Alex (Ariel Winter) suffers a stress-related meltdown on her sixteenth birthday and books an appointment with a therapist (John Benjamin Hickey).
During her session, she explains that several years ago, she participated at a spelling bee contest and she wanted desperately to win even though she knew that there was no prize or money involved.
She admits that while she has always helped Haley (Sarah Hyland) and Luke, it's because they are not as self-reliant or as driven to succeed as Alex is, so Claire has neglected to consider the pressures she faces.
She later meets Alex after her therapy session, who responds gratefully when Claire demonstrates her newfound understanding of her life.
They eventually bond when Jay convinces Phil to "skip class" and go to the teacher's lounge to watch a football game on TV.
During the game, Gloria (Sofia Vergara) and Dr. Donna Duncan (Jane Krakowski) butt heads with one another over each of their boys getting the single spot in the junior congress.
Subsequently, Donna admits that her behavior is a result of her divorce since she feels her son still blames her and has an admiration for his father despite the fact that he is never around.
Mitch suggests that Asher have dinner with them, but Lily objects when he asks her if her dollhouse was built with sustainable materials.
I’m not sure it’s a trick Modern Family could pull off every week without redefining the essence of the show, but as a one-off, “Under Pressure” was livelier than it had any right to be.
[...] On the other hand, Alex’s story is so wonderful and poignant, and her conclusion with Claire is so moving that any other flaws in the episode seem hardly worth the complaint.