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Modern Family: Season 4 Premiere

By Tony LaScala · September 28, 2012

The season four premiere episode of Modern Family, “Bringing Up Baby” began at a quietly dramatic pace that failed to pick up steam until about mid-episode. While the premiere offered few laughs, the laughs offered were of the gut busting kind and well worth the half hour watch.

The plotline to every Modern Family episode is at least threefold, and this episode focuses on the day after last season’s dramatic conclusion. Jay (Ed O’Neill) is kidnapped by Phil (Ty Burrell) for his 65th birthday and Gloria’s (Sofia Vergara) having trouble revealing her pregnancy to Jay. Meanwhile, Cam (Eric Stonestreet) and Mitch (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) are dealing with the fallout of adoption woes and opt to adopt a cat. On the smaller side of the plot spectrum, Manny (Rico Rodriguez) is dealing with new baby woes brought on by Luke’s (Nolan Gould) assurance that Manny will no longer be the center of attention. Additionally, Claire (Julie Bowen) is coping with Haley (Sarah Hyland) trying to move her slow-witted boyfriend Dylan (Reid Ewing) into the Dunphy household. As always, the episode concludes with all three families coming together, this time at Jay’s birthday dinner where Gloria’s pregnancy is revealed. The conclusion of the episode flashes forward several months with Gloria’s baby bump showing, in one of the stranger time transitions I’ve ever come across on network television.

Overall, the episode felt like the writers tried to cram too much content into a single half hour, and as a result most of the jokes didn’t hit home for me. Modern Family is usually such a funny and touching show, but this episode leaned more on the touching side with some somber moments between Cam and Mitchell in coping with their failed adoption. A memorably comic scene occurs after the couple fails to adopt a cat, and two large stuffed animals strapped to the roof of their car are suddenly thrust into compromising positions. It’s a gag that can’t be described with any justice, and is worth YouTubing even if you aren’t a fan of the show. 

Acting wise the whole cast is once again in sync apart from Lily, (recent newcomer Aubrey Anderson-Emmons) whose dialogue feels like it is written for a much funnier actress that isn’t obsessed with looking at the camera. I feel I have to give the five year old a pass though, as she’s probably STILL LEARNING HOW TO READ. Hopefully young Aubrey can get up to speed quickly, as the rest of the cast gels comically so well. Of particular note are performances turned in this week by Ed O’ Neill’s Jay turning 65 and wanting to feel youthful again, and the Tucker-Pritchetts’ dealing overdramatically with the adoption of a cat, to our comic delight.

Although the episode wasn’t my favorite among Modern Family’s catalogue, it definitely served its purpose in setting up the premises that will carry the show through season four: Gloria and Jay are having a new baby, The Dunphy’s have a new live-in boyfriend in Dylan, and the Tucker-Pritchetts will continue to cope with post failed-adoption blues with their new cat. With the time transition at episode’s conclusion flashing us forward a few months, look to next week’s episode feeling like the true season premiere.