American Skyper

"American Skyper"
Season	6
Episode	24
Total Episode Count	144
Written By	Elaine Ko
Directed By	Steven Levitan
Production Code	6ARG24
Air Date	May 20, 2015
Episode Guide
← Previous	"Crying Out Loud"
Next →	"Summer Lovin"

"American Skyper" is the twenty-fourth and last episode from Season 6 of Modern Family, it aired on May 20, 2015.

Plot Summary

The whole family is at Jay and Gloria's for Alex's graduation party, except for Phil who ingeniously figured out a way to be there via Skype and a robotic vessel after being unexpectedly detained in Seattle on a business trip. During the celebration, Jay frets about Gloria's cousin Armando who has overstayed his welcome; Claire stresses out about giving Alex the perfect gift; Mitch hides news of being laid off from Cam, and Andy's girlfriend Beth is in town stirring up a whole lot tension with Haley which finally leads to a realization that may have come too late.

Episode Description

The Family is gathered at Jay's (Ed O'Neill) and Gloria's (Sofia Vergara) house in order to celebrate Alex's (Ariel Winter) graduation. Phil (Ty Burrell) is the only one not to attend that because he suffered from an ear infection while on a business trip on Seattle and had been forced to postpone his flight home. He manages, however, to be present via a robotic vessel. Claire (Julie Bowen) stresses about giving Alex a perfect graduation gift after Mitchell and Jay unknowingly outperform her. Alex tells her mother that she does not have to offer her a present since this is thanks to her that she graduated and tells her that the only gift she wants from her mother is for her to join her on her trip to Europe.

Mitch (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cam (Eric Stonestreet) learn that their offer was accepted and that they will have the apartment above theirs in order to transform it into a guest room. However, Mitch shows atypical behavior which Cam fails to understand. After finding Mitch's cell phone, Cam believes that Mitchell has been having an affair with a man named Spencer, forcing Mitchell to confess the truth. He reveals that he lost his job due to budget cuts and this forces him to spend all his days in the park where he met and befriended an old man named Spencer (Lou Beatty Jr), and his cockatoo George. Cameron is revealed that Mitchell was not having an affair and they discuss their future and how to make Mitchell's unemployment work.

Gloria's cousin Armando (Horatio Sanz) stays at Jay's house, much to Jay's dismay. Armando can't speak English language and eats and drinks all Jay's supplies without cleaning. Jay mistakenly believes that Gloria's horse ashes are actually drugs. Gloria is fed-up with Jay's attitude because he treats her family member like criminals. After Gloria gives a toast to Alex, which makes Jay guilty, Jay finally allows Armando to stay at his home. However, Gloria discovers that Armando has been stealing Jays Cigars from their house, so she forces him to leave without telling Jay.

Haley (Sarah Hyland) meets Beth, Andy's (Adam DeVine) girlfriend, for the second time following their brief hospital meet in Closet? You'll Love It!. After friction between the pair, both Andy and Haley seek advice from Phil, who fails to realize that they have feelings for each other. However, as Andy prepares to say goodbye to Haley on his way to propose to Beth, Phil finally understands the situation and attempts to tell Andy and Haley that they love each other, only for the sound to cut out on his vessel. Attempting to draw attention to himself in order to help Andy and Haley, he drives his vessel down the stairs, only for the iPad to be stolen by Gloria's cousin, who leaves the house with it. Andy leaves to go and propose to Beth, while Haley shuts the door behind him.

Main Cast

(The characters striked out do not appear in this episode)

• Jay Pritchett
• Gloria Pritchett
• Manny Delgado
• Claire Dunphy
• Phil Dunphy (via Skype only)
• Haley Dunphy
• Alex Dunphy
• Luke Dunphy
• Mitchell Pritchett
• Cameron Tucker
• Lily Tucker-Pritchett

Guest Starring

• Adam DeVine as Andy Bailey
• Laura Ashey Samuels as Beth
• Lou Beatty Jr as Spencer
• Horatio Sanz as Armando

Continuity

• Andy's thirteenth appearance.
• Beth's second appearance ("Closet? You'll Love It!").
• Mitchell's fear of birds is seen again after "Family Portrait" and "Dude Ranch", although he gets over it.
• This is the third episode after "Truth Be Told" and "The Big Game" in which Mitchell loses his job, though each time it's for a different reason.

Trivia

• Though Skype was used a lot on the show, this is the first time that Phil used it in order to keep in touch with his relatives.
• Lily has only one line in this episode, while Armando (Gloria's cousin) has no dialogue.
• This is the last episode written by Elaine Ko.

Cultural References

• The title of the episode is a reference to the film American Sniper.
• The robot Phil uses to communicate with the rest of the family while he is in Seattle is similar to the ones Sheldon Cooper used on The Big BangTheory episode, The Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification and by convicts in the Community episode, Laws of Robotics & Party Rights.
• Alex and Claire mention the 2008 action movie Taken.

Gallery

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