- 2 months ago
Modern Family wasn’t just about laughs; it also delivered some truly heartfelt and raw moments that hit close to home. From emotional family goodbyes to bittersweet milestones, watch as we revisit unforgettable scenes where the Pritchett-Dunphy clan showed their most vulnerable sides. Get ready to feel all the feels as we explore the moments that made this beloved sitcom truly real.
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00:00There's no way that any of this is part of God's plan.
00:03Save something for the toast, Dad.
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks
00:08for the rawest moments from Modern Family that always hit hard.
00:11Yes, Jay, yes, I marry you!
00:15I love my new story!
00:19Number 30. Haley realizes she has a cool dad.
00:22Okay, Beatrice is with the nurse. Don't call us.
00:24Shouldn't be too long. We can just wait until she's married.
00:26Until she's ready, which apparently everyone is these days.
00:31Even the most nonchalant of parents would probably be a little taken aback
00:34to discover that their teen had started exploring adult intimacy.
00:38When Alex accidentally let slip that Haley and Dylan's relationship had turned physical,
00:42their dad Phil is momentarily in shock.
00:44Don't worry, girls, we're not going to deprive ourselves just because Haley's a version of poop.
00:50Oh, oh, Haley's a version. I thought you said...
00:55Never mind.
00:56He goes from denial and slight passive aggression to grief over losing his sweet little doll
01:01and finally accepting that she's growing up.
01:03Phil thinks he cannot possibly be the cool dad after how he reacted,
01:07but Haley knows from the way he chose to trust her that he's the coolest dad around.
01:11Haley, I understand that sex is a part of life.
01:14I can't say that I'm thrilled to hear this, but I'm sure you're being safe,
01:16and I hope that you'll feel free to talk to me about this anytime.
01:19It even makes her choke up.
01:21Number 29. Claire is humbled by technology.
01:24The trouble is Claire struggles with technology of any kind.
01:30I mean, remotes, cell phones, computers.
01:33As a perfectionist who hates being wrong,
01:36Mrs. Dunphy was more than a little irked when her husband installed a new home theater system
01:40and she couldn't use the universal remote.
01:42At one point, Claire was convinced that if she couldn't figure it out,
01:45that must mean the remote itself was needlessly complicated.
01:48When even Haley could operate it, despite her being confident she wouldn't be able to pick it up,
01:52the matriarch had no choice but to admit defeat.
01:55I did it!
02:01Come on, you proved your point.
02:05Everybody in this house is smarter than me.
02:07Even so, she couldn't just ask her husband to teach her how to use it.
02:11That would be absurd.
02:12So, she learns from Haley instead.
02:14Haley, sweetie, wake up.
02:15What?
02:17I need you to teach me to use the TV.
02:20Now, what can Dad teach you?
02:22That way, she keeps her ego intact, but also realizes that it's okay to ask for help sometimes.
02:28Number 28. Phil is the ultimate girl dad.
02:31I love you too, honey.
02:32No, Haley's going into labor.
02:33We've got to get her to the hospital.
02:34I tried to hold it.
02:35I'm sorry.
02:35Oh my God.
02:36I'm so sorry, everyone.
02:38Convenient.
02:39Daddy's girls everywhere probably burst into tears at this scene.
02:43Haley had just given birth to her twin children, Poppy and George.
02:46Naturally, the family rushes to the hospital room to admire the newborns.
02:50Is everything okay?
02:52No.
02:55Everything's amazing.
02:56Why would you say it that way?
02:58Mitch and Cam are busy recreating the circle of life scene from The Lion King,
03:02while everyone else has hearts in their eyes for the babies.
03:04Only Phil noticed that his little girl, Haley, had tears in hers.
03:08He quietly looked at her with all the proud adoration in the world,
03:12proving that he'll always be her dad first, and a granddad to her kids second.
03:16You're next, huh?
03:18Okay, okay, I'm just saying.
03:23Good job, kid.
03:25Number 27.
03:26Love approved by a lime tree.
03:28Grief can take many forms, and Modern Family does a fantastic job of portraying a couple of them with grace.
03:34So, Jer, how are you doing?
03:36I'm hanging in there.
03:37Very happy to see you both.
03:39But the truth is, Claire, in this light, you're reminding me so much of your mother.
03:42Well, it's the hair.
