This is one of the few comedies on TV that are consistently good. A cross-sectional trip through modern American multiculturalism, this show follows the story of one very diverse and quirky family. Well, its really three interrelated families. You have the patriarch Jay Pritchett and his much younger beautiful Columbian wife Gloria, as well as her child and Jay's adopted son Manny. Jay has two children from his first marriage, Mitchell and Claire. Mitchell is gay and in a committed relationship with his longtime partner Cameron with whom he has adopted a Vietnamese baby named Lilly. Claire belongs to the most traditional and perhaps most comical family of the bunch. The show tends to focus most on this family, with Claire being married to husband Phil Dunphy, and the two of them raising three children in Haley, Alex, and Luke.
I'm not sure exactly what I like about the show because they do some of the same things that annoy me in other shows but when they do them I absolutely love it. They have their go-to shtick and running jokes and I'm a sucker for it all. It may well be that the appeal lies in the acting, which is truly spectacular. They manage to sell me on their characters and antics, and they make it all very believable - even in its elaborate embellishments. This week's episode revolved around Manny's (my favorite character) birthday and his unsettling epiphany that he was born an old soul. Each family and character is made at first to attempt 'repair' of their eccentric personalities and ultimately to come to grips with them through their family roles. In the end, many laughs were had in watching this truly American tale of introspection, evolution, and family.
Episode Rating:
6 (Above average quality TV)
Episode's Best Line:
"Well I've forgotten a lot of things in my life, but what Jay said hit me pretty hard... I'd forgotten to have a childhood." - Manny
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