MODERN FAMILY: Bringing Up Baby

After a long summer I was so excited that Modern Family returned last night fresh off their 3^rd Emmy win for best comedy. Man have I missed the Dunphy’s and the Pritchett’s. We kick off season 4 with Jay’s 65^th birthday! Jay just wants a quiet day without any surprises.  Little does he know, he is in for a huge surprise because Gloria is pregnant.

Cam and Mitch are drinking coffee on the couch and they have to break the news to Lily that she won’t be getting a little brother. They try to break it to her easy, and even though she already named her little brother Larry, she will settle for a kitten instead. Brother, kitten same thing right?

Gloria tells Manny first about the baby and he was shocked. He said it was not the best time for him with all that is going on in his life. He has his summer poetry camp coming up and doesn’t realize that the baby is not his responsibility. A funny thing we did learn is that Manny potty trained himself. “I just did not get the appeal of intentionally soiling one’s pants. That said, I will admit to missing the kisses on my tummy” (just when you think he can’t say anything cuter, he does! I love this kid). He asked how Jay took the news and Gloria told him she hasn’t been able to tell him yet. He warned her that Jay doesn’t do well with change; after all he does still call the remote the clicker.

Jay’s buddies (Ernie Hudson from Ghostbuster’s and Chazz Palminteri of The Usual Suspects) along with Phil decide to kidnap Jay (they literally put a hood over his head) for his birthday. They tried to surprise him with a fishing trip but of course it went wrong. Jay got frustrated because he couldn’t see and fell into the lake. Phil jumped in the lake to save him, punched him, and took the hood off of his head and said Happy Birthday we are taking you fishing!

Hung over from the prom, Hailey asks if Dylan can stay with them for a couple of weeks since she can’t move in with him and he can’t afford his apartment. Claire sarcastically says sure and gave her something to help her hangover, which sent her running to the bathroom.

Jay and the boys are discussing how nice life is going to be now that he is 65. Jay is ready to have some fun fishing and he is almost dry. Phil put the pedal to the medal and Jay falls back into the water.

Gloria tells Claire that she is pregnant and Claire says “Oh! You’re going to get fat!” Hilarious! She wonders what her dad will say, but she doesn’t think he will be happy. Because of his past, she was afraid he would say something insensitive to Gloria so she wanted to tell him the news first.

Luke gets Manny good, by saying he shouldn’t worry about the new bundle of joy. “You’re right. You’re way cuter than a baby. I’m going to go check on dinner.” Then Luke admits to the camera “Sometimes I just like to toss a grenade and run away” (that was a good one from Luke, sometimes he can be ditzy). 

Cam and Mitch decide to get a kitten for Lily after all. They realize quickly that getting a cat is no easy process.  It’s a lot like the adoption process and it is too much for Mitch, so he takes Lily and leaves. Cam had to give the woman a piece of his mind, and while he did Mitch drove by with two big stuffed animals, a gorilla and an elephant, on top of the car that looked like they were having a primal passionate moment.  Man have I missed the hilarity of this show.

At the house Claire warns Jay that he is about to get some news and to react nicely, not how he normally reacts. So when Mitch and Cam announce they are getting a kitten Jay has a supportive response and it all starts from there. Manny mentions the baby and Jay was confused. Gloria tells him she is pregnant and everyone has a reaction. The best line of the night was when Luke said “Oh, gross, I didn’t know Grandpa could still do it.” And Phil responds “Don’t be disrespectful, Luke. Anyone could do it with Gloria.” Hilarious! Jay shocked everyone by saying “That’s the greatest news I’ve ever heard.”  It was such a sweet family moment. Next there is a montage of moments where they go through the summer, Gloria is showing but still beautiful, Manny is back from camp and Phil has a beard that Claire will make him take off. The whole family seems happy and waiting for their new baby.

Modern Family airs on Wednesday nights at 9/8c on ABC.