
I've read that Mitch Hurwitz is trying to balance network demands with what he and Will Arnett want to do with this show. Haven't we learned this lesson before? And always with Fox? This week's episode in particular was a terrible rip-off of the Arrested Development episodes "S.O.B.s" and "Afternoon Delight," and even had David Cross referring to his genitals as his "blue man group." Come on! Yes, AD fans are hoping that this show will fulfill our post-cancellation needs, but our needs for a smart good comedy, not our needs for callbacks. So far the character of Fa'ad is the only consistently funny thing on the show, and I am disappointed that everyone else seems to not be getting used at all.
Modern Family, Wednesdays at 9pm on ABC
This has been the weakest episode I can remember on this show. When an earthquake hit Los Angeles, what followed was Cam and Mitchell interacting with their friend (a cameo by Nathan Lane), Jay not wanting to go to church and sending Manny mixed messages about religion, and Phil trying to trick Claire. I liked all of these things better when done on Sex and the City, The Simpsons, and earlier episodes of Modern Family, respectively.
This show has so far not managed to exceed the precedent it set up in its pilot. It is a serviceably funny and cute show, and probably fills the role of being today's Married...With Children or Malcolm in the Middle. There are usually one and a half big laughs per episode, and I wish that number were higher, but it remains a very sweet sitcom that shows a family of people who really do love each other and want to work together, so I just like seeing that on TV. I love puns way more than I should, so when a character mentions that he plans to name his boat "Cirrhosis of the River," I got a big guffaw out of that.
Running Wilde, Tuesdays at 9:30pm on Fox
I've read that Mitch Hurwitz is trying to balance network demands with what he and Will Arnett want to do with this show. Haven't we learned this lesson before? And always with Fox? This week's episode in particular was a terrible rip-off of the Arrested Development episodes "S.O.B.s" and "Afternoon Delight," and even had David Cross referring to his genitals as his "blue man group." Come on! Yes, AD fans are hoping that this show will fulfill our post-cancellation needs, but our needs for a smart good comedy, not our needs for callbacks. So far the character of Fa'ad is the only consistently funny thing on the show, and I am disappointed that everyone else seems to not be getting used at all.
Modern Family, Wednesdays at 9pm on ABC
This has been the weakest episode I can remember on this show. When an earthquake hit Los Angeles, what followed was Cam and Mitchell interacting with their friend (a cameo by Nathan Lane), Jay not wanting to go to church and sending Manny mixed messages about religion, and Phil trying to trick Claire. I liked all of these things better when done on Sex and the City, The Simpsons, and earlier episodes of Modern Family, respectively.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
LGBTPDA
Last night's episode of Modern Family was weaker on comedy than the show usually is, but I found the storyline of 13-year-old Alex struggling with whether or not to have her first kiss to be so sweet that I liked the episode anyway. Kissing was the thread that united all three family units, with Claire and Haley overseeing Alex's impending first kiss, Gloria trying to help Jay overcome his dearth of affectionate displays to his family, and Mitchell and Cam disagreeing on when and where kissing is appropriate. This last plot point has been one in the works for months now, but I'll explain in a minute why it was so inconsequential to me.
There had been a lot of criticisms of the fact that only the show's gay partnership had not had an onscreen kiss, and when last night there was an acknowledgment of the fact that Mitchell is generally an uptight guy, I noticed that as a cute way for the writers to say, "We're not trying to make a statement here; this character just isn't into PDA." This tack is bolstered when it's shown how reticent Jay is to show affection, and how it resulted in a son who acts the same, and a daughter who acted out. So when Cam and Mitchell did have an onscreen kiss last night, in the background of a scene with the whole family - I totally missed it. I honestly didn't realize it had happened until I read about it online today. I am personally really pleased that the show downplayed the kiss, because it made it as much of a non-issue as a kiss between Phil and Claire would be.
