"Caught in the Act"

Hi everybody!  I just finished watching “Caught in the Act”, an episode of Modern Family which aired earlier this season.  The writers in this episode use two different storylines similar to other episodes in order to make comments on how people react and deal with compromising situations.  Modern Family states that although it may be hard to confront these situations, the best way to deal with them is to be honest and address the dilemma head on.

The first storyline deals with Cam and Mitchell who have met the owner of a popular restaurant and try to be friendly with her in order to have an “in” at the restaurant.  While at her house, Cam manages to ruin a $50,000 rug by spilling a juice box.  The two know that Amelia is a very temperamental person and that she will be extremely upset if she finds out and they will lose their “in”.  After trying to hide the stain by blaming the owner’s son, a panic ensues because the child is very allergic to the drink.  The truth finally comes out when the child is about to given a very painful injection to counteract the symptoms.  The writers tell us that instead of covering up the story, it probably would have been easier to stand up to the accident and take their punishment head on.  We learn how easy it is to get caught up in our lies and get into more trouble.

The second compromising situation occurs within the Dunphy household.  On Claire and Phil’s anniversary the kids decide to surprise their parents with breakfast in bed.  Shenanigans ensue when the door opens and the kids find their parents having sex.  Claire and Phil don’t know how to handle the situation with brushing the incident under the rug or trying to have a discussion about it.  The easy and most comfortable route would be to not talk about the incident at all, but the parents do not want to leave any questions out there that the kids might have.  In the end, the two decide to bring it up with their children directly in a family meeting.  Despite the anticipation of the discussion, it actually goes well and there are very minimal moments of awkwardness.  This situation was best handled by clearing the air and discussing what happened openly.  The writers show that once again, although this answer might have been a little uncomfortable, it was the best and easiest way to handle the situation.

It’s been great looking at Modern Family in a deeper way, more than just a simple comedy over the past couple weeks.  If we truly look for the messages being presented, we can learn a little bit about what the writers are trying to tell us behind all the humor and shenanigans.  Thanks for reading my blog and I hope you continue to watch and learn from Modern Family during the next season!