The Middle - General Discussion

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Coming up to the last 4 or 5 episodes of this series and I love this series, can't believe all of the negativity from a lot of the posts above. The show is a comedy and I've never tried to critique  why certain parts of the Heck family life is the way it is ,just roll with it and be entertained.. There's been a number of series out there  that have won numerous Emmys,GoldenGlobes,Peoples Choice, etc. awards. To me, The Middle should have won some awards too because it was a true gem many could relate to and love.  t I will enjoy seeing these episodes again and again in reruns. 

[chediavolo]

Quote

I just read an article about how this is one underrated show. it is so true. I forgot about it for a while since there is just so much to stream these days. But I wish it was still going it was one of my favorites. I miss it a lot. It was something you could relate to actual middle-class people not middle-class rich people . The cast was great the acting was great even though I can’t stand Patricia Heaton in real life she was really good in this. I may have to start watching it again it’s a comfort show. 

 

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Underrated is right, The Middle deserved so much more praise and awards. ABC,CBS,NBC  now seems to have decided to go in a different direction with their evening shows during the week . I prefer to watch other cable channel shows, but even some of them are ready for the dumpster. Anybody miss shows like The Office, Parks and Recreation, Modern Family, Scrubs, NYPD Blue, Downton Abbey , MASH, Cheers, even Northern Exposure and a number of others that we looked forward every week to seeing. 

[Egg McMuffin]

I really loved it and it was pretty consistent throughout its run. I thought they sticked the finale, too.

[MollyMelrose]

Loved The Middle. Welcomed the Heck family - quirks, warts, and all - into my home each week and truly miss seeing them.

Not a big fan of the last season. Thought the show's powers that be messed up the Sue-Sean thing. IMHO, it didn't really matter if the two were endgame or had a happily ever after. What I wanted to see was Frankie and Nancy dealing with their respective kids being in a relationship both in real time and their dreams/nightmares of an imagined future. Watching a Heck in Donahue World/Donahue in Heck World had so much comedy potential. Really disappointed that never happened.

 

 

[LadyChatts]

This show started going downhill for me when Axl met April.  I remember the semi-cliffhanger at the end of the season 7 finale when Frankie said Axl met the love of his life, but she was definitely not what I was expecting.  In addition, I felt like the show didn't know what to do with Brick as he got older.  I never liked the Axl/Lexi pairing (didn't really like the Lexie character to begin with), and was never rooting for Sue/Sean to become a thing (I would have preferred her to become a Glossner over a Donahue).  I also missed the friendships the kids had with their respective groups, although Hutch and Kenny were cool, and I'm glad Brad stuck around.  That seems to be a common trend with sitcoms as they age. 

Overall all, though, I loved this show and miss it.  I can't really find good replacements anymore in the form of new programming.  It was very realistic and in many ways reminded me of my own family.  I will also say they had the best holiday episodes.

[andromeda331]

16 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

This show started going downhill for me when Axl met April.  I remember the semi-cliffhanger at the end of the season 7 finale when Frankie said Axl met the love of his life, but she was definitely not what I was expecting.  In addition, I felt like the show didn't know what to do with Brick as he got older.  I never liked the Axl/Lexi pairing (didn't really like the Lexie character to begin with), and was never rooting for Sue/Sean to become a thing (I would have preferred her to become a Glossner over a Donahue).  I also missed the friendships the kids had with their respective groups, although Hutch and Kenny were cool, and I'm glad Brad stuck around.  That seems to be a common trend with sitcoms as they age. 

Overall all, though, I loved this show and miss it.  I can't really find good replacements anymore in the form of new programming.  It was very realistic and in many ways reminded me of my own family.  I will also say they had the best holiday episodes.

I think that's when it started going downhill too. I can't figure out why they even did it in the first place given how bad it was. Why did they make April so dumb? I didn't like Axl and Lexie because it started out with Axl being a jerk and insisting Lexie was into him. From then on we didn't really see much of the relationship develop. They wasted two much time on Sue-Sean for no reason. They just got so lazy when it the show and the relationships. 

[Egg McMuffin]

I found the April thing completely baffling. In the season finale before April was introduced, Frankie was narrating what happened over the summer, an she said, “Axl? Well, Axl met the love of his life. But that’s a story for another time.” A great way to end the season.

