RATING: 3.5/5
Season Five of Modern Family is finally out, and has once again gained plaudits for its ever-so witty ways of depicting modern life.
This season, similar to others, was just as entertaining as you would have liked. While the difficulties in portraying their unique family to the outside world are not focused upon as such, the season does revolve around the wedding of Mitchell Pritchett and Cameron Tucker. Eric Stonestreet, as Cameron, has been perfect in his role of a dramatic, gossipy gay guy. It’s hard to believe that he’s actually straight.
The series also shows the children of Phil and Claire Dunphy move on. Luke Dunphy (along with his ‘uncle’ Manny Delgado) have graduated to high school, while Haley Dunphy is trying to make a name for herself in photography. The transitions of seeing Nolan Gould as Luke, grow up so quickly in the space of a season, takes you aback for a while. The same could also be said of Rico Rodriguez. While Rico’s acting has been merely adequate for a sitcom as huge as Modern Family, Nolan has been a huge letdown and is one of the few glaring flaws in the season.
Contrary to what people thought, there wasn’t much attention given to the difficulties in raising Fulgencio Joseph Pritchett. Indeed, Jay Pritchett ends up hiring a male nanny (Adam DeVine) for his convenience. Adam’s acting, too, could be better, but his colourful character and witty lines, reminiscent of Ty’s, mask his deficiencies. A good choice for a recurring character.
I really enjoyed Julie Bowen’s acting as the freak wife Claire Dunphy, and while Aubrey Anderson-Emmons (as Lily) was obviously not good enough as a child actress, her character was a joy to watch. Ed O’Neill, as always, is back to his sadist best, while Jesse Ferguson’s and Sofia Vergara’s portrayal of Mitchell and Gloria were, as always, commendable.
Aside from Nolan Gould’s acting, another letdown has been the fast-paced nature of the episodes. Don’t get me wrong, Seasons 1 and 2 of Modern Family were indeed, too slow, but had the directors followed the blueprints of Seasons 3 and 4, maybe the various subplots in S05 would have been understood more properly. The Las Vegas episode, funny as it was, was a particular example of how the plot zoomed past you before you could comprehend it.
Of course, the plot and the dialogue delivery is superb. In fact, the season ends with a remarkable twist during Mitchell and Cameron’s wedding which could change the path of Season 6.
Personally though, I had expected something different. Had this been the first season of Modern Family, I would have given it a 4/5 with no hesitation. However, after seeing Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan do ‘more of the same’ and take some unnecessary and unsuccessful risks, the humour in the episodes became a bit repetitive. It went to the extent where the jokes were almost predictable. If you are a hardcore Modern Family lover, you wouldn’t have any new dimension to see in this season.
Like F.R.I.E.N.D.S., Modern Family is increasingly becoming reliant on plot twists to keep up its fame. Critics found that F.R.I.E.N.D.S., memorable as it was, went out with a kind of a whimper, when you consider aspects apart from viewership and plots. Modern Family, I feel, is in danger of doing the same.
-Santi (Follow my football blog 'Arsenal Blogz' and my Twitter account @NeilNagwekar @ArsenalBlogz)
Season Five of Modern Family is finally out, and has once again gained plaudits for its ever-so witty ways of depicting modern life.
This season, similar to others, was just as entertaining as you would have liked. While the difficulties in portraying their unique family to the outside world are not focused upon as such, the season does revolve around the wedding of Mitchell Pritchett and Cameron Tucker. Eric Stonestreet, as Cameron, has been perfect in his role of a dramatic, gossipy gay guy. It’s hard to believe that he’s actually straight.
The series also shows the children of Phil and Claire Dunphy move on. Luke Dunphy (along with his ‘uncle’ Manny Delgado) have graduated to high school, while Haley Dunphy is trying to make a name for herself in photography. The transitions of seeing Nolan Gould as Luke, grow up so quickly in the space of a season, takes you aback for a while. The same could also be said of Rico Rodriguez. While Rico’s acting has been merely adequate for a sitcom as huge as Modern Family, Nolan has been a huge letdown and is one of the few glaring flaws in the season.
Contrary to what people thought, there wasn’t much attention given to the difficulties in raising Fulgencio Joseph Pritchett. Indeed, Jay Pritchett ends up hiring a male nanny (Adam DeVine) for his convenience. Adam’s acting, too, could be better, but his colourful character and witty lines, reminiscent of Ty’s, mask his deficiencies. A good choice for a recurring character.
I really enjoyed Julie Bowen’s acting as the freak wife Claire Dunphy, and while Aubrey Anderson-Emmons (as Lily) was obviously not good enough as a child actress, her character was a joy to watch. Ed O’Neill, as always, is back to his sadist best, while Jesse Ferguson’s and Sofia Vergara’s portrayal of Mitchell and Gloria were, as always, commendable.
Aside from Nolan Gould’s acting, another letdown has been the fast-paced nature of the episodes. Don’t get me wrong, Seasons 1 and 2 of Modern Family were indeed, too slow, but had the directors followed the blueprints of Seasons 3 and 4, maybe the various subplots in S05 would have been understood more properly. The Las Vegas episode, funny as it was, was a particular example of how the plot zoomed past you before you could comprehend it.
Of course, the plot and the dialogue delivery is superb. In fact, the season ends with a remarkable twist during Mitchell and Cameron’s wedding which could change the path of Season 6.
Personally though, I had expected something different. Had this been the first season of Modern Family, I would have given it a 4/5 with no hesitation. However, after seeing Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan do ‘more of the same’ and take some unnecessary and unsuccessful risks, the humour in the episodes became a bit repetitive. It went to the extent where the jokes were almost predictable. If you are a hardcore Modern Family lover, you wouldn’t have any new dimension to see in this season.
Like F.R.I.E.N.D.S., Modern Family is increasingly becoming reliant on plot twists to keep up its fame. Critics found that F.R.I.E.N.D.S., memorable as it was, went out with a kind of a whimper, when you consider aspects apart from viewership and plots. Modern Family, I feel, is in danger of doing the same.
-Santi (Follow my football blog 'Arsenal Blogz' and my Twitter account @NeilNagwekar @ArsenalBlogz)