Samantha is a Senior Writer for Collider, with a deep admiration for the arts, a vast amount of unpopular opinions, and an ever-expanding knowledge of all things TV and Film. Unafraid to speak her mind, she can provide analysis that feels fresh and unabashed, with a hearty balance of humor. She can appreciate and respect all sides of an angle, and will happily discuss such opinions. A lover of the written word, she has a punchy taste in media that lends itself to fun and unique takes.
Her bias lies in the horror genre, as she enjoys all things spooky and scary, and can talk your ear off about it. When she’s not writing for Collider she can also be found as a co-host of the pop-culture podcast Enter The Fangirls, indulging in films featuring Jamie Lee Curtis or Winona Ryder, and working through her extensive watchlist with her cat Nala by her side.
Sign in to your Collider account
Modern Family*** ***is one of the best modern-day sitcoms. There’s no arguing it. The blend of personalities in the Dunphy-Pritchett-Tucker clan creates a hilarious, colorful viewing experience in every episode. Each episode is special in its own right, and it can be hard to narrow down which episode changed the show for the better, but **the show took a big risk with the Season 4 premiere “Bringing Up Baby,” one that ultimately paid off **not just by helping one character grow, but by bringing the show into a new era.
To truly understand the emotional weight of Modern Family’s Season 4 opener, we must first go back to Season 3. Throughout Season 3, Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) are 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.
Four Netflix characters, four completely different ways of showing up
for somebody. This is the one who fits how you actually do friendship, and what having them in your
life would be like.
You do not do friendship at half volume, and neither does he.
What you want is somebody who says yes to the plan before you have finished describing the
You are the friend who makes things happen, and so is she.
Together you would be mildly exhausting to everyone around you and completely delighted with
You have no patience for pleasant lies, and she has no ability to
tell them. What looks like coldness from the outside is the most reliable friendship on this
You look after whoever is having the worst day. So does he. It is
the least strategic way to move through the world and the best possible quality in a friend.
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), they 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, 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.
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.
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. Because of Joe, we also get to see him become 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.
