S9E5 "Role of a Lifetime"
A note from the Donahues causes Frankie and Mike to realize that it's their 25th wedding anniversary. It's hilarious when Frankie asks Mike, doubting that they have been married 25 years, who would know better, him or Nancy Donahue. Mike goes to Sue for help with planning their anniversary, and Sue ends up realizing how much she does for the family. She calls a family meeting, which leads to a hilarious debate as to whether she can call a family meeting, and she tells everyone that she's not going to be that person anymore. At the meeting, the other family members tell the family what their roles are, and after it they all decide to no longer go along with their usual roles.
The big argument that ends up happening in the kitchen has a lot of funny lines, and it works really well that at the moment where everything gets out of hand, something brings them all together. The family comes together, embracing their roles, at the hospital. Frankie's mom being in the hospital is serious, but it ends up being the right amount serious that it grounds the episode, but doesn't keep funny moments at the end of the episode from working.
Brick is shocked by the fact that he saw Cindy at school without her hat. His shock is very funny. As a result, he decides to make it clear that he is available, which he does hilariously horribly. Meanwhile, Axl has come up with a new idea: a drink that mixes beer and wine. This serves as a great running joke through the episode, and I loved his claim that twenty percent of America is interested.
This is one of my favorite episodes of The Middle. I didn't think that The Middle would pull off an episode this strong in its final season, except for perhaps the series finale. The conflict remained funny despite being tense, and the resolution was perfect.
Score: 10/10
What did you think of "Role of a Lifetime"? Leave your thoughts in the comments!