Modern Family: Catch of the Day (9x03)

I'm feeling pretty apathetic about this show, but there were quite a few individual moments this week that I enjoyed. Let's take a look.

Cons:

One thing that doesn't work for me is Cam and Mitchell's bickering. Pam is an annoying presence that never really makes me laugh, and the bickering between the couple is getting kind of depressing. If maybe they were planning on exploring some real problems in their marriage, I'd be on board. But it seems like we're just getting more of the same crap that we've always gotten with these two.

Manny makes the briefest of appearances and is creepily sketching a girl without her consent, so... yikes?

Pros:

Phil and Claire's plot is full of good old-fashioned shenanigans. Phil has a ritual where every morning he tosses his underwear up off of his foot. If he catches it, he'll have a good day. If he misses, it's a disaster. Claire begins the episode rolling her eyes at this superstition, but by the end she has to admit there may be something to it. I like the fact that Claire doesn't stay annoyed and disbelieving, but actually gets in on the fun of it all. I also like Phil getting pelted with golf balls, attacked by a squirrel, and just in general getting himself beat up in the craziest of ways.

Haley had a brief little thread where she was forced to be without a phone for a few days, and she essentially emerged from a technology haze and stopped to smell flowers, read books, and appreciate her parents. It was a big ol' cliche, but well acted. And despite it being a temporary reprieve, it was actually nice to see Haley being a human being for once. I hope she can figure out her life and make a real go of it at some point.

Although Cam and Mitchell's plot thread was a bit cringe-y, I did like the punchline at the end where the guy fixing their kitchen for them only called Cam "boss" because he'd forgotten Cam's actual name. Turns out, Cam had been calling him by the wrong name all along too, so... fair's fair.

Jay tries to catch Gloria in a lie about getting into a fender-bender, recruiting both Manny and Joe into the cause. This was another plot thread that didn't exactly have a lot to say, but it was cute when Joe was whispering to Jay to check Gloria's phone, and I totally remember liking "ice cream soup" when I was a kid, too!

That's all I've got for this one. In all, this show can be marked a success if it can make me smile a few times, and this episode did that.

8/10