Is What We See, Really What We See?

The television show that I chose to watch was Modern Family with the title, The Day We Almost Died  http://abc.go.com/shows/modern-family/episode-guide/season-06/611-the-day-we-almost-died.  I have not watched this show in the past, so to say the least, I was very confused at what I was watching.  I watched the show twice without sound trying to make sense out of what I was watching.  I was definitely confused, however, I was surprised both at what I was able to pick up and at what I was way off course on, as I watched the show without sound.  I will share what five scenes appeared to be and then I will share what actually was happening in the five scenes.  Please keep in mind that there were several other scenes. 

Watching Modern family with the sound turned off: 

As the show began it appeared to be one big family riding in a mini-van.  The father was driving while listening and singing to the radio, the mother was texting or talking on her phone and the four kids were doing their own thing in the back seat.  Several of the family appeared to be telling the dad to turn the radio down, all with faces of disgust.  The mother reached over and shut the radio off a couple of times, gazing at the father with a disgusted look and asking why do you have to be so dramatic (which I could tell by reading her lips).  Seconds later a truck runs a stop sign and the car spins out, the family is okay, but, they all appear to be shook up, scared and in a state of distress and begin hugging one another.  

Watching modern family with the sound turned on:

For this scene I was pretty much correct except I learned when I watched the show with sound on, the mother was actually asking the person on the phone why they had to be so dramatic, not the father. 

Watching Modern family with the sound turned off: 

In another scene what appeared to be the wife to the driver in the car is at a place of work hugging on another man and they end of leaving and going roller-skating at the beach after she jumps up and down in what looks like a begging manner.  As they are skating they come to two tunnels and the man does not want to enter and tries to turn around the woman appears to be trying to convince him to go through the tunnel. She wins and they go through separate tunnels he comes running out the other side all in a fluster with no skates and appears to be very scared.  

Watching modern family with the sound turned on:

This would be the scene that I was way off on my interpretation of what was going on.  I assumed the mother was at her work and was having an affair with a man at her work.  However this was not the case.  It turned out to be her brother, the one she was yelling at on the phone and it was not her place of employment but his.  She had convinced him to leave his place of work and to go do something with her, something fun as she had almost lost her life in an accident.  She ends up making him skate through the tunnel that he was scared of when he was a child, however, as he exited the tunnel he appeared to still be scared as an adult.  He claims that his skates, tie, and wallet were stolen by a homeless person and that is why he comes running out. 

Watching Modern family with the sound turned off: 

The two girls that appear to be siblings get out of the car after the near accident and decide to walk home.  When the girls get home the one has had a makeover and the other is looking at post on Facebook.

Watching modern family with the sound turned on:

The sisters decide to do something together after the big scare that they just had.  One is a tomboy and the other is not.  So the one want to share how it is to have a makeover and the other shows some of her judo moves. 

Watching Modern family with the sound turned off: 

A boy gets out of the car and walks home as well.  He goes to a different house.  This causes me to assume that he was a friend who went to eat with the family.   He then appears to be telling his parents about the almost accident.  They then go to get in the car to go somewhere and the boy refuses he walks alongside the car, until they convince him to get in.  Once in the car he appears to be scared and jumpy.  He then gets in the driver’s seat to drive and ends up scaring what appears to be his dad as he almost hits a roller skater.  The older gentleman gets out and walks.  

Watching modern family with the sound turned on:        

Manny is afraid to get back in the car and states that he will not get in the car again and that he will never drive after the accident that nearly occurred while he was with his relatives.  His mother and her significant other (an older man) make him get back in the car, although he is afraid and is very jumpy at any noise he hears while in the car.  The older man insist that Manny drive and he does not want to.  The mother says that she spotted the individual who stole her phone previously.  This causes the boy to speed off almost hitting a roller-skater.  The old man gets out of the car and walks as he is now scared to ride in the vehicle. 

Watching Modern family with the sound turned off: 

The final scene the family is in the kitchen all hugging one another.  I assumed that it was because they were all safe at the end of the day.  

Watching modern family with the sound turned on:        

My assumption was correct as they all just needed one big hug, including the older man, which is the wife’s father. 

I believe that my assumptions would have been more correct if I would have been watching a show that I knew well in some cases and in other cases not so much.  For instance, my assumptions were right when I assumed that the family was shook up from the accident and when they decided they would rather walk then ride in the car.  On the other hand, if I would have known that Claire, the wife was not at her place of employment and the man at the work, known as Mitchell, was her brother I more than likely would not have assumed than she was having an affair.  I also feel if I would have known who each person was, I would have had a better understanding as to what was going on.  I think that the correctness of my assumptions is more based on the situations.  Some things are clear where others are not.  Non- verbal communication can tell us a lot.  I believe that when in doubt it is always important to use verbal communication and ask.  It is wrong just to assume things when you clearly have no idea.  Situations are not always what one assumes.  That is why it is important that we communicate with one another instead of always assuming.