The More You Ignore Me

Plot

Phil (Ty Burrell) and Claire (Julie Bowen) learn that Luke (Nolan Gould) has been arrested because he drove without a license. Phil is unusually harsh with Luke, refusing to call Luke by name and making him finish the village for the ducks. Luke reveals that the cause of the incident was an attempt to meet up with Sarah, a girl he has a crush on, and that he has been disappointed that every other boy he knows seems to be having better luck with girls, including Manny (Rico Rodriguez), who effortlessly manages to charm Tammy Lafontaine, one of the Dunphys' neighbours. Things turn out better when Sarah shows up at his house and Luke seizes the opportunity to hang out with her.

Phil is convinced he is making the right choice, he is frustrated with how Claire seems to be siding with Luke. When they notice Alex (Ariel Winter) was seen sneaking out of a liquor store, Phil's concerns are brushed aside again as Claire dismisses the behavior as Alex learning to loosen up. When Phil expresses that he thinks Claire does respect him because Phil has never shown any rebellious streak, she brushes it off and brings up how he is disappointed the ducks are attached to her. However, they panic when they see Alex enter an unknown van. After failing to follow the van, they discover it parked in their driveway. When Phil rushes into Alex'a room, he finds that Alex has been in a relationship with Ruben, one of Luke's classmates. Claire is impressed with who rashly Phil charged into the situation and later notices how the ducks are willing to following him around, though Phil does not realize it.

Haley (Sarah Hyland) and Dylan go to the movies, when they run into Andy and Beth who are also here and invite them to have dinner with them afterward. Haley is visibly uncomfortable being around Andy, eventually asking why he does not feel awkward around her. When he admits that took some time to get over her and is now happy with Beth, Haley realizes that she isn't moving forward in her life. On the way home, Andy agrees to Beth's idea to invite Haley and Dylan to their wedding, while Dylan breaks up with Haley, having become frustrated with how he has gotten sick of her immaturity towards their relationship.

Meanwhile, Jay (Ed O'Neill) has recently won an award for his company and struggles to create a video that he thinks will reflect what sort of business man he is. Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) attend a farmer's market, where Cam's tomato sauce doesn't sell as well as a social rival, who takes the opportunity to offer Mitch an attractive position as a partner as his law firm. When they attend dinner with Jay and Gloria, Cameron accidentally ruins a card with a cherished tomato sauce recipe from Gloria's deceased great-aunt. Though she and Cam manage to successfully recreate it, Gloria is apprehensive with Cam's idea to sell it at the farmer's market after her previous failure ending in humiliation. Mitch helps Jay make his video, but admits that he is distracted by the job offer and isn't sure if he wants to open his own law firm instead.

Jay openly tells Mitch and Gloria that neither of them are capable of succeeding on their own, which drives Gloria to join Cam to sell at the farmer's market again and for Mitch to register his own law firm. Reflecting on how he convinced Mitch and Gloria to take risks to succeed, he finds the inspiration to create his video as a business man who always fought to prove others wrong they said he couldn't succeed.