March 3, 2011 - 4:28pm
Episode review: "Mother Tucker"
BY JACOB AXELRAD
“Modern Family”
“Mother Tucker”
ABC
The latest episode of “Modern Family” featured a worthy guest appearance from Celia Weston as Cam’s overly touchy mother, who has a thing for feeling up Mitchell. In addition, there was a breakup between Haley and Dylan in which Phil, in his very Phil way, became a bit overly involved, and an appendicitis storyline for Jay that involved Manny as the would-be doctor. Unfortunately, this installment in season two of ABC’s Emmy-winning sitcom plodded along in a manner that didn’t live up to the show’s name.
The predictable nature of Weston’s character was beneath both her own talent as an actress and the writer’s ability to craft meaningful guest spots (remember Elizabeth Banks and Edward Norton from season one?).
The Haley-Dylan-Phil plot felt old and rehashed. Too often now have we seen this dynamic: Phil, the comically immature father, imparts a few wise words on the teenagers he professes to empathize with. It was somewhat endearing but seemed stale this time around.
Manny, as the mini-doctor who searches the Internet for medical advice for Jay, stayed on par with the sardonic wit we know and love — this is one relationship on the show that the writers have nailed. But this narrative took a backseat, and was little more than an afterthought by the show’s conclusion.
We’ve come to expect smart, witty comedy at every turn from the Dunphy family, and while season two as a whole has been a step up from the first season; this episode was only average. The plus side is that average from series creators Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd still entertains with its wonderful mixture of slapstick comedy, droll humor and genuine family sentiment.
