"Me? Jealous?”-Amusing Insight into Family
Relationships
Think
about the color green.
It takes on
various meanings depending on the context of its use. For example,
green may represent youth and
health when referring to a green bud or plant.
Green may also mean “go” as with a stoplight. This color could also
represent luck and
Irish pride, or wealth in the form of money.
In a different context, however, green represents a monster: the Green
Monster of Jealousy. Most people associate jealousy with negative
and unpleasant feelings. Jealousy is
often depicted as serious and destructive, and used to reveal someone’s
dark
side. Episode 14 in Season 3 of the TV
show Modern Family portrays jealousy in a refreshingly original light.
This
episode’s amusing depiction of the influence of jealousy in marriage,
sibling
relationships, and gender roles serves to highlight Modern Family’s
central
theme of the importance of family.
The
issue of jealousy in this episode of Modern Family plays a significant role in
Phil and Claire Dunphy’s marriage. The
opening scene introduces the event around which this issue centers: Phil has a potential client for his real
estate business. His excitement and
anticipation for that night’s dinner with the client becomes obvious with his
excessive planning. For example, as he
marinates salmon, Phil exclaims that he might also prepare a steak for
“backup”, in case the client doesn’t like salmon. His youngest daughter then accuses him of
having a “man crush” on the client.
Phil’s concentrated focus on getting this man’s business and his
complete cluelessness as a result is displayed as he continues talking about
the client, saying, “ . . .he got divorced and his whole life opened up, guy’s
living the dream . . . his dream. Not my
dream . . . you’re my dream (to Claire)”.
Claire’s annoyance with Phil’s obsession becomes evident after he has to
backtrack with this comment. She doesn’t
become truly annoyed until after the dinner, however. The client seems like a charming and
relatable guy. He jokes about his
ex-wife and kids and compliments Phil and Claire. The problem arises when he goes to leave and
kisses Claire on the lips right in front of Phil. To Claire’s surprise, Phil doesn’t seem to
mind; he is too excited by how well the dinner went and instead exclaims,
“another good sign”! Phil’s reaction, or
lack thereof, reveals how his distraction has replaced the normal jealousy that
he should feel at another man kissing his wife.
As
the episode progresses, Claire becomes more unhappy with Phil’s nonchalant
attitude towards the situation. For
example, the client stops by when Phil isn’t home to fix the dining room table-and
he brings a bottle of wine. Claire points
out these two blatantly obvious facts but Phil instead accuses her of wanting
more attention from him. The client
invites them both over to his house for dinner, an invitation Claire
reluctantly accepts. She notices that
the client kisses both his daughter and mother on the lips as well; Phil is too
busy admiring the house and ironically bragging how “nothing gets by” him. The turning point in the episode comes when
Claire decides to laugh at all of the client’s jokes. Her laughter is what finally attracts Phil’s
attention. He becomes irate with
jealousy. Claire then confesses that she
wanted him to be jealous all along. The
issue of jealousy portrayed through this particular situation serves to reveal
the amusing yet loving dynamic of Phil and Claire’s marriage, additionally
enhancing Claire’s character as a control freak and Phil’s as the oblivious,
but adoring husband on Modern Family.
The
second depiction of jealousy highlights the nature of sibling
relationships,
specifically between Haley and Alex Dunphy.
Haley personifies the beautiful, yet not so bright older sister to the
younger and more studious Alex. While
filling out college applications, Haley exaggerates about her volunteer
experience, claiming to be involved with the Big Brother/ Big Sister
program. To her astonishment, her
parents actually insist that she do the volunteer work. However, Haley
ends up adoring her “little
sis”; this makes Alex jealous. Haley’s
air headedness especially annoys the intelligent Alex when Haley shows
her a
picture drawn by her “little sis” that looks exactly like one that Alex
drew
for Haley at that age; but Haley, of course, loves this one. Alex’s
jealousy shows how much she loves
Haley and wants her attention. Towards
the end of the episode their little brother Luke steps in to break up
the
fighting. Alex then forgets her jealousy
and the girls bond over a game they used to play: dressing up their
brother as “Betty Luke”. In this aspect, Modern Family humorously
resolves
the issue of sibling jealousy by bringing the two sisters together as
they bond
over torturing their brother, displaying the comic and affectionate
nature of
the show’s sibling relationships.
Lastly,
this episode’s portrayal of jealousy highlights gender roles on the
show. Claire Dunphy’s father, Jay, is married to a
Columbian woman named Gloria. Jay’s
other child besides Claire is her gay brother Mitchell, who is married
to
Cameron. Mitchell and Cam must stay at
Jay and Gloria’s house for a few days until their water turns back on.
Initially Cam and Gloria, who get along very
well, are thrilled with the arrangement and act like two best
girlfriends. Then, the trouble begins. Cam decides to organize and
“brighten up”
Gloria’s house. Sexy and beautiful
Gloria is insecure in her ability as a homemaker; she is jealous of Cam
and
gets angry with him for filling this role.
Then, when Gloria takes Lily, Mitchell and Cam’s adopted Asian daughter,
to school and shopping for “matchy” leopard print coats, Cam becomes the
jealous one. Gloria acts like a mother
towards Lily; as a gay father, Cam cannot truly fill this role for Lily
and
feels replaced by Gloria. Modern
Family’s characteristic mid-show interviews with the individual
characters
especially reveals how Cam and Gloria feel.
They each feel jealous of the other one succeeding in what should be
their role, according to gender.
Ultimately, the two friends admit their jealousy and laugh off their
fight, demonstrating how they won’t allow traditional gender role
expectations
to negatively influence their friendship.
Clearly,
jealousy presents the central theme of this episode of Modern Family. However, this one issue also reveals themes
central to the show as a whole through the actions and behavior of the characters,
which are consistent with their personalities.
For example, jealousy emphasizes Claire’s neuroticism, Phil’s
obliviousness, Cam’s sensitivity, and Gloria’s insecurity. How the characters interact with each other
in regards to the issue of jealousy further serves to highlight the central
qualities of their relationships, whether it is the loving and equally
frustrating quality of Phil and Claire’s marriage, the comical sibling dynamic
between the three Dunphy children, or the entertaining and slightly competitive
nature of the two “housewives” Cam and Gloria.
Overall, the amusing depiction of jealousy exemplifies the humorous and
heartwarming position that Modern Family takes on any issue that affects
relationships and families.
In
conclusion, I think that the show Modern Family provides a strikingly realistic
portrayal of the relationships between family members today. Each episode involves conflicts between
family members, and though sometimes the subject of conflict is slightly
outrageous, a resolution or compromise is always reached in the end. Modern Family emphasizes how truly essential
an accepting and loving family is in our self-centered and fast-paced society. The colorful, relatable cast and seemingly
endless supply of hilarious one-liners attracts audiences of any age,
effectively promoting the message of the importance of family to America as a
whole.
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