Season synopsis
Contains spoilers for this season and earlier seasons.
Jay, Claire and Mitchell's households keep finding ways into one another's business as the children grow more independent. Phil and Claire are forced to confront how quickly Haley and Alex are changing: Haley breaks up with Dylan, while the sisters' rivalry repeatedly turns their parents into referees. Claire tries to hold the family together through Alex's middle-school graduation, but she is overwhelmed by the thought of the children growing up. Jay's birthday ends in a characteristically messy surprise: his family plans a party when all he wants is to fish, Claire and Mitchell get trapped trying to recreate a childhood photo, and Manny finally saves the day by putting a rowboat in the pool.
Mitchell and Cameron begin weighing who could care for Lily if they were gone, secretly testing the relatives and discovering that no candidate seems ideal. Cameron also starts a book celebrating Lily's adoption, then learns that her legal name gives her Mitchell's surname and Cameron's as her middle name; Mitchell admits he feared they might not stay together and promises to give Lily a hyphenated surname. Elsewhere, Jay and Gloria work through the awkwardness of Jay's plans for paired crypts, which make Gloria confront their age difference. At Jay's birthday gathering, Phil's encounter with an old college rival leaves him newly appreciative of Claire, after the rival admits he once envied their relationship. Mitchell ends the season by telling Cameron he wants another child; Cameron agrees and suggests adopting a boy.