Top 10 Modern Family Episodes

 Hello, dear reader!

I recently finished the final season of Modern Family (2009-2020), one of the funniest modern sitcoms and arguably the culturally definitive sitcom of the 2010's. After looking back on all the high points from the show's impressive 11-season run, I have come up with a list of its very best offerings.

SPOILER ALERT: as this list is aimed at people who have watched the series, spoilers will ensue. You've been warned!

Here are my honorable mentions: Pilot (Season 1 Episode 1), The Old Wagon (Season 2 Episode 1), Unplugged (Season 2 Episode 5), Schooled (Season 4 Episode 2), Under Pressure (Season 5 Episode 12), Finale: Parts 1&2 (Season 11 Episodes 17-18).

10. Party Crasher (Season 4 Episode 12)

"There's all kinds of milestones in life. The kind you expect to live through: first kiss, birthdays, graduations - if you're lucky, a wedding or two. Or even a new addition to the family. And then there's the kind you'd never dream you'd ever live through again. And that's the best kind of all"

There's a lot to love in this season four classic. Laughs ensue as Haley (Sarah Hyland) dates a sleazy man, played by Jason Mantzoukas (known for his guest roles in Community, Parks and Recreation, The Good Place, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and every other sitcom ever made). Meanwhile, the larger story arch of the series undergoes one of its biggest changing points: the birth of Fulgencio Joseph "Joe" Pritchett.

The best part of the episode, as usual, is the show's objectively best character, Phil Dunphy (Ty Burrell). His speech to his wife Claire (Julie Bowen) about how much he cares for her daughter is touching, as is Haley's reaction - Phil isn't aware that she's listening, until she bursts from behind to hug her father. A beautiful scene, and masterful acting from Mr. Burrell.

9. Halloween (Season 2 Episode 6)

"Why am I in a cage?"

"Because you're in a house of horrors. You are being held against your will"

"...I know, so why am I in a cage?"

Claire Dunphy isn't exactly my favorite character on the show, but she has her moments. And my very favorite aspect of her as a character is her hardcore love for Halloween (and specifically the most scary and brutal side of the holiday) - it is a nice, out-of-the-box trait to flesh out such a character in a stereotype-defying fashion. This is evident all the way from the show's first Halloween episode, way back in season two.

In addition to Claire being delightfully horror-obsessed, the episode has a myriad of other enjoyable elements as well. Gloria (Sofia Vergara) switching to her attempt at an American accent after Jay (Ed O'Neill) makes fun of the way she talks is absolutely hysterical, and Cam (Eric Stonestreet) constantly bringing up his Halloween-related trauma in a very Cam-esque way is hilarious. All of the episode's threads come together in an amusing fashion, as everyone gathers to pull off an ultimate haunted house at the Dunphy residence. Hijinks ensue.

8. Goodnight Gracie (Season 4 Episode 24)

"I'm gay"

"Oh, my grandson is gay! His name is Daniel Schulman. Do you know him?"

The season four finale is a touching episode - not in a "you'll cry your eyes out" way, but in a very low-key way. While the episode's premise revolves around Phil's mother's funeral in Florida, there's nothing all that emotionally powerful about the setting alone as we never really knew the character. But every storyline in the episode feels moving in a sweet, subtle way, as multiple characters reminisce and deal with Grandma Dunphy's passing in their own way.

The Florida milieu brings its share of laughs into the mix, as well, and there are some classic moments from my favorite recurring character, Phil's father Frank Dunphy (played by the late great Fred Willard). This is one of those understated episodes that won't blow your mind, but will leave a very genuine smile on your face.

7. A Year of Birthdays (Season 10 Episode 22)

"The babies are great!"

"I can't wait to see them!"

"As soon as they're done getting checked out. I'm gonna go get them now!"

"Wait, wait, what about the sex?"

"Doctor says not for six weeks"

The finale of the second-last season would've worked perfectly as a series finale - I'm not complaining that we got one more season of quality comedy after it, but there certainly would've been no complaints either if they ended on this particular high note. Every major character gets their moment in the spotlight as the episode centers on the gimmick of following everyone's birthday from the timeline throughout season ten, which is a neat storytelling device to set the episode apart. But what really gets me is the ending, as the next generation of the Modern Family family is ushered in.

This is the episode where Haley gives birth to her twins. Haley is definitely one of the show's best characters, as she showed tremendous growth in her journey from careless bimbo into caring mother, while still managing to retain the essence of her airhead personality (she's also one of the show's most consistently funny characters without a doubt). It is moving to see the family gather around her as her twins are introduced to the world, and in a brilliant full-circle touch, Elton John's The Circle of Life is the soundtrack as the babies are introduced in a similar manner to Lily's grand entrance in the show's pilot episode. Quite poetic.

6. Phil's Sexy, Sexy House (Season 7 Episode 7)

"This house makes the Playboy Mansion look like an old folk's home...which it kind of is"

There is a subgenre of Modern Family episodes that always works like a charm: the episodes that are eventful and awkward in a specific way, as the writers set up about a million different threads for awkward and uncomfortable situations and then unravel it all in a chaotic final five minutes. And Phil's Sexy, Sexy House is pretty much the ultimate episode from that category.

