I also thought it would be interesting to look at Season Three, because this is when the show started to grate a little bit for me. Don't get me wrong-there's still a lot to love about the Emmy-winning series, but it's run into one of those ruts that television sitcoms hit when they aren't about twentysomethings: it doesn't allow room to grow. With the exception of Haley, there's no character that can change their romantic status (I cannot fathom the writers doing something like separating one of the couples), and we now frequently see the same plots episode-after-episode. This can cause some loss of love (at least for me), so I figured reviewing all of the episodes will decide if I'm just letting a couple of episodes poison my judgment or if the show truly has been headed downhill.
As a reminder, these are the criteria for passing the Bechdel Test:
1. The show needs to have two named characters.
2. The two characters need to talk to each other.
3. The conversation needs to last thirty seconds and be about something other than a man. This thirty second rule is something that has been added specifically at the Many Rantings of John to ensure that a simple “hello”/”hello back” conversation doesn’t get a show an accidental pass.
So we have our first
episode, and in what is always a bad sign, it is a Bechdel Test FAIL. Claire, Haley, and Gloria all talk, but primarily about
Dylan (the portions of Haley and Claire’s argument in the woods don’t add up to
thirty seconds). Overall, though,
this is a solid start to the season-the continued “growing” up of the four kids,
Cam and Mitchell deciding to have a second child, and Phil being Phil.
When Good Kids Go Bad (#3.2)
That’s more like
it-we have our first PASS of the
season, with Haley and Alex both discussing their living arrangement and fighting
over Haley’s laughing. The episode
had a few great moments for Julie Bowen, but overall was pretty forgettable, as
is the M.O. for the second episode of a season for a television series.
Phil on Wire (#3.3)
We get another PASS, and I’m actually pretty excited
for this season and its potential to be our first passing grade. Alex, Haley, and Claire on multiple
occasions discuss math class and Alex-and-Haley’s relationship. The rest of the episode had a pretty
hilarious series of moments for Jesse Tyler Ferguson (reacting to Cam’s erratic
dieting behavior…a feeling I can relate to at the moment).
Door to Door (#3.4)
The Cam and Gloria
story was so cute-Blanche, Stanley, Stella-though I was disappointed no one
pointed out that Mitchell would have finished off the quartet. And the offensive line football joke
from Alex was hilarious. Overall,
this was a funny and strong episode, and thanks to a cold open with Alex,
Claire, and Haley discussing traffic, a girl named Carly, and makeup, it was a
Bechdel PASS.
Hit and Run (#3.5)
One of my biggest
issues with this show (I have several, despite being a fan overall) is that
they repeat the same plot over-and-over again. This has worked for years, I suppose, for shows like The Golden Girls, but haven’t we made it
a little bit further in the world of sitcoms since then (I heart TGG, perhaps the only show that may have never passed
the reverse Bechdel, but shouldn’t a show as filled with promise as Modern Family grow a little bit)? We at least got a Bechdel Test PASS (many of them), with various
conversations about politics, money, and fake driver’s licenses.
Go Bullfrogs! (#3.6)
This is more what
I’m talking about-Claire accidentally hits on a straight guy, Cam and Mitchell
find they’ve become far too old, and Jay becomes addicted to a Spanish soap
opera. Overall, this was a super
episode, the best of the season. We
even got a PASS with Bethany, Holly,
and Claire in Julie Bowen’s best scene in the series so far.
Treehouse (#3.7)
Six in a row! Darlene and Gloria discuss salsa
dancing, and Haley/Claire have multiple man-free conversations while discussing
Haley’s college essays. PASS! Manny does get the best line of the episode (“you’re
dancing, not invading Poland”). And
we got a great Bullets Over Broadway reunion
with Chazz Palminteri and Jennifer Tilly playing a couple. That said, the most interesting thing
about the episode was the heteronormative conversation between Cam and
Mitchell-I cannot say that this was a straight writer trying to pigeonhole gay
people, as I’ve had the “I act straighter” conversation with many of my friends through the years.
After the Fire (#3.8)
The relationship
between Jay and Phil is always a good source for laughs-it’s obvious that Jay
likes the guy, but Phil’s constant need for approval is still funny (Ty Burrell
was one of the best finds from this series). Otherwise, a relatively forgettable episode, though we have
a PASS with Alex and Haley
discussing Alex’s wardrobe and Gloria and Claire discuss their testy
relationship.
