Modern Family Rings in the New Year

After mourning the loss of my favorite nighttime TV shows for the holiday season’s

re-run rampage, I can now wipe my tears and look forward to many nights of

laughter and drama.  Modern Family kicked off with season three last night with

Phil at his annual checkup making conversation with his physician while Phil is

holding in his gut.  The doctor tells Phil he does not have to keep holding in his

stomach as Phil releases with relief revealing a muffin top. The doctors then finds

a lump around Phil’s underarm as they discussed the real estate market and tells

Phil he is going to have to run some tests turning Phil into a ball of nerves.  The

best line of the doctor visit scene was when the doctors tells  Phil to bend over

and Phil replies with his normal goofy humor, Let’s turn the lights down low, put

on some Nora Jones and let’s get this party started.  Hilarious!  The whole

episode centers on Phil’s possibly devastating lump and the results of the test.

The omens of possible shattering news for the Dunfy family begins with Phil’s

realization of his lifetime supply of razors he won from a game show in his

twenties has been depleted. 

Now onto the Pritchett household where Gloria tells Jay about a dream of a black

mouse on a staircase in a meadow and Jay laughing tells her it was just a dream.

Gloria denies it being just a dream and reminds him in her country dreaming of a

black mouse is a sign of bad things to come. 

Meanwhile over at  Cam's and Mitchell's the couple is basking in Mitchell’s

prestigious award in Environmental Law, which is proudly placed on the

fireplace. Cam praises Mitchell on his accomplishment and the next day Mitchell

sees a tacky award with a fish shooting out of the top making Mitchell’s award

looks smaller.  Mitchell and Cam then begin to argue about how silly Cam’s award

and Cam remarks how he has kept all his many awards boxed up because he did

not want to make Mitchell who he called the award less from not feeling inferior. 

Mitchell rebuffs saying Cam is trying to still his thunder.  However after Mitchell

complains to his 14-year-old niece Alex and Alex agrees with how her Mom is

always trying to make her “dumb sister” always look better, Mitchell then realizes

he sounds like a teenage girl and tries to fix his petty argument .  He goes into

the garage and finds Cam’s tucked away trophy box and becomes aware of the

numerous first place awards for various competition such as a chili cook-off, art,

science and various other things.  Mitchell proceeds to gather the box up to make

a display to apologize to Cam when a mouse jumps out freaking Mitchell out. 

Mitchell drops the box and begins kicking the trophies around not knowing that

Cam has walked up with Lilly and has seen the whole scene except for the

mouse.  Cam reminds Mitchell again, of how petty he is making Mitchell feel like a

jerk once again.