Basically, a well-woven series of misunderstandings, deceptions and plots are built up for a majority of the episode as multiple characters sneak into a house that Phil is selling for their own various reasons. Towards the end of the episode, all of these storylines collide like a train wreck that you just can't look away from. The amount of cringe, coupled with some genuinely nice moments and absolutely hilarious lines makes for one hell of a final act.

5. Fulgencio (Season 4 Episode 13)

"Fulgencio Umberto. The initials for that are F.U. Pritchett, which is exactly what it feels like right now"

As a fan of the sitcom Community, which famously goes all-out with its large-scale pop culture references and ambitious movie tributes, I often roll my eyes when a series like Modern Family tries to spoof a movie by throwing in a few famous lines and one or two lazy references. However, the series fully redeems this track record in this episode, where The Godfather (1972) is spoofed in a hands-down genius manner.

The famous baptism/massacre sequence from The Godfather is recreated in a well-built, insanely funny manner, as the episode's climax goes back and forth between imagery from the baptism of Joe Pritchett, and sequences of Luke (Nolan Gould) doing Phil's dirty work for him. So many tiny elements throughout the episodes had built towards this wonderful moment, which includes a series of payoffs that had me rolling with laughter (the kid finding the head of a toy zebra in his bed? Who comes up with this stuff??). The "Don't ever ask me about my business, Claire" stinger at the end is the icing on this delicious cake of an episode.

4. Legacy (Season 11 Episode 11)

"We didn't do much that day but, it might have been one of the best days I ever had with my dad. I just didn't know it would be the last"

A gem of the highest order from the final season. Legacy is the final episode to feature Phil's father Frank, and what a touching send-off it is. The actor was in poor health when the episode was being made, and he passed away soon after its airing, mirroring the character's passing in the episode. Frank Dunphy was my all-time favorite role from Fred Willard, and seeing this episode after the actor's death was very emotional - this is one of the two Modern Family episodes that has moved me to tears. It is heartwarming to see Phil spending some quality time with his father for one last time, and the character's philosophy of upbeat optimism is evident as ever.

Gone, but not forgotten.

3. Vegas (Season 5 Episode 18)

"Reminds me of my late grandfather"

"He was Scottish?"

"No, a stripper"

Remember when I said that Phil's Sexy, Sexy House was the best episode out of the "tons of story threads are built up until everything goes chaotically wrong in an escalating, awkward fashion" category? Well, I lied. Vegas is even better. Between Jay's frustration at wanting an elite room in the hotel, Phil's attempt to get into a magician's club, Claire dealing with her gambling addiction and many other storylines, everything comes together and leads to quite the breathtaking amount of laughs as everything goes wrong in a hysterical way.

The episode is made all the better due to the character Higgins, a butler played by Stephen Merchant. He has his hand in every storyline, and Merchant plays the role in a uniquely bizarre and bizarrely unique way. I loved it how Higgins returned in the final season for a similar hotel-shenanigans-episode, but there's no beating the original.

2. The Wedding: Parts 1&2 (Season 5, Episodes 23-24)

"I can't go looking like this! Weddings are where you meet girls"

"Not this one "

And here we have the slightly better one out of the two Modern Family episodes that have moved me to tears. There is a lot to love in the wedding episode of Mitch (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cam - Claire's 'best person' speech, Manny (Rico Rodriguez) and Luke bickering like an old married couple, Phil officiating the wedding and the overall joy of two people who love each other getting married (not to mention the milestone that this was for the LGBTQ+ community, having gay marriage represented in such a mainstream series).

But what really gets me more than anything else in this episode is Jay's storyline. Along with Haley, he has one of the show's greatest character archs, as he slowly and realistically manages to let go of his more bigoted opinions throughout the series, while still retaining his "old-school" attitude. Having watched the whole series, it's easy to forget how homophobic Jay's attitude was in the first seasons, but the storyline of him overcoming this attitude and letting love win is absolutely beautiful.

At the beginning of this episode, it seemed like Jay was still somewhat against the idea of his son getting married to another man, but by the end, it was Jay who singlehandedly saved the wedding. After everything has gone wrong and the couple are ready to call the whole thing off, he decides to host the ceremony at his country club. Jay saying "Actually, I was thinking you and I would take a little walk" as he walks his son down the aisle - much to Mitch's surprise - is a powerful scene and a real testament to how far the character had come.

1. Connection Lost (Season 6 Episode 16)

"Oh my God, gross! I've been playing Candy Crush with my mother!!"

I mean, what else could it have possibly have been? This ambitious concept episode from season 16 is somewhat of a piece of interpretational art, as everyone sees what they want to see in it; I've heard people say that it embraces the modern age of social media by having an entire episode take place on-screen, and I've heard people call it a Black Mirror (2011-Present) -style warning about the dangers of such things. In either way, Connection Lost works wonders.

The episode was shot entirely with iPhones, iPads and MacBooks. Every major character gets a chance to appear as we follow a series of videocalls as Claire tries to find out what's going on with Haley. Jay's complete bafflement at the use of such technology is the cherry on top of the cake, making for a truly memorable and creative episode.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as I celebrate the ten-year anniversary of Game of Thrones by ranking its 10 best episodes!