If you wanted to convince somebody to watch a favorite TV series, what one scene would you show to hook them? For me it’s the "Vietnamese Restaurant" scene in MODERN FAMILY. Brilliant writing, great acting, and zany situation.

If you wanted to convince somebody who had never seen the show that MODERN FAMILY was genius in the way that it approached everything–including awkward or difficult topics–with nuance, insightfulness, and thoughtfulness, and yet was consistently hilarious, the "Vietnamese Restaurant" scene is it.

A masterpiece of, and masterclass in, clever comedy scene conception, writing, choreography, acting, blocking, and direction.

Plus the bonus of little Lily's real-life mother! I can imagine little Aubrey got such a kick out of being told to "insult" her mom.

There's also one layered background bit of humor that I did not notice the first couple of times I watched it: while the adults are talking, Lily–who has just proclaimed wants American food is actually eating Pho and enjoying it. It’s both funny and also very true of what kids might do after declaring they "hate" a food just to provoke a reaction from adults. 🙃