Modern Family's "Dance Dance Revelation" episode served up the series' best qualities: organic cross-household storylines, Phil's extremes, Claire's dozens of facets, Gloria's ebullience, and the gays' blend of selflessness and egotism. But which family member came out on top this week? We pick the funniest (read: best) members of the Dunphy-Pritchett-Delgado clan after the jump.
Modern Family Family Member of the Week: Claire
My favorite thing about 'MFFMotW' is saying the same thing every week about Claire: She's the real rock of this show. She's Modern Family's able straight-man, its harried Liz Lemon, its fiercest wit, and its most aggressive protector. She's also funny enough to make you fwack your television upside its tube, and I clawed at the air in ecstasy when she forced Gloria to crawl under the gymnasium stage to retrieve more chairs for the kids' school dance. I anticipated a Cheers throwback where Claire (Carla, in this scenario) traps Gloria (Rebecca, naturally) in the crawlspace, but Claire's satisfaction with forcing Gloria to crawl in the dark was fine enough. Her deadpanned "No, Bethany, no one's ever told [Gloria] how pretty she is before" was fantastic.
2nd Place: Gloria
Gloria meant business in this contest the minute she handed a teal "pocket square" to Manny and it turned out to be a bra. She didn't quite best "co-Chair" Claire's befuddlement last night, but when the exasperated Mrs. Dunphy remarked "I just said that" and she responded, "And I just co-said that"? I think we all howled.
3rd Place: Cameron
Lily's biting problem provoked Cameron's most pained pop-culture reference of the season. "It's like Twilight back here!" So Cameron, and so perfectly delivered.
4th Place: Phil
On today's edition of "Was Phil Dunphy Really Attractive Last Night? Because Sometimes He Is, and I'm Beside Myself with the Vapors. Other Times Not So Much," I have to say, he was sweltering hot daddy material. In the kitchen at the episode's start? Perfect lighting on his origamic face planes. He also unloaded sensitive murmurs when confronting Jay on his brusqueness, and his subtlety there countered his lame anxiety attack at the mall. ("Oasis for Men! Men! Men! Men!" Ugh.) Plus, he said the word "penis" out loud last night, and I'm not the same.
5th Place: Jay
When will Jay learn that you can't say things like "Flag on the play!" to Manny and expect understanding? Seems obvious. But Ed O'Neill continues to play Jay's weary denseness with aplomb, and he squeezes in at fifth place.
Not listed: Mitchell, Dunphy kids, Manny, the immortal Rhea Perlman