02 March, 2012

Modern Family 3.17 -- Leap Day


Writing reviews for half-hour comedies is not an easy task. What much is there to say other than "that was funny" or "that wasn't such a great episode?"

With Modern Family, the latter is never the case. And that's why it's such a great show. Every week is a guaranteed laugh and 30 minutes well-spent. This week was no different, highlighted by Luke and Phil being terrified by the three female monsters in the house.

But I still can't help but be annoyed by Cam. Every week with him and Mitchell is the same storyline, with Cam overreacting to anything and everything that Mitchell does or doesn't do. The first few seasons it was pretty hilarious, but at this point I think the show and its viewers would be better served with a bit more variety and versatility from those characters.

The Jay and Gloria storyline was nothing special, but at the very least it gave us a funny conversation where Jay was realizing she meant the complete opposite of what she was saying and that soccer is a horribly boring sport to watch. Don't shoot the messenger.

Phil and Luke continue to be the comedic stars in this show, joined by amusing performances by the Dunphy women all being on the same cycle. This is a trope that maybe we've seen on TV or in the  movies a few times, but this had to have been the funniest of all of them.

And speaking of Luke, the scene with him covered in blood in the bathroom was pretty awesome. He is the MVP of this show.


NOTABLE QUOTABLES:

CLAIRE: "I can be spontaneous every four years."

PHIL: "Shh. The first rule of dealing with the cycle, you never mention the cycle. You tip-toe around it. The woman's actually taking great pains to hide the monster she's become. But if you acknowledge it, that brings the monster forth."
LUKE: "My god, there's three of them."

JAY: "That way everyone enjoys the game, but not me. Because I prefer a game where something happens." (Amen, Jay.)

MANNY: "How was the soccer match?"
JAY: "Thrilling. 1-1 tie, one of the goals was an accident."

LUKE: "You're monster-ating."

MITCHELL: "OK, everybody follow the birthday flag."
CAM: "What did you call me? Oh, yes."

SCORE: 76 out of 100