What happened when the family went down under in Modern Family season 5, episode 20, “Australia”? Read our recap to find out, plus discuss with fans!

Here are the highlights from Modern Family season 5, episode 20, “Australia”:

Phil reveals that he was conceived in Australia, and as one of his mother’s last wishes, they all take a trip there. While Phil is very excited about the trip, the rest of the family isn’t as enthusiastic.

Cam and Mitch break off from the rest of the family to go visit their old friend Ferguson. However, they’re not too thrilled about it, as they reveal he’s actually kind of annoying. At lunch they find that he’s just as annoying but happens to be famous in Australia as a talk show host.

They take advantage of Ferguson’s celebrity status to see the best of the city, including behind the scenes at a zoo, VIP status at a club, and limo rides.

Claire and Jay can’t stop talking about a big project at the company, much to the annoyance of Gloria. Although they think they won a bid, they later find out that a competitor beat them. Instead of spending time with everyone else, they leave to go work on a new bid. Phil and Gloria bond while their spouses are working. But Phil ends up getting stung by a jelly fish at the beach.

The next day the family gets together to take a trip out to the bush together. Claire and Jay are still working on their bid, but Gloria tells him they’re done. She’s worried about Phil’s safety, as he keeps getting hurt.

Cam and Mitch end up ditching them to go hang out with Ferguson again. But the joke’s on them – when they arrive at the docks they find that Ferguson can’t deliver on his promise for them to meet Hugh Jackman. After angering the actor, they’re on their own, so Ferguson rents them a tiny boat to take off on.

When they finally get off the boat and try to rejoin the rest of the family, their taxi breaks down. They feel so awful about spending the vacation away from Lily that they ask for help from some bikers even though they’re scared of them.

Despite promising not to work, Jay and Claire can’t stop thinking about it. Jay pushes Claire into the bush and uses that as an excuse for them to leave. But Gloria knows that they’re just pretending she’s hurt. She’s worried about Phil, whose jelly fish sting is being ravaged by insects. Matters only get worse when he gets too close to a kangaroo that punches him.

Gloria tracks down Claire and Jay, who are secretly working away in a tent. She tells off Claire for ditching her husband on his spiritual journey. Claire is shocked and worried to hear that he was attacked by a kangaroo, but instead of sitting with a hurt Phil, she goes running after her laptop that’s been stolen by a wild dog.

Meanwhile, Gloria yells at Jay for choosing work over his family. Jay realizes his mistake and tells Claire not to make the same one. Out on his own, Phil runs into a local man who tells him that Australia is only unkind to its own people. This makes Phil feel better about being attacked the entire trip.

The family spends the rest of the vacation doing whatever Phil wants and spending some quality time exploring Australia.

What did you think of ‘Modern Family’ season 5, episode 20, ‘Australia’?

Photo credit: ABC/Matt Klitscher