It’s Mother’s Day on Modern Family, and it’s as funny as it is complicated – just like the day itself. We get three different perspectives on motherhood: Claire, who loves it, but is real about wanting to punch her kids sometimes, Gloria who revels in every second and thinks her kid is God’s gift to her, and Cam – the reluctant mother.
I’m definitely a Gloria. My son was over a year and a half old before I was ever away from him for 24 hours, and even now if I go away for the weekend (which I’ve done a grand total of two times) I Skype him every night. And yes, I know that it’s silly to Skype with a toddler and that it’s only for my benefit and not his, but I do not care at all. I need it.
Some may see Gloria’s mountain-top protestations as her real feelings coming through, but I actually believe what she told Manny, which is that she was just saying those things to make Claire feel better. Yes, Claire may have been a little bit derisive toward Gloria and Gloria may have been horrified at Claire’s insistence that she wanted to hit her kids, but at the end of the day they both love their children, and that’s what matters.
Mitch and Cam’s story was really interesting to me, because it raises some big questions: What is a mom, and what does that mean? Mitch made a good point when he was consoling Cam by telling him that they’re a new type of family and people don’t have the vocabulary for them yet. That’s certainly true, but that certainly extends to Mitch and Cam themselves.
While the public wants to see them in clear-cut “mom” and “dad” roles because it’s what they’re used to, Mitch and Cam fall into these roles naturally. Even though it’s not necessarily how they identify themselves, they still grew up in households with a mom and a dad, so it’s only natural that they model their own family after their experiences, no matter how unconsciously it may be.
The writers on Modern Family actually do a great job of not making one person in the relationship the butch and the other the femme. Both Mitch and Cam fit each role depending on the situation. Cam loves pink, or rather pink loves him, for instance, but he was also a star football player, while Mitch’s only sport was figure skating. Cam may have worked at a greeting card store solely for the discount, but he’s also the one who doesn’t hesitate to grab the bat when his family may be in danger.
However, at the end of the day, Cam’s the one who stays home with Lily while Mitch is out making money, and in our society, that still puts him in the “mom” role – no matter how right or wrong it may be. It’s actually a serious issue, but it was handled in such a funny way that it managed to not become heavy-handed without completely losing its point.
The part that absolutely killed me though, was Jay crying over his mother. Seeing anyone cry always makes me cry, but seeing Ed O’Neil crying, and having it this close to Mother’s Day was more than enough to make me tear up. Modern Family has been a little bit hit-or-miss for me this half of the season, but this episode reminds me why I love it: it’s well-written with solid performances, it’s hilarious, and it can still make me feel like and idiot for tearing up. It was a fantastic episode all around.
Clacked by Kona Gallagher 
on May 04, 2011 @ 22:34 EST5EDT
