S9E22 "Split Decision"
After finding out that Axl was offered a job in Denver, Frankie is very opposed to him taking it. At a family dinner, Frankie is very obvious in her attempt to sway Axl away from taking the job, which is quite funny. When her over-the-top attempts don't seem to do much, she turns to Lexi. The scenes between Frankie and Lexi are very entertaining, especially when Frankie gets mad at Lexi when she tells Axl that she will support him no matter what he ends up deciding.
Meanwhile, Axl talks to Mike about his decision. Their conversation at the hardware store is a great moment between the two of them, as Mike admits that he "would miss the hell out of" him, but it's Axl's decision. I really liked when Axl asked Mike what he should do, and Mike shared the advice of not letting other people make your decisions.
In the end of the episode, Axl has made his decision. It's hard for him to tell his parents that he's taking the job, doing it in the dark so he can't see their faces. The episode ends with a moment that's both funny and saddening, as Frankie cries about the decision. The finale next week is going to be emotional.
Sue spends the episode depressed because Sean is leaving soon for Ghana. There isn't much entertaining going on here until Mike takes her to the hardware store. It's another great moment between Mike and one of his children where they speak honestly. Neil Flynn does an excellent job this week in these hardware store scenes. At the end of the episode, Sue puts the snowglobe in Sean's luggage, continuing to prolong that story, as expected.
Throughout the episode, Brick is searching for a replacement for his lawn chair, which is fraying. It's very entertaining as his collection of lawn chairs expands, at one point filling an entire room. It's a fun little quirky Brick story, with quite a few funny moments. In the end, he takes the chairs to Big Mike's, but end up with a recliner. There's a funny line at the end about how Brick knows how to pick a chair.
While Sue's story didn't do much for the episode until the end, and I am still annoyed at how long everything with her and Sean is being dragged out, the rest of the episode was great. The episode delivered on comedy, sentimental moments, and emotional ones. It fully prepared the show to say goodbye next week.
Score: 9/10
What did you think of "Split Decision"? Leave your thoughts in the comments!