Chronicles of a Writer

Modern Family 1×13 ‘Fifteen Percent’

In playing the 'gaydar' game, a lot of awkward moments can arise.  It's only natural for Modern Family to take advantage of this and produce a hilarious episode like 'Fifteen Percent'. Change While the episode deems to deal with a person's ability to change, the essence of the comedy comes from misunderstandings and misdirections.  Take Cameron, for example.  While he remains on the sidelines in the storylines, his good timing and infectious personality charms not one, but two characters l...

Modern Family 1×12 ‘Not In My House’

Misunderstandings can often lead to comedy.  'Not In My House' takes full advantage of the idea with a Modern Family episode that requires more set up than a 3-D puzzle. The Stream For the most part, the storylines blend very well with each other, especially Jay and Mitchell's dilemmas.  The comedy here is very, very situational.  At parts, it feels like a bit of a stretch (Jay and the dog, for example), but it doesn't distract from the hilarity of the moment. Given the circumstantial e...

Modern Family 1×11 ‘Up All Night’

Adults rarely act their age, especially since normal behavior is rarely legitimized.  For Modern Family, 'Up All Night' is their way of illustrating the immaturity of adults.  For a sitcom, it's like saying the sky is blue. The Message The tricky part about Modern Family is just like Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives, everything has to fit in a box while staying out of it.  For a show centered around one big family, it can be difficult to supplement every week with a meaningful yet o...

Modern Family 1×10 ‘Undeck the Halls’

When you go for the sentimental 'awww' moments, things tend to get a little warm and gooey.  'Undeck the Halls' is the official 'aw' episode of Modern Family. The Consistent Kudos There's nothing new that I could compliment Modern Family about.  Once again, the young actors on the show are spectacularly hilarious.  The three families remain unique but come together at the last moment.  Plus, the Christmas episode of the season features a healthy dose of witty jokes.  It's really all one ne...

Modern Family 1×09 ‘Fizbo’

The reward of seeing a television series grow is being of part of its success.  So far, Modern Family has been both critically acclaimed and solid with its viewership.  As the winter hiatus looms ever closer, episodes like 'Fizbo' definitely amps up the fun factor, and its pays off. Fizbo the Clown While Modern Family (as stated in last week's review) works best when the entire cast is together, Cameron--by his very nature--tends to be the one to go to for some incredible laughs.  By incre...