‘Modern Family’ Season 5 Premiere Episode Recap: Congratulations Mitch and Cam, ‘Go Gay Marriage’
The premiere episode of "Modern Family" Season 5 showed the beautiful engagement of Mitch (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cam (Eric Stonestreet) under the skylight sky. The U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the same-sex marriage in California made it legal "for a man to marry another man" and because of the verdict Mitch and Cam started working on an ideal propose plan, and be the first person to propose.
The opening scene of "Modern Family" Season 5 Episode 1, "Suddenly, Last Summer," is that of Manny (Rico Rodriguez) packing his suitcases for his first trip to Columbia to visit Gloria's (Sofia Vergara) family , all alone -- timeline June 26, 2013 (it is the day the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favour of the gay marriage). Jay (Ed O'Neill) tells Manny that he just needs one suitcase as "Columbia is not one of your more formal nations. The guy on their money's sittin' in a lawn chair."
Jay fears that if Manny does not go to Columbia, all of Columbia would come knocking at his doors. He shudders at the thought of Gloria's family members -- -- more than a couple of dozen -- paying a visit. Manny is unable to find his birth-certificate. Jay wastes no time in taking him to a local court-house to pick the boy's birth-certificate so that he can leave the country, without any hitch.
Mitch calls up Cam to inform him about the Supreme Court ruling. Cam is at Jay's house when he receives the call. Before leaving to the court house, Manny tells Cam, "Hey Cam, Congratulations! Go Gay Marriage."
Gloria asks Cam "Who proposes to who?" She tells him that every couple deserves a beautiful proposal story. Cam books a restaurant for the proposal date and informs Gloria that he has "outdone himself." He has booked the same, first date table of Cam and Mitch, overlooking the ocean. Cam plans to propose Mitch at sunset. Gloria finds the idea romantic. Mitch calls up and asks Cam to meet him at a coffee shop. Cam reaches the shop but does not meet Mitch.
Manny and Jay reach the court-house only to find a long line of people, probably getting their marriage (gay) registered. Manny is having second thoughts about visiting Columbia as he has been reading about tropical diseases such as malaria, yellow fever and rabies. Jay assures him that he had all his shots and that he is risk-free.
Claire (Julie Bowen) meets Mitch at the coffee shop as he has forgotten his wallet and has no money on him to pay. Claire mentions about "gay wedding bells soon." Mitch enumerates a couple of factors that they need to consider such as tax application and state planning before he and Cam can get married. Claire tells Mitch to be less practical and be more romantic and surprise Cam with a "splashy proposal." She tells him to break-up with Cam before popping-up the questions as he will go from "agony to ecstasy."
At the airport, Gloria tells Manny, "okay Manny, remember, as soon as you land, watch out for Malaria," which turns out to be the name of Manny's cousin and Rubella is her daughter. When Gloria mentions diptheria, Manny think that she is another person but this time she is talking about the disease.
Lily (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons) asks Jay, "what if he Manny never comes back?" Jay says that "no one ever leaves home and doesn't come back. Lily tell him that she did.
Egged by Claire, Mitch is planning his own surprise proposal -- a setting of two rocking chairs at the fireplace (apartment) and a bottle of Champaign. Cam thinks that Mitch has no plan of his own and is happy about that. At the restaurant, Mitch figures out that Cam is going to propose to him and excuses himself from there, faking sudden sickness.
All the family members gather at Cam and Mitch's apartment and make it perfect for the proposal according to both Cam and Mitch's plans. Gloria comes to know that Jay had originally planned a more romantic proposal for her, but Manny ruined it. Charlie and Phil (Ty Burrell) reminisce their own proposal and Phil tells Claire how he had actually wanted to propose.
Mitch and Cam, however, end-up proposing under the open, star-light sky in the middle of a road as their car breaks-down and they are unable to make it to their apartment. They go down on their knees, look at each and smile. "YES" is the word they say to each other.
Claire and Phil get a kids free week after Phil succeeds in negotiating with the kids. However, Claire calls-up his dad and asks him to visit them in that week as she wants some time for herself, away from her romantic husband.
Manny leaves behind a sweet note for Jay and Gloria and Jay starts sobbing reading that.