Warning! The following contains spoilers for Modern Family. Read at your own risk!
Season 10 of Modern Family may've been happy and bittersweet to fans, who know there's only one more season to enjoy of the critically acclaimed comedy. It's fitting then, that the season finale was jam-packed with memories where each member of the family recalled a mix of birthdays they celebrated, both good and bad. There was also a wonderful nod to the series premiere, as Cam and Mitchell recreated The Lion King gag in the best way possible.
All the birthday talk led up to the birth of Haley and Dylan's twins, who were healthy despite some odd phrasing by Dylan when Jay and the family first arrived at the hospital. Everyone gathered and shared their excitement about seeing the babies that will not be named Pixar and Coachella despite a drugged up Haley's wishes. Dylan was soon back in the room, but the babies weren't with him.
The family was confused until Dylan explained, and the news was worse than Jay feared. Mitchell and Cam had intercepted the twins on the way to the room, and were doing a "thing." Soon after, the couple emerged in matching robes hoisting the babies above their heads as the song "The Circle of Life" played throughout the room. It was a wonderful callback to the series premiere where Cam announced the adoption of Lily the exact same way.
The moment has lived on as one of the show's most iconic moments, and got a great reference in the Season 10 finale. The only way it would've been better is if this were the series finale, although then the world would've been robbed of Haley and Dylan adjusting to life as parents in Season 11. Who wants to miss that?
As for how the big moment came together, co-creator Steve Levitan told THR the gag that referenced the Modern Family pilot felt like a logical way to end the season. He also noted that had ABC not been owned by Disney (who is releasing a remake of The Lion King this summer), there's a good chance the gag would've never made it in the series in the first place.
It's also a good thing that we're in the same company because otherwise that would be a very difficult song to get.
With Season 10 out of the way, the only thing for audiences to do now is sit back and prepare for the hard goodbye that's coming next season. As for what to expect, Haley and Dylan will be living with the twins in the Dunphee house and Levitan teased Season 11 will explore how that impacts the household. Levitan added there's other (hopefully attention-grabbing) ideas for the other Modern Family households, but isn't letting out any major details just yet.
Modern Family is officially on the road to its series finale, which is coming to ABC. CinemaBlend will keep an eye out for updates on the show in the meantime, and continue to report on the latest in entertainment news.
