Stonestreet was able to rise above the fray last year because his “Fizbo” performance was especially memorable. But this year, he doesn’t have a lot of screen time in his submission, “Mother’s Day,” in which he is upset that he’s considered the mother in his relationship with Mitchell (Ferguson). But “Mother’s Day” also gives O’Neill a chance to display some emotional range in a storyline where he gets weepy remembering his deceased mother.
O’Neill’s submission, “The Kiss,” is full of slapstick, but it also includes a heartfelt moment toward the end when he reconciles with his son Mitchell over not showing him enough affection when he was a child. However, “The Kiss” also gives Burrell some strong material as he also vies for Jay’s affection, while Ferguson and Stonestreet bicker about Mitchell’s aversion to PDA.
Ferguson submitted “Halloween,” an episode full of physical comedy in which Mitchell is shocked to discover he’s the only person to come to work in costume 
on Halloween. Mitchell hastily throws on his business suit over his Spider-Man costume, and after struggling to change his clothes unnoticed he ends up embarrassing himself in front of his co-workers.
But “Halloween” is also a strong showcase for Burrell, who panics over the security of his own marriage after the neighbors split up. In Burrell’s own submission, “Good Cop, Bad Dog,” he switches roles with his disciplinarian wife Claire (Julie Bowen) and forces his daughters to clean their bathroom. Phil takes the task a little too far – duct taping the girls’ computers shut and denying them food – and has a funny moment when he leaps on the girls’ car as they try to get away.
Ultimately Phil remains sympathetic because he realizes being the “bad cop” isn’t in his DNA. Elsewhere in the episode, Mitchell struggles to decide whether to attend a Lady Gaga concert by himself
or tend to Cam, who is sick in bed. And in the third storyline, Jay has to bluntly reject a business proposal by an entrepreneur Gloria (Sofia Vergara) has brought home, but the old softy ends up adopting the entrepreneur’s dog.

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