Modern Family (2009–…): Season 2, Episode 23 - See You Next Fall - full transcript

And now, please welcome
your valedictorian, Alex Dunphy.

##

Where are my mom and dad?

And in this corner,
finishing first in her class...

delivering the commencement address,
weighing in at...

- What do you weigh, honey?
- Dad!

A healthy amount for a girl her age...

- Are you gettin' all this, buddy?
- Pure gold.

She's the main brain,
the cerebellum of the ball...

Alex Dunphy!

Oh, keep rolling. The news will want this
footage when I eventually snap.



I thought Sanjay Patel
was first in the class.

He was until he missed a few weeks...

and the robot
he was building attacked him.

It's happening, people.
Our hubris will be our undoing.

Sweetie, what do you say
you and I go and get our nails done, huh?

- It's okay. I wanna work on my speech.
Been there.

I remember the speech that won me
treasurer of my high school Spanish club.

Mi nombre es Felipe.

Yo voy a la escuela...

Felipe?

It was kind of a grande deal.

I was up against an actual Puerto Rican.

Honey, are you sure?

Because I think
they can do school colors.



- I'm good, Mom.
- Okay.

Family milestones
always throw Claire for a loop.

She holds it in, and then the next day...

she has a total meltdown
and I have to pick up the pieces.

The problem is...

tomorrow I'm supposed to go
to Vegas with my buds...

so I need her to melt down today.

Otherwise, what happens in Vegas won't
happen to me, because I won't be there.

Emotional day, huh?

Happy day.

- Happy and sad.
- Hmm.

"Guys, I can't go to Vegas...

because my wife's freaking out."

Trust me, that is not
a phone call you wanna make...

to a bunch of ex-college
male cheerleaders.

They will mock you
with a hurtful rhythmic taunt.

Hello?

- Gloria, it's me.
- Hi. How was the doctor?

Can you pick up some bread
on the way home, please?

I'm home. My damn gate remote
won't work. Could you press...

- Hello?
...nine?

- Manny, it's okay.
- What's okay?

- What's wrong? Where are you calling from?
- I'm not calling from.

- Jay is calling.
- What's wrong with Jay?

- My clicker won't work.
- Oh, my God.

Your heart's not working? How could
you tell us this over the phone?

My heart is fine.

Would somebody please press nine
and let me in?

- Okay.
- Got it.

It won't work
if you're both on the line.

- Okay.
- Okay.

Every damn time!

Okay, Lily, time to get dressed.

I can't believe Alex
is gonna be in high school.

- I feel so old.
- You feel old?

I was there when she was born...
in the delivery room.

- If I wasn't gay before...
- Oh, please.

You wouldn't have lasted
two minutes on a farm.

I've witnessed all kinds of birthing.
Never batted an eye.

I've seen cattle.
I've seen hogs. I've seen goats.

I've even seen the three-legged...
Oh! Whoa!

Oh, my God.

Oh, my God.

- I'm sorry.
- Really, Mitchell?

I could have just died.

# Hey, hey #

# Hey, hey #

# Hey, hey #

# Hey, hey #

# Hey ##.

Principal Kaizler, faculty,
parents, fellow graduates...

Hey, superstar.

- Oh, you're working on your speech.
- Yep.

Do you need any help?

Sometimes it's great to bounce ideas
off someone whose opinion you value.

- I'm good.
- Okay.

That's cool I could do your hair.

We could do it like we saw
in that magazine on...

What's that actress?
What's her name? With the teeth?

Mom, Mom, please.
I'm trying to concentrate.

Okay. Okay.

You be ready to go in a half hour...

'cause we are gonna carpool
with your grandpa.

Haley's driving me.
I wanna get there early.

That's a great idea.

Great. I will see you there...

superstar.

- Hey, Mama Bear. You okay?
- Not with "Mama Bear" I'm not.

- Don't cry.
- I'm not crying.

Shh! Don't be brave.

I'm here for you...

...until 2:00 p.m. tomorrow,
when my flight leaves for Vegas.

Where were you?
Did you bring the bread?

I was stuck outside that gate
for 10 minutes before it opened.

- So no bread?
- We gotta get that thing fixed.

- Ay, what happened to your eye?
- What are you talking about?

- It's droopy.
- What do you mean, droopy?

Uh! I don't like the look of that, Jay.
Here. Let me check something.

Put that thing away.
I saw my dermatologist.

He was checking for moles or something.

He probably got some
numbing cream on it. It's fine.

Nothin' to worry about.

I got Botox.

Stupid doctor talked me into it,
and now it's drifting.

I haven't felt this dumb
since I shelled out 30 bucks...

for that bracelet,
supposed to give me better balance.

- Try to push my arm down.
- Okay.