Punkin Chunkin (#3.9)
This episode is one
of the best illustrations of one of the main reasons that I run hot-and-cold
with this show. Cam, Phil, and
Gloria always win the arguments, particularly Cam.
There is almost never an argument that Cam engages in with Mitchell where Cam ends up the bad guy. Claire has her
Halloween and Jay has his Stella, but Mitchell is always the
stick-in-the-mud. It makes me mad
also because in real life, while Gloria/Jay would work and Phil/Claire would
work (they both are similar in odd ways), Cam and Mitchell would have never stayed
together this long. Diatribe done,
and another PASS, with Alex, Haley,
and Claire discussing college visits and Claire’s car.
“Express Christmas”
did one of my favorite things that a long-running sitcom can do: it mixed up
the traditional pairings of the characters and gave us new chemistry and fresh
stories. Seriously, with a cast as
full as Modern Family (eleven major
characters strong), the possibilities are endless, even though they rarely take
advantage: here we had Jay/Cam, Mitchell/Alex, Gloria/Luke, and Phil/Manny all
giving one of the best episodes of the season. And with some highly attractive product placement, Haley and
Claire’s Target run got us yet another PASS.
Lifetime Supply (#3.11)
The hypochondriac in
me adored this episode, with Phil fretting about a call from the doctor that
boiled down to absolutely no major issue.
The rest of the episode was pretty disappointing, though; we didn’t get
enough of Gloria trying to teach Haley Spanish (genius, and also PASS!), and yet another Cam/Mitchell
fight where Mitchell comes out the loser.
Egg Drop (#3.12)
We were actually
touch-and-go on the Bechdel Test up until the closer to the episode, when Haley
and Alex (kind of) discussed their relationship with Claire. PASS. The rest of the episode got into a weird
area with Phil/Gloria-he clearly has a crush on her, which seems wildly
inappropriate even though it’s totally innocent.
Little Bo Bleep (#3.13)
I really wish that
Claire had ended up winning the election.
I loved seeing her in a different environment, and the debate was
classic Modern Family, as was the
profane Lily (I adore that Lily is kind of a brat, and that they are now
embracing this). We also got
perhaps the strongest message yet from a Bechdel Test PASS in any of our episodes, with Alex cheering on her mom’s
campaign for public office.
Me? Jealous? (#3.14)
I just remembered
that my TiVo didn’t work a bit during this season, so this was a new-to-me
episode, so I’m instantly going to be a bit kinder. I thought the story about Luke (err…Betty Luke) being
jealous of his two sisters because Haley was being a Big Sister to a girl named
Annie (PASS on their homework
discussion) was too precious for words.
And Gloria and Cameron fighting in the kitchen was equally
delightful. Less so was the story
about Mitchell (always the brunt, always apologizing) and his dad arguing about
Jay being a fan of Mitchell’s celebrity client.
Aunt Mommy (#3.15)
Another new to me
episode, and I have to say, I’m not on the side of the show’s writers
here. I know a number of gay
couples who have done the sister donating the egg so that both sides are
represented biologically. I won’t
be able to do it (thank you Mom for having all boys), but it’s a nice thought
anyway. We did get a Bechdel PASS, though I almost missed it
(Claire, Haley, and Alex talk about how they were able to clean the house with
Claire away).
Watching Modern Family I am so stunned how
bizarre it is that we’ve taken so long to get to a Bechdel passing grade in our web series. I lost count during this episode how
frequently we passed (I think it was at least three times, include one with
Lily and Alex discussing dolls, marking what might be our first Bechdel PASS with Lily).
Also, I have to give
credit where it’s due, and this episode was a home run for Eric Stonestreet, by
far my favorite episode of his so far this season-it was funny, clever, a
little diva-ish without descending into camp. If this is the episode he submitted for the Emmy Awards, I
may forgive them slightly for giving him the trophy over Ed O’Neill’s stellar
work.
