<p>Such an underrated show. Modern Family gets all the glory, but I like The Middle better.</p>
<p>I agree. MF has gotten a little too loud and broad while ITM keeps it small and down to earth. Even the part of Brick’s false sense of economics reflected the thinking of a kid perfectly.</p>
<p>I love The Middle, last night was a direct hit on my S’s freshmen year. Good to see we have come far. The end had me in tears, love the song, but it was their interpretation that really hit home. I think this show doesn’t try to be anything but real, the mess, bad grades and insanity that comes with life. Love it.</p>
<p>“Snar-casm” AND Cats in the Cradle…I was a manic mess of laughter and tears last night. Our oldest is graduating in 8 days, and will be coming home from school for the last time for Christmas break. Part of me wishes he had another semester of “childhood”, but alas he is officially grown. Sniff, sniff…</p>
<p>I agree that this week’s episode was excellent. I love Sue’s optimism!! She doesn’t see the glass as half-full … in Sue’s world, it is always FULL. Last week’s episode had a great moment when the Glossner kid told Sue she was a rich kid. It quietly made its point.</p>
<p>Axl and Sue are the the reason I watch that show…</p>
<p>I saw an interview of the guy who plays Axl. He was so calm and soft spoken, it was weird. He is 23, but says pretty much any time he tries to buy a beer, he is carded and then accused of having a fake ID.</p>
<p>great show! Hits the mark on a lot of levels—overwhelmed, under appreciated mom, father who doesn’t get too involved with his kids (although he cares very much, he leaves it up to "Frankie), kids who are very “normal”, etc. Cats in the Cradle episode definitely hit the mark for a lot of folks. Would love an episode of Sue where her inner beauty shines on the outside!</p>
<p>I agree. I love Sue and I’m waiting for the episode where she shines in every way.</p>
<p>Oh, I think Sue shines on a regular basis … mainly because Sue is convinced of her own shininess! She is blissfully clueless as to how others view her. If only I could have been so happily clueless as a teen …</p>
<p>I love The Middle. The actress who plays Sue Heck is wonderful. She deserves an Emmy Award.</p>
<p>We love that show. Have watched it as a family from the beginning. We always DVR it and watch it on the weekends, with TV trays and dinner. Our son also went off to college this fall. Our son asked us to still DVR it and save it for when he comes home. We watched the 1st 5 of the season while he was home at Thanksgiving. He came home yesterday for Christmas break. Looking forward to watching more shows together while he is home.</p>
<p>One of my favorite episodes is from last season when Axl interviews for college. His parents are all worried about how he will do during the interview but then he pulls it off perfectly, is dressed well, well spoken, asks questions, etc. then as Mike and Frankie are at the door saying goodbye to the Adcom rep, before they can turn around Axl all ready is back in his underwear sitting on the couch!</p>
<p>A favorite line in our house is “The toaster oven is for pizza rolls, the oven is for bulky storage.”</p>
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<p>LOL, No kidding!!!</p>
<p>My DH always says Sue reminds him of D1. I remember when she was playing soccer in the early years. She was a really good midfielder/forward. One day our keeper was injured and we had no one to replace her. Our coach asked D1 to step in. She happily said yes. DH and I looked at each other in horror. The opposing team scored 3 goals on her, though she did make a fair amount of saves. We lost the game and I braced myself for a long, tearful ride home. D1 got into the car, and before I could give a speech about A is for effort, D1 flashed a huge smile and said, “I did so GOOD!” Lol, I think of that at times when I watch Sue Heck.</p>
<p>Is it just me? I mean, maybe it’s perimenopause, because I can cry at a coffee commercial, but that episode was awesome. Sue’s agony over Axl’s rejection just broke my heart, and when he “took her back,” I just lost it.</p>
<p>Great acting from those two, AS USUAL.</p>
<p>We have watched the Middle since the beginning and have the first 5 seasons on DVD. If I ever need cheering up, we just watch any episode. The writing is very clever. I would love to sit in on a writing session. On one of our DVDs, there is an entire episode on wardrobes. They each have a full trailer of clothes. Mike almost always wears plaid shirts and jeans, Axl- boxers and T shirts, Brick - stripes and Sue has many rainbows, unicorns and graphic sweaters with weird objects/sayings on them. Frankie seems the most put together on any day and I’m sure she’s enjoying her new dental scrub garb. Costume designers must have the most fun with Sue’s outfits. I hope the dentist shares Colin Firth with The Heck’s. I miss a dog on the show. Their elderly aunts’ basset hound with the oxygen mask in the wagon always made us laugh. The Middle is my favorite show and all of the characters have something special about them.</p>
<p>My H and I loved this episode. I agree that the actors who portray Axle and Sue are terrific … as is the writing!</p>
<p>Love this show! I also like The Modern but for different reasons. I grew up with a house and friends homes that were decorated in much the same way. My mother put high low carpet in our kitchen in the 60’s. I also grew up in Indiana and enjoy all of the references.
There is a dog in the show now but he/she is rarely seen and only likes Frankie.</p>
<p>Reactions to last night’s show?</p>
<p>How could anyone not know the first day of school!!? And so glad Sue did not get those braces put back on!! </p>
<p>First day of school dates…around here the private schools, local schools, neighboring counties have different start dates. What I love is that they were SO enjoying that last week of freedom. Summer should be longer.</p>
<p>I know we have to suspend disbelief for TV shows, but don’t you think an orthodontist who had fears that his patient wasn’t ready to have the braces taken off would have refused until he could at least get her into a retainer? He didn’t even offer that as an option.</p>
<p>I know, then the show wouldn’t have been funny. </p>
<p>As far as missing school, the way kids text each other, Sue would have been hearing from kids before school started, and within hours of missing the first day. But, then the show wouldn’t have been funny.</p>
<p>Did anyone see the latest episode where Sue and her dad go on their college visits? They visited 4 schools in Indiana - Indiana, Butler, Ball State and Purdue. I thought it was a very realistic portrayal of the tour experience. Sue was yelled at by the lady in the cafeteria at Ball State, so that school is probably out. And the tour guide at Purdue explained the cafeteria tray system, so she seemed very happy there. This could go in the post about silly reasons why your child picked a school or crossed one off.</p>
<p>Between Axl’s stories at college and Sue preparing for college (the Sue savings meter on the fridge), this show is perfect for CC.</p>