It's been three weeks since a new episode, so it was great to have a new episode for a show that is still fresh after 16 episodes. The common tie of fear showed off the personalities of various characters, and worked well without the families mixing. The characters within the families bonded which got the heartwarming angle perfectly.
Cam and Mitchell invite their Asian pediatrician to brunch, and from there, the gay parents' worst nightmare, Lily crying out for mommy, happens. She recognizes the Asian woman as the person who raised her in the orphanage. Or that's what Cam thinks. He freaks out, and rightfully so, upon the the realization that Lily's first words were for her non-existent mother. It turns out the voice was coming from a doll. Disaster averted, but the fear still resonates. For now though, everything is back to normal.
Phil takes Luke to find whatever is underneath their house. At first, Phil is as excited as a kid to find what lies beneath until he sees the animal. He keeps putting it off and putting if off when finally, Luke gets caught on something. Out of necessity, Phil crawls in their, confronting his fear, and saving Luke in the process.
Claire encourages Alex to go the the school dance while Haley passes the driving test on her third try.
Through Gloria's urging, Manny decides to ride the roller coaster and Jay grudgingly goes along. In the end, Manny has lots of fun. Jay, not so much.
Phil's monologue in the end about fear was heartfelt as usual. His fears for what happens to his children exceed his fear of small spaces. But those are continual fears which parents have to go with.
Score: 9.2/10
