"Spread Your Wings" is the eleventh episode from Season 7 of Modern Family, it aired on January 13, 2016.
Plot Summary[]
Sick of having the ducklings around the house, Claire and the kids seize an opportunity to help expedite the ducks leaving the nest while Phil is off visiting Alex at college. Meanwhile, Jay helps Mitch with Lily’s sleepover with her friends from her Vietnamese dance troupe; and Gloria and Cam are off on a hot pepper heist carefully orchestrated by Manny in order to meet a big hot sauce delivery deadline.
Episode Description[]
Phil gets to visit Alex at Caltech and learns that she is not happy here. He convinces her to follow a tradition which consists by jumping in tuxedos and dress in a pool.
While Phil is absent, Claire, Haley and Luke decide to get ride off the ducks. But they realize that Phil was close to them because it reminded them his own kids. They take the ducks back and Phil tells them that he changed his mind and helps them to leave the nest.
At the same time, Mitchell asks Jay to help him chaperone Lilly's first sleepover with her Vietnamese Dance troup. Mitchell at first wants to be the cool dad but gives-up quickly and Jay helps him to become an harsh dad in order to make the girls fall asleep.
Elsewhere, Manny is enraged to discover that everyone thins he is a goody two shoes. He has a plan to get hot pepper for Gloria and Cameron for their sauce, which works.
Main Cast[]
(The characters striked out do not appear in this episode)
- Jay Pritchett
- Gloria Pritchett
- Manny Delgado
Joe Pritchett- Claire Dunphy
- Phil Dunphy
- Haley Dunphy
- Alex Dunphy
- Luke Dunphy
- Mitchell Pritchett
- Cameron Tucker
- Lily Tucker-Pritchett
Guest Starring[]
- Janet Song as Mrs. Tran
- Michele Panu as Sarah Fisher
- Victoria Oscar as Tourist
- Asia Jackson as Prom Dress Student
- Christopher Avila as Student
- Spencer Ward as Nerdy Kid
Trivia[]
- This is the tenth episode of the season, but the eleventh one was broadcast earlier than this one.
- Joe does not appear in this episode.
- This episode broadcasted exactly six years after Not in My House. This is also Christopher's Avila's first episode as Caltech's student.
Continuity[]
- Phil is the third Dunphy family member to have visited Alex in college after Haley in The Day Alex Left for College and Clean Out Your Junk Drawer and Luke in The Closet Case. Manny also visited her in the latter episode, but he is a Delgado.
- Phil also went to college with Haley in Go Bullfrogs!, with Haley and Claire in Arrested and Schooled, (the former featuring Mitch as well) and the whole Dunphy family went to Caltech in Do Not Push.
- Jay and Mitch also had to "take care" of Lily in Spring Break and she also practiced dance in Baby on Board. This is the fourth episode in which Lily plays a sport after Games People Play and The Day Alex Left for College.
- Gloria and Cam started to sell hot sauce in The More You Ignore Me, as well as Sarah Fisher having previously appeared in that episode.
Episode Title[]
The title "Spread Your Wings" is a saying meaning to use your abilities for the first time in your life to do new and exciting things. In this case, Claire, Haley and Luke want the ducks gone but after Claire realises why Phil is so attached to them. But in the end Claire, Haley, Luke and Phil are all on their roof and they realease the ducks so they can spread their wings.
Cultural References[]
- Phil mentioned that he and his father rode a tandem bike across Mykonos one summer and "there were a lot of fathers and sons there"
- DeDe sends over a Jane Fonda tape.
- Jay mentions Bob Hope.
