Quick Take: Modern Family, "Hawaii"
"It's the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the fight." - Survivor
Review: Modern Family, "Hawaii"
(S0123) The gang goes to Hawaii. The whole gang. The scenario of the whole gang on a sitcom going off for a vacation is a fairly familiar one, with varying results. The most famous one is arguably The Brady Bunch's ill fated venture to Hawaii, and that's where our Modern Family gang ends up as well. Like it does in many ways throughout its exceptional first season, Modern Family excels in making familiar territory – family, relationships, siblings, growing up, and in this case family vacations – feel fresh and funny and interesting.
And it adds a wonderfully peculiar twist to the cocktail as well. Case in point is when Phil (Ty Burrell, who grows on me more each week) says to his wife Claire (Julie Bowen), "There she is, the prettiest white lady on Maui." – It works so well because Phil has no clue how bizarre and borderline offensive that comes off as, and his intention comes from a goofy and absolutely sincere place. That same sensibility comes into play with Phil's dead focus mission to convert his family vacation into the romantic honeymoon that they never had the first time around. "Turning a family vacation into a honeymoon takes commitment," he intones. It's really nice to see Claire be able to let her hair down for once and to see a non-harried couple be able to enjoy each other without the kids… if only but briefly. It's hilarious, for instance, to see the parents ditch the kids at the entrance to the adults-only pool, akin to the hipsters in the group leaving their lessers behind at a club's front entrance velvet rope.
Of course, reality comes calling when Haley (Sarah Hyland) goes and gets herself good and drunk. Again, a semi-familiar comic scenario but the great touch comes into play again when Claire responds "yes" after a beat when a hung over Haley asks, "Does this happen every time you drink?"
And as often is the case, Modern Family sneaks up on you at the end with a touching moment. In this case Phil pulls out one last move to up the romance factor and sets up a renewal of marriage vows ceremony. A Hawaiian musician serenades with "Eye of the Tiger," by Survivor, a funny and ironic touch that rounds out Phil's inexhaustible commitment to squeezing a romantic holiday into an extended family vacation.
There were other nice touches – Jay's (Ed O'Neill) obsession with eating cheeseburgers in the sun in between worried about getting knocked out with a heart attack like his father was, Manny (Rico Rodriguez) and Luke's (Nolan Gould) Odd Couple routine while sharing a hotel room, Cam (Eric Stonestreet) and Mitch (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) losing Lilly continuously – particularly in a sugarcane field – but I enjoyed the spotlight most on Phil and Claire this week.
Other thoughts on "Hawaii":
Video: Modern Family, "Hawaii"
Check out the modern vacational action on Hulu, while available:
Recap: Modern Family, "Hawaii"
An unexpected reality check dampens Jay's plans for relaxation.
From Around the Web: Modern Family, "Hawaii"
