Jay's one-liners are some of my favorites in the show. When Jay (Ed O'Neill of Married With Children) tries to teach Manny to ride a bike, but Manny comes out decked out in all manner of protective gear, Jay says "we're riding bikes, we're not training police dogs." Then when talking to the dog groomer there's, "You know you got a bit of an attitude, you know that? You know who used to do your job back in my day? A hose!" Phil (Ty Burrell) comes in a close second with his often unintentional comedy including such gems as, "Why do I have to watch a French movie? I didn't do anything wrong!"
Of course, there's the situational comedy as well. In one episode, Gloria (Sofía Vergara) sings completely out of tune on her new karaoke machine, and Jay, looking on, turns on the garbage disposal to cover the sound. Then he drops a spoon in. Then there's the episode where Gloria's fears about riding a bike seem to coincidentally come true. She has a fear of being grabbed and kidnapped while riding a bike. She learns to ride a bike, and Claire (Julie Bowen) happens to need a bike right then, and grabs her off the bike, pretty much shattering any confidence she just gained and confirming her fears, funnily enough.
It's not all ridiculous scenarios. Clearly the show wants to put out the message that no family is perfect, but things usually work out in the end. But there are times when the wholesome "everything works out fine" thing can get piled on a little thick. The music goes up, everyone hugs, etc. Still, with the level of embarrassing, humiliating situations that the family members manage to get into, it's still nice to have this kind of thing to bring the show back to a comfort zone. This season also ends on a really sweet note, with Cam and Mitchell making a big decision about their family.
The picture quality and sound are excellent, not surprising since most shows are filmed for HD now anyway. The special features are decent, and pretty well put together (not just tacked on). I kinda wish the Gag Reel feature had more genuine outtakes, rather than just mostly replaying gag comedy from the show, but it still is a good mix. Once it gets going into the real outtakes, it's hilarious. The deleted scenes and family interviews are nice for that insight into what made it and what was taken out. Often it's not additional scenes that were deleted, but just alternate scenes, making the whole thing a bit more interesting to watch.
I have to admit, Modern Family is one of my guilty pleasures. The mocumentary style just works right for this show, the writing is brilliant, and it manages to put you in a happy place at the end of each episode. The characters, although they manage to get in the most ridiculous, unimaginable situations, are still all very well rounded and believable. I can't really picture the show's target audience, but maybe that's a good thing. I think the show works on so many levels, for so many people.