03:44In Trees, A Crowd, Claire and Mitchell's stepdad Jerry connects with Dylan's mom, Farrah.
03:49However, he is riddled with guilt about moving on after his wife Deedee's passing.
03:53Deedee, I never would have flirted with another woman in front of you,
03:56unless it was that kind of weekend, like that time in Taos.
04:00Ew.
04:00Deedee needs me.
04:01I shouldn't go anywhere.
04:02So, he projects his own emotional oscillation onto a lime tree that he considers to be Deedee herself
04:08because her ashes were infused into its roots.
04:11Only after Phil helps him communicate with Deedee by pulling some strings, literally,
04:15does he feel unburdened.
04:17Even though Claire knows the truth, she can't help but get attached to the tree, magic or not,
04:21and processes her own grief by talking to it.
04:24Oh, I guess I should be watering you more, huh?
04:27I've been busy.
04:28You're not even here and I feel like you're judging me.
04:30Fine.
04:31I haven't been busy.
04:33I miss you.
04:34Number 26.
04:35Succession Drama.
04:36Can I have everyone's attention, please?
04:40I feel so lucky celebrating with the best damn family any man could hope for.
04:45Dad.
04:46Jay's retirement announcement on one fine Christmas morning did not go as planned.
04:50He starts his speech with love and gratitude, sharing that he wants to focus on raising Joe
04:55and step into the next chapter of his life.
04:57Everyone is supportive, but the festive mood is dampened when he announces Chuck Feeney
05:01as his successor at Pritchett's Closets and Blinds.
05:04Chuck Feeney.
05:05Who?
05:06Gutters and Screen hotshot out of Chicago.
05:09With him in charge, we can all relax, knowing that the company is in good hands.
05:14Though it was meant as a test to see how Claire really felt about the job,
05:17she is offended at being passed over for a random man despite her dedication to the company.
05:22An argument ensues and they eventually make up,
05:24but the storyline shows how much father and daughter value each other and what they've built together.
05:29I think that I gave my all to this company,
05:31and that if you were going to hand over the reins to somebody,
05:33it should be me and not some hump from Chicago.
05:36Well, it just so happened...
05:38I'm not finished, Dad.
05:39After all, they fight because they care.
05:42Number 25.
05:43Jay's Unchanging Love.
05:44Well, we ain't got his Manny.
05:47Unfortunately, he's going to be a no-show at the party today.
05:50Uh-huh.
05:51What can I get you?
05:52Take that garbage away from me.
05:54I'm going for a walk.
05:55Even Gloria Pritchett has days when she doesn't feel like the absolute stunner she is.
05:59It didn't help that one of those days happened to be her 10th wedding anniversary with Jay.
06:03I was a little grumpy.
06:05I had agreed to do this magic trick at the party with Phil.
06:09I go into a box and then I come out in my wedding dress.
06:12Having planned to put on her decade-old wedding dress for the party,
06:15Gloria is heartbroken when it doesn't fit.
06:17She works out excessively, deprives herself of snacks,
06:21and is upset the entire day, having attached her self-worth to her physique.
06:25Hey, Mom, why are girls such a mystery?
06:28Have a scone.
06:29Get out of here.
06:30I cannot even look at that.
06:35Yikes.
06:36However, Jay gently reassures her that he loves her no matter what.
06:39Only then does she break into a smile.
06:41These have been the best 10 years of my life.
06:43I'm in it for every pound, every wrinkle, every gray hair.
06:51If that's not relationship goals, we don't know what is.
06:55Number 24.
06:56Hayley Walks Away From Andy
06:58I'm going to put you on speakerphone, okay?
07:00Andy's on his way to...
07:02We can't hear it either.
07:03Just toss me the phone.
07:05No, no, no.
07:05No, you're right.
07:06We all have our strengths.
07:07I'm a great gift giver.
07:08Season 7 of Modern Family opens with emotional damage.
07:11Andy is about to propose to Beth, but Phil is convinced he's in love with Hayley and vice
07:16versa.
07:16Phil, are you sure about this?
07:18Claire, I think I know the look of love in another man's eyes.
07:21This is crazy.
07:22Should I call him?
07:23His phone's off, but he said he was going to the beach.
07:25So Hayley rushes to the beach where Andy is about to get down on one knee, but Claire suggests
07:30she take a second to think before interrupting the couple.
