After the Fire

"After the Fire" is the eighth episode of the third season of the American sitcom Modern Family, and the series' 56th episode. It aired on November 16, 2011. The episode was written by Danny Zuker and was directed by Fred Savage. The episode chronicles the family's misadventures while trying to do good deeds. Plot After a neighbor's home burns down, the whole family rallies and organizes a community drive to help do some good. But things do not seem to be going well for them. Jay (Ed O'Neill) throws his back while he is trying to carry a box. Phil (Ty Burrell) is offering to massage him to make him feel better. During the massage though, Jay tells Phil that he loves him but he regrets it right away. Phil rushes out the room and Jay does not know what to do to "fix" what he did. Later it is revealed that Phil did not even hear what Jay told him, since at that moment he got a very important message on his phone about his work and was not listening to Jay. When Jay goes to talk to Phil, he is relieved to realise Phil didn't hear him. Phil explains that he has been offered a partnership in a new real estate firm and isn't sure if he wants to take a risk by quitting his stable job to join. Jay encourages Phil to take the partnership, assuring him he has all the skills he needs to succeed. Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) is doing some posturing with a huge moving truck while he is trying to prove Haley (Sarah Hyland) and Alex (Ariel Winter) that gays can drive a truck after they said that he couldn't drive a truck. The only thing he manages to do though is to hit other cars and gets them trapped in the truck before they ask someone for help. It is then revealed that the girls' remarks were due to Cam's incompetence in driving, not because of his sexuality.