But they totally blew it with the introduction of April - that’s the love of his life? C’mon. It’s as if they found a great way to end the season, but had no idea how to fulfill it.

[LadyChatts]

What I didn't understand is that they were setting it up like she was going to be "the one."  But she was gone mid-way through the season.  Was it backlash that they wrote her out of the show, or was that always the plan?  And I always felt like they were going somewhere with April's dumb personality and Frankie's dislike for her-like the Halloween scene where she made a comment to Frankie about what a nice mom she was.  The whole thing with how Axl acted around her, Frankie's hate-just seemed out of character for everyone.  That's what it was the beginning of the end when she showed up.  

[andromeda331]

7 hours ago, Egg McMuffin said:

I found the April thing completely baffling. In the season finale before April was introduced, Frankie was narrating what happened over the summer, an she said, “Axl? Well, Axl met the love of his life. But that’s a story for another time.” A great way to end the season.

But they totally blew it with the introduction of April - that’s the love of his life? C’mon. It’s as if they found a great way to end the season, but had no idea how to fulfill it.

 

7 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

What I didn't understand is that they were setting it up like she was going to be "the one."  But she was gone mid-way through the season.  Was it backlash that they wrote her out of the show, or was that always the plan?  And I always felt like they were going somewhere with April's dumb personality and Frankie's dislike for her-like the Halloween scene where she made a comment to Frankie about what a nice mom she was.  The whole thing with how Axl acted around her, Frankie's hate-just seemed out of character for everyone.  That's what it was the beginning of the end when she showed up.  

That's what they did by saying he met "the one". They set the audience up to think that's who Axl met. But then they make April so dumb. Why? Axl keeps insisting he loves her. Why? What does he love about her? She could have been ditzy but have interests in common with Axl or attracted her to him. Or ditzy but after Cassidy and Devin that's what he was looking for. I thought Frankie hating her would be they got off on the wrong foot or even her being dumb was just how Frankie saw her but eventually Frankie and we would see there was more to April then that. But that never happened. That was her entire character dumb. Axl getting mad at Frankie for hating her would have meant something if there was more to April then being dumb.  What were the writers going for? I have no idea.  

 

[Egg McMuffin]

The dumb angle just didn’t work - where could you go with that? It would have been better had April been a fairly savvy, take-charge type. Frankie resists her at first because she doesn’t like how strong April comes on. But then Frankie realizes that April is a good anchor for him and pushes him to be better (just like Frankie!). Or something like that.

[Videophile]

I much preferred Cassidy or Devin Levin for Axl.  Not a fan of the other two.

[Egg McMuffin]

The actress who played Lexie, Axl’s girlfriend and eventual wife, is married IRL to the actor who played Sean, Sue’s boyfriend and eventual husband.

[qtpye]

I liked this show but thought it should have ended in 3 to 5 seasons.

I did not mind Frankie being a bad employee at the car dealership because her boss was a pig. However, her dentist boss was nice and Frankie threw out all the appointment reminders, which was just stupid.

Did she want to lose her job with a slightly annoying but sweet guy? Why would she not just mail the card instead of throwing them in the trash?

I also hated that Frankie was so overburdened but she was constantly taking on new things. Like why was she the only one taking care of the elderly aunts? I hate the explanation that their sons were terrible. People just expect women to take on all the burdens of caretaking.

Also, why the Hell would she want a foreign exchange student when she can barely take care of her three kids?

I know some comedy is rooted in stupidity but this got so annoying. 

Also, hated the one where she could not go to Axl's Homecoming game because Sue's first Cross Country meet was that day.

Lord knows, Sue of all peplein  should understand why Homecoming is so important.

On 3/15/2022 at 7:16 PM, One4Sorrow2TooBad said:

Underrated is right, The Middle deserved so much more praise and awards. ABC,CBS,NBC  now seems to have decided to go in a different direction with their evening shows during the week . I prefer to watch other cable channel shows, but even some of them are ready for the dumpster. Anybody miss shows like The Office, Parks and Recreation, Modern Family, Scrubs, NYPD Blue, Downton Abbey , MASH, Cheers, even Northern Exposure and a number of others that we looked forward every week to seeing. 

Some of the greatest shows of all time. The streaming services just do not seem to be able to do shows as well as the golden age of TV.

