The guest list for Lily's princess-themed birthday party gets a little out of hand when Mitchell decides to invite his mom, much to Claire's dismay, and disinvite Fizbo, much to Cameron's dismay. Things get even more strange when DeDe shows up with Claire's old high school boyfriend in tow, and Jay and Gloria each turn to their own unique methods of dealing with this gathering of misfits.

Gloria tries to help Jay and Manny with their problems but both are unreceptive. Claire considers running against Councilman Duane Bailey. Cam and Mitch are the victims of a hit-and-run accident.

It's a day of disturbing realizations when Mitchell manages to ruin one of Jay's proudest golf moments, Phil overhears something that may forever change how he sees his little girl, and Gloria stumbles upon Claire's dangerous little secret.

Gloria and Jay bicker while trying to order lunch at a diner. Claire and Cam have different theories on how to discipline kids. Luke accepts an award under false pretenses. Phil has a hard time firing Mitchell from his temporary job at the real estate agency. The entire family participates in Alex's living art display of Norman Rockwell's Thanksgiving painting.

Claire must reign in her enthusiasm for Halloween and keep her celebration kid-friendly; Phil decides to hold an open house on Halloween; Mitch and Cam have a costume party; Gloria's hormones make her more quick-tempered than usual.

Things get awkward when Phil shows up at Claire's college reunion. Jay is fixated on winning a big bowling tournament. A wig malfunction during an elaborate photo shoot with Joe leads to unfortunate results.

At the hospital Claire and Phil see the older version of their family; Mitchell and Cameron plan a day for Lily and Gloria; Manny and Jay go to a private school to look around.

Cam’s single sister Pam visits. Gloria needs glasses. Claire convinces Phil to skip one of Luke’s volleyball tournaments.

The high school open house puts the parents in a bit of a time warp when Claire finds herself stressed out by all the pressure, Gloria encounters a “mean girl” mom and Jay teaches Phil how to play a little hookie. Elsewhere, Mitchell gets defensive when he encounters his judgemental, environmentalist neighbor and Alex goes to see a therapist.

The entire family tags along as Phil fulfills his mom’s wish for him to return to his roots and visit the country where he was conceived, Australia. Unfortunately, Phil’s attempts to embrace his native land are met by a lot of rejection, while Jay and Claire let work eat into vacation time, and Mitch and Cam get reacquainted with an old friend they can’t stand but is now a big-time celebrity in Australia

Things become tense when the Dunphys temporarily move into a hotel, Gloria is suspicious of Manny's new girlfriend, and Mitchell discovers that he has jinxed Cameron's football team.

When their competitor releases a catchy ad, Claire and Jay race to shoot a commercial of their own.

The sixth season ends with Alex's graduation party at Jay and Gloria's house, but Phil is stuck in Seattle on a business trip, so he uses the latest in technology to be as close as he can get. Meanwhile, Claire worries about Alex's gift, Jay complains that Gloria's cousin has overstayed his welcome, Mitchell keeps the news of his layoff a secret from Cameron, and a visit from Andy's girlfriend turns Haley's world upside down.

Phil convinces Lily to help with hatch the ducks he made a habitat for; Claire wants to impress her father with some ideas she has for the business; Cam spends time bonding with the frat guys.

Phil feels unappreciated as Claire is busy running the closet business. A life-size standee of Gloria for her hot sauce display receives some unsavory attention. Cam and Mitch feel suspicious of their new renters.

Claire can’t seem to find the right time to fire one of her employees, while, back at home, Phil thinks he caught Luke with a girl in his bed, and no one seems to notice that Alex has moved back home for the summer. Jay refuses to accept that it might be harder to reenter the workforce than he thought, and Cameron and Mitch butt heads on how to share time with Lily now that Cameron took a summer job in Kansas City.

After recent trips take the Dunphys to New York; Mitch, Cam and Lily to the Midwest; and Jay, Gloria, Manny and Joe to Juarez, Mexico; the Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker clan reunites for Father’s Day.

After choking at last year’s charity basketball game, Phil has been training all year to redeem himself. However, when NBA stars Charles Barkley and DeAndre Jordan attend the game and start making bets, Phil tries to not buckle under the pressure. Meanwhile, Gloria has to step-up at Manny’s school when her nemesis, Donna Duncan, tries to shame her for her lack of support at the school. Finally, Claire does whatever it takes to keep a work mistake secret from Jay, while Jay’s concerned that Joe doesn’t have a healthy fear of him at all.

So much can happen to the Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker clan in five minutes! Mitch and Cam have five minutes to catch a new flight while fighting the effects of sleeping pills they took prematurely. Then at Rainer’s birthday dinner, Haley and Rainer are forced to reevaluate their entire relationship in the five minutes before the birthday cake arrives. Meanwhile, Phil and Claire pay a surprise visit to Alex and are given a five-minute surprise introduction to her new boyfriend. Finally, with only five minutes to catch a movie, Manny has to find the perfect parking space and endure Jay and Gloria’s backseat argument.

Jay forces the family to take their family vacation on a houseboat on a lake in an effort to create memories that will last long after he’s gone. Meanwhile, Mitchell runs into an old flame that opens some old wounds; Cam has to stay out of the sun at all costs; Phil and Claire try out some adventureous excursions; and the kids’ quest for a good time may not be as fun as they expected.

The family goes on a wine tasting trip and stays in Haley’s new boss’ country house where the only rule is: Don’t touch the tiara! Meanwhile, Gloria and Mitch are invited to a party at Oprah’s house but can’t bring anyone else.

Mitchell sneaks out to “Hero-Con” with fanboy Phil, dressed as their favorite characters from the show “Clash of Swords.” It’s great until Phil commits the ultimate fan faux pas. In a clash of another kind, Gloria’s dinosaur party for Joe is ruined when her nemesis, Dr. Donna Duncan, upstages her with a far bigger and better party right next door.

Phil stumbles into an exciting new career after dropping by Luke’s college. Claire deals with her dad, and the merger of Pritchett’s Closets with a tech-savvy, hipper company. Mitch’s new high-profile case as an assistant district attorney is marred by an unflattering courtroom sketch by the resident artist.

Hayley wants to give the family a Christmas gift they will never forget if she can just figure out the perfect time. Claire is mad that Phil has once again borrowed the family Christmas tree for a house-showing. Jay, Gloria and Joe have to deal with some unwelcome visitors over the holidays.

Mitch, Cam and Phil crash Jay’s annual hiking trip to find an elusive bald eagle after Gloria asks them to keep an eye on him. Meanwhile, Gloria, Alex, Claire and Haley get together to plan her baby shower.

Claire needs to get everyone out of the house before they make her look bad in front of a reporter from an important women’s business magazine. Meanwhile, Jay invites Manny to a little wine tasting in an attempt to spend some quality time together.

Alex’s new company is putting her up at a new luxury apartment with full amenities and a list of high-profile residents that the family is eager to take advantage of, without her knowing. Phil is on a mission to review the restaurant’s famous sliders for his food blog, while Mitch and Cam sneak in separately to meet its most famous resident, David Beckham. Meanwhile, Luke and Manny head straight for the gym to try and pick up on older women and end up in some hot water with a few of the residents.

The entire family discovers saying goodbye is much harder than it seems.