- Go ahead. You can't do it.
- Okay. All right.

Honey, I'm home!
Hey, why is your dad's car here?

It's ironic that I stand up here
representing my classmates...

when, for the past three years...

most of them have treated me
like I'm invisible.

It's my own fault. I was obsessed
with good grades instead of looks...

popularity and skinny jeans.

- What? Is that your speech?
- Get out of here!

You cannot say that!

Yes, I can. And you wanna know why?
'Cause it's the truth.

No one wants to hear the truth.
It's very simple, Alex.

In order to give a good speech, all you
have to do is take a song and say it...

like "Don't Stop Believing,"
or "Get this Party Started."

That's means nothing.

Who cares? Nobody wants to think.

It's a graduation...
a celebration of being done with thinking.

People want to be challenged.

They're gonna respect me for it.

No one's ever gonna talk to you again.

So what?

Mahatma Gandhi went on a hunger strike
for what he believed in.

That's 'cause no one
would eat with him in the cafeteria.

Hmm.

- Hey.
Hey, guys.

Come on over.
Have some lemonade and cookies.

- Jay, that's not looking very good.
- It's fine.

Quick. Who's the president.

- Obama!
- Phil, please.

- I'm trying to rule out a stroke.
- It's not a stroke.

Why does everybody always assume
I'm having a stroke?

Age.
- Diet.

You forgot to bring my bread.

- I'm sorry we're late.
It's okay.

We gotta leave
in about five minutes though.

Luke, stop pushing that ball around.
You're gonna fall in.

Oh, yes, and then your Uncle Mitchell
will laugh at your expense.

- I'm just saying. It's a character flaw.

Okay, quick poll here.

This morning, Cam... fully dressed...

Thank God it's one of those stories.

... while in the middle
of a very serious thought...

fell into a ducky pool.

Oh, my goodness. Are you all right?

Yes, I am. Thank you. That is
a normal reaction... Love and concern.

Okay, wait, wait.

The pool popped.

Ay, poor thing.

- There's nothing worse than a tailbone injury.
- Seriously?

No, no, no. You're so full of it.
You know this is funny.

Picture this...

falling into a tiny pool.

He'll be here all week, folks...

literally, because
you're not coming home with me.

- There she is. There's my little Stella.

That's my girl. Hi, sweetie.

You're so cute
I just want to eat your face!

- Aww.
- Mmm.

You remember when
you used to hold Alex like that...

- and you wanted to eat her face?
- Yeah.

- Now she's off to high school.
- Mmm.

- Time marches on, huh?
- Yep.

- You know what's really sad?
- What?

The end of Titanic.

Hey, Luke.

Do you realize in two years
you and I will be graduating?

Not now.

I think I'm moving the ball with my mind.

Well, I'll be graduating.

Hey, you know, you guys,
stop congratulating yourselves...

for being so compassionate.

If you had been there, you would have
laughed just as hard as I did.

He's coming. Stop talking.
He's been embarrassed enough today.

Stop.

Wow. Now it makes sense.

It's a Pritchett thing.

Cruelty's genetic.
Suddenly it's all very clear.

Be careful. You might run into it.

- I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Cam. I'm sorry.

- Oh, my God. Dad, your face.
- What?

Oh, that's nothing. Nothing. It's boring.

I went to the dermatologist.
It's a boring story.

No, no, no.
We gotta get you to a hospital.

- I'm fine.
- Yes. I'm taking you. Come.

- ? Vamos!
- Wait. Wait right here.

Gloria. Gloria!

Gloria.

Gloria. Gloria, hold on.

The reason my face looks like this
is because I had...

Botox.

Like the ladies use for their wrinkles?

Actually, nearly 10% of their sales
are men, but that's not important.

I had a bad reaction...
Hit a nerve or something.

It's gonna go away soon.

- Hmm.
- What? What's that supposed to mean?

- Nothing.
- Would you stop?

This is very embarrassing for me.

For both of us.

He's fine. It was a false alarm.

What do you mean, a false alarm?
His face looks like a candle.

You heard her. I'm okay.

- She's not a doctor.
- Neither are you.

- Technically.
- Okay, look.

I don't know what's going on here,
but there is no way...

that this is normal.

You look like a Botox job
gone horribly wrong.

No, my God... You didn't.

Of course he didn't.
Did you?

- No.

- You did!
- What were you thinking? You're a veteran.

Enough! This conversation is ended.

Let's go.

Do you think he got his butt done too?
It looks fantastic.

Alex, wait. I'm sorry.

If you wanna give your speech, go ahead.

I was never valedictorian.
What do I know?

Thank you!

I am doing this for a reason.

- It's not just like I'm...
- Aha!

Sorry, Alex,
but you will thank me one day.

