Do Not Push

Plot

Mitchell and Cameron want a new family portrait because their previous photo did not include Lily. While taking shots, they notice Lily's smile is forced rather than natural, making her look unflattering. They debate whether to tell her or keep it as is. Cam decides it's best to talk to her, but Lily gets upset believing she is ugly.

At the end, both apologize and use the first photo with Lily's "big smile" to print, making Lily happy, but they quickly dislike the way she laughs. Meanwhile, the Dunphys are visiting Caltech on a tour. Claire keeps pushing Alex to go there instead of MIT, since it is less than an hour away from home. Alex wants to get as far away from her family as she could, until she meets a cute, friendly, smart boy named Jason who tells her her choice of college should depend on more than how far it takes her from her family.

At the end of the day, Claire apologizes for trying to force her to choose Caltech, but Alex tells her she's now considering attending (but doesn't point out it's for Jason and not to be close to home). In the meantime, Phil, Luke, and Haley sign up for an experiment at the university. They are left in a waiting room where they notice a red button with a label that says "Do Not Push." Phil thinks the experiment has already begun, with scientists surveying them from behind a one-way mirror.

Luke wants to push the button, Phil doesn't, and Haley couldn't care. They argue, and it comes out that Phil is worried he's raised Luke to be too irresponsible while Haley has an emotional outburst where she confesses she hates being thought of as a stupid washout. They work out their issues and decide to push the button together. When pressed, it turns on a faulty air conditioner, which the test supervisor complains they'll have to call someone in to switch off. He gives them their written tests as Haley discovers the mirror is just a mirror.

Reception

In its original run, "Do Not Push" was viewed by a total audience of 10.56 million people, a 0.82 decrease from the previous episode. The episode received mixed reviews. Joshuan Alston from The A.V. Club gave the episode a C, calling the Pritchett-Delgado plot the biggest offender, saying it could be lifted out and dropped into any episode in the history of the show. Leigh Raines from TV Fanatic gave the episode a rate of 3.5/5, noting that Alex is the golden goose of the family when it comes to going far with her education and that Claire is excited since she's the only one in the Dunphy clan who relates to Alex, but the middle child is feeling a bit stifled. Lisa Fernandes from Next Projection gave a good review, stating that after last week's weak return, "Do Not Push" is a sentimental, funny but rushed example of the show at its strongest.