S9E20 "Great Heckspectations"
The episode begins with Frankie and Mike getting a surprise. They are out driving, and see Brick on the road. As a result of this, they ground Brick, until they discover that prom is on Saturday. Frankie insists that Brick has to go to prom, despite the fact that he doesn't really care. This is typical The Middle, Frankie and Mike sending mixed messages in their parenting. Brick asks Cindy to prom, and while she doesn't say yes to a regular, fancy promposal (where Brick hilariously struggles to walk through a banner), she does when he asks in a quirky way, dressing up as a bookmark.
Frankie comes up with the idea of Brick having the kids from his former social skills group over, another group of people that The Middle is ensuring it acknowledges as it prepares to say goodbye. There is a funny twist here, in that Brick is the only one from the group that hasn't outgrown his quirks. Frankie worries about this, and she tells Mike, who reflects on how Brick being who he is has given them great moments. It's a very sweet scene. It turns out that Brick and Cindy didn't actually go to prom, but they went to the library instead. I really enjoyed Brick's line about how this is a big moment in their parents' lives.
Lexi discovers that Axl didn't get Sue anything for her 21st birthday, and she tells him that he has to. So, Axl tells Sue that he is going to get her a present the next time he sees her, but he doesn't have anything for her the next time he sees her. He lies and tells her he's working out the details, because what he's planning is more of an experience. Axl blindfolds Sue, and takes her places, ending up back in her room. Sue gets really angry about this. However, a story that Frankie tells her changes her attitude. It turns out that when Sue was really little, Axl was attached to her, and ended up giving her a stuffed animal to protect her. It's a really cute story, and Sue's reaction to it is enjoyable.
The main story about prom had some strong moments. Axl and Sue had their moments as well, but I didn't feel that it had a very good conclusion. Also, through the episode there was a small ongoing story about Mike struggling with a new moment, which wasn't really expanded upon much, and the potential here wasn't really utilized.
Score: 7/10
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