Please. You really think
I don't have duplicates?

If you do this you'll be a social piranha.

Yes. I'll be an Amazonian
carnivorous fish.

Carniv... What?

- Dad, open the gate.
- Aw, geez. Not now!

What? What's happening?

It's stuck again.

What do you mean it's stuck?
Can't you get it open?

What do you think "stuck" means, Claire?

We have to do something, Dad.
Can't you push it open or something?

- I don't know.
- We are trapped in your driveway...

and you don't know?

As a gate owner, Dad,
you have a certain responsibility.

See, my daughter is gonna get up
on that stage and give a speech...

and graduate from middle school, and
if I am not there I am going to freak out.

- I am going to freak out!
Let me push it.

Do you have any idea how important it is...

- Why are you smiling?
- I'm not. I'm not smiling.

Do you not understand me?

Chu-chunk. Hysterical wife,
hysterical wife, hysterical wife...

Jackpot.

- Oh, God. Come on!

All right. Okay. We have tried this way.

I say we ram the gate.
Kids, get out of the way.

Hold on. I think I can fix this.

- I just need a paper clip, some olive oil and a ribbon.
- What's the plan, "MacGayver"?

Actually, the paper clip
is to connect these two circuits...

and the olive oil is
to lubricate the mechanism.

And the hair ribbon is for Lily.
Her hair's been driving me crazy all day.

Why don't we just call some cabs?

Because, Mitchell, this is not
Times Square and they'll take forever.

- We'll just climb over the fence and start running.
- No, we won't...

because it's five miles away, Phil,
and I'm in big shoes.

So no.

Wait, wait, wait! I save the day.

Let's take this crazy bicycle.

We throw it over the gate...

then we take Phil and we take Claire...

and then we throw them over the gate too.

- What the hell is that?
- Jay bought it.

He thought we were gonna
use it all the time...

- but I keep hitting my boobs with my knees.
- Champagne problems, right?

Honey, they're not gonna ride the bike.

Yeah, but I still think
that we should throw it over the gate.

Okay. You know what?
Thank you. Thank you.

Nobody else has come up with an idea.

I think I've got a good idea.

We don't have time
to build a rocket, buddy.

Never mind.

Okay. So Phil and I will go over first...

- and then you guys will throw over the bike.
- Step up. I'll boost you.

- Couldn't we get a ladder?
- Please.

On cheer squad I boosted girls bigger
than you to the top of a human pyramid.

Now, arms at your side.

Straight like a pencil.

One, two...

- # We are Bulldogs #
- Aaah!

Ow!

She's fine. Okay.

Jay, now you do me.

Just grab a handful. Don't be shy.

I'm not giving you as much to work with.

I used to have a lot more there.
I lost it.

They used to call me the Grand Can.

It's ironic that I stand up here...

representing my classmates
when, for the past...

- I read the rest of your speech.
- Congratulations.

- Do you hate me?
- What?

You talk about how all the popular kids
are shallow and lame.

- I didn't mean you.
- You think you have everyone figured out...

but everybody has their stuff.

What stuff do you have?

Too many boys chasing after you?
Too many parties?

- You really wanna know what stuff I have?
- Yeah.

I'm flunking out of Biology,
and now I have to go to summer school.

My friends, all they can ever talk about
nowadays is going off to college...

and I don't even know
if I can get into college.

Is that enough stuff for you?

- Whatever.
- You know what?

Fine. Give your stupid speech.
Be an outcast.

But you're only doing it to yourself,
because you're smart and pretty...

and sort of funny
in a way that I don't really get...

but other people seem to enjoy.

So you can either start fresh next year...

or be the freak who flipped off her class.

You really think I'm pretty?

Shut up!

- Phil, go straight!
- This way's faster.

- No, straight.
- Stop leaning!

- Do you wanna drive?
- I do.

Tough. I called it.

- What was that?

Oh, crap. The chain broke.

Just keep pedaling. It doesn't matter.

It matters a little.

Cam, please be careful.

Why? If I get electrocuted
my hat might blow off...

and that would be funny as hell, right?

No. No.

Hey, Jay!

I know you're feeling self-conscious...

- so I dug up something I thought might help.
- Put that thing away.

I knew you'd say that, but hear me out.

This was designed to make a
hideously disfigured man look super cool.

It's perfect for you. Ooh, yikes.

Okay, I'll go upstairs
and see if I have a lefty.

Don't look at me like that.

I have to say that I am a little
disappointed in you doing this thing.

Not me. I feel real good about it.

How many times do I have to tell you...

- that you don't have to look young for me?
- I didn't do it for you.

- What is her name?
- Stop.

Most of the time I walk around,
in my head, I'm 40.

And I look in the mirror...