07:33Just when Hayley is about to make up her mind, Andy pops the question.
07:37Hayley breaks down, grieving the loss of the future she could have had with him.
07:40No, honey, no, no, no, no, no.
07:42You have nothing to be ashamed of.
07:45Oh, God, here they come.
07:45Hide.
07:49She's down in the dumps, but her family has her back, especially Claire, who tries to
07:53bond with her.
07:54This isn't the end of Hayley and Andy, but her sincere maturity in letting him go was
07:59touching.
07:59Well, at least he knows what he wants and goes for it.
08:02Then I guess it's a good thing that we didn't get together.
08:04Best decision I ever made.
08:05Samesies.
08:06Number 23.
08:07The Parents Pat Their Own Backs
08:09Showing emotion is part of being a sexy modern man.
08:12Ask anyone who was raised on Al and all that.
08:14I don't think we have to worry about him going anywhere anytime soon.
08:17He just installed a mini fridge and a hammock in his room.
08:19If there's one thing modern family makes clear, it's that parenting is one of the hardest
08:24jobs out there.
08:25So when Manny and Luke graduate from high school and Lily is advised to skip ahead to middle
08:29school, it brings out big emotions for their parents.
08:31I can handle it.
08:33But what about all your friends?
08:34I mean, look at these kids.
08:35A lot of them have known each other since kindergarten.
08:38I'll make new friends.
08:39Kids really like me.
08:41Interestingly, it is not only because the kids are moving forward in life, but the fact
08:45that they seem to be growing up well that gets the waterworks going.
08:48The young adults hit the town to celebrate, while their parents and Hayley get together
08:52for drinks, raising a toast to a group of kids well-raised.
08:55A toast.
08:57We raised them to be independent and now they're out in the world having their own lives.
09:00We did it.
09:01Salud!
09:03Sorry I missed the first part, but I'll drink to whatever you're toasting.
09:05Tap me off.
09:06Number 22.
09:07Manny's Letter
09:08I cannot believe that my little baby's leaving.
09:11You know, I left the glass doors open downstairs, so right now your actual baby may be leaving.
09:16They say absence makes the heart grow fonder.
09:18This episode proves it.
09:20Manny's visiting Gloria's family for about a month, I hope.
09:24I just got to get them on a plane before Gloria has a meltdown and changes her mind.
09:28After Manny leaves for Columbia despite initial trepidation,
09:31his mother Gloria can't help but worry about him.
09:34Jay, meanwhile, plays it down trying to comfort his wife.
09:36Hey there, you with the stars on your thighs.
09:39It's an old song.
09:40I thought I'd be...
09:42Why do I bother?
09:44What is this?
09:45However, when he reads the note Manny left for Gloria, his composure breaks.
09:50The young man had not only asked her to take care of Jay,
09:52but he also remembered his doctor's appointment and insisted she keep him posted.
09:56The open display of affection in the letter had Jay sniffling and us going,
10:00aww.
10:01Nice, huh?
10:02Nice!
10:04I'm gonna mail him his other robe.
10:05It showed how close both of them had grown, even though they might not always show it.
10:10Number 21.
10:11Jay Saves His Son's Wedding
10:13I can give you 30 minutes.
10:15We can make that work.
10:16The wedding will go on just in a slightly pared down version.
10:20Claire, you're up front, flower girl, strewing.
10:22Grooms, come with me.
10:23On the beautiful day Mitch and Cam are to be wed,
10:26everything that can go wrong, goes wrong.
10:28Jay keeps trying to talk to Mitch to reassure him that he's not at fault for the mess,
10:32but he can never choose the right words, which only worsens the situation.
10:35It's not your fault, by the way.
10:37Fire was an act of God.
10:39Not that God sent a fireball down to keep a couple of guys from getting married,
10:42but I didn't say that right.
10:44There's no way that any of this is part of God's plan.
10:47The couple is on the verge of canceling the ceremony entirely,
10:50which at that point was taking place at their apartment,
10:53when Jay saves the day by relocating them to his country club.
10:56To top it all off, Mitch's old man walks him down the aisle alongside Gloria.
11:00Mitch and Cam finally get their fairytale wedding,
11:03saying their I do's in the golden hour.
11:05Cameron, do you take Mitchell to be your husband?
11:07I do.
