Quick Take: Modern Family, “Phil on Wire”
“Let’s face it – a well-fed Cam is hardly a model of emotional stability. Now, deprive him of food, and stage by stage, it’s a slow descent into madness.” - Mitchell
Review: Modern Family, “Phil on Wire”
(S0303) This week’s Modern Family teaches us that sometimes the best lessons just can’t be taught. Well, that, and that in Colombia, wives and mistresses are treated better than dogs. Last season, Gloria’s antics caused a creepy dog-trainer to leave his dog at the Pritchett house, which eventually wins over Jay’s affection, persuading him to keep it. Since then, the dog has been chewing all of Gloria’s shoes and purses, sleeping in their bed, and all the while going undisciplined by the coddling Jay. By the end of the episode, Gloria is reduced to chewing on one of Jay’s shoes herself, trying to get Stella to follow suit, just as Jay and Manny walk in on her.
Elsewhere, a documentary inspires Phil to conquer tightrope walking, while Cam and Mitchell set goals of their own by commencing a “juice fast” together. They give all their excess junk food to Luke, which he gorges himself with in between filming his dad’s attempts to make it across the rope. Mitchell needs to step as tenderly as Phil, because Cameron on a diet becomes as unhinged as the cupboard door he rips out. With Mitchell also on the juice fast, Cam makes it further into a diet than he’s ever been, venturing into an unpredictable territory of hunger which comes to a head at Mitchell’s boss’ house.
It was great to see Justin Kirk back in his recurring role as Mitch’ boss, considering his future as Andy Botwin in Showtime’s Weeds is still pending. He only makes his appearance at the end, but his tragic sea-lion story is enough to force an episode between Mitch and Cam. Concerned that Cam will jeopardize his relationship with his boss, Mitch gets so caught up in trying to be supportive that he eventually cracks and runs screaming into the ocean while everyone watches. Hopefully his new designation as a “work friend” doesn’t mean that we’ll see less of Justin Kirk’s character.
And last but not least: Claire and the girls. Trying to make the best out of the news that Alex will be moving up into Hayley’s math class, Claire tries to incite the idea of the “Super Dunphy” in her daughters’ minds. Instead of constantly clashing, Alex and Hayley fool their mom into thinking that they’ve agreed to work together, while really they’ve just agreed to trade test answers for time at the cool table during lunch. When Claire comes to the school to pick them up, she learns that they got caught cheating. Her “disappointment” spiel loses most of its force, however, when the girls arrive to find Claire restrained in plastic zip-ties after losing her cool on a particularly prudent security guard.
Did I say that was the last thing? But you still want to know if Phil made it across the rope! Well, dejected and ready to give up by episode’s end, it seems like he won’t. Until, that is, Luke suggests that Phil keeps falling because he can; there’s no risk in trying only six inches off the ground, nothing to lose. So he hooks up the tightrope seven feet in the air, and lo and behold, he makes it across just as Claire and the girls arrive home to witness it. Claire’s hope for a Super Dunphy is renewed by her hubby’s impressive feat, but, more importantly: Phil now has two ways to get across his yard.
Super Dunphy !