Leap Day (#3.17)
After what is
certainly our longest streak ever in our Bechdel series, I have to give this
episode a FAIL. The show does have women talking around each other for more than thirty
seconds, but Haley, Alex, and Claire, while discussing their periods (also,
really-an episode making women look irrational during the periods? Is this 1991?), always were directing
their conversations toward men (primarily Luke and Phil). So it’s a no go. Overall this was an episode I disliked
quite a bit-it showed what I hate most about the show: repetitive storylines
(Claire is irrational-how original!), lack of character growth (how many times
does Gloria need to learn that Jay is better for her than Javier?), and the same
people always losing arguments (Mitchell spent weeks planning a beautiful party
for Cam, and yet he still ends up having to learn the “lesson”).
Send Out the Clowns (#3.18)
We’re back on track, Bechdel-wise:
Claire, Alex, and Haley discuss Facebook and Claire’s (unanswered) Facebook
request, so PASS. We also got the return of Fizbo (yawn)
and a story about one of Manny’s friends having a thing for Gloria (yawn…and
duh). And for those who have been
missing The New Normal, Ellen Barkin
oddly played a real estate agent in this episode too.
Election Day (#3.19)
This episode posed
an interesting dilemma for me. On
the one hand, Claire losing is fairly realistic-she was a longshot candidate
and had made a number of mistakes on the campaign trail. On the other hand, the show is in
desperate need of some character growth, and this would have given it. Either way, Haley and Claire’s
discussion about their mutual failures gives us another PASS.
The Last Walt (#3.20)
I liked this episode
quite a bit, again because the show mixed up the regular formula and had
multiple people interacting with each other that don’t normally. Gloria and Haley got us our Bechdel
Test PASS with a discussion about a
party that Haley was throwing (otherwise we were pretty tight on the Bechdel
Test-I had to go and double check but we barely made it). The best part of the episode was their
two interactions-the last scene, with Sofia Vergara scolding Haley for not
following the rules and Manny for following the rules was a solid way of
showing off her comedic chops-I couldn’t stop laughing. Her equal was oddly Ed O’Neill (the
show’s MVP), who had a surprisingly realistic conversation with Cam’s father
about the struggles of having a gay son.
It was pretty revealing, and in a television environment that stresses
high tolerance, a solid and honest moment between two men.
Planes, Trains, and Cars (#3.21)
In what was a rather
lovely episode all around, everyone stuck strictly to their family units, and
so as a result we had only our third FAIL
of the season. The best part
of the episode was Claire, taking a hike up the coast in a sports car and doing
gymnastics at the most beautiful deserted beach on the planet (seriously,
either ABC bribed the parks officials to clear the area or Californians need to
get out and enjoy life more).
Disneyland (#3.22)
Another FAIL (our first back-to-back one), with
Alex, Haley, and Claire all talking, but only about Dylan and Ethan. Otherwise, this is one of those
episodes that technically worked, even though it was basically a 22-minute
commercial for Disneyland. But I
like Disneyland, so I’m good.
Tableau Vivant (#3.23)
We definitely got a PASS during the living art exhibit, where
all five of the MF women discussed
their respective dilemmas. The
rest of the episode seemed pretty petty and repetitive, and so like the series
seemed to do with this episode, let’s just jump to the finale.
And we’ll end with,
well, a letdown. We got a PASS with Haley and Claire discussing
Haley’s future (as well as some discussions between Claire and Alex about
Prom), but overall I really didn’t like this ending. Sure, we got some progression (Gloria being pregnant is
probably the biggest change the series has made throughout its run so far), but
I felt like the Cam/Mitch adoption thing was a cop-out. I didn’t feel as bad for them because
the adoption story kind of got short-shift throughout the season (it hadn’t
been mentioned in such a long time).
Final Scorecard
Bechdel Test: 20/24 (83%)
Bechdel Grade: B
Hooray! I'm so excited that we finally passed the Bechdel Test! While I stand by my claims that this was an uneven season, I am really glad that we were able to pass the test for the first time. This is particularly vindicating because like most of the shows that we have looked at, this is an ensemble of both genders-there are equal amounts of men and women, and yet they still had little trouble getting our first passing grade.
Final Scorecard
Bechdel Test: 20/24 (83%)
Bechdel Grade: B
Hooray! I'm so excited that we finally passed the Bechdel Test! While I stand by my claims that this was an uneven season, I am really glad that we were able to pass the test for the first time. This is particularly vindicating because like most of the shows that we have looked at, this is an ensemble of both genders-there are equal amounts of men and women, and yet they still had little trouble getting our first passing grade.
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