Modern Family is one of the best modern-day sitcoms. There’s no use arguing it. It’s just a fact. The blend of personalities between the Dunphy-Pritchett-Tucker clan creates a hilarious and colorful viewing experience in every episode. Modern Family depicts a blended family, where someone’s race, sexuality, or gender isn’t looked down upon but rather embraced, making it a very forward and inspirational sitcom. Each episode is special in its own right, so it can be hard to narrow down which episode changed the show for the better, but if I had to choose, I’d say the show took a big risk with the Season 4 premiere “Bringing Up Baby,” but that ultimately paid off and changed the show for the better.
What Happens in ‘Modern Family’s Season 4 Premiere?
To truly understand the emotional weight of Modern Family’s Season 4 opener, we must go back to Season 3 for a moment. Throughout Season 3, Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) were preparing to adopt another child. In the Season 3 finale, aptly titled “Baby on Board,” they receive the call that there is a mother in Calexico currently giving birth, and she has chosen them to adopt her baby. They bring Gloria (Sofía Vergara) as a translator since the family does not speak English. But as they travel to the hospital, Gloria mentions feeling sick, chalking it up to being carsick, coupled with nerves and excitement for Mitch and Cam. However, things don’t go quite as planned when they arrive at the hospital because once the biological grandmother of the baby finds out about the adoption plans, she insists on raising the child herself, ultimately squandering Mitch and Cam’s dreams of adopting again. They opt to put their plans for adoption on hold for a while, as they’re tired of coming so close and being denied time and time again. It not only affects them but Lily (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons) as well, and it’s just not fair. Their storyline has one last beat before the episode ends as Gloria reveals that she wasn’t carsick after all but that she’s pregnant.
This is where the Season 4 premiere picks up. It’s Jay’s (Ed O’Neill) 65th birthday, and all he wants is a quiet day. Phil (Ty Burrell), being Phil, can’t accept this and, with the help of Jay’s friends Shorty (Chaz Palminteri) and Miles (Ernie Hudson), decide to take him fishing, where they toast to Jay’s freedom from responsibility now that he’s turned 65 and is officially an “old age.” On the flip side, Gloria begins telling some of the family to test the waters and see how they’ll react, as she’s nervous about telling Jay. She first tells Manny (Rico Rodriguez), who says Jay likely won’t take it well since he doesn’t like change. She then tells Claire (Julie Bowen), who is excited about the news, and says Jay will be happy, even though she knows he won’t have a good reaction because he struggles to mask his reactions. She decides to get to Jay first and tells him that someone is going to tell him some big news and that he needs to react nicely to the next big news he hears because said person is very vulnerable at the moment. After a bit of confusion in thinking that the big news was Mitch and Cam adopting a cat, Gloria finally frustratedly announces that she’s pregnant and will raise the baby with or without Jay’s help. But to her (and everyone’s surprise), Jay is thrilled by the news. He admits that turning 65 and the newfound freedom it unlocked made him feel like his life was over, so Gloria being pregnant gives him an opportunity to raise a child all over again and feel like his life is only just beginning.
‘Bringing Up Baby’ Has a Positive Effect on the Show as a Whole
As I said, several episodes could have been chosen for the one that changed Modern Family for the better, but ultimately, “Bringing Up Baby” had the biggest impact in the long run. A lot of this has to do with Joe (Jeremy Maguire), who is Gloria and Jay’s son. Joe makes for one of the funniest (and cutest) additions to the series and brings a whole new dynamic to the family that we haven’t seen since Cam and Mitchell adopted Lily. It also brings another funny dynamic we haven’t seen quite as much of at this point in the show, in the sense of Mitch and Claire adjusting to having a baby brother while being fully grown adults. We saw them work through this dynamic with Manny in the first season, but as Manny got older, it got a little less odd and noticeable. Now, they have a brother who is around 40 years younger than them, which is a major adjustment for anyone and makes for some hilarious jokes throughout the seasons. Also, thanks to Joe, we get Andy (Adam DeVine), Joe’s “Manny,” who is a fan-favorite character and undeniably the best love interest for Haley (Sarah Hyland).
As Joe gets older, we get to see his personality flourish, and he becomes a mini Jay. It’s most noticeable in the episode “He Said, She Shed” when Jay teaches him how to play golf. Joe becomes very competitive and serious about the sport, which angers Gloria but makes Jay beam with pride. But this also brings me to my next point, and that’s how Joe brings out a whole new side of Jay and helps him to grow as a character. Jay has always been a very hit-or-miss character. His views on things are very outdated, and he wasn’t the best father to Mitch and Claire when they were growing up. There’s no doubt that he loves them, but there’s also no denying he could have done things better. Joe offers him a second chance.
Joe Helps Jay Grow as a Character in ‘Modern Family’
Jay was never a bad father to Mitchell and Claire, but he wasn’t as present as he could have been in their lives while they were growing up. Between the constant fighting between him and his wife, DeDe (Shelley Long), and his long work hours, he wasn’t the father he should have been. He makes up for it now, being a much more present figure in their lives and being the best grandfather to their children. But in many moments throughout the show, Jay expresses remorse to Mitchell and Claire for not being there for them. He and Mitchell especially have a difficult relationship due to Jay’s struggle to accept Mitchell’s sexuality. This is repaired as time goes on, but it takes a long time for them to heal, and rightfully so. Modern Family doesn’t try to beat around the bush about Jay’s shortcomings, nor does it try to defend him or make excuses. He’s made mistakes and said things he’ll never be able to take back. But Joe offers him that second chance to do things right and be the father he never was.
Joe brings out a new, softer side of Jay, which is much desired. He was never inherently bad, but he’s always been grumpy, set in his ways, and often cold. And then, there are the aforementioned mistakes he made when parenting Mitchell and Claire. We get to see him heal as a parent and make up for his shortcomings with Joe. Not only that, but he also becomes a better father to Mitchell and Claire, as he’s softer and kinder, and his heart is more open. All in all, Joe brought a brand-new dynamic to Modern Family. We didn’t know we needed it, yet the rest of the series following his birth took the show on a completely different path that was for the better.
Modern Family is currently streaming on Hulu in the U.S.
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