MODERN FAMILY Makes "Wedding" Unnecessarily Stunty

Article first published as TV Review: 'Modern Family' - Season Five Finale on Blogcritics.

ABC’s Modern Family is a thoroughly charming, pretty funny, completely typical sitcom. For an example of the last descriptor, you only need to look at the recent season finale, “The Wedding, Part 2,” and its first half. Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) and Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) are finally able to get married because California has OK-ed gay marriage, but all manner of mishaps, from wildfire to a runaway bride returning, force multiple changes in venues. An event episode plagued by obstacles is a hallmark of sitcoms, and in this, Modern Family fails to distinguish itself.

There’s a very telling sequence in “The Wedding, Part 2″ for which I wish the writers had listened to themselves. Phil (Ty Burrell) is preparing to officiate the ceremony, replacing Sal (Elizabeth Banks), who has gone into labor, of course, and he tries to work a magic trick into his monologue. His wife, Claire (Julie Bowen), gives him sound advice, saying that he doesn’t need to be flashy, just let the emotion stand on its own. Phil does, and it’s a very moving moment, seeing the love between Phil and Claire, and among the family in general.

I think the rest of episode should have taken note of this bit and more widely applied it. Sure, it’s funny when Pepper (Nathan Lane) has butterfly issues and Sal claims she’s only four months pregnant as her water breaks, and even when Manny (Rico Rodriguez) and Luke (Nolan Gould) unintentionally have a faux marriage, but we don’t need natural disasters and such to get in the way of that. The smaller jokes, built on relationships and the dynamics of a loving clan, are much better than when the series goes to extremes in what seems to be an obvious ratings ploy. Did Modern Family really need two weeks to stage a wedding?

The best part of “The Wedding, Part 2″ by far is Jay (Ed O’Neill) trying not only to come to terms with Mitchell and Cam getting married (something with which he has made great progress), but also to make up with Mitch, who is miffed over an unintentional comment. Jay is old-school living in the modern era, and to his credit, he tries very hard to accept Mitchell for who he is. Jay is not 100% on board, but neither would he ever do anything to impede his son’s happiness. You can absolutely tell that this Jay is not the same one that has raised Mitchell, and it’s resonant for many older men today, struggling to adjust to an unfamiliar world. Some of the craziness of fleeing the fire could have been better spent further developing this relationship, which is well served, but should have been delved into deeper.

An interesting twist, which has built for some time is concerns Haley (Sarah Hyland) falling for Andy (Adam DeVine), who is not her typical type of guy. Andy is a lot like Phil, though, so viewers should see this coming, and Haley being attracted to this guy who reminds us so much of her father  (something she doesn’t see) doesn’t seem too creepy. Yes, Haley basically rejects him late in the season finale, but that may only be a temporary setback. She lets him go because her sister, Alex (Ariel Winter), asks her not to be cruel, and Haley is trying to do the right thing. But Andy could be her chance at not only a solid relationship, but also in maturing and growing as a person. I hope this thread is picked up next season.

Even with its stunts, I still love Modern Family. It does make me laugh, and it almost always nails the emotional stuff. I just wish it cared more about the feelings than the jokes. and let the humor flow more naturally. Much of the time it does, but often enough it seems to sell out. It is mostly watchable, but could be better than it is now, sliding in quality with age.

Modern Family has been renewed and will return to ABC next fall.

Community more than just "Cooperative Escapism"

Article first published as Community more than just "Cooperative Escapism" on TheTVKing.

NBC's Community delivers the second consecutive solid episode of the fourth season this week with "Cooperative Escapism in Familial Relations." It's Thanksgiving, and Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) invites everyone to her home for dinner. They accept, except Jeff (Joel McHale), who has a surprise - he's going to visit his estranged father, William (James Brolin, Castle, Catch Me If You Can), this holiday.

Jeff is a shallow jerk of a man, or so we believe for the first couple of seasons. But at the end of season three, Community made a choice to begin to explore his psyche in a real way, allowing for growth and development, and delving into what makes him the way he is. It's great to see "Cooperative Escapism in Familial Relations" continue that trend.

Who Jeff's father is has long been eating at the character, as William abandoned Jeff as a young boy. In this episode, we see a lot of what Jeff gets from his father, but also the type of guy that would disappear from his son's life. It's a complex portrait, developed in such a way that we see the similarities and differences between the Winger men, as well as the cause of them, all in a single episode of a sitcom. It's quite a feat.

At first, William wants to take credit for Jeff. Jeff appears confident and successful, having had a good life, and William thinks that may be what has helped Jeff. By contrast, Jeff's younger half brother, William Jr. (Adam DeVine, Workaholics), who William raised reluctantly, is a blubbery emotional mess. But Jeff sets William straight, baring a lot of his soul, a deeply painful story, and a literal scar. It's a bit of a wake up call for William, though only time will tell if he will squander the second chance he doesn't deserve that Jeff is graciously giving him.

For someone who originally seems sarcastic and closed off, this honesty and rawness from Jeff in the episode is startling and impressive. For the first time, viewers get to really know Jeff. It's a whole new side of the character, and one that explains a lot. This is McHale's masterpiece in the series, and he handles it with brilliance and a huge amount of talent that seems to come effortlessly. Bravo.

It completely adds to this plot that Britta (Gillian Jacobs) follows Jeff to his family's home. Everyone makes fun of her, and rightly so, for her desire to be a therapist, and the poor way that she seems to perform as one. Yet, here, she has clearly gotten through to Jeff, and as reluctant as he might be to admit it, Jeff owes her a huge debt of thanks.

The whole thing perfectly pays off when Jeff prepares a lovely and sincere Thanksgiving for the group, and even invites the Dean (Jim Rash). These are his chosen family, the people that mean the most to him, and he finally ready to start showing it.

Meanwhile, at Shirely's house, the rest of the group finds a horrible mess of an event, and end up hiding from Shirley's family in the garage. Shirley's feelings are hurt, which we eventually learn, since she invited them to have a buffer from her husband's horrible family. At this revelation, they rally and support Shirley the way that they should.

Some of this arc is weak. Having Abed (Danny Pudi) turn their garage stay into a Shawshank Redemption and Prison Break bit is going a little far. There are some solid jokes, such as digging the tunnel behind the poster and the unnecessary map of the house on his stomach. But I do wonder if perhaps Abed is losing it. What I perceive as a hollowing of the character could be symptoms of a larger issue that will have to be dealt with, a continuation of the problems glimpsed in the season premiere. If so, this is a smart, not lame, arc for the character, and would redeem the first couple installments of the season. If not, the writing for Abed is just so much more flat this year, and that's disappointing.

Besides the bigger stories, there are a ton of fun callbacks and references stuffed into the episode. We see Shirley's sandwich shop sign, Abed utters "cool, cool, cool," Pierce (Chevy Chase) tries and fails to engage Abed on numerous occasions with Star Wars references and being meta, and Jeff uses Britta's name as a verb against her. Also, in the opening scene in the study room, inside messages are written on the board behind the cast, including a thank you to fans for tuning in. Awesome.

After a soft opening, spirits are buoyed as Community picks up steam. Maybe the emotional stuff Jeff in particular experiences isn't completely consistent with what the show was, but they have been earned and feel natural at this point. Community airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.