There was much more drama given to the expectations placed on Alex having not been kissed at 13. Her mother wants to know what's going on in her younger daughter's burgeoning love life, so she asks teenage Haley to investigate. Haley's response is, of course, to tease Alex for being such an "old maid," by being two years behind her sister in the kissing game. For those keeping score at home, I was 15 and a high school junior when I had my first kiss, and I kinda did feel a little embarrassed to hear that the fictional characters Haley and Claire were 11 and 10 when they first snogged/pashed/smooched a boy. Alex bravely tells the boy she's been texting with that she wants him to be her first kiss, and is totally mortified when the conversation is overheard. But when he later tells her that he likes her too, she sweetly says that she'd rather they get to know each other a little more before kissing, and the boy is adorably relieved. The part of me that misses reading CosmoGirl! and Girl's Life and YM really loved how cute this interchange was.
So, a slower episode than usual, but here's hoping for way more Phil in next week's.
There had been a lot of criticisms of the fact that only the show's gay partnership had not had an onscreen kiss, and when last night there was an acknowledgment of the fact that Mitchell is generally an uptight guy, I noticed that as a cute way for the writers to say, "We're not trying to make a statement here; this character just isn't into PDA." This tack is bolstered when it's shown how reticent Jay is to show affection, and how it resulted in a son who acts the same, and a daughter who acted out. So when Cam and Mitchell did have an onscreen kiss last night, in the background of a scene with the whole family - I totally missed it. I honestly didn't realize it had happened until I read about it online today. I am personally really pleased that the show downplayed the kiss, because it made it as much of a non-issue as a kiss between Phil and Claire would be.
There was much more drama given to the expectations placed on Alex having not been kissed at 13. Her mother wants to know what's going on in her younger daughter's burgeoning love life, so she asks teenage Haley to investigate. Haley's response is, of course, to tease Alex for being such an "old maid," by being two years behind her sister in the kissing game. For those keeping score at home, I was 15 and a high school junior when I had my first kiss, and I kinda did feel a little embarrassed to hear that the fictional characters Haley and Claire were 11 and 10 when they first snogged/pashed/smooched a boy. Alex bravely tells the boy she's been texting with that she wants him to be her first kiss, and is totally mortified when the conversation is overheard. But when he later tells her that he likes her too, she sweetly says that she'd rather they get to know each other a little more before kissing, and the boy is adorably relieved. The part of me that misses reading CosmoGirl! and Girl's Life and YM really loved how cute this interchange was.
So, a slower episode than usual, but here's hoping for way more Phil in next week's.
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| Modern Family, Wednesdays at 9pm on ABC |
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Modern Family, season 2 premiere
The Dunphys are back! With all the humor of Arrested Development and all the sweetness of Freaks and Geeks, this show has swept me off my feet. If you somehow missed this show's first season, do yourself a favor and buy the DVD so that you can catch up and start watching the new season.
Backstory if you need it:
Mitchell and Claire are a tightly-wound brother and sister who share the same devotion to their families. Their dad Jay and his new wife Gloria are raising Gloria's preteen son Manny, an adorably earnest Casanova-in-training. Claire and her dopey husband Phil are parents to precocious teen Haley, intelligent daughter Alex, and enigmatic son Luke. Mitchell and his partner Cam (a former Division I football player and classically trained Auguste clown) are parents to adorable baby Lily.
Last night's episode was the perfect example of what makes this show so great. It seems like the sweetness of Phil taking his family out for one last picnic in his busted old car before selling it, to make Claire feel better about the onward march of time, cannot be topped. But then Gloria struggling with Manny choosing girls over company with his mother is so adorable! And when Jay and Cam try to be sensitive to Mitchell's complete lack of skill when it comes to handiwork, it's so great.
For me the highlight of the episode was the scene between Phil and Claire when she gets upset about how the kids are growing up. She apologizes for getting so upset, and Phil says, "Don't apologize, I love you when you're human." Shortly afterwards they hug, and Claire can sense Phil getting distracted by the concept of time travel, so she gently says, "Phil, come back to me." His quick glance back off into space just before the show cuts to commercial is just another perfect moment from Ty Burrell.
Backstory if you need it:
Mitchell and Claire are a tightly-wound brother and sister who share the same devotion to their families. Their dad Jay and his new wife Gloria are raising Gloria's preteen son Manny, an adorably earnest Casanova-in-training. Claire and her dopey husband Phil are parents to precocious teen Haley, intelligent daughter Alex, and enigmatic son Luke. Mitchell and his partner Cam (a former Division I football player and classically trained Auguste clown) are parents to adorable baby Lily.
