Blu-ray Review: ‘Modern Family – The Complete Fourth Season’

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: ‘Modern Family – The Complete Fourth Season’ on Blogcritics.

As ABC’s Modern Family kicks off its fifth season on the air, those who may have fallen behind last year can catch up with Modern Family: The Complete Fourth Season, available now on Blu-ray and DVD. Season four is a time of change for the family, and you won’t want to miss this important part of their lives, played out in 24 episodes.

As this season begins, Jay (Ed O’Neill) is turning 65, a milestone for the old man. What he doesn’t know yet is, he’s about to become a dad again. His wife, Gloria (Sofia Vergara), isn’t sure how to break the news, further complicated by that fact that Jay’s son, Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), and his partner Cam (Eric Stonestreet), just lost the chance to adopt a baby themselves, something they really wanted.

Don’t let the drama of the situation get you down; it sure doesn’t hurt the tone. Modern Family is a comedy, pure and simple, and even the most uncomfortable situations are played for laughs. More effective than most sitcoms at landing those gags, the talented and most-Emmy-nominated cast can take any scenario and turn it into a series of amusing bits. There is definitely character development, and sweet moments between relations, too, mixing heart and humor in a (literally) winning combination, finely polished after several years on the air.

Among the happenstances of The Complete Fourth Season, Mitchell tries to convince Cam to get a job, Claire (Julie Bowen) makes efforts to tone down her haunted house to be kid-friendly, Luke (Nolan Gould) decides to quite magic, much to the disappointment of his father, Phil (Ty Burrell), Hayley (Sarah Hyland) is arrested at college for underage drinking, the family suspects that Alex’s (Ariel Winter) new boyfriend is gay, Gloria’s hidden secrets are revealed, Claire and Cam attempt to flip a house, Jay’s New Year’s plans are ruined, Lily (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons) proves challenging to parent, Manny (Rico Rodriguez) gets a surprise party, Cam directs a production of Phantom of the Opera, Dylan (Reid Ewing) moves into the Dunphy household, Jay offers Claire a job, and Phil buys an RV. And those are just some of the plots.

As you may have surmised, Modern Family works best when the family is together, and that is the bread and butter of the show. Sometimes others drift in and out, and they’re great, but there are few episodes better than when a group of main characters get together. In particular, anytime Claire, Phil, Mitchell, and Cam hang out is priceless.

There are also fantastic guest stars this year. Shelley Long returns as Mitchell and Claire’s mother, Dede, and Nathan Lane is back as Cam and Mitchell’s friend, Pepper. Matthew Broderick plays a man who thinks Phil is gay and hitting on him. Benjamin Bratt makes another appearance as Gloria’s ex, Javier, this time with Paget Brewster (Criminal Minds) in tow as his fiance. Mitchell’s ex-boyfriend Teddy (Larry Sullivan, Will & Grace) remains beloved by the clan. Potential spin-off subject Gil Thorpe (Rob Riggle) gets involved in the house flipping arc. We see Phil’s dad (Fred Willard) when the family flies down to Florida for Phil’s mother’s funeral. And look out for Star Wars‘ Billy Dee Williams!

There are quite a few extras in this three-disc set. As one would expect, there are plenty of deleted and alternate scenes, as well as a gag reel. The season finale gets the Director’s Cut treatment, extending the running time slightly. There are commentaries with the writers of the show for select episodes. Plus, a number of featurettes, including one on said writers, a focus on the family’s newest addition, “A Day with Eric,” a fun little bit featuring Stonestreet, and more are within.

Why buy the Blu-ray versus the DVD? I’m going to be honest, there aren’t a lot of special features or obvious advantages. However, if you’re like me, you want the best picture and sound possible. With Blu-ray, the details are crisp and the sound is pretty much perfect, though it’s front-heavy, as the show intended, with variations in tone and color, as rare as they may be, readily apparent. It looks great in HD, so why not? Plus, you get “Season Mode,” which keeps track of what you’ve watched previously.

Modern Family – The Complete Fourth Season is available now.

