Modern Family Review: “Message Received” (Season 5, Episode 22)

Meanwhile, the third story, where Jay, Manny and Gloria press each other to confront something they don’t like doing – eating blood sausages, eating picles, rubbing Stella’s stomach tenderly – is tired and redundant. The set-up is the same as usual, as Jay wants his son to be brave and face a fear, Gloria scolds him for being a hypocrite and then vice versa. It is likely a story that segues into Jay confronting his discomfort with next week’s gay wedding. However, his damaging words to Mitchell feel baseless, more of a way to set up drama leading up to the two-part wedding finale that will air over the next two weeks than a reasonable expectation of the character. Although Jay has struggled with his views in past episodes, his eruption of intolerance is too much to bear and does not work.

The storylines in “Message Received,” which comes from showrunner Steven Levitan, only work if you can buy two things. First, we must accept that nowhere in the prior 117 episodes has any character made a reference to Claire’s premature pregnancy with Haley, which influenced her decision to marry Phil. Second, we must accept that Jay has neglected to mention his discomfort with going to a gay wedding for an entire season – and then speaks up about it the week after he confides in Mitchell about one of his own securities (from “Sleeper”). It is a bit too much to handle, especially for a series when the characters are usually so in sync with what has happened in past episodes. These are the defining twists of two subplots, but the contrivances are more distracting than refreshing.

At its best, Modern Family and Louie have a couple of things in common: both shows base their storylines in the experiences of its writers. (Check out this acceptance speech at the WGAs a few years ago, where Modern Family‘s writing staff explains the elements they borrowed from their daily lives.) Also, both deal with agony and ecstasy (although mostly the agony) of raising children, exploring family dynamics in honest ways. However, Modern Family keeps striking chords of falseness, which only seem more tepid when compared to a show as structurally daring and bracingly honest as Louie. This week’s stellar return of C.K.’s show only exacerbates the mediocrity of a series that is not up to its usual Emmy-winning form.