S9E19 "Bat out of Heck"
After Brick reveals to Frankie that he needs to sell a bunch of peanut brittle in two dates, and Frankie needs a ride to work, things work out very well when Dr. Goodwin gives her a ride, and offers to buy all the necessary peanut brittle, as he loves it. However, he gets impatient waiting for the peanut brittle. I have enjoyed Dr. Goodwin in the past, but in this episode he just wasn't that funny, and the Me Too and Time's Up jokes did not work well at all. Dr. Goodwin ends up trying to help the Hecks once they realize they have a bat in their house, but it doesn't work out very well. Somehow, this resolves his intense desire for the peanut brittle.
When Axl decides to sell the Winnebago and buy a car, he gets a lot of advice from Mike on it, which irritates him. Mike keeps telling him how to do everything, which Brick explains is nature taking over, giving an example from the wild, which Axl later butchers in a funny way. When Axl says the store is out of chips because Mike reminded him and he forgot to get them, he pretends to call the store, and Brick acts as someone who works there, which is a hilarious scene. After Mike helps Axl buy the car, Axl finally tells Mike how he feels, and the conversation is a great moment. Axl is growing up, and his relationship with his father is developing as a result.
Sue hears of a scholarship, and despite the fact that no one from East Indiana State has ever gotten this scholarship, the ever-optimistic Sue applies for it. Answering questions for the scholarship, she feels hopeless, but ends up becoming a finalist for the it. She participates in a Skype interview, all while the rest of the Heck family and Dr. Goodwin try to catch the bat. She eventually reveals to the person interviewing her what is going on at her house, which gets her the scholarship, because of how calm she remained under pressure. When Sue shares this with her family, it's a heartwarming victory, on the level of when Sue made the cross-country team in the first season finale. We see how hard Sue has worked for this and how much it means to her, and it feels earned and wonderful.
While everything having to do with Dr. Goodwin didn't really work, the rest of the episode did, very well. The show is seriously preparing to wrap up, giving Sue a meaningful victory this week, and advancing the father-son relationship between Mike and Axl into an era where Axl is an adult.
Score: 8/10
What did you think of "Bat out of Heck"? Leave your thoughts in the comments!