Edited April 8, 2022 by qtpye

[readster]

On 3/21/2022 at 3:53 AM, Egg McMuffin said:

The dumb angle just didn’t work - where could you go with that? It would have been better had April been a fairly savvy, take-charge type. Frankie resists her at first because she doesn’t like how strong April comes on. But then Frankie realizes that April is a good anchor for him and pushes him to be better (just like Frankie!). Or something like that.

They actually got rid of her based on contract situation. Lexi came across so badly apparently even Grahamer who played Lexi said: "I would read the scripts and be like, how could this person get dressed in the morning or know how to breathe." Something along those lines, but they didn't want to pay out her contract by cutting her outside the episodes they signed her up for. So, they just kept going until they were done with her. 

[andromeda331]

16 hours ago, readster said:

They actually got rid of her based on contract situation. Lexi came across so badly apparently even Grahamer who played Lexi said: "I would read the scripts and be like, how could this person get dressed in the morning or know how to breathe." Something along those lines, but they didn't want to pay out her contract by cutting her outside the episodes they signed her up for. So, they just kept going until they were done with her. 

What a waste.

[readster]

Oh completely. You have shows that want to ram someone down your throat because they have contracted time on while ignoring the established characters they have. Or you get it to where they really have no idea what to do with the actor and they just float around. Best example in the last 20 years was Justin Baldoni who played Reid on Everwood as Bright and Ephram's roommate in season 4. They signed him up for 15 episodes, he was in 9 of the episodes for barely 2 minutes, even though they had a large back story that he was dealing with drug use to try and "stay awake in medical school". The entire story happens in the last 3 episodes of the show. Originally Bright thinks he is gay because he says: "My partner" and finds out 2 episodes later he meant his old lab partner who he lived with up until they got engaged and quit school. By his final appearance, he quits school, decides to move back home and we never hear from him again. He showed up two years later on Heroes for 4 episodes and only gets to really do anything for his last 2. After that he had an interview with: "I'm not going to be young forever, I get that casting directors find me attractive, but I can act and I feel I'm not getting hired for that, but I still enjoy the paycheck." To summarize, but after that he ended up doing several shows from Jane the Virgin to movies where people were: "Wow, he is a really good actor and he's attractive too." With Grahamer, she could act, was attractive and was Kesley Grahamer's youngest daughter, but they set her up with a crap character. 

[rmontro]

The thing I always think of when I think of The Middle is Sue's graduation.  Sue had been invisible for her entire high school years.  People in her class didn't even recognize her, even her teachers didn't even know she was in their class.  But all of a sudden we're supposed to believe that everyone knew who she was, admired her tenacity, spoke of her in glowing terms, and signed her yearbook cover to cover.  

It simply wasn't believable.  I admit it was a touching moment, however.  Just not believable or realistic.

[andromeda331]

On 7/27/2023 at 6:54 PM, rmontro said:

The thing I always think of when I think of The Middle is Sue's graduation.  Sue had been invisible for her entire high school years.  People in her class didn't even recognize her, even her teachers didn't even know she was in their class.  But all of a sudden we're supposed to believe that everyone knew who she was, admired her tenacity, spoke of her in glowing terms, and signed her yearbook cover to cover.  

It simply wasn't believable.  I admit it was a touching moment, however.  Just not believable or realistic.

I agree. It was touching but made no sense.

[readster]

On 8/1/2023 at 1:12 AM, andromeda331 said:

I agree. It was touching but made no sense.

As believable that none of Brick's teachers talked about his behavior and thought he was "out to get them" or were purposely trying to embarrass them. Then have Brick admit he did odd stuff including licking various teachers' cars and even students at times. Yet somehow was from an average student who rather read every book around than pay attention. Somehow made National Honors Society.

[Olis93]

The Middle is one of very few shows I find enjoyable all the way through. I do prefer the earlier seasons but there was never any real decline in quality over the shows nine seasons. Very underrated show.

[Egg McMuffin]

10 hours ago, Olis93 said:

The Middle is one of very few shows I find enjoyable all the way through. I do prefer the earlier seasons but there was never any real decline in quality over the shows nine seasons. Very underrated show.

Agreed. And the finale is nearly flawless. I love the scene outside the car where Frankie is breaking down about how they’ll never all live together again. And Mike gently says, “That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”