The Middle: The Kids Band Together

I was wondering what kind of shenanigans would happen now that the Hecks are driving the church van, but having an abundance of pizza was a little weak. Let's hope for better, as five episodes have come and gone since they first started driving it! The episode was interesting, but I was a bit surprised that Brick didn't cave, especially when he saw the possibilities of the Wheel of Pain. But, I want to focus on Sue... she initially wanted a cake-baking-and-decorating party, which is very hip right now. She doesn't seem to have that aspect to her eventual shindig, which I can attribute to it being last-minute. However, I don't understand why she doesn't invite Darrin to the party. This episode could not have been meant to air in another place, as Valentine's Day and The Oscars clearly come BEFORE Leap Day, which is Sue's birthday. And it wasn't like she only had Carly and Brad there, as the Wrestlerettes all seemed to be in attendance. What reasoning can you think of to explain Darrin's absence?

The Middle "Wheel of Pain (S04E17): When Axl teases Sue, she throws a boot at him, but he ducks, Brick deflects it, and it goes through a window. Sue wants them to share the blame but Axl things it'll be better if they move the broken glass to the inside and blame the Glossners. [haha!] Axl coaches the lies, and it's so believable that Mike is about to storm over there, but the kids then claim it might have been someone else after all when they fear their cover may be blown. However, this is only the beginning of the problem.

ABC/MICHAEL ANSELL

Frankie starts to play detective, questioning Axl while cleaning his teeth. Similarly, Mike grills Sue while rolling coins from the "WDW trip savings" jar to pay for the window replacement. Both kids stay quiet, as does Brick when the parents gang up on him. Frankie and Mike decide that if nobody will admit to breaking the window, a random punishment will be announced for a random kid. Either Brick can't read, Sue can't have a party, or Axl's curfew moves to 8pm. [I felt so bad for Sue in that moment!] The kids don't confess, and Sue loses her birthday party. [I liked the parents trying to allow do-overs for Sue but the wheel wasn't having it!] Axl privately tells his sister not to worry, as Frankie easily caves... but Frankie hears that and forces herself to stay strong... until the day before Sue's birthday, when she decides to have Mike allow the party, as she won't be the one who caves. [hahaha! and he just goes along with it.] Frankie puts on a front that she's upset with Mike, and Sue is so bothered by it that she confesses. [I find it so odd that Sue worries so much about her parents' relationship.]

Oh, and if you were wondering about Frankie cleaning Axl's teeth, it was because rotation assignments were coming up and she wanted to do well... however she doesn't and winds up being assigned to the prison. [wow! I kind of assumed that prisoners only got root canals and major stuff if necessary, not preventative measures like teeth cleanings!]