Season synopsis
Contains spoilers for this season and earlier seasons.
Jay Pritchett's grown children make up a sprawling Los Angeles family whose everyday plans rarely stay simple. Jay is newly married to Gloria, and he tries to earn the trust of her son Manny, an unusually formal boy who still hopes his often-absent father Javier will show up. When Javier fails to visit, Jay invents a kind excuse and sends Manny to Disneyland in the limousine he had arranged. Claire and Phil Dunphy, meanwhile, try to keep their three very different children in line: Haley tests her parents with boyfriend Dylan and school trouble, Alex competes with the rest of the household through her constant studying, and Luke's impulsive schemes frequently leave Claire and Phil scrambling.
Mitchell and Cameron begin as Lily's parents after adopting her from Vietnam before the series starts. Their early efforts to settle into parenthood bring awkward moments at a toddler group and arguments over how to raise her. When Lily says “Mommy” in front of her pediatrician, the new fathers worry that she wants a mother; after the doctor reassures them, they discover one of Lily's toys says the word when pressed. The season also brings the three households together for Jay's birthday trip to Hawaii. Jay wants to relax but a reminder that his father died at the same age sends him into an overzealous fitness kick; Phil tries to give Claire the honeymoon they missed when Haley arrived, and surprises her with a wedding ceremony. At home again, Claire's attempt to gather everyone for a family portrait is repeatedly derailed. Gloria and Phil are caught on a basketball arena kiss cam, while Cameron takes a wedding-singing job and Mitchell is left minding Lily and a pigeon.