Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, Rico Rodriguez, Sofia Vergara, Ed O'Neill, Ty Burrell, Ariel Winter, Julie Bowen, Sarah Hyland and Nolan Gould all return in "Modern Family" on ABC (Bob D'Amico/ABC)

The biggest flaw was perhaps the writers’ attempts to make the characters overly relatable to audiences. The beauty of “Modern Family” lies in its subtle ability to make viewers feel connected to the one-of-a-kind characters and seemingly odd situations.The quirkiness of each individual character, whether it's Ed O'Neill's Jay or Sarah Hyland's Hayley is what makes the show so unique and allows the characters themselves to mesh in the way they do.

The most drastic departure from the well-proven format of last season is shown in the development of Claire Dunphy’s character (played by the lovely Julie Bowen), who strays from her uptight, overbearing ways by melting into an unrecognizably sensitive Mom.  Even Phil noticed the change: “I love you when you’re human.” 

The spicy Columbian Gloria (Sofia Vergara) was even more delectable than usual as she fought a mad case of jealously over her son Manny’s newest flame. Rico Rodrigues, who plays the scarily wise Manny, added a nuanced performance to compliment his mother's, a talent way beyond his 12 years of age.

Cam and Mitchell provided a sense of positive familiarity with their usual banter, which played on their struggles to provide traditional fatherly roles for their adopted daughter Lily. One noticeable difference was their increased physical affection for each other - maybe a result of the intense pressure that the show's creators came under from the Facebook campaign urging the writers to let Mitchell and Cam kiss.

The episode was certainly not a failure, but it perhaps failed to live up to its reputation for intelligent, family-friendly social commentary, which earned it the Emmy for Best Comedy Series in its first season.  

To reach reporter Courtney Ridgway, click here.