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 MODERN FAMILY: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON |
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| Featuring: Ed O'Neill, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Sofia Vergara, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet |
| Creators: Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd |
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Distributor: 20th Century Fox |
| DVD release: 20 September 2011 |
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Runtime: 528 min.
(3 discs) |
| Format: AC-3, Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, Blu-ray |
| DVD features: 1080p High Definition, Aspect ratio 1.78:1, Audio tracks (English - DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1), Subtitles (English SDH, French, Spanish), Deleted scenes and family interviews, Table read for "Strangers on a Treadmill," Mitchell's "Flash mob," Season play mode, "Imagine Me Naked" music video (w/ Reid Ewing), Gag reel, Modern Family Holidays, Waiting for Oprah, Chatting with Steve Levitan, At Home with Modern Family
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I always liked Ed O'Neill (Jay Pritchett), who has been good in just about everything I've ever seen him in - and he even managed to break out of a character that was a huge icon in pop culture. As Al Bundy on Married with Children , he played a great hardworking, blue-collar everyman who hated his job, couldn't stand his lazy wife eating bonbons, had a daughter who was promiscuous and not all that smart, and a son as dysfunctional as everyone else in the family. In some respects, he's playing the same role now, but smarter, a little older, and way more modern.
The second season of Modern Family starts off with a great, well-balanced episode. Phil Dunphy (Ty Burrell) is in the family garage and his wife Claire (Julie Bowen), who is Jay's daughter, wants him to get rid of the clunker of a car; he does, and then she regrets it. At the same time, Jay's son Mitchell Pritchett (Jayson Tyler Ferguson) and his boyfriend, Cameron Tucker (Eric Stonestreet), want to build a princess castle for their daughter, Lily. Mitchell thinks he is a master of tools because he built the set for some play in college, but Cameron knows Mitch isn't handy at all.
Over at Jay's house, there is trouble brewing with wife Gloria (Sofia Vergara) and her son, Manny. She is a typically over-protective (and very feisty) Columbian mother, and another female (a girl from Manny's class) is trampling on her turf, essentially pushing Gloria out of the picture so Manny can spend more time with girls. It's a very funny way to start off the season.
All twenty four episodes are on this three disc set:
- Disc 1. The Old Wagon, The Kiss, Earthquake, Strangers on a Treadmill, Unplugged, Halloween, Chirp, Manny Get Your Gun. Special Features: deleted family interviews, deleted extended scenes, "Strangers on a Treadmill" table read, Mitch's Flash Mob.
- Disc 2. Mother Tucker, Dance Dance Revelation, Slow Down Your Neighbors, Our Children, Ourselves, Caught in the Act, Bixby's Back, Princess Party, Regrets Only. Special features: deleted family interviews, deleted extended scenes, "Imagine Me Naked" music video.
- Disc 3. Two Monkeys and a Panda, Boy's Night, Musical Man, Someone to Watch Over Lily, Mother's Day, Good Cop, Bad Dog, See You Next Fall, The One That Got Away. Special Features: deleted family interviews, deleted extended scenes, gag reel, Modern Family Holidays, Waiting For Oprah, Chatting with Steve Levitan, At Home with Modern Family.
Modern Family is told in mockumentary style, similar to The Office . Much of the show's strength lies in the balance between all three families and their inter-connectedness. The writing is strong, too. Everyone gets their moment to shine, and every episode has something to make me laugh out loud.
There are many notable funny segments, but I'll name a few. First, the Dunphy girls, Alex (Ariel Winter) and Haley (Sarah Hyland), get tangled up in giving boy advice not knowing that Claire read Alex's flirty text messages.
Another great arc that runs through almost the whole episode is when the hefty Cameron starts an exercise plan and wears bike shorts that he can't pull off - damn funny that the dialogue matches the scene when he walks in his genital area is pixelated.
The best thing about Modern Family is the characters. I was pleasantly surprised to like just about all of them, except Phil (or I should say he is my least favorite). I love Claire. I enjoy Haley's sarcasm. Jay dealing with Gloria's short fuse is hilarious. And the way Mitch and Cameron clash without being overly stereotypical is refreshing. It deserves all the Emmys it has won.
Season four of Modern Family is a three-disc set containing all twenty-four episodes. Also included are a bonus featurette with the cast talking about their experiences on the show; a gag reel; and another featurette on the theme song, written by the Barenaked Ladies.
I could go on and on picking through the episodes, but suffice to say there is plenty of comedic prowess on display from everyone in the cast. This season seems to be a building block to something more. The way it seems to end in the cliffhanger should give the writers a lot to work with in season five, and a lot for fans to look forward to.
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