In last week’s mid-season opener of ‘Modern Family,’ Jay (Ed O’Neill) invites Claire (Julie Bowen), Phil (Ty Burrell), Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) to a hotel in Palm Springs to celebrate New Year’s Eve with him and Gloria (Sofía Vergara). Things, of course, don’t go according to plan and the group splits up to do their own thing.
Claire and Phil attempt to rekindle their married couple romance and sneak away to a hot spring, only to be met by a community of nudists celebrating the New Year. Meanwhile, Claire’s brother Mitchell and his partner Cameron head out to the clubs trying to recapture their youth, but realize that they don't quite fit in.
With his kids gone and his pregnant wife in bed, Jay decides to play poker with the hotel owner and a couple of her friends. There he meets his idol Billy Dee Williams. As the night progresses, he, Billy Dee Williams and Gloria head for a night out in the town, ending the year with a view of the entire city.
Back home, Haley (Sarah Hyland) and Alex (Ariel Winter) are put in charge of the kids in what turns out to be a challenging yet adorable night. Luke (Nolan Gould) invites two girls over as dates for him and Manny (Rico Rodriguez), but gets shut down when Haley and Alex intervene in his make-out plans. After the kids fall asleep, the two sisters agree that they are not ready to see their little brother Luke grow up and making out with girls.
In the upcoming episode, called “Party Crasher,” Jay and Gloria throw Manny a surprise birthday party for his 14th birthday to make him feel special before the baby’s arrival. ABC teases that in the meantime, “Phil and Claire deal with a new much older guy that Haley has started hanging out with”. As for the Pritchett-Tuckers, Cameron becomes a bit jealous when he notices the special bond Lily has formed with Mitchell.
‘Modern Family’ S4E12, “Party Crasher,” airs on Wednesday, January 16 at 9 p.m. EST on ABC.
WATCH A PROMO FOR “PARTY CRASHER”