The episode was written by Elaine Ko, Jeffrey Richman and Bill Wrubel, and directed by Gail Mancuso.
Luke (Nolan Gould) cannot wait for the hero medal he is going to receive the next day at school because he extinguished a fire — though he started it, but only he and Manny (Rico Rodriguez) know this.
When Mitch tries to leave the office, the elevator breaks down with the doors partially open, though not enough for him to fit through.
Jay (Ed O'Neill) takes Gloria (Sofía Vergara) to a diner to show her that they named a sandwich there after him.
After all these conflicts during the day, the whole family convenes to participate in Alex's living art display of Norman Rockwell's Thanksgiving painting Freedom from Want.
That leads Alex to get a B− on the project, but she is satisfied since at least the art teacher, who previously called her "Alice", finally learned her name.
What Modern Family can do so well is create an escalating snowball of farce that, when everyone ends up in the same place, unleashes a storm of comic possibilities.
This episode may not be the pinnacle of that style, but it unfolds with a sense of ease, confidence, economy, and generosity that any sitcom would be proud to match.