The "Modern Family" Season 3 finale episode "Baby on Board" is one of the best episodes of the show. The episode has it all. There are sad moments, happy moments, and twists and turns. Some of the laughs are hilarious and sad at the same time, others are both funny and creepy, and still others are cute and adorable. Every character is featured equally, so all preferences are covered. There is something for everyone.
Alex the geek
Everyone in the Dunphy home picks on Alex (Ariel Winter) for being a geek. The geeky one-liners are great, but they are all Alex's. She reassures Claire (Julie Bowen) and Phil (Ty Burrell) that nothing raunchy will happen with her prom date when she tries to prove to them that it will by saying she may "hook up all over him." Later, Alex reassures them once again when her date turns out to be gay, but "just doesn't know it yet." Her prom photos are hilarious, although they perpetuate the idea of the stereotypically flamboyant gay teenager.
Jay and Manny watch Lily.
The most adorable and funny scenes involve Jay (Ed O'Neill) and Lily (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons). When Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cam (Eric Stonestreet) get the adoption call they've been waiting for, they leave it up to Jay and Manny (Rico Rodriguez) to take Lily to her dance recital.
The back-and-forth one-liners between Jay and Manny are always a joy to watch, but Manny is a bit too gruff when it comes to Lily's dancing ability. That leaves Jay to bolster her confidence when she's afraid to perform at the recital. She just can't bring herself to go out on the stage alone, especially without her dads there to support her.
This leads to one of the most adorable scenes to ever hit the small screen, as Jay goes out on the stage with Lily. He doesn't mind looking silly as he shows her the moves, and helps her through the performance. The moment is sweet enough to be tear-welling, while also amusing.
The Cam and Mitchell adoption telenovela.
Cam and Mitchell finally get their adoption call telling them the baby is about to be born. The result is not what they wanted, but the journey to that disappointing moment is side-splitting. The couple bring Gloria (Sofia Vergara) along to help translate the telenovela (soap opera) that unfolds before them.
The telenovela adoption scene was brilliant, if confusing. It turns out that, well -- it's hard to tell what exactly happened there. It's a typical telenovela, with at least five plot twists in the space of just a few minutes. The point is that they do not get to take the baby home.
The resulting moment is disappointing for Mitchell and Cam, but they finally decide to take a break from trying to adopt. That's probably a good thing, as they already seem overwhelmed just with Lily. They will have to work out some of their issues before they try again.
Claire and Phil reason with Haley.
When Haley (Sarah Hyland) breaks the news that she will be moving in with Dylan (Reid Ewing) after high school, Claire nearly has a panic attack. Claire and Phil try everything to convince Haley that she's making a mistake.
Claire tries to use realistic scenarios involving bad skin and no money for shopping to convince Haley to stay home. Phil's imagination, however, turns the scenario into a chaotic science fiction disaster plot where the fate of the world is in Haley's hands. It is always humorous to see Claire and Phil work together as a team, even when they fail to produce any results.
Their failure to convince Hailey to stay home doesn't matter in the end, because Haley is accepted into college after all. It turns out that Luke was hiding the acceptance letter, along with a slew of other mail. Luke goes through all the letters at the end, recalling earlier scenes throughout the season, including the red light ticket from when he stole the car with Manny and Claire's coupon for the gun range.
Gloria's cliffhanger
There is still a "baby on board" in the finale. It turns out that the baby is Gloria's! In an unexpected twist, Gloria reveals that she is pregnant. This will most likely be the most entertaining pregnancy on television. The anticipation of seeing a hormonal Gloria waddle around feeling fat is too much to bear. If she is not hormonal now, just imagine what she will be like next season!
