This Was the Best Episode of 'Modern Family'

Before streaming totally dominated television, there used to be holiday-themed episodes. You’d get a Halloween episode, a Christmas episode, and if there was time, a Thanksgiving episode. These little indulgences were often an excuse for sitcom writers to toss in extra hijinks, and could even be considered throw-away episodes in really strong seasons. In Modern Family, which had 250 episodes across 11 seasons, there were plenty of holiday episodes—and many of them ended up being some of the shows’ most memorable material. 

The Valentine’s Day episode Season 1, Episode 15, “My Funky Valentine” is also Modern Family's best. It’s not free of warts; the B-plot of Cam (Eric Stonestreet) and Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) playing cupid for their nephew Manny (Rico Rodriguez) probably wouldn’t pass the 2025 sniff test. That aside, “My Funky Valentine” perfectly captured the heart and humor that made the ABC show a television mainstay for more than a decade. 

The main plot of the episode is Phil (Ty Burrell) and Claire’s (Julie Bowen) Valentine’s Day date. After 17 years of taking Claire on the exact same date every year, Phil is inspired by Haley’s (Sarah Hyland) high school boyfriend to get a bit more romantic. This leads to Phil and Claire starting a tradition of role-playing as Clive Bixby and Juliana at the bar. It’s a funny, if not a little awkward, bit of television. Some could even argue the moment was a little sexy, and it perfectly demonstrates the couple’s devotion to each other. 

Across town, Jay (Ed O’Neill) made the terrible decision to take Gloria (Sophia Vergara) to see one of Jay’s favorite comedians. This is terrible for two reasons: one, Gloria wanted to go salsa dancing. Two, the comedian quickly hones in on the couple’s age gap and mercilessly ridicules Jay. 

Things come to a head when Claire, dressed in only a trench coat, gets that stuck in an elevator. As she struggles to keep her coat on in front of Phil, Gloria and Jay, the episode hits a perfect Modern Family stride. A little bit touching, a little bit unrealistic, and packed with the purest form of situational comedy. 

While this isn’t the highest rated episode of Modern Family—it has an 8.7 out of 10 on IMDb—”My Funky Valentine” embodies the absolute best parts of the show, and sets up storylines that reappear through the next 11 seasons. And it’s all wrapped inside of what could have been a throw-away holiday episode, which makes the success of the episode even more impressive.