Casablanca.

I’ve already watched this week’s episode of Modern Family three times now, which is quite a testament to my unabashed enthusiasm for ABC’s brilliant new comedy. I can’t say I’ve ever been this convinced of a show’s genius so early on. I’m surprised to say that I’ve relinquished enough skepticism to let them take me wherever it is they want to go (and now with a full season pick up, the journey will continue for at least 19 more episodes!) I just hope the production team can continue to supply us with such a high level of quality.

The most recent episode, while not quite as stuffed with as many laugh-out-loud moments as the previous two, provided us with a more understated outing - but equally as enjoyable nonetheless. This time around, we were treated with different pairings of the characters which gave us some extra insight into their personalities. While Phil was hilarious again (I was in a plane crash!), it was Gloria who stole the show. Her lunch with Claire’s daughter Alex was both funny and tender. She made everyone in America wish they had a grandma (or step-grandma) like her. Claire, meanwhile, was paired with Gloria’s son Manny. We never really got to see much into who she was before this, so her therapy session with Gloria’s wise beyond his years son was nice to see. Phil, in an attempt to bond more with Jay, decides to accompany him to the park to fly his toy, err, model plane. Their interaction yielded some predictable comedy, but the culmination of their storyline at the end of the episode – literally bringing everyone together – was wonderfully moving. The only duo to remain together was Mitchell and Cameron. Cameron takes Mitchell to Costco for his first time, against his will. However, their comical outing was trumped by their hilarious interview segments, revealing to us that they first met during a game of charades at a party. Mitchell’s miming of his clue, and Cameron’s utterance of the one word answer – Casablanca – had me rolling on the floor with laughter. The two of them get the award for funniest moment of the night.