Modern Family, "The Old Wagon": good times, she wrote

Quick Take: Modern Family, "The Old Wagon"
"You can go home again." – Phil

Review: Modern Family, "The Old Wagon"
(S0201) The kickoff to Modern Family's second season proved out yet again what made it both a critical and popular success during its first season without necessarily being a classic episode in its own right. That is, it's a remarkable half hour of television that is both a "traditional" comedy based on family relationships while being consistently funny.

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It's a modern show in that the comedy has a 2010 sensibility, but the show works because it is rock solid in the basics: writing and characters and performances. I was reminded of this a number of times when there was a funny exchange between two characters that was based on both the writing itself and the knowledge that we have of these three-dimensional characters coming in. The first example involves the practical and often harried wife and mom Claire (Julie Bowen) and her wildly optimistic and goofball husband Phil (Ty Burrell) with regard to both the old station wagon that’s eating up room in the garage and their single-and-ready-to-mingle teenage daughter Haley (Sarah Hyland):

The next exchange involves Mitch (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cam's (Eric Stonestreet) project to build a fabulous princess castle in their backyard for adopted daughter Lilly. Cam brings in Mitch's father, Jay (Ed O'Neill), as he's rightfully concerned that Mitch is capable of maiming himself and others at any moment that he picks up some sort of power tool or implement of construction:

I chuckled consistently throughout the episode, even if there were not the explosive laughs that came out of Community's return (which is absolutely an unfair companion, I'll admit, as Community is running game right now that few comedies ever reach). Still, it was entirely enjoyable to return to spending time with this gaggle of characters. And unlike most comedies (and this includes Community), Modern Family knows how to ratchet up the dramatic and often nostalgic vibe near an episode's end. The theme this week, as it often is, was about dealing with change, how we all grow up and grow older and move on, despite the fact that we rarely want to. And that our family and relationships and memories are the things that hold us together and aid us in moving forward.

More thoughts on "This Old Wagon":

From Around the Web: Modern Family, "The Old Wagon"
Check out the episode in full from Hulu, while available: