It’s not hard to see why Modern Family became one of the most consistently popular comedies on network television. Not only does it thoughtfully explore the ways that the concept of the family has changed, it also has a truly delightful cast of characters, men and women who feel real and three-dimensional in ways that’s not always that common in network sitcoms. One of the series’ larger personalities is Gloria, whose effusiveness and larger-than-life persona sometimes get her into a little bit of hot water.
As interesting as she is, there are still quite a few things about her that just don’t seem to add up.
Why She’s So Comfortable Killing Animals
There’s no question that, for the most part, Gloria is a loving and generous person, she seems to have a particular penchant for killing animals, often with no sense of remorse. Obviously, these scenes are quite hilarious, but sometimes they veer into the level of the too much, and it makes one wonder just why Gloria is so seemingly immune to the suffering of animals when she’s very compassionate in other areas of her life.
Stealing Sonia’s Life
As the series progresses, it’s revealed that Gloria isn’t quite the good person that she might appear to be. In fact, it turns out that she actually stole her sister Sonia’s opportunity to move to the United States, which causes a great deal of friction between them (for obvious reasons). It remains a little unclear, though, why Gloria would do this to a member of her own family, particularly since family loyalty seems to be so important to her.
What Exactly She Sees In Jay
One of the best things about this show is that it shows the many different forms that the idea of family can take in the modern world. Obviously, Gloria’s family with Jay is unique, but it does raise some questions about what, exactly, she sees in him. There’s obviously quite an age difference between them, but it’s more than that.
They just seem to have such different personalities and ways of looking at the world, and sometimes it’s a little hard to see what, exactly, keeps them together.
Her Skill At Chess
Just watching this show, one might get the impression that Gloria is a bit of an airhead. That would be a mistake, however, for it’s revealed that Gloria is actually a phenomenally good chess player. While this is obviously a source of a great deal of amusement-since it’s in such opposition to the rest of her personality and behavior-it does make one wonder how, exactly, she became such an expert in the first place.
That Whole Thing With Wanting Manny To Be A Girl
One of Gloria’s most important relationships is with her son, Manny. There is absolutely no doubt that she really does love and care about her son, and she’s not afraid to tell him about it (sometimes to his chagrin). There was a point in his early life, however, where she dressed him up in girl’s clothes because she wanted him to be a girl. This is, to put it mildly, a rather strange thing for Gloria to do, and it really does make one wonder what, exactly, goes through her head sometimes.
Phil’s Weird Crush On Her
Phil and Claire are in many ways the perfect married couple. They genuinely love each other, and they always overcome whatever struggles life throws in their way. However, it does turn out that Phil has a little bit of a crush on Gloria. While this is understandable in some ways, it is a pretty weird thing, for so many different reasons.
More than that, though, is that it really does seem to contradict all of the other things that the viewer is led to believe about Phil’s character.
Why She Lets Her Mother Control So Much Of Her Life
Family is a key part of Gloria’s identity, and they often have a pretty large role to play in her life. However, it’s also true that Gloria is also a very independent person, and she doesn’t usually let anyone boss her around. It’s thus more than a little strange that she seems so inclined to let her mother have so much control over her life, and one can’t help but wonder why she doesn’t make more of an effort to assert her independence.
Her Inability To Keep Her Temper Under Control
Almost from the moment that she appears on on the screen, Gloria makes it clear that she’s one of those people who really does have a hard time controlling her temper. Time and again, she lets her feelings get the better of her, more often than not to her own detriment. While these are usually very funny moments, one can’t help but wonder why she doesn’t make at least a bit more of an effort to keep herself in check, particularly when doing so would save her a lot of headaches.
Why Her Brothers Aren’t Given Names (Or Shown On The Show)
There are quite a few members of Gloria’s family that ended up making guest appearances on the show. There are also a number of family members that are alluded to but never seen, and this includes her two brothers. It’s a rather curious choice to exclude these two characters, since her siblings have obviously played a significant part in Gloria’s development as a person, and it’s rather interesting to speculate who might have been chosen to play them had they appeared.
Why She Smokes Cigars
Gloria is someone who takes a lot of care with her appearance, and she is very conscious of the fact that she is what many people consider beautiful. It seems especially strange, then, that she would indulge in the habit of smoking cigars. Aside from their unpleasant smell, they’re not particularly good for one’s complexion. One would think that a woman like Gloria, so conscious of her beauty, would also be aware of how much smoking negatively impacts one’s appearance.