Should you watch it, wiki it, or wait for the recap? Definitely watch it.
Mitch finds himself suffocated when Cam refuses to let their honeymoon end, and Gloria is upset that Jay no longer makes an effort about his appearance. Meanwhile, the Dunphys enjoy a blissful summer – until Alex returns. Is Alex really the source of negativity at home, and can Mitch and Gloria tell their respective spouses the truth without hurting them?
So it’s the season premiere of Modern Family! While the episode itself didn’t quite start with a bang, it eventually built up in an uproarious crescendo, cementing itself as one of the best season premieres of the 2014-2015 season. It didn’t have the usual saccharine endings – rather, this episode gave its family message rather well, without having to resort to the crutch of narration and montages in the climax.
And of course, this episode gave us Gloria’s best outfit to date.
Highlights:
Gloria’s outfit
You’ve never seen Gloria in anything but glam, but in trying to teach Jay a lesson, she comes out in the most dowdy outfit possible. To top it off, she smears lipstick on herself in the most Joker-esque way possible, giving us one of the most memorable Modern Family scenes for Season 6 (and it’s just the first episode!). Best of all, it’s grounded in character when she reveals that all this while, she’s had her regular gorgeous outfit underneath – proving to us that despite her ostensibly hideous outfit, she’s still concerned about her looks.
Cam and Mitch face another regular couple issue
As usual, Cam is the lady in this episode, and he plays it up by clinging on to Mitch with his overly romantic gestures and just being there every step of the way. Ladies will agree that they can empathise with how unappreciated Cam feels when Mitch seems to awkwardly rebuff every move he makes, while gents are going to nod agreeably at the sticky over-possessiveness of Cam. Regardless, they show us that despite being gay, all relationships face universal problems.
It’s a nice throwback to the first episode’s baby naming ceremony, what with the exploding decorations and cheesy music.
Phil’s magic trick
Phil’s tricks work best when they go wrong, and while only one trick goes wrong here, it does so in a subtle way. The trick doesn’t take your attention off the issue, which is the newfound harmony of Phil’s family, and it’s also great to see Claire being less controlling and neurotic in this episode. His trick supported the episode’s story, rather than taking the spotlight away from it – great use of this plot device
Of course, there was one little squicky thing that I didn’t quite want to see…
Haley’s webcam hijack
Haley discovers that the recent hits on her blog are due to the fact that she’s unintentionally left her webcam on, broadcasting a candid 24-hour stream of her life. But Alex mentions that she leaves her webcam on every, including when she goes to the shower… it just feels wrong. I cringed at this. It was a joke taken too far, although the Tag helped to ameliorate it… slightly. I don’t like the sexualisation of Haley, not when we’ve seen her grow up all these 5 years.
Overall, this was a great episode to start the season off! I laughed out loud at Gloria’s scene (I could have typed LOL but hey, English), and could really identify with the stories about appearance and romance. In any case, the season’s started good and proper, so get on with your Modern Family marathon!
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