11:08Cameron, would you please place this ring on Mitchell's finger?
11:11Getting Jay's blessing made the momentous occasion even more meaningful.
11:16Number 20. Jay's Sacrifices for His Family
11:19Some of Modern Family's greatest heartfelt moments arise from Jay's periodical displays of sentimentality.
11:25Throughout the course of the show, we glean that few things matter more to him than his family.
11:29And I remember thinking, I can't save you, buddy, but I'm getting off this ride.
11:35This was evidenced pretty early on in the series in the episode Disneyland,
11:39where we come to learn that Jay was all set to divorce Dee Dee until he thought of Claire and
11:43Mitchell,
11:43who were still kids at the time.
11:45He put them first and waited until they were grown to do what was best for himself.
11:50But I realized that staying with my kids was more important than leaving my wife.
11:55Now that's not the right decision for everyone, but it was the right decision for me.
11:59In season 11, we also learned that business wasn't always easy for Jay.
12:03There was a time when he had to cut a family vacation short and take a night job to keep
12:07the lights on.
12:08Why wouldn't he have told us?
12:10Probably didn't want to worry anyone.
12:11Number 19, the forklift fiasco.
12:14It's no secret that Jay and Manny don't always see eye to eye.
12:18And the two definitely do not have exactly the typical father-son bond that, say, Luke and Phil have.
12:23But they don't need that sort of bond to be there for each other.
12:26Wait a minute, is that Manny driving?
12:28Is it?
12:33Gotcha.
12:33When Manny has an accident on a forklift at Jay's work, Jay immediately fires the employee who let it happen.
12:39While Manny fights for the employee and begs his stepdad to give the worker another chance, Jay knows where his
12:45priorities lie.
12:46You can give me the cold shoulder the rest of your life.
12:48Jack's not coming back.
12:49See, I could overlook the goofing off, but you could have been seriously hurt today.
12:54Anybody puts my kid in danger doesn't get a second chance ever.
12:59I'll see you later.
13:00His kid's safety comes above all else.
13:03Manny's reaction to the term reveals something many blended families go through.
13:06And it's really sweet seeing just how touched he is.
13:10Number 18.
13:11Alex wants to come home.
13:13Alex is not a quitter.
13:14And as a result, she often doesn't get to quit.
13:17When she's having a rather poor time at college, she confides in her dad who, with his intentions in the
13:22right place,
13:22inadvertently sets her off by encouraging her to give things a chance.
13:26Alex, don't get mad.
13:27Well, I am mad.
13:28Because I'm actually smart enough to know what's working for me and what isn't.
13:31And this isn't.
13:34I have to go to class.
13:35This isn't the first time Alex has had trouble fitting in.
13:38But luckily, her parents always seem to know how to be there for her.
13:42I have no friends.
13:45You're on the clock.
13:51All right.
13:54What happened?
13:55Despite Phil later validating her feelings and assuring her they'd love to have her back home,
14:00he also gives her the gentle nudge she needed to get out of her comfort zone.
14:03Number 17.
14:05Haley's College Debut
14:06As it turns out, both Dunphy sisters had a rough time away from home.
14:10They say the first one is always the most difficult to let go.
14:14And that is precisely what Claire and Phil go through after leaving Haley in her new dorm.
14:18Okay, so I better go.
14:21Okay.
14:22Okay, come on.
14:24Let me get in there.
14:27All right.
14:27Bye.
14:28Bye.
14:29The goodbye doesn't go exactly as they might have wanted after a typical Dunphy catastrophe.
14:33But Haley eventually comes around later in the day when she discovers how lonely college can be.
14:38Sweetheart, is everything okay?
14:40Yeah, I just wanted to say thank you for everything.
14:44You know, today and stuff.
14:49Of course, of course.
14:51If you need anything at all, you just call us.
14:53Her thank you and I'll miss you are familiar to so many parents of college-aged kids.
14:57And Claire and Phil's reactions make the moment all the more real.
15:01It's truly the mark of their eldest moving out of her teen years into adulthood.
15:05At least until she was kicked out.
15:07Number 16.
15:08Phil's Dad Instincts
15:10All parents and their kids go through rough patches.
15:12Some of them worse than others.
15:14After Haley's arrest and expulsion from college, which was another super real moment on the show,
15:19things are understandably pretty rough between her and her parents.
