Under Pressure

"Under Pressure" is the twelfth episode of the fifth season of the American sitcom Modern Family, and the series' 108th overall. It was aired on January 15, 2014. The episode was written by Elaine Ko and directed by James Bagdonas. In the episode, Alex suffers a meltdown during her birthday party due to the pressure she is always under and she finds herself a therapist. At the school's open day, Jay and Phil have fun taking Luke and Manny's lessons while Claire finally realizes how much pressure Alex must feel every day. Luke and Manny go out on a double date. While gym coach Cameron presents to a group of parents, Gloria fights with another mother and the three of them, including Cameron, end up at the principal's office. Mitchell and Lily meet their new neighbor Asher who is an environmentalist and passionate about ecology. "Under Pressure" received positive reviews from the critics. Plot 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 feels bad about always wanting to be the best and feels under pressure since she has the impression that no one in her family understands her.