Episode Title: Run for your Wife
Modern Family always has had an incredible blend of sarcasm and comedy mixed with touching moments and life lessons. And there are plenty of contrasting characteristics that make these characters so well-developed and realistic.
In this episode, the kids return to school (Manny and Luke enter 5th grade), so it's the adults' turn to act like children (a common occurrence). Claire is an excited housewife who just wants to read in peace and quiet, but her other child Phil eggs her on to a race. Claire has this not-so-secret smugness when it comes to her husband. But what's great is she chooses great spots to keep her pride in check. When she understands Phil is down, Claire builds him up, which is such a contrast to her always-has-to-be-right attitude she's ungracefully bears many times throughout the series. In the most critical moments, though, she's selfless.
Jay really gets his nasty sarcasm going for the first time in this episode with several cracks about Manny and his poncho, and Gloria is forced to defend her culture for the first of many times. Yet at the end, Jay earnestly tries to show interest in some song and dance of Manny's; it's even painful for Gloria to watch and not cringe. But Jay counters his harsh tongue with kind gestures. Sometimes. When he's forced to, anyway.
Meanwhile Cam and Mitch have an experience when they accidentally lock baby Lily in the car. Cam has his dramatic moment of the episode when he grabs a trash can, cracks his high-pitched voice, and threatens to break the window before the calm and collected Mitch gets the car service to unlock it remotely. These two are the perfect contrast for each other in so many ways that I'll highlight as we keep trucking through these episodes.
Notes:
-The set already gets shifted as there is a doorway leading into the living room to the right of the front-door entrance.
-Phil trips over the stair midway up the staircase for the first of many times.