Modern Family: Haley's Toxic Relationship Behavior Gets Swept Under The Rug
The characters in "Modern Family" are all lovable, but some are more flawed than others. And when it comes to this category's dominator, many agree that Haley Dunphy (Sarah Hyland) truly takes the cake.
While the eldest Dunphy child isn't necessarily a bad character, her rotating lineup of boyfriends haven't always been treated the best by her. Her first boyfriend and eventual husband, Dylan Marshall (Reid Ewing), got cheated on when Haley went behind his back with a tutor. Similarly, upon discovering that Andy Bailey (Adam DeVine) was getting engaged, the two slept with one another. And the messy love triangle between herself, Dylan, and Arvin Fennerman (Chris Geere) saw Haley sleep with Dylan, unable to fully let him go.
The messiness presented in Haley's relationships has some "Modern Family" fans admitting that it has impacted their opinion of the character, such as Redditor u/Appliepie1010, who comments, "Haley pretty much cheated in most of her relationships, I didn't respect the character for it." But others see more nuance within her dilemma.
Haley Dunphy had a lot of growing up to do
Haley Dunphy's lack of loyalty to her boyfriends throughout "Modern Family" has been a point of concern for some fans. Some, such as Redditor u/aaebrownguy, are confused as to why Haley's parents never stepped in, commenting, "Thought it was weird and was expecting either of Phil or Claire to point it out to Hailey about adultery and stuff, but it never really came up. Her casually cheating on so many people was the one thing I never really liked her."
While Claire (Julie Bowen), who has never been a fan of Dylan, did talk to Haley about her cheating, it was certainly from a biased angle. Redditor u/VastStory notes this: "Only thing Claire said was she had to end it with Dylan, but she definitely encouraged dating a smart dude."
Still, others were more understanding of Haley's mindset. Redditor u/Lemonl0aff notes that Haley, who we see evolve from a ditzy teen to a mother of two, is simply learning the ways of life and love. "So I think the show is trying to show that yes, boyfriend, girlfriends, partners all have a first time," they comment. "Everyone has a first kiss ... or there may be some cheating during those wild teenage years. And that it's all a part of life and the experiences it brings ... " Haley's track record of stable relationships may not have been the strongest, but what matters now is what those lessons have taught her.