NTSF:SD:SUV:: the F stands for Fun

Right from the opening in the season two premiere of NTSF:SD:SUV, viewers knew that fun times were to be had. After all, the episode was rated F for Fun. And then we get labels for locations like the NTSF hallway and Kove's (Kate Mulgrew) office. What's not to like about that?

The story of the premiere, entitled "16 Hop Street," finds Piper (June Diane Raphael) and Trent (Paul Sheer) sent undercover to Nick Cannon High School (wtf?), where the popular kids are being kidnapped. They are tapped because the President of the Navy's (Rob Riggle) son is one of the victims, and the 16 Hop Street task force were all recently killed. What they find is a typical high school, infiltrated by all sorts of adults with various goals, and the kidnapper.

"16 Hop Street" is funny by itself. From Trent refusing to listen to Piper when she says Nirvana sang about smelling like teen spirit, even though he later remembers it's the truth, to the disappearing kid at the dance, to the school musical's cast list posting, there are plenty of humorous moments. Yes, the title is a play on the movie from earlier this summer, 21 Jump Street, as is the plot, but that is far from the only move references. Back to the Future, Back to School, and Never Been Kissed, among others.

What this means is, on top of the police jokes, "16 Hop Street" also serves as a backdoor pilot for a similar take on high school tropes. The preview at the end, promising a spin-off entitled Filthy Dirty T$$ns may or may not be real. For the sake of the great cast, which looks to include Charlie Saxton (Hung), Carly Chaikin (Suburgatory), Desperate Housewives' Max or Charlie Carver (who can tell?), and possibly Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead) and more guest spots by Rob Riggle, let's hope that it does come to pass.

There are other great guest stars in the episode, too, but since the official website and IMDB aren't current for this episode yet, I could only list the ones I recognized and knew.

NTSF:SD:SUV has a great formula. It's similar in vein to its parent show, Childrens Hospital, but embraces enough differences that the two don't seem similar. It makes itself action packed, even when not necessary. The characters are just as clever, but in different ways, embracing the talents of the actors who play them. And it continues to deliver laughs. For it to birth its own spin-off would be very welcome.

Watch NTSF:SD:SUV Thursdays at 12:15 AM (technically Friday) on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.

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Wilfred makes "Progress"

FX's Wilfred returns next Thursday to officially begin its second season. It's odd, then, that a brand new "preview" episode aired last night. Entitled "Progress," this latest installment finds Ryan (Elijah Wood) in a mental hospital, where he has been getting better under the care of Dr. Eddy (Robin Williams) while waiting for Wilfred (Jason Gann) to recover from his car accident. Ryan is shaken when Jenna (Fiona Gubelmann) brings Wilfred to visit, and Ryan still sees Wilfred as a man in a dog suit, believing that his treatment isn't working. It takes no time at all for Ryan to get caught up in Wilfred's mental games, which disrupts his own path to healing.

There are signs that Ryan isn't mentally stable before Wilfred arrives, though. While in the hospital, Ryan has strange dreams where he is sitting at a conference table with some odd people named Amanda (Allison Mack, Smallville), Kevin (Rob Riggle, NTSF:SD:SUV), and Jeremy (Steven Weber, Wings, Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip), among others. What is going on? Why does Ryan keep dreaming them?

This experience of being a patient seems real enough for Ryan. In fact, it seems a lot like the reality he's been living in. The dreams are kind of new, but the rest of it is natural progress for the characters, considering four months have passed. Jenna has realized she is not pregnant and dumped her boyfriend. Ryan is working on the issues he knows that he has. Wilfred is his same manipulative, sneaky, morality challenged self.

And then, everything shatters. Ryan suddenly sees, in a meta moment, that he is being treated by the Robin Williams character from Good Will Hunting. An orderly (Brian Baumgartner, The Office) helps Ryan escape, only to reveal that he's actually Wilfred, and Bear is driving the getaway car! This makes the mental hospital world fall apart for Ryan as he tries to wake up.

