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

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Modern Family 3.16 -- Virgin Territory

Oh, NO YOU DIDN'T. (read that in a girly voice)

I'm not a big golf fan, and will never get a hole-in-one, but if someone lied/cheated and told me that I did when I really didn't, I would have to open a can of whoop-ass.

Speaking of kicking ass and taking names, it bothers me that many people consider this the best comedy on TV. It's not. And I'll fight you if you think it is.

Don't ask me which show is, but I hope it's not this one. Because, while still funny, this show has not lived up the expectations it set for itself after a stellar first season.And if this show is still considered the funniest show out there, it's a sad state of affairs in the land of comedy.

That said, this was an enjoyable episode. Luke was diabolical and thankfully one of the focal-points of the episode. Luke provides the most laughs on this show and the Luke-Manny pairing in this one provided some nice moments and good laughs.

As nice as it is to look at Manny's mother, it seems like they never have any good storylines for the talented Sofia Vergara to play. It seems like every show has her chasing Claire around trying to win her approval. (HINT: she never will). It's getting old.

Now that I think of it, I'm just getting annoyed with almost all of the adults on this show. Claire going to the shooting range? Eh. Cam being Cam once again? Eh. Jay once again ruining a nice moment with one of his children by being a jackass? Eh. Mitchell not feeling validation once again from his father? Eh.

How many times do they have to do these damn storylines?

It's all about the kids on this show and they provide the best scenes. I love when Haley and Alex bicker and they had a nice scene in the car. They followed that up with a nice bonding moment with the two of them when Alex was genuinely sorry about what she said. It also led to some good scenes with Phil and Haley.

Maybe this show is a victim of its early success. But it's only season three and it seems as if they're already running out of ideas on what to do with half of their characters. That's pretty weak.

NOTABLE QUOTABLES:

LUKE: "We need to take her down."

MITCHELL: Remember that time we went golfing together and you got a hole in one? You never got a hole in one. I got bored and kicked it in the hole."

LUKE: "My mother hates messes."
MANNY: "I'm familiar with Claire."

CAM: "Do you think it would be offensive to ask my daughter to walk on my back?"

ALEX: "The only stage you're ever gonna jump on has a pole on it."
HALEY: "Hey, at least I have the body for it."


RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

--Luke's reaction to Manny complaining about his crush only liking bad boys was great. "I'm gonna put on some music." (Now I know how everyone feels when I complain about how nice guys finish last. Sigh.)

--Even better? Manny slowly rolling by the girl's lemonade stand in a nice car and rap music blaring. Loved the head nod from Manny. I gotta try that sometime.

--Claire is no Sarah Walker, but an attractive woman shooting a gun just always gets me every time.

--Not sure if Luke said "statue" or "statute" of limitations at the end of the episode, but at least it gives me an excuse to play this clip.

--Luke and Manny's contraption for Lily reminds me of Mouse Trap. Crap, I'm starting to get old.

SCORE: 72 out of 100

Good, but not great. It's almost as if the show just mails it in because they know people will like it and continue to tune in.

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