Last night's episode was the perfect example of what makes this show so great. It seems like the sweetness of Phil taking his family out for one last picnic in his busted old car before selling it, to make Claire feel better about the onward march of time, cannot be topped. But then Gloria struggling with Manny choosing girls over company with his mother is so adorable! And when Jay and Cam try to be sensitive to Mitchell's complete lack of skill when it comes to handiwork, it's so great.
For me the highlight of the episode was the scene between Phil and Claire when she gets upset about how the kids are growing up. She apologizes for getting so upset, and Phil says, "Don't apologize, I love you when you're human." Shortly afterwards they hug, and Claire can sense Phil getting distracted by the concept of time travel, so she gently says, "Phil, come back to me." His quick glance back off into space just before the show cuts to commercial is just another perfect moment from Ty Burrell.
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| Modern Family, Wednesdays at 9pm on ABC |
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Vittorio De Sica would be proud (not really)
Last night's new episode of Modern Family delivered as much comedy and sweetness as last week's pilot, and while I do think that the show does have more room to live up to its full potential, I was genuinely touched by last night's episode, "The Bicycle Thief."
The episode opened by asking the question, "What is fatherhood all about?" Fatherhood is a subject which greatly interests me, and I love to be surprised by movies, music, and TV shows that portray active, loving fatherhood in an admirable light. This may be why I loved Away We Go so much. None of the show's fathers really had a good answer for the "interviewer," but spent the next 22 minutes trying to help their kids in some way.
Cameron & Mitchell, struggling with their first day at a toddler playtime with their new daughter Lily, were going back and forth on how much to play up or down their gayness. Mitchell is afraid that Cameron's flamboyant tendencies will incite judgment from the other parents at the play group, so Cameron feels very stifled when trying to play straight. His "straight guy dance" was so funny in its uncomfortable restraint. When another gay couple arrives, 1000% more flamboyant than Cameron, he decides to go all out. Funniest line of the night: "I could have killed with that crowd in there, but you had to clip my wings! Which you used to be the wind beneath..."
Phil Dunphy decides to buy his son a new bike because he's been riding his sister's handed-down one, and a pink bike covered in black electrical tape does not a boy's bike make. Even Grandpa Jay teases Luke for looking like Little Bo Peep. Phil and his wife Claire are apprehensive about giving Luke a bike because they're not sure he'll take care of it, so when Phil sees the bike left unlocked on the sidewalk, he decides to steal it to teach his son a lesson. Following some uninteresting hijinks involving a sexy new neighbor, the bike he's stolen goes missing. He decides to blame his son for letting his bike get stolen until he realizes that it wasn't stolen at all. "I've taught some random kid a very important lesson," Phil says once he realizes he stole a random kid's bike.
The most affecting storyline of the episode was easily the relationship between Jay and his stepson Manny. Not only did we get to see a little bit of playful banter between Jay and his new wife, confirming that they did marry each other for love, but we got to witness Jay's struggles as a man with adult children, learning how to relate to his preteen stepson. It was familiar, and sad, when Manny defended his deadbeat father as being better than his stepdad. But when Jay lied to protect Manny's feelings after his father bailed on visiting him, it was so touching to watch. "The fact of the matter is, 90% of being a father is just showing up."
I have definitely been enjoying this show, and I got my parents to watch it too (hard to get them to watch a new sitcom), and I am looking forward to next week's episode already.
Modern Family airs Wednesday nights at 9pm on ABC. You can watch the latest episodes online at abc.com.
The episode opened by asking the question, "What is fatherhood all about?" Fatherhood is a subject which greatly interests me, and I love to be surprised by movies, music, and TV shows that portray active, loving fatherhood in an admirable light. This may be why I loved Away We Go so much. None of the show's fathers really had a good answer for the "interviewer," but spent the next 22 minutes trying to help their kids in some way.
Cameron & Mitchell, struggling with their first day at a toddler playtime with their new daughter Lily, were going back and forth on how much to play up or down their gayness. Mitchell is afraid that Cameron's flamboyant tendencies will incite judgment from the other parents at the play group, so Cameron feels very stifled when trying to play straight. His "straight guy dance" was so funny in its uncomfortable restraint. When another gay couple arrives, 1000% more flamboyant than Cameron, he decides to go all out. Funniest line of the night: "I could have killed with that crowd in there, but you had to clip my wings! Which you used to be the wind beneath..."
