The Middle: Using Information to Your Advantage

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Not the biggest fan of this episode. I find it difficult to believe that Sue and Axl never before realized that Brick tells on them. I thought it was standard procedure that the youngest sibling rats on the others? Frankie coached Mike on that Parents' Night so intensely that it was hard to believe he didn't take it as seriously as she wanted him to. Of course, I'm also a little wary of a public school demanding that much parental involvement - couldn't you just not volunteer to help with anything? There were entire years my parents didn't go to my school - not for parent-teacher conferences, PTA meetings, awards ceremonies, anything. I thought that the most entertaining storyline took place at the car dealership - leave it to Mr. Elhert to try and sell 500 cars in 5 days during the big Indy race. I thought it was a downer that Frankie spent a good deal of her time there on the phone with Mike instead.

The Middle "The Telling" (S03E23): Frankie and Mike yell at Axl for taking their office chair on the road. The next night, Sue is in trouble for borrowing Frankie's earrings without asking. We soon learn that Frankie bribes Brick with candy in order to find out what the other kids are doing, and Mike is positively floored. That's not the only side deal going on, however - when Sue catches Axl sneaking in at 1am, she threatens to tell if he doesn't drive her and her friends (and her friends' friends) all over town for the week. [he deserved that, though, after he forced her to make him snacks and stuff! it made me laugh that Brad and Sue are still performing their skit about texting and driving!] Sue pushes it too far, however, demanding he constantly change the volume in the car and whatnot, so Axl admits to Frankie what he did so Sue no longer had anything to hold over him. [I was surprised that Axl really called Frankie and not a friend to just pretend he was turning himself in!]

Mr. Elhert has asked the salespeople to sell 500 cars in five days, leaving Frankie stuck at work and unable to attend Brick's Parents' Night. Mr. Elhert is promising rides in Indy cars and hot air balloons to get people there, but they're not actually doing too well on sales. [no surprise, haha!] Frankie lectures Mike hardcore into making sure he gets a good spot on the sign-up sheets for volunteering. As Frankie predicted, there's a mad rush to sign up, and Mike has a pencil rather than a pen, so having to sharpen it after breaking the point slows him down. Unfortunately, however, another guy erases Mike's name from the coveted "bring paper goods" sheet, and Mike decides to go back on his personal rule and tattles on him... only to wind up having to scrape the gum off desks anyway. 

(ABC/KAREN NEAL)