MODERN FAMILY Recap: ‘The One That Got Away’

And another season comes to an end.

Yes, Wednesday night was the second season finale of MODERN FAMILY and for a show that’s had its ups and down this year, I thought they ended on a high note with this episode. That’s not to say it was the funniest or even the best episode of the season, but it was a great way to wrap everything up while still leaving us wanting more.

This episode had the whole extended family running around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to plan the perfect birthday party for Jay, but this is MODERN FAMILY – of course nothing goes right. In fact, no one had even gotten him a gift yet! (Did that remind anyone else of GLEE with New Directions going to Nationals and yet having no songs? What is it with everyone being unprepared?)

Mitchell and Claire decide to recreate a family photo for their gift, since Phil had done the same thing for his parents the previous year and it had gone over so well. (Cut to side-by-side photos of baby Phil with spaghetti all over himself and the bowl on his head and grown-up Phil in the same pose.) To do so, they had to break into the backyard of their old childhood home. All was going well until they were chased up a treehouse by a dog. They decided to make the best of it, though, so Claire opened the bottle of wine she had bought for Jay. This lead to drunkenness and discussions (like mentioning their jealously of Manny), but they eventually had to call Jay to pick them up. The scene in the car was adorable -– can’t you just see tiny Claire and Mitchell doing the same thing many years earlier? So cute!

Meanwhile, Phil, Gloria and Lily hit the mall where Phil ran into an old college cheerleading rival and became slightly insane with insecurities. Not only did it cause him to mess up his magic tricks, but he went so far as to pass of Gloria as his wife. Little did Phil know, though, but the guy actually had a crush on Claire in college and was jealous of whoever actually ended up with her. Oh, Phil, things never go your way, do they?

Elsewhere, Cameron had been assigned the duty of picking up Jay’s cake. While in line, Manny called him for advice on a girl he has a crush on. After being mistaken for a pedophile, he’s kicked out of the bakery and Jay then has to pick up his own cake.

After Jay’s disastrous birthday the previous year, the Dunphy kids have been working on a video tribute to Jay all year and have managed to not get any decent footage. I loved this whole scene -– previously unseen clips from the series are always a way to win me over and they picked some of the funniest ones. Luke decides to take over editing the video, which could only lead to disaster and hilarity. I loved the finished product ended up only being about 30 seconds long and he was so proud of it, too.

Because Jay didn’t get to go fishing that afternoon like he had wanted (since he was busy driving around town saving everyone), Manny decides to give him the sweetest birthday gift of all -– hanging out in the fishing boat in their pool. Awww! As the whole family argues about who gets to be in the boat, too, Cameron and Mitchell are standing off to the side and discussing the fact they may want another child, a boy this time. As cute as that would be, I personally love just the three of them. This family is my favorite of the three and I don’t want to see anything mess up their dynamic. What do you think?

Like I said at the beginning of this recap, I don’t think this was the best episode of the season. But it did have some very sweet moments and some very funny moments and that’s why we love this show -– because they do both so well.

Due to some stupidity on my DVR’s part, there will only be a couple of favorite lines/moments tonight because that’s all I can remember. (Of all nights for it to mess up, it had to go and do it during the season finale!) When Manny said he used a tennis racket to froth his bubbles in a bubble bath, I howled. And who else loved Gloria getting Jay a phone shaped like lips, calling it a “sexy phone” when he had mentioned he may want a saxophone? So great!

What did you think of the episode? Were you slightly underwhelmed like me or do you think it was a great way to send off the season? Leave a comment and let me know, or add some of your favorite lines from the episode since I wasn’t able to!