I say, "Who's that old man?
What's he doing in my bathroom?"

Well, it's my bathroom too,
and I like when the old guy is there.

This is the face that I fell in love with.

Not this face...

- this one.
Oh. Ooh!

- The gate's opening. The gate's opening!
- How did you do that?

- I didn't do anything.
- I did it.

I opened it with my mind.

Come on, guys.
Let's go, guys. Saddle up!

- ? Vamos!
I'll get the car seat.

Get Manny. Get Manny.
Everyone in the car. Let's go!

Yep, that's what I thought.

Yep, that's what I thought.

Chain's broken.

What do you think?

I think we gotta go.

Sweetie, we can't make it on foot.

We have to try.

Honey.

Honey! It's okay.

It's not okay, Phil. It's not okay.

We're losing her.

- Alex?
- Yes.

- You're not losing her.
- Oh, we are. She's going to high school.

This is just when I lost Haley.

This is when Haley went
from being my sweet little angel...

to being a moody, texting,
snotty little princess who hates me.

Haley doesn't hate you.

And we're not losing her.

Do you remember when
you used to come home from work...

and Haley would meet you at the door
in her little Aladdin pajamas?

You know, and she'd stick
her arms up in the air and say...

"Daddy, Daddy, take me
on a magic carpet ride."

Remember that?

When was the last time
Haley was that excited to see you?

- I don't remember. It's been so long.

We're losing another one.

That's what kids do. They leave.
They leave and they...

and they don't come back.

- Oh, well, ours will come back. Right?
- What if they don't...

and pretty soon it's just the two of us?

- I don't wanna go to Vegas anymore.
- I know.

I just wanna hug 'em and embarrass 'em
in front of their friends.

I know.

And Alex... My God.

If we miss this speech...

Honey, she's a middle child.
She will never forgive us.

I'm not missing that speech!

- Hello! Hello!
- What's the plan, Phil?

Mi nombre es Felipe.

Yo voy a la escuela.

- You need a ride to the school?
- Yes, please.

"Felipe"?

Okay.
- ? V?monos, muchachos!

##

I am so proud to be standing in front...

of this extraordinary
group of youngsters...

I'm sorry. Or should I say "oldsters"?

But seriously, the word
"commencement"...

means "beginning."

- I'm sorry I laughed.
- I don't need an apology...

but I will say your behavior today
has been very eye-opening.

- No offense, Jay.
- None taken.

You look like an iceberg.

Okay. Senor, this is it, right here. Yeah.

- Okay.
- Muchas gracias, muchachos.

You're quite welcome.

And now please welcome
your valedictorian, Alex Dunphy.

Where's my mom and dad?
- Thank you.

Hmm... There they are.

Principal Kaizler...

- faculty...
- Phil!

- School board administrators...

fellow graduates...

- I got you.
- Parents...

- everyone who helped us through this challenging...

Cam, you have lost all credibility.

- It's completely different.
- How?

It's the juxtaposition
of absurdist comedy...

against the backdrop of a formal setting.

Not a big-boned man falling into a pool.

- Really?
- Shh! This is about Alex.

It's ironic that I stand up here
representing my classmates...

when...

they're so awesome.

They should be up here themselves.

But I'm up here...

and... I'm sayin'... stuff...

'cause... everybody's got their...

stuff...

whether you're popular...

or a drama geek...

- Oh.
- Or a cheerleader...

or...

even a nerd like me.

- We all have our insecurities.

- Yes, we do.
- Shh.

We're all just trying
to figure out who we are.

I guess what I'm trying to say is...

don't stop believin'.

Get this party started.

Nice!
Nice job, Alex!

Good job, Alex!

Seriously?

- There she is.
There's our girl!

Good job. Mmm!

- Your speech moved me.
- I loved how you played with the song titles.

- Fantastic.
- My idea.

- You did good, kid.
- Thanks, Grandpa. Aaah!

Don't ask. He'll be fine.

We are so proud of you.

- Come here.
- Hello!

I opened the gate with my mind.

- What do you say we all go get something to eat?
- Yeah!

Actually, I was kind of
just invited to a party.

- Ooh!
- Would it be okay if I go?

- Yeah, of course.
- Yeah.

- Thanks for comin', you guys.
See ya, kid.

- Bye, sweetie.
Congratulations.

- Hmm.
- I'm kinda hungry, Mom.

Oh, my God. She's back.

- Oh, my baby.
- What?

- Oh, my God.

- My little baby.
- What are you doing?

Let's go. Let's go eat.

- I'm not hungry anymore.
- You're not gonna regret this.

- You are not gonna regret this.
- I'm not... I'm not hungry.

- Sure, you are. Sure, you are.
- No, I'm not!

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