Haley's story moves forward during a Modern Family Christmas
I’ve said many times this season that pregnancy storylines are tough to pull off. That’s true for many reasons, but namely because it’s difficult to do something fresh and interesting, and it’s even harder to offer up something that doesn’t feel specifically generated to create conflict. On TV, pregnancies almost always come shrouded in negative energy, especially when a younger woman is pregnant. There’s little room for anything but family confrontation, which is why, so far this season, Haley’s pregnancy storyline has been rather refreshing. Sure, we’ve seen the typical narrative beats, but it’s all been handled in a way that feels like a low-key drama, avoiding the hysterics usually present in sitcoms.
“Stuck In A Moment” is the first sign that the hysterics could be coming though. The show’s done a great job using Haley’s pregnancy as a way to tell a very specific story about a character that’s rarely used in any substantial way, but at some point the whole family had to become involved. So, Haley and Dylan decide to surprise the family on Christmas Eve with their announcement. It’s a choice that’s determined equally by the joy of the season and the fact that Phil and Claire are then leaving for a 10-day vacation.
Nothing goes as planned though. As these things tend to go, there’s just never a right moment to reveal a pregnancy. Claire is overwhelmed about having to host Christmas all of a sudden after Jay and Gloria’s house is overrun by banana spiders. Her stress is only exacerbated when she discovers that Phil’s booked their flights through a shady discount website—never trust “tickets.plane”—and that they’ll be sitting through two six-hour layovers and a fun little thing called Economy Minus, which is just benches in the back of a plane.
“Stuck In A Moment” is the latest in a string of solid episodes, ones that keep the drama low-key while also executing some laughs. Cam and Mitchell’s adventures in parenthood, and namely their inability to keep track of their kids, ends up working pretty well. Lily’s never had much to do or been much of a fleshed-out character, but her transition into a child who’s clearly tired of her parents’ shenanigans has been delightful. It feels meta in a way, a plea for Cam and Mitchell to calm down and stop getting into so many ludicrous situations.