Modern Family: “Egg Drop”

Looking for trends in half-hour TV comedies is probably an exercise in illusion-spotting. A few sub-par episodes strung together, and all the sudden the show is in decline and unlikely to recover. It might be useful to step back from our trend-spotting mania (to which weekly review columns like this one, admittedly, inevitably contribute) to remember that a television series is a marathon. Picking out a few slow miles in the middle and deciding that the runner has lost it and is certainly done and over with — not the right way to look at it. Modern Family has had a rough third season in the eyes of critics, but the viewers keep showing up. And rightly so, because there’s nothing structurally wrong with this show. Give this excellent cast the right script and the right director, and they will kick it to the finish line strong every time.
Maybe I should have gone with some kind of horse racing metaphor up there, given one of tonight’s plotlines. Remember that a television series is a three-day event, guvnah! (Well, I tried.) “Lifetime Supply” puts together three strong plotlines, none of which hit a bum note, and pulls the whole ensemble together for a classic third act. I love both the notion and the execution of the series of omens portending Phil’s death: running out of the lifetime supply of twin-blade razors he won on the game show Smarty Pants (“Two blades in one razor?! It’ll never get better than that!”) coupled with Gloria’s dream about a black mouse (which is made hilarious by her constant horrified gasping). It’s the kind of plot that’s not really original — dozens of sitcoms have pulled the old “unknown results from the doctor” bit — but Phil’s increasingly terror-stricken outbursts, Gloria’s collusion, and everyone eventually becoming convinced of the crisis make it fresh again.
Just as good is Manny’s trip to the racetrack with his two dads. Number one: Benjamin Bratt is always a welcome presence on my television screen, and his Latin suavity play like gangbusters as he enchants Manny with his intuitive approach to picking the ponies. Jay insists that scientific analysis of the Racing Form is the way to go, only to be shown up by Javier’s communion with the horse every time. The one race Jay does manage to win is overturned by a DQ; when the scoreboard flashes “INQUIRY” and Jay shouts, “What does that mean?!”, Javier deadpans with just a trace of smugness, “It is when a horse has committed an infraction.” This is an outstanding use of the Manny-Jay dynamic, incorporating aspects of Jay’s know-it-all persona and his anxiety over his stepdad status, rendered unexpectedly touching in the confessional when Jay explains, “I know I’m not his dad. Maybe I don’t like the reminder.”