15:22You know what I haven't heard from you yet?
15:23I'm sorry, Mom.
15:24I screwed up, Dad.
15:26Please forgive me.
15:27Now put on some real clothes.
15:29We'll see you at the hearing.
15:30Do not be late.
15:31When she begins dating someone who's nearly her dad's age,
15:35Claire insists that it's to get back at them,
15:37and they should stand their ground in the game of chicken.
15:39Phil is a little less steadfast.
15:42In her final attempt to provoke her parents,
15:45Haley divulges her feelings of failure,
15:47which are entirely relatable to those of us who've made bigger mistakes in life.
15:50Oh, you don't have to tell me what he thinks, okay?
15:53I'm a huge disappointment to him.
15:54I see it on his face every day.
15:56He asks as if he doesn't even want me around.
15:58It's Phil's confession, however, that always hits us right in the gut,
16:01serving as a much appreciated reminder of what a father's love looks like.
16:05That's my little girl.
16:06I need her to know that no guy on earth is good enough for her,
16:09let alone some slimy middle-aged jean salesman.
16:13Number 15.
16:14Lily's First Period
16:16Until Joe, Lily held the title of the baby of the family.
16:19By season 10, however, she wasn't such a baby anymore.
16:23The arrival of her first period sees Mitch and Cam out of sorts,
16:26as they try to help despite knowing very little about the experience.
16:30I thought you were going to ask Claire to talk to Lily about this.
16:33Well, I was, but when I tried, Claire was in such a mood, because ironically...
16:36Okay, we can't screw this up.
16:38We cannot give her a complex.
16:39They call on some outside help, which does more harm than good,
16:42and eventually realize that even if they can't completely understand
16:46what their daughter is going through,
16:47they are the two best equipped to help.
16:50Mitch's speech about Lily growing up brings him to tears,
16:53and it's such a stark reminder about a major theme both in the show and in life.
16:57We are your parents, okay?
16:58We are going to make mistakes, and we are not going to have all the answers,
17:02but when you do want to talk about it, we're here for you.
17:07Yeah.
17:08We love you.
17:09Change is scary, but the people around us can make it a little less so.
17:14Number 14.
17:15The Trials of Being Bilingual
17:17Gloria's accent, pronunciation, and confusion of English expressions
17:21was a long-running gag on Modern Family.
17:23But people understand me just fine.
17:25What the hell is this?
17:27I told you, Jay.
17:28I called your secretary and told her to order you a box of baby cheeses.
17:34Oh, so now that is my fault too.
17:36But the show also made sure to shine a light on how difficult it is to speak a second language
17:40you didn't grow up with, as well as Gloria's frustration with jokes and jibes at her expense.
17:45In season 6, Gloria finally gets to speak her mother tongue when a Spanish tutor is hired for Manny.
17:51Jay learns what it's like to be the one out of the loop for once,
17:53and Gloria has some great lines about the tribulations of speaking a language you're not totally comfortable in.
17:59Do you even know how smart I am in Spanish?
18:01Of course you don't.
18:03For once, it would be nice to speak to someone in my own language, in my own home.
18:08It's relatable to many, and a good lesson for native speakers reinforcing that intelligence
18:13has nothing to do with how well someone speaks.
18:16Number 13.
18:17Claire Worries About Alex Growing Up
18:19As is perfectly on theme for a plot point in this sitcom,
18:23Alex's middle school graduation is cause for something of a panic in Claire.
18:27Emotional day, huh?
18:29Happy day.
18:31Happy and sad.
18:32We see her break as she reveals that middle school graduation was around the time that
18:36Haley's moody teenage years put a damper on their mother-daughter relationship,
18:39and she's anticipating the same will happen with Alex.
18:42Hey, we're losing her.
18:44Alex?
18:45Yes.
18:45You're not losing her?
18:46We are. She's going to high school.
18:48This is just when I lost to Haley.
18:50This is when Haley went from being my sweet little angel to being a moody,
18:55texting, snotty little princess who hates me.
18:57Even Phil ends up in tears as he reminisces on Haley as a child versus their interactions
19:02when she's a teen.
19:03Later on, we'd see Haley experience something similar when Alex was set to go off to college,
19:07and she was scared they wouldn't keep in touch.
19:09What are you talking about?
19:11You're my sister.