Or does it? Maybe Ryan is in this mental hospital, and by not taking the pills that Dr. Eddy gives him, he loses his grip on what is real and what is not. This is certainly a possibility, and one supported by the notion that Ryan is completely crazy. Though, even before the pills are taken, it seems a given that Ryan is not at the hospital during the events of season one, so not everything can be explained away in this manner. Probably. Who knows? Wilfred is a truly odd show that defies clear definition. Which is what makes it so intriguing.

Ryan does "wake up," we assume, in the conference room with Amanda, Kevin, Jeremy, and the others. He's serving as a lawyer for them as they work on curing cancer. Is this any more realistic than the mental hospital illusion? Maybe Ryan's sister, unseen in this episode, got him this gig in the medical field. But that seems unlikely, given the way that Wilfred leaves things between the siblings at the end of season one. Thus, because of the events of "Progress," there will continue to be a nagging doubt about whether what is shown is real at any given time.

Ryan then goes home to confront the basement. At the end of season one, Ryan discovers a coat closet where he believes a basement door should be. His house certainly looks like it has a basement. Ryan busts through the wall of the closet, and low and behold, stairs to a basement! But the question is, did someone board up the stairs to trick him? Did Ryan himself do it in one of his weird states and just not remember? Is busting through the wall a sign of "Progress," or is it Ryan backsliding? These are questions not answered in "Progress," nor will they likely be with any certainty in season two.

Wilfred is a unique show that makes viewers think. The fact that it is well acted and funny are just frosting on the cake. Not to mention, the quality of guest stars that appear, in this episode alone, should entice you to tune in. If you are missing out on this weird television experience, it's time to correct that. Watch Wilfred Thursdays at 10 PM ET on FX.

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NTSF:SD:SUV brilliant parody

     Cartoon Network's Adult Swim has now done for cop shows with NTSF:SD:SUV what Childrens' Hospital, on the same network, does for hospital series. Namely, embrace every cliché and give them new, interesting, hilarious twists. NTSF:SD:SUV stands for National Terrorism Strike Force: San Diego: Sport Utility Vehicle, but that isn't really important. It's much funnier just to toss in a bunch of letters, poking fun at the numerous procedurals currently on the air. The series is based on a commercial that aired during Childrens' Hospital last year, and while several actors from that short are in the series, a number of changes have been made, including who wears an eye patch. Continuity for NTSF:SD:SUV, like it's sister show, Childrens' Hospital, is ignored, but viewers will likely not care because they will laugh so hard.

     In this week's episode, the series's second, "The Birthday Party That Was Neither," a former member of the team named Chip (John Cho, FlashForward, Star Trek) blackmails four of them for one million dollars each. He is bitter because they left him behind after ninjas cut off his thumbs. When his old friends show up with the money, each gotten in immoral, illegal ways, Chip plans on blowing them up, and somehow donating the money to the park service. That's because his bomb will take out an area of parkland. Though, as one character points out, how will the money survive the explosion? The situation is resolved happily, but then boss Kove (Kate Mulgrew, Star Trek: Voyager) shows up and takes out Chip, still ending happily for everyone else.

     The main characters have all proven their comedy chops long before NTSF:SD:SUV in other projects. Series creator Paul Scheer (The League) stars, and is joined by Brandon Johnson (Funny or Die Presents...), June Diane Raphael (Bride Wars), Martin Starr (Party Down), and Rebecca Romijin (Ugly Betty). A number of guest and  recurring characters are also big names in comedy, including Rob Riggle (The Daily Show), Ed Helms (The Office, The Hangover) and Keri Kinney (Reno 9-1-1!). Mulgrew may be the most surprising member of the cast, as she is known for dramatic roles. However, in "The Birthday Party That Was Neither," she proves herself worthy, getting frustrated at the "birthday party" her employees are secretly being invited to without her. All the performers sell the parts with total commitment.

     The enthusiasm and gusto of the actors is really what makes NTSF:SD:SUV work so well. Like Childrens' Hospital, the stories are secondary, and watching the work of masters is the main draw. In this, they succeed with flying colors. This is one comedy show that you will not want to miss.

     Catch NTSF:SD:SUV Thursdays (technically Fridays) at 12:15 a.m. EST on Cartoon Network.

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