Thursday, September 23, 2010
FAMILY DYNAMICS: I didn't get home till late last night, so haven't yet had a chance to watch Undercovers, either variety of Top Chef, Cougar Town, or The Whole Truth, which are all sitting on my DVR (and the last of those may not get watched), but did have a chance to watch Modern Family and Better With You. Modern Family was, as usual, pretty solid, but I agree with Alan--this wasn't a great episode, in no small part because we left the three family units largely separate and there were few surprises in how folks behaved--everyone acted exactly the way we'd expect them to act. On the other hand, I enjoyed Better With You a lot more than most of the critics did, in large part because, as is the case with HIMYM, I find it easy to identify with the characters. Yes, it's very broad and doesn't do fun things with time and shifting narration like HIMYM does, but it still made me laugh. I am a bit concerned that they've written themselves into a bit of a corner with making Mia pregnant (introducing babies on relationship sitcoms rarely winds up working well), but we'll see how they handle it.
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Top Chef was ... different.
ReplyDeleteModern Family was solid but not great, I agree, but one thing I noticed that I approve of, and hope was an intentional thing, is that Cam and Mitchell were much more affectionate than they were last year. Mitchell kissed Cam on the top of his head, and they seemed much more forward about their hand-holding in the first talking head segment, just to name two quick examples. It seemed much more like the kind of off-hand affection a long-married couple would have (a la Phil and Claire). I hope it was responsive to the comments from last season that the gay couple couldn't be shown being affectionate with each other on primetime network TV.
ReplyDeleteI'll agree that Modern Family didn't do anything radically different, but I thought the whole episode was laugh-out-loud funny. Come on! Jay: "That was my Vietnam, and I was in Vietnam." Cam: "Garnish -- we're men, not cavemen." Phil: "You know what? You can insult a lot of things about me, my hair, my voice, my balance board exercises, but don't insult my selling...that crosses the line...what line? Oh you don't see it!? That's 'cause I just sold it!" and so many more. I thought Eric Stonestreet, in particular, took it to a new level of funny with his delivery and facial expressions.
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen TC from last night yet, but this just in: Anthony Bourdain is joining the judging panel for TC: All Stars. Despite the deplorable lack of Kevin G. from the AS list, I'm so there.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen many shows but I liked Detroit 1-8-7. Modern Family delivered but wasn't over the top.
ReplyDeleteI didn't see TC last night but didn't understand what it was- was it a reunion show??
Ahhh---I had only heard rumors of this, but....
ReplyDeleteKR - yup, Top Chef was the reunion show. Worth watching mainly for the gag reel of clips of the judges, which I don't think they've done before. Tom Colicchio was hysterical - I had to rewind to watch him making clucking noises to the chickens again.
ReplyDeleteJenn - I would watch that show, no matter what the premise!
There will be a separate Top Chef All-Stars post tonight.
ReplyDeleteModern Family didn't connect for me. I ended up stopping in the middle and returning the next day, which I never did first season. Some funny lines, but this would've been an episode in the bottom quartile last season.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it's the lawyer in me, but the slapstick of having Phil chase after a runaway car jarred me. People get killed doing that.
I did notice what Patricia did, and will treat that as an improvement, plus there was a reference to Cam/Mitchell's sex life for the first time, even if only as a facetious joke.
I did think, however, that showing Sofia Vergara vigorously stirring the chocolate milk while she wore a tight sweater was a tad gratuitous. Katy Perry has been banned for less.
<span><span>oh, Just Desserts, that is.</span></span>
ReplyDeleteThe thing about Modern Family, for me, is that while it is almost always incredibly funny, any space by which the funny recedes is usually filled by wonderful observation about what it's like to be in a caring family. The wonderful image of the past literally falling away into a ditch while the family invents its next generation of memories ("What's the PLAN, Phil?") was just perfect.
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