19:12Oh, right.
19:12Yeah.
19:13Sisters.
19:19Parents will never be prepared for a child to leave them, but at least Claire got one thing wrong.
19:25They do come back.
19:26Number 12.
19:28Jay's Navy Tradition
19:29Though this episode delves into some pretty weighty topics like teenage insecurities
19:33and the importance of emotional connection in romantic relationships,
19:37nothing is quite as heavy as the twist that is Jay's plotline.
19:40It's storming at the Delgado-Pritchett household,
19:43and Jay spends the entire time trying to get out of the house and to the nearest bar.
19:47Okay, everyone.
19:48Don't feel like you have to wait for me to get back.
19:51Jay!
19:52The leak is growing.
19:54I was just on my way back out.
19:55I'll do it.
19:56We initially think it's just Jay being cynical
19:58and trying to get away from all the hullabaloo taking place in his house.
20:01By the end, however,
20:02we learn of the true reason behind his urgency.
20:05The quiet moment he shares with Phil, of all family members,
20:08is nothing short of a tearjerker.
20:17Number 11.
20:18Luke's Friend Walt
20:19It feels so specific to have Luke befriend the crabby next-door neighbor Walt Kleczak,
20:24and yet it's exactly something Luke would do.
20:26My name is Luke Dunphy.
20:27I live next door.
20:28What do you want?
20:29I want to get our ball from your yard.
20:32I don't want you messing around back there.
20:34Just...
20:35Claire and Phil, who were spooked by Walt to begin with,
20:38have their apprehensions about this new friendship.
20:41It's Luke, however, with his childlike view of the world
20:44that reminds everyone the importance of getting to know someone before we pass judgment.
20:48This lesson is brought home when Walt reveals he was once a firefighter
20:51and has no ill intentions.
20:53I used to be a fireman, you know.
20:56I don't hurt kids.
21:00Sir, would you like to come in?
21:04Just tell the boy that Shane is on today at three.
21:07You should watch it.
21:08That was all real enough,
21:09but the biggest punch to the gut comes in the next season when Walt passes away,
21:13and Luke has to confront grief at such a young age.
21:16Sometimes I'd wake up in the middle of the night and look down here.
21:20The TV was on, I knew he was up.
21:24I don't know.
21:25I guess I'm gonna miss that.
21:28Yeah.
21:29Number 10.
21:30Mitchell and Cameron are denied a second baby.
21:32We're getting a baby today.
21:34Oh my gosh.
21:36Oh my gosh.
21:36When Cam and Mitchell got the call that a pregnant woman had chosen them to adopt her baby
21:40and she was in labor,
21:41they rushed to the hospital prepared to leave with the newest member of their family.
21:46But things didn't go as planned as the grandmother of the child announced that she was going to raise it.
21:51The scene is played for laughs as it plays out like a telenovela,
21:54with angry women, face slaps, and a sexy priest.
21:57The nurse is mad at Juanita because Juanita stole her lover,
22:01and Juanita is mad at the nurse because the nurse told their grandmother about the baby.
22:06Our baby?
22:07However, at the core of it all is Cam and Mitch not getting a baby.
22:11She's saying that she's going to raise the baby.
22:16No.
22:17Cam.
22:18It's a difficult moment for the couple,
22:20and one that leads them to take a step back and decide not to pursue adoption for the time being.
22:25I think I'm lying on a rock.
22:27I'm lying next to my rock.
22:29Number 9.
22:30Alex's Meltdown.
22:31Also, should I get a job this summer?
22:33Would an internship look better on my application?
22:35And what is up with Hillary?
22:36Is she going to run or not?
22:38I mean, I feel like she totally understands the feeling of being overwhelmed,
22:40but also like you're not doing enough at the same time.
22:43Alex is a brilliant girl and an academically driven student
22:47who puts a ton of pressure on herself to succeed.
22:50It makes for a lot of funny jokes,
22:51but in the season 5 episode, Under Pressure,
22:54this constant need to be the best comes to a head
22:56when she breaks down during her 16th birthday party.
22:59Hey, hey, we all know why we're here.
23:02Hi, honey, you missed one.
23:03I know.
23:04I know I missed one.
23:05I'm not an idiot.
23:07There, happy?
