'Modern Family': A little 'doohickey' takes center stage

Touch it, but don’t touch it.

With the launch of the hotly anticipated iPad a few days away, in what is certainly the smartest (and funniest) product placement, the “magical and revolutionary product” -- Apple’s words not ours – took center stage.

It’s Phil’s birthday and the only thing he wants for his special day is the iPad, which goes on sale the same day. "It's like God and Steve Jobs got together to say 'We love you, Phil,'" he explains to Claire, who doesn’t understand the allure of the new “doohickey” but offers to wait in line so he didn’t have to. Those following the show know how bad Claire is at giving gifts, which is the motivation behind her wanting to brave the early morning line.

But of course she oversleeps, and while the iPad is the backdrop for the storyline, the real plot is Phil thinking everyone doesn’t care about his birthday after a day full of comedic failures – including a hilarious moment between Claire, Mitchell and a stranger while waiting in line. He can't even enjoy his favorite breakfast food: a waffle between two slices of French toast wrapped in a pancake.

While every family had their own amusing subplots -- Jay and Manny went toe-to-toe over chess and Mitchell and Cam used a baby monitor to spy on a neighbor’s marital woes – it was all about Phil and Claire. Viewers got another taste of just how great Julie Bowen is as Claire.

Last week reader bedtimeforbonzo wrote, “I think the unsung player on the show is Julie Bowen, who I had never really taken notice of and who gets better every week on this show. Bowen's facial expressions are priceless and she is quite strong at the physical comedy that being in the crazy Dunphy household requires. And while I never get tired of admiring Gloria's obvious assets, Claire is a different kind of sexy and charming.”

Bowen, who usually plays Claire as assertive and able to control her wacky clan, had an opportunity to showcase a goofier, clumsier side. Her best line, besides calling the iPad a “doohickey” was further proving she didn’t grasp social networking by instructing Alex to “Facebook, chat, tweet, buzz, bling,” in order to find a way to buy the sold out gadget.

And just when I thought only “30 Rock” could pull off product placement without being ridiculous, Phil is the only person who made me want to line up on Saturday.  How cute was it watching him blow out the "candles" atop the animated cake on the screen? Unless we are wrong, this is the first show to integrate the product as part of the storyline. Kudos ABC and Steve Jobs. Kudos.

On a final note we want to applaud the show for the touching tribute at the end for Brentwood teen Julia Siegler.

-- Gerrick D. Kennedy (Follow me on Twitter @GerrickKennedy)

Photo: Claire and Mitchell get into it with a line jumper while waiting for the iPad outside the Apple store. Credit: ABC

Related:

Complete coverage of "Modern Family" on Show Tracker

Comments

[Natalie]

I love this show, but got pretty frustrated with the over-the-top i-pad product placement last night. It also seemed that the characters were a little meaner to each other or at least more selfish than usual, and I wasn't keen on that either.

But I did love Gloria last night - it's taken a while to start revealing her personality...it was fun to see one aspect that wasn't derived from her ethnicity!

I blog about this episode at http://themothchase.wordpress.com - check us out!

[Dan Richards]

Just found that cool birthday app that was featured! AMAZING! It also works on your iPhone....!!!!! http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/birthday-a-la-carte/id352272339?mt=8

[Curious Dave]

This episode was dedicated in memory of...

The name was in the ending credits but didn't catch it.

Does anyone know who and how this person was involved with MF?

[smartnsweet1]

Julia Cukier Siegler was a beloved almost-14-year-old student in Los Angeles who was accidentally hit by two cars crossing a busy highway trying to catch her school bus a month ago and passed away at the hospital. Her mother and father are well known executives in the entertainment industry, and I believe the young woman and/or her family are classmates/friends of one of the show creators' children.

Clearly, Phil's real issue was perceiving himself unloved by his family. I would've preferred the MacGuffin to be a Brand X item rather than a product placement, but hey, the iPad will be cool when it works with flash and more than one open app. In the end, it is the people that matter in our lives, and not the "things", n'est-ce pas?

[bedtimeforbonzo]

Thanks for the shout-out, Gerrick.

Naturally, this was the first "Modern Family" that I missed. Usually off on Wednesday, I had to work and got home just as the show was ending. Not a taper or DVRer, I will check if it is available on Hulu or On Demand via my Verizon cable outlet. Finally been busy at work selling cars (a good thing) so I have not been active on the boards, of which I think Show Tracker is one of the best and deserving of more commenters.

Off topic, I am sure others have this pet peeve that I just experienced, expecting to see a show you usually watch that is unexpectedly not on as usual (I guess that's why it pays to check the TV listings). I was just expecting to close out my Friday night with the midnight repeat (EST) of "Dogtown" on the National Geographic Channel -- one of the most heartwarming shows on television, especially for a dog lover -- and instead was greeted by the "Dog Whisperer" and Cesar Milan, whose uncanny brilliance can be too overbearing for me. (Dog lovers, check out "Dogtown" -- the patience and love the staff there show last-chance dogs, hard-case dogs and misunderstood dogs is simply amazing.)