Directed by Steven Levitan. [5][6] This means that it was seen by 4.1% of all 18- to 49-year-olds, and 11% of all 18- to 49-year-olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. Watch Modern Family 8x22 Season Finale on ABC! Instead, different iterations of the family end up in side stories that range from the ludicrous to the annoying. Luke (Nolan Gould) and Manny (Rico Rodriguez) have graduated high school! [1] The episode features a guest appearance from Gina St. John as the principal of Alex's school. At Jay's the gate finally opens on its own, with Luke believing that he opened it with his mind, and they all rush to school. The entire Pritchett Family is there, except for Phil (Ty Burrell) and Claire (Julie Bowen). The whole thing would land a lot better if we actually spent time in Alex’s head, understanding why she’s nervous and what that means to her worldview. Phil and Claire spend the entire episode trying to prove to other parents that they have at least one successful kid, going on and on about her graduating from Cal Tech and considering a job at NASA. They arrive just in time, though not before falling down a hill, before standing up with as much dignity that they have left and taking their places, which causes Cameron to laugh non-stop. With Ed O'Neill, Sofía Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell. As they all prepare to leave, Cameron walks into a glass door, which prompts all the Pritchetts to laugh, to the amazement of Phil and Gloria, and making Cameron believe that these random accidents keep happening to him because of his bad luck. For the family, this is a day of two graduations. [3] Burrell later named it his favorite scene to shoot of the season. That causes Manny to question what he’s been unfairly awarded throughout his life, including his recent passing grade in his arts class. Seemingly important storylines are introduced and then abandoned, or, more commonly, ignored for long stretches. The episode originally aired on May 18, 2011, on American Broadcasting Company (ABC). College should have been fertile ground for the show to give Alex more meaty material, and yet, here comes “Commencement,” not only noting that time has passed without the show really noticing, but also failing to deliver a meaningful payoff. As Alex is about to begin her speech, the entire family wonders where Phil and Claire are. [2] It was originally set to be the season finale and was the last episode of the season filmed. The episode shifts back four hours earlier to the Dunphy household, where all are preparing for Alex's graduation, and Phil and Claire are extremely happy, much to Alex's irritation, particularly when her efforts to rehearse her speech are continually interrupted by Claire who wants just to hug and kiss her little girl. [3] He also said it was difficult for him and Bowen to convince the producers to let them fall down the hill without using stunt actors. He initially brushes it aside, claiming that he went to the dermatologist and it is probably the effect of a numbing cream that he had, but he later admits that he had botox and it was drifting. The whole family gathers at Jay's house before heading out to Alex's graduation. Also, “our daughter joined ISIS”? They are rescued when a truck pulls over, and Phil asks the Hispanic occupants for a lift in halting Spanish, only to discover that they speak perfect English. He tries to hint to her that she can let her feelings out now, but she doesn't catch on. The episode was written by Danny Zuker and directed by Modern Family co-creator and executive producer, Steven Levitan. Phil knows that Clairebottles up her emotions on adolescence until the next day after the event is over, but he doesn't have the time to hear her complain the next day. Mortified, she tries to convince Alex not to give that speech, and to improvise by rehashing old motivational songs, such as Don't Stop Believin' and Get the Party Started. Similarly, the tension between Mitchell and Cam, which boils down to Cam dealing with a graduation going off the rails and Mitchell lying about getting massages instead of trumpet lessons for two years, doesn’t add much to the episode. It's Graduation Day on Modern Family, and three members of the Pritchett-Dunphy clan will have reasons to celebrate. With the real world on the horizon, she’s freaking out, but as her siblings state, if they can survive in the real world, she definitely can. Instead, “Commencement” introduces us to a distressed Alex in its final minutes, and expects the emotional crescendo to be effective. This marked a slight drop in the ratings from the previous episode, "Good Cop Bad Dog". Still, the structure here is baffling. I’ve spent a fair amount of time criticizing how Modern Family treats its tertiary characters. Near the end of “Commencement,” with the other graduation over, the family finds Alex wandering the streets in a haze. Also Haley gives Alex advice on her Valedictorian speech. He writes about TV and wrestling for The A.V. Meanwhile, Claireruns into her former high school rival who brings out the worst in her. "See You Next Fall" received positive reviews from critics, with many praising the slapstick featured in it as well as the performances of Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, Sarah Hyland, and Ariel Winter.