‘Modern Family’ Season 11: Here's how Phil Dunphy with his 'Phil-osophy' and 'peerenting' nails the role of being the honest, cool dad
Although ABC’s most-adored sitcom premises on the characteristics of a new-age lifestyle, ‘Modern Family’ has received its share of backlash for containing certain stereotypes and conventionalization of the characters. However, Phil Dunphy (Ty Burrell) is one of the characters who all along has retained the right traits that present him as the quintessential modern father, whose cool quotient and dad jokes have entertained us for over a decade now.
In the past 10 seasons, we have seen the majority of the characters on ‘Modern Family’ undergo drastic changes, which in several instances has irked the viewers for their inappropriate representations. Having said that, we got to credit the creators of the show for their honest portrayal of Dunphy family’s bread-winner, which is truly admirable.
When the sitcom first made its appearance in 2009, we were greeted by a rather immature Phil Humphrey Dunphy, whose sense of humor had no boundaries and neither did his optimism. The polar qualities within him were so well-woven that not only did it give him an edge, but also helped him become a fan-favorite in a short span of time, placing him above the rest of the members of the Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker family.
What is it that makes Phil one of the most modern personalities on the show? You might often find him cracking his predictable jokes and striving hard for his children’s acceptance by the means of his ‘peerenting’ methods. He believes his passion for the latest technology and goofiness could help him get along with his offspring, despite it garnering immense mockery.
But, the better part of his personality is what defines his character at best. For instance, whenever his wife Claire found it impossible to form a bond with her children owing to the generation gap, Phil has managed to do his job right as a modern parent. Rather than being critical about the millennials’ actions and the adverse consequences, it inflicts on them Phil focuses on understanding the issues from their standpoint. This trait of his has always helped him establish a strong relationship with Haley, Luke and Alex.
We should also appreciate the amount of acceptance he has displayed towards his family, even at the cost of his reputation. He has never pushed any of his children to attain perfection, a behavior that is evident in all the other parents in the family. He’s always accepted his children for what they are and only worked towards preparing them to face the harsh reality of the world.
Be it for coming to terms with Haley’s pregnancy or overlooking Luke’s irrationality, Phil has succeeded at being a modern dad and we couldn't agree more!
