Life must be crazy when you’re trying to keep track of three teenage kids. I mean, if The Middle is any reasonable approximation, life with three kids has the very distinct possibility of driving parents insane. Take, for example, the Heck kid’s shenanigans on last night’s episode of the show.
Sue was hell-bent on seeing an R-rated movie starring Taylor Lautner. When a list of 100 reasons why she should be considered old enough to do so — despite the pesky fact that she’s underage — didn’t sway Mike, Sue and Carly went in a different direction: deception. I loved their “working girl” outfits and office-related conversation.
When Mike found out he brought the hammer down on Sue. At least, he tried to bring the hammer down on her. Sue was so traumatized by the movie and so disappointed in herself for lying that she went crazy with her own punishment. At that point it got to be a bit much for me — Sue being Sue is one thing, but I felt like her character was being more a caricature than authentic. Sue can swing the self-flagellation whip as deftly as the next gal, but deciding she needed more time grounded at home? It didn’t make sense.
But I did like when Sue went crazy and showed Mike the hole in her wall. And the fact that Sue enjoys going down to the soccer field to watch the guy mow the lawn was the perfect mix of humorous and sad. Mike skipping as he left Sue’s room was priceless.
Axl and the Axmen were hoping to gain some traction with a catchy music video. They definitely went the right route by focusing on casting a hot woman, because the song itself was questionable at best. The video that they put together from surreptitiously shot cell phone footage of their biology teacher Ms. Devereaux (Kristin Cavallari) was awesome. I loved how they ran into the frame behind her back to make it look like she was part of the shoot. Darrin’s mom standing in at the end for the missing footage was hilarious.
Brick’s story, once again, won the night. After a pageant at his weekly social skills group meeting, Frankie, Mike, and Brick learned that he alone would not be moving ahead to the program’s yellow group. I don’t know if that left an impression on Brick, but shortly thereafter he asked Frankie for a friend. “You know what I like; let me know when you find him.”
So how great was Frankie’s hunt, with all the crazy stranger danger on the street and in the park? And I love how she picked up Gerald (Andrew Astor) for a play date. I think she was perfectly Frankie in the forty some-odd minutes that Gerald and Brick hung out. After watching her woo Axl last week she attempted the same kind of thing with Gerald, but on an entirely different level (I was going to say “more appropriate,” but then I thought better of making that statement).
Brick showed off some smooth moves picking up Arlo on the curb after Frankie got into the car accident. Their recreation of the scene later at Brick’s house was great.
Three for three yet again. Nice!
“I’ve already done my social time for today. Thanks!” – Brick to Axl, after Axl tries to engage Brick in conversation
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Feb 17, 2011 @ 13:30 EST5EDT
