"Modern Family is gold," was what a friend said to me when I asked for a good sitcom recommendation. Since my sister and I had tried the very first episode a couple months ago, I could fairly sense why she, including many other, loved it. It's a show with hilarious absurdity and a unique family bond which I never knew is my thing until this very year.
I didn't think it was necessary to look up the reason as to why the term 'Modern Family' was used when I first started it. Assuming it was a show following three different families who knew each other as neighbors, I couldn't be more wrong. The show actually tells the story of one big familia with Jay Pritchett and his young second wife Gloria Delgado on the top of the genealogical tree. Both have already had children from their former marriage: Gloria has Manny Delgado, while Jay has Claire and Mitchell Pritchett (who are around the same age as Gloria).
Claire Pritchett has been married to Phil Dunphy for years and they now have three kids: the popular if a bit dense Haley, the genius Alex, and the not-so-smart Luke (which is the same age as Manny); while Mitchell and his partner Cameron Tucker have just adopted a Vietnamese baby called Lily Tucker-Pritchett. With this unique arrangement and the fact that each household is located quite nearby, there is not a single episode without them crossing each other's path or performing a family meeting.
If you haven't watched the show yet, you might think that the family tree sounds somewhat confusing and too intricate, but worry not. Modern Family is a fun sitcom with short episodes that are very easy to follow, and thanks to their absurdity, the characters were highly amusing. Albeit simple and packed with jokes, a meaningful message is sometimes implied in the storyline also.
If you asked me, I'd say that the combination is just clever. I have only started this series a few weeks ago but am already on season 3 now. I'm seriously loving how addicting each episode is, how ludicrous a day can be in the Dunphy household, how actually entertaining it is to see Gloria talks to Jay, and how adorable Mitchell and Cam are towards Lily. It's lovely to see their bond getting stronger each day, just like it is to witness how diversity is the key that bridges the connection in the first place.
I don't know how much time I will need to recover once I'm done with this show. Modern Family is certainly not the kind of story that my heart will break for when it ends, but it is obviously a series that the first experience is what I will always long for.