23:08Alex speaks to a therapist,
23:10whom she found by herself, of course,
23:12and it's during their session that we really get a deeper dive into her stress
23:16and her belief that no one really understands how she feels.
23:19I feel kind of alone.
23:24During an open house at school,
23:25Claire begins to realize the stress Alex must be under
23:28and at the end, gives her a real shoulder to cry on.
23:31I don't know how you don't have a meltdown every day.
23:35Oh, honey.
23:36Number 8.
23:37Jay breaks down at family therapy.
23:39I can just imagine my old man with his buddy sitting at their lawn chairs,
23:44laughing their asses off that I missed a whole day of football
23:46because I'm trying to get in touch with my emotions.
23:49Jay, the patriarch of the Pritchett family,
23:51is old school, tough, and not one to wear his emotions on his sleeve.
23:56We know he grew up with a tough, no-nonsense father too,
23:59but he generally doesn't share much about how that makes him feel.
24:03That is, until the family has a session with a doctor and self-help author,
24:07who forces them over the course of the day to clean out their emotional junk drawer.
24:12Sounds like you're stuck in that drawer.
24:13Sounds like you're stuck in that metaphor.
24:15While Jay and the other Pritchetts don't take it very seriously at first,
24:19eventually, Jay has a real moment about his father that brought him,
24:22and probably many watching, to tears.
24:25I didn't even cry at his funeral, you believe that?
24:27The guy was my whole world.
24:29Not a tear.
24:31Everybody looking at me like, like I didn't love him.
24:35But he knew.
24:39Yeah, I don't know, right?
24:41Of course he did.
24:43Number 7. Mitch tells Jay not to attend the wedding.
24:46Why are you having such a big thing anyway?
24:49Well, because we're only getting married once.
24:51I'm just saying, why do you need to make it into a spectacle?
24:54A spectacle?
24:55While Jay and Mitchell's relationship improved over the course of the series,
24:58Jay wasn't always as accepting of his son's sexuality as he eventually became.
25:03Although things had gotten better by Season 5,
25:05some of Jay's prejudices came to the surface as Mitch and Cam prepared for their wedding.
25:09As the cost of the event grows,
25:12Jay makes some comments about how they should tone it down,
25:14and how he doesn't want his friends there to see it.
25:17I don't think I'm out of line suggesting my friends don't want to see a father-son dance at a
25:21big gay wedding.
25:22To hear your father say that just before your wedding day would be hard for anyone,
25:26and as a result, Mitch tells Jay not to bother coming.
25:29If it really makes you that uncomfortable, then don't come to the wedding.
25:33Thankfully, father and son work through it though,
25:36and Jay is ultimately there to walk Mitch down the aisle.
25:40Number 6. Jay refers to Cam as Mitchell's friend.
25:44Early on in the series, the discomfort that Jay has with his son being gay
25:48is put on display when he introduces Cam as Mitchell's friend.
25:51Hi, I'm Cameron.
25:53I'm sorry, guys, this is Cameron.
25:56He's a friend of my son's.
25:59Obviously, this angers Mitch,
26:00and he gets back at his dad by telling him one of his friends is gay,
26:03even though he isn't.
26:04My father was a tailor, I like clothes, so what?
26:07This first season episode is titled 15%
26:10in reference to Mitchell's closing monologue
26:12about how that is as much as people can change if they want to.
26:16Can people change? I don't know.
26:18People are who they are, give or take, 15%.
26:23We might argue that considering where he started,
26:26Jay's change over the show's 11 seasons,
26:28especially in regards to his gay son,
26:30might have been more than 15%.
26:32But this was season one, and he wasn't quite there yet.
26:36Number 5. Jay cries on Mother's Day.
26:39He teared up when I found this poem he wrote for his mom as a boy.
26:43As we've already discussed, Jay Pritchett considers himself a man's man,
26:47who keeps his emotions in check and doesn't like to look weak.
26:51But near the end of season two,
26:53we get one of our first cracks in his armor in the Mother's Day episode
26:56while he's making his mom sauce with Phil.
26:59During the process, they find a poem Jay wrote about the recipe for the perfect mom,
27:03and their reading of it floods him with unexpected emotions.
27:07Are you crying?
27:07No. See onions, damn it, give me these.
27:09Later at dinner, he tries to play it off as nothing,
27:12but he again breaks down with the whole family around.
27:15Nobody, and I mean nobody, yells at my little...
