It seems that three stellar episodes are just what it takes to rectify a shaky start for a show's second season. We are now confident in proclaiming that "Modern Family" has reclaimed its top-notch form. This week, Luke and Manny embarked on their maiden voyage to the middle-school dance. If you, like us, hold a special fondness for these two charming lads, you might have found yourself anticipating their potentially awkward encounters and perhaps even a tender slow dance with members of the opposite sex. Alas, if you shared our enthusiasm, you might have also been slightly deflated upon realizing that they were merely pawns in their parents' narrative once again. Nonetheless, the episode more than compensated for this grievous offense with its thoughtful, hilarious, and meticulously executed storyline.
The Pritchett-Tuckers' segment initially hinted at yet another installment of the gay dads versus the world trope, but it swiftly veered off course. Lily, our perfect, serene, and adorable bundle of joy, has a peculiar penchant—she derives delight from sinking her tiny teeth into fellow human flesh! The revelation came first at a playground, where the mother of another child approached Cameron and Mitchell, complaining about Lily's penchant for nibbling on her son's arm. The duo brushed it off with their signature humor ("Do you know who had straight parents?", "Adolf Hitler.", "Charles Manson.", "Shall we continue?", "Naomi Campbell!"). However, when Cameron buckled Lily into her car seat shortly after, she clamped down on his face, prompting an exasperated, "It's like 'Twilight' back here!"
At home, a brief spat had us worried that their subplot might descend into another prolonged and tedious squabble, with each subtly implying that the other might have encouraged Lily's biting habit—Cameron with his affectionate foot-nibbling and Mitchell with his tendency to tear open packages with his teeth. Fortunately, they abandoned that path in favor of scouring the internet for solutions.
Then, Cameron struck gold: producing a ukulele from somewhere unknown, he burst into a song he somehow managed to compose between the park escapade and their frenetic online search. "People aren't food, people aren't food / Your friends will flee if they fear being chewed / And as a side note, private parts are private." Remember when Eric Stonestreet bagged that coveted Emmy? This is precisely why. In the end, Cameron and Mitchell expressed relief that Lily was clearly no longer a flawless angel. On one hand, really? It took a year and a half for her to indulge in something mischievous? On the other hand, what were they talking about? She's still perfect in our hearts!
In the episode titled "The Delgado-Pritchett/Pritchett-Dunphy," a delightful twist unfolds as the adult characters find themselves paired in non-marital alliances for the first time in recent memory. The narrative had lately veered towards parent-child dynamics and entanglements involving ex-boyfriends, leaving the intergenerational relationships among the adults somewhat unexplored—until now.
Claire is brimming with excitement to spearhead the decorations and logistics for Luke's maiden school dance, which conveniently coincides with Manny's inaugural school dance, thereby drawing Gloria into the fray. This endeavor is not merely a passing fancy for Claire; it's her baby. Despite Phil's real-estate ventures hitting rough patches, they haven't been dire enough to deter her from her long-standing role as the PTA's unsung hero—a.k.a. the Don Corleone of school events. She commands the other moms and Gus, the janitor (played by Danny Trejo, no less, wielding his screen presence like a machete). When Claire finally arrives, all smiles and cleavage on display, she attempts to assert her authority over Gloria, who had been named co-chair of the dance committee at some point but seemingly sidelined by Claire. However, Gloria's influence is such that by dance night, she's practically usurped her stepdaughter's throne as the queen bee among the volunteer moms, leading to an emotional confrontation in the bathroom between the two.
Tears-tinged admissions of culpability, poignant apologies ("I didn't come here to usurp your spotlight. Your spotlight is yours, and mine is mine." "Right, but the Almighty bestowed you with so much spotlight"), and confessions of breast-padding bring the middle-school melodrama vibes to the forefront, albeit briefly, yet sufficiently. Claire and Gloria's peculiar rivalry, dormant since the season's premiere, has simmered beneath the surface throughout this season, and it was refreshing to witness it bubble over. Here's hoping they can maintain a semblance of cordiality, as both are in dire need of camaraderie beyond their spouses.
As for the Pritchett-Dunphy dynamic, Jay and Phil finally address some long-standing grievances this week—the eternal dance of "you're married to my daughter"/"I'm married to your daughter." Their sons' first dance served as the impetus for this reconciliation. Luke needed new duds because his old suit had shrunk, while Manny required a teal pocket square, despite Gloria's best intentions ("Hey, this might work." "Except it's turquoise...and a bra."). Once out together, the cousins take a backseat to Jay and Phil's eternal struggle for machismo. Jay nitpicks at his son-in-law about everything from yielding a parking spot to allowing an aggressive, demanding fellow to cut them in line at the department store.
With the pretense of scrounging for some eleventh-hour socks for Luke, Phil narrowly avoids further public embarrassment. However, he then unleashes his bottled-up fury upon an unsuspecting salesman, who was innocently spritzing cologne samples near the escalator's base. Meanwhile, upstairs, Manny is coming to terms with the realization that Luke, with his clumsily trendy attire ("Did you know mannequins don't have wieners?"), will essentially be wearing the same meticulously curated ensemble as Manny himself, right down to the teal tie.
At the store's lower level, Phil is seen chasing the fragrance specialist, shouting "Men! Men! Men!" with vigor. During the episode's closing moments, we were delighted to discover that the cologne-sprayed victim is actually a friend of Cam and Mitch's, prompting Cam to quip, "I think we all knew that day was coming."
Later, when Jay steps in to rescue Phil from mall detention, he's sufficiently impressed by his son-in-law's riotous antics to initiate a heartfelt conversation. "My father-in-law was the same way with me. It was horrendous," Jay reminisces. "Grandpa Lucas? He was a sweetheart," Phil responds. "Yeah, after his stroke mellowed him out. Before that? He was a beast," Jay clarifies. Perhaps Jay's senility is setting in, as he seemingly forgets about the emergency appendectomy he underwent just two weeks prior. Then again, so has everyone else. Nevertheless, the show is back with a bang!