Phil Dunphy decides to buy his son a new bike because he's been riding his sister's handed-down one, and a pink bike covered in black electrical tape does not a boy's bike make. Even Grandpa Jay teases Luke for looking like Little Bo Peep. Phil and his wife Claire are apprehensive about giving Luke a bike because they're not sure he'll take care of it, so when Phil sees the bike left unlocked on the sidewalk, he decides to steal it to teach his son a lesson. Following some uninteresting hijinks involving a sexy new neighbor, the bike he's stolen goes missing. He decides to blame his son for letting his bike get stolen until he realizes that it wasn't stolen at all. "I've taught some random kid a very important lesson," Phil says once he realizes he stole a random kid's bike.
The most affecting storyline of the episode was easily the relationship between Jay and his stepson Manny. Not only did we get to see a little bit of playful banter between Jay and his new wife, confirming that they did marry each other for love, but we got to witness Jay's struggles as a man with adult children, learning how to relate to his preteen stepson. It was familiar, and sad, when Manny defended his deadbeat father as being better than his stepdad. But when Jay lied to protect Manny's feelings after his father bailed on visiting him, it was so touching to watch. "The fact of the matter is, 90% of being a father is just showing up."
I have definitely been enjoying this show, and I got my parents to watch it too (hard to get them to watch a new sitcom), and I am looking forward to next week's episode already.
Modern Family airs Wednesday nights at 9pm on ABC. You can watch the latest episodes online at abc.com.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
PLUG!
Everyone watch Modern Family at 9pm on ABC tonight! I hope it's good, I just want to encourage good ratings for it!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Comedy: 5, Laugh Track: 0
ABC's new half-hour sitcom Modern Family premiered last night, and it was even funnier than I had expected. I always am more prone to like a comedy that's single-camera, and laugh-track free, but last night's episode packed joke after joke into this format. A lot of very dry one-liners, interspersed with absurd cutaways make this show land somewhere between Arrested Development and The Office (UK). More towards the latter, though, in tone.
One facet of the show is an older man and his beautiful younger wife raising her son from a previous marriage, the delightfully passionate Manny. Another is a a wife, haunted by memories of her wild-child youth in terms of what it means for her 15 year-old daughter and two younger children, trying to balance out her husband whose constant obsession with being the cool dad brings embarrassment to the whole family. Finally, there is a gay couple who has just adopted a Vietnamese daughter. The one trait that unites all of these parents is that they are all just trying so hard and their efforts are always aimed squarely next to the mark.
I really really want people to watch this show. Not only do I think it has the potential to be a consistently funny refuge from the multi-camera drivel that dominates the sitcom ratings, but I think it is a wonderful thing to have a more accurate representation of what an American family looks like on TV. We all love Mad Men, but most families do not resemble the Drapers, for good or for ill. I wish I could convey in this review the nature of more of the show's jokes, but I'm afraid without the proper framing, my retelling would fall flat. Modern Family airs at 9pm on Wednesdays on ABC, and you can watch the pilot on abc.com.
One facet of the show is an older man and his beautiful younger wife raising her son from a previous marriage, the delightfully passionate Manny. Another is a a wife, haunted by memories of her wild-child youth in terms of what it means for her 15 year-old daughter and two younger children, trying to balance out her husband whose constant obsession with being the cool dad brings embarrassment to the whole family. Finally, there is a gay couple who has just adopted a Vietnamese daughter. The one trait that unites all of these parents is that they are all just trying so hard and their efforts are always aimed squarely next to the mark.
I really really want people to watch this show. Not only do I think it has the potential to be a consistently funny refuge from the multi-camera drivel that dominates the sitcom ratings, but I think it is a wonderful thing to have a more accurate representation of what an American family looks like on TV. We all love Mad Men, but most families do not resemble the Drapers, for good or for ill. I wish I could convey in this review the nature of more of the show's jokes, but I'm afraid without the proper framing, my retelling would fall flat. Modern Family airs at 9pm on Wednesdays on ABC, and you can watch the pilot on abc.com.
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