Season synopsis
Contains spoilers for this season and earlier seasons.
Jay starts the season worried about how his family will remember him, so he rents a houseboat and pushes everyone to share a solar-eclipse trip. His plans unravel as the relatives scatter into their own activities: Claire and Phil test themselves with risky adventures, the younger family members get stranded after chasing a party, and Cam and Gloria’s boat outing goes badly. When Jay rows away after missing the eclipse with most of the group, they call out older memories that show the care he has already given them.
The next change is Manny leaving for college. He tries to avoid a tearful goodbye, while Haley gets a chance to work as a personal assistant and then pursues a job at the lifestyle company NERP. Her work brings her into a new social circle and she dates astrophysicist Arvin, whose academic world is far from her own. Mitchell and Cam also face changes at home: Cam’s sister Pam keeps returning to their household, and Mitchell eventually lands a new job that prompts the couple to celebrate with Cam’s friends.
Arvin embarrasses Haley by telling his parents that NERP does secret technology work. She corrects him and leaves, then faints and wakes in hospital beside Andy, still her emergency contact. Dylan also arrives, followed by Arvin. After initially rejecting Arvin, Haley admits she loves him and they reconcile. In the finale, Cam and Mitchell are caring for Pam's son Cal and decide to take him in permanently. Jay and Claire agree to merge Pritchett's Closets with a technology company, while Gloria sends Joe's guests to her rival's party after her own dinosaur celebration is upstaged.