Quick Take: Modern Family, "Benched"
"Yeah, I know you have all that greeting card 'screw you' money." – Jay to Mitchell
Review: Modern Family, "Benched"
(S0120) It's such a pleasure to watch Modern Family week after week. After twenty episodes, the characters are so well established that they easily play off what we know about them.
For example, we have Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cameron (Eric Stonestreet): Mitchell's the Type A workaholic and Cam's the doting stay-at-home dad (and trophy wife, says he). With Mitchell now out of work and Cam working part-time at a greeting card store (where they are saving a ton of cash on greeting cards thanks to his discount, you just have to do the math), each is clearly out of his element. Mitchell wants to plot the assassination of Dora the Explorer, while Cam is miserable not being around his dear Lilly at home. It's a basic plot, but it plays out so well because of the characters and writing and acting. It's great to note too that many of the Mitchell/Cam storylines don't rely on their being a gay couple in a "modern family" world – this story could have played out largely the same with any male/female couple.
The "benched" storyline, which focused in part on Phil's (Ty Burell) quest to step out from father Jay's (Ed O'Neill) while coaching Luke and Manny's basketball team, felt slightly flatter. And Claire (Julie Bowen) and Haley (Sarah Hyland)attempting to bond felt a little undercooked.
Overall though, if you're into comedy of the modern familial sort, you can't go wrong with this show.
Other thoughts on "Benched":
Video: Modern Family, "Benched"
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Recap: Modern Family, "Benched"
Luke and Manny's hot-tempered basketball coach quits during a game, causing Jay and Phil to jockey to fill the position; Mitchell takes Cameron along to meet a prospective employer
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