Original artwork, not a still
Manny thinks his dad is like Superman. The truth? He’s a total flake. In fact, the only way he’s like Superman is that they both landed in this country illegally.
— Modern Family · 2009
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The speaker punctures Manny's comparison of his father with Superman by calling the father unreliable. The punchline replaces heroic resemblance with a claimed similarity about arriving illegally. The humour rests on the abrupt change of terms and the speaker's dismissive view of the father.
Context reviewed
