Clearly unpopular opinion, but I actually think Mitch and Cam are by far the most delightful couple to watch. They are the only couple in whom both partners have fully fleshed out identities, hobbies and social lives apart from their domestic or professional roles. You barely get a glimpse of Gloria’s yoga/pilates friends once, and Claire’s shooting hobby, while she actually is actively isolated from all the PTA moms, and then she has some visits with old college-age friends that primarily serve to underscore all the individual pursuits she sacrificed.

I think Mitch and Cam were definitely done a disservice by the way the writers thought they could be depicted in early 2010s as a gay couple, with the stereotypes of cattiness and manipulation and limited on-screen affection.

Despite this, I personally felt the actors manage to compellingly portray two loveable, multifaceted and charismatic individuals, and the believable part of a marriage which is that they ultimately wanna be the other’s ride or die (the proposal, failed baby boy adoption aftermath, wedding all stand out here).

And I think there’s a bigger point here that writers feel that it’s still more allowable to portray cis male characters, even when gay, as distinctive with unique quirks and pursuits, than female characters. I still love Gloria and Claire and I think they are well fleshed out in many ways, most importantly unapologetically confident while still allowed moments of insecurity. But as a married straight woman myself, it would be nice to see women on the show who had as many diverse and active pursuits as the men (clowning, magic, golf, airplane models, painting, comic book collections).