Notes from the Asylum: 'Modern Family:' It's Go Time

Rarely does it disappoint. Always does it provide me with at least one guffaw. It's smart, risk-taking and full of heart.

I simply cannot say enough about Modern Family. You could quote from it all day long. You see characters racing around through the scenes who resemble people you know in real life. (At least I feel like I know some of these people.) While other shows might be disappointing -- like Parenthood, for which I'm still clinging to hope -- this one has proven to be a solid keeper.

This week's episode, "Game Changer," focused on Phil's birthday and the fact that on his birthday the iPad was going to go on sale. Phil had all these plans to get up super early to go to the Apple store and stake out his place in line. But seeing that it was his birthday, Claire offered to get the iPad for him. (A much better gift than the one she got him for their anniversary, Spandau Ballet band member singing, True.) Only she fell asleep on the couch. The rest of the episode was about Claire trying to make up for her costly mistake and Phil sulking that his birthday sucked. He even crashed some kid Phil's birthday party at the batting cages.

In the meantime, Jay, Gloria and Manny locked their competitive horns over games of chess, while Cameron got a little too into listening to his neighbors' conversations via their baby monitor (which picked up the neighbors' monitor's signal) and uttered that awesome line, "It's 'Go Time.'"