27:21Oh my God, it's happening again.
27:24It's okay, Jay, let it out.
27:26Instead of pulling back this time, though, he lets himself feel the feels.
27:30Number 4. Jay takes Manny to Disneyland.
27:33My dad's taking me on Space Mountain.
27:35It's supposed to be really fast, but he's not scared of anything.
27:38He doesn't even wear a seatbelt when he drives.
27:40Wow, how about that?
27:42Killed a bear once.
27:43Really? Was the bear sitting in the passenger seat?
27:45Modern Family didn't waste any time getting real,
27:48with the next item on our list coming in just the second episode of the series.
27:52Jay is again at the center of the realness,
27:54but this time, he's living up to the adage that ends the episode
27:58that the biggest part of being a good dad is just being there.
28:01Although Jay had a trip planned for him and Gloria,
28:04when Manny's biological father decides he would rather play craps
28:07than spend time with Manny at Disneyland as planned,
28:10Jay is there.
28:11The plane was full, and this old lady needed to get home,
28:14so he gave up his seat.
28:16You're making that up, aren't you?
28:17He makes up some excuse for Manny's father and changes his plans,
28:21so that he, Gloria, and Manny can go to Disneyland together.
28:25Number 3. Grace Dunphy's Funeral.
28:27This may not make sense to everyone,
28:29but I'm pretty sure she would have left it.
28:31Funerals are often times when shows get real,
28:34and the funeral for Phil's mom in season 4 was no exception.
28:38The moments that stand out from the episode are the ones with Alex,
28:41who was very close to her grandma,
28:43and at first is confused and disappointed
28:45when all her grandma seemingly left her was a lighter and a short letter.
28:48I don't really get the gift grandma left me.
28:50Well, didn't she explain it in the note?
28:52However, when more of the letter is discovered,
28:55it all makes sense, as grandma really did understand her,
28:58which, as we learned earlier, she didn't feel like anyone else did.
29:02This leads to a closing moment filled with smiles,
29:05and if you're anything like us, a bunch of tears as well.
29:08So, my Alex, who I love so dearly,
29:11who's probably too much like me for her own good,
29:14every once in a while, don't be afraid to break the rules.
29:18You never know what can happen.
29:19Number 2. Dee Dee Pritchett Dies.
29:21Hey, Jerry.
29:23What's wrong?
29:25When?
29:26How?
29:27Sure, Jay and Dee Dee had their problems.
29:29She wasn't very accepting of Gloria,
29:31and her relationship with her kids was complicated.
29:34But as Jay's ex-wife and Claire and Mitch's mom,
29:37she was a part of this modern family.
29:39She was loved, and her loss affected everyone in their own way.
29:43They say that the only two things guaranteed in life are death and taxes,
29:47but that doesn't make it any less painful to loved ones left behind.
29:50Remember how she used to always bring her own ice cubes to restaurants?
29:54Remember when she got thrown out of Scientology?
30:00Our mother is dead, Phil.
30:02I thought we were dead.
30:03Dee Dee's death was the big shock of season 10.
30:05But as we already saw and will see again,
30:08it wouldn't be the last time the show would get real
30:11with the passing of a member of the family.
30:13On the trip's final morning, Dee Dee was found in her room.
30:16She had apparently passed peacefully in her sleep as a smile graced her face.
30:21Number 1. Phil's Dad Dies
30:24By the time season 11 came around,
30:26the family had already lost Phil's mom,
30:28Claire and Mitch's mother, and Manny's turtle, to name a few.
30:31But there was one more heart-wrenching death to come,
30:34and that was Phil's dad, Frank.
30:36We didn't do much that day, but
30:38it might have been one of the best days I ever had with my dad.
30:43I just didn't know it would be the last.
30:45Phil and his father were definitely two peas in a pod,
30:47and there are few sons who look up to their dad more than Phil did his.
30:51My dad was okay, and my takeaway from our day,
30:57don't miss a chance to let the people you appreciate know that.
31:02This one hit hard, but as with the death of his mother,
31:06who Alex sent off with fireworks,
31:08Phil celebrated his dad in the most perfect way he could.
31:11With big penguin footprints.
31:13He left some big footprints, my old man.
31:15Which of these moments makes you cry every time you watch Modern Family?
31:19Tell us in the comments.
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