The Middle Series Finale Review

The title of the episode is true, it really has been a heck of a ride over the last nine years. The way that this family has grown over all of the seasons has been amazing to watch, and it has done that while being consistently funny. Now we have reached the emotional final hour of The Middle.


S9E23-24 "A Heck of a Ride"

The series finale picked up right where last week's episode left off. Frankie is crying, and can't decide whether she wants Mike to hold her or not. The scene is very funny, even though we can't see Frankie or Mike because it's dark. They have a great conversation about Frankie's nightstand cookies, and in the morning Mike wakes up to crumbs across Frankie's side of the bed. On a cookie high, Frankie has accepted that Axl is moving. Axl tells his siblings that he's leaving, and the two very different reactions are hilarious. Axl tells everyone that he has a month, as he starts his new job in June, but Mike discovers that the job actually starts in May, which Axl realizes after a hilarious debate about what the 5th month is.

Axl is upset about how Brick doesn't seem to care that he is leaving. This is a story I did not expect, but it is a great one. Axl is usually not a sentimental one, but he does care, and this story clearly shows it. Sue meanwhile tries to have a moment with Axl, but Axl just wants to talk about Brick. Axl and Brick talk about this in the backseat of the family car, where Brick reveals to Axl how he doesn't know what the room will be like without Axl. Sue interrupts, as she wants in on a moment with Axl. It's then Axl's turn to reveal his hidden emotions, telling Sue how hard it will be for him to say goodbye to her. This scene with the three Heck kids in the back of the car is absolutely wonderful, both funny and heartfelt.

Preparing for Axl to leave, Frankie acts cool so that Axl will want to take her calls and visit for the holidays. There is an enjoyable scene where she puts this into action, as they try to get good boxes from the Frugal Hoosier, and Frankie doubts that they are giving her the best boxes. Right before the family leaves, Mike gives Axl a sentimental gift of a watch with the latitude and longitude of their house on it. It's a very heartfelt scene, and there's a funny part here when Frankie gets annoyed by this. As the family prepares to leave, some neighbors say goodbye, as well as Brad, Lexi, and best of all, Weird Ashley, who has a hilarious goodbye for Axl. As the first half of the finale ends, the Heck family leaves Orson, and it's great when Nancy comments that they are fighting already, she knows them well!

The family heads out, and Frankie is still annoyed about the watch, telling Mike that when she gives a gift, she writes both of their names on it. I had a good laugh at Mike's response when he has trouble hearing her: "Maybe I don't want to get my ears checked." Frankie decides to stop and get peaches, but the peaches end up attracting bees. When Frankie gets an alert that they are nearing their data use limit, she tells the kids to get off of their devices. This is a great way to get the family to interact, which leads to arguing about Axl freezing Sue's head. I love the old recurring jokes that are getting brought up again in this finale, such as this one.

At the airport, Sean discovers the snowglobe. While I dislike how long this story has been dragged on, the fact that it began and is ending with the snowglobe is a great way to weave it all together. Sean decides to rush after Sue because of this, and while stories like this have been done before, it doesn't make this one any less great. Sue and Sean share a great scene, and I loved how the snowglobe broke once its purpose had been served. I also enjoyed the recapping of this story, and how Axl and Brick were involved.

Frankie gets another text alert about data usage, and when she brings this up, Axl suggests she take him off the family plan, because he will get a phone plan with his new job. When he says that he won't be part of the family anymore anyway, Frankie loses it. They stop the car, and she gets out. It is a very emotional scene, and Frankie's freaking out is perfectly balanced by Mike's reassurance that this is the way that things are supposed to be. This family moment on the highway is perfect, an absolutely wonderful moment of emotion. They don't forget the the comedy though, as this emotional scene is accented by the family forgetting the blue bag.

In the final minutes of the series, Frankie tells us about the future for the Heck children. Each one is wonderful, Axl having three boys just like him, Brick writing a novel series party inspired by his life, and Sue marrying Sean. The family has all grown up, and it is wonderful to see them as adults. The wedding scene also gets us one last look at some of the show's recurring characters, such as a pregnant Lexi, and Brad with a boyfriend. I lost it at the wedding, it was such a great moment showing the family all together again and happy. At the end, the family drives off, and it's ended with a perfect final moment with Brick whispering "the middle." The series could not have ended in any better of a way.


I am absolutely stunned by how wonderful of an hour this was, and my expectations certainly weren't low. The Middle creators Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline did a fantastic job writing a finale full of both comedy and heart, with a perfect ending to send the show off. Patricia Heaton, Neil Flynn, Charlie McDermott, Eden Sher, and Atticus Shaffer have been great as the Heck family, and this finale is no exception. I will miss this show dearly, but I am also so happy to see it conclude in such a strong way.

Score: 10/10 (part 1)
Score: 10/10 (part 2)

What did you think of "A Heck of a Ride"? Was it a proper conclusion to the series? Will you miss The Middle? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

The Middle S9E22 Review

We are one week away from the series finale of The Middle now! It's a bittersweet thing, I have been very excited for these final episodes, but I also don't want the series to end. Last week's episode set events in motion to get us headed toward the finale, and this week's episode readies us for that final hour.


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!

The Middle S9E21 Review

Frankie is once again excited for an upcoming royal wedding. And, it's time again for the holiday that doesn't always work so well for Frankie, Mother's Day, the final one that The Middle will be celebrating as it prepares to conclude in two weeks.


S9E21 "The Royal Flush"

The episode begins with Axl telling Mike that he has a potential job offer in Denver. They agree that Frankie can't know about this, but it is harder to hide this from her than it might seem, as Frankie runs into Axl in the middle of the night, and Mike tries to cover up when he accidentally mentions Denver. Based on this, Frankie thinks they are planning something for Mother's Day, and her attempts to find out what it is are entertaining.

When Sue realizes that Mother's Day is coming up, she scrambles to plan something. It's hilarious when she texts the others about it in the family's group text, which Frankie reminds them she is part of. Brick and Sue discover that the prize to a trivia contest is a trip to London for the royal wedding.

Brick and Sue go to the bar for the contest, and there is a funny joke about how Brick looks 32 when you ignore his body. They win, but discover that this was just the semi-final. In the final, they are doing well until Sue takes an ill-timed bathroom break. The two get disqualified when Brick texts Sue to come back to answer a Taylor Swift question, which is disappointing, though it was expected, and the text conversation is quite funny.

When Mother's Day arrives, the family tells Frankie of their two failed plans, first the royal wedding one, then fixing the toilet. The moments here where she gets her hopes up are really funny. The family instead makes the royal wedding day the best it can be for Frankie, which is really nice considering how the last royal wedding went for her. However, the day isn't perfect when Axl finds out that he got the job, and Frankie overhears. The look on Frankie's face is heartbreaking. This final scene gave me goosebumps, the end is near for this show and I am not ready.


There were some slower moments earlier in the episode, but the episode came to a wonderful conclusion with the Heck family putting in an effort for Frankie, and then gave us a final moment that is letting us know to brace for what's to come. Expect laughs and tears in the final hour and a half of The Middle over the next two weeks.

Score: 9.5/10

What did you think of "The Royal Flush"? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

The Middle S9E20 Review

Two Hecks need a push this week, Brick to go to the prom, and Axl to get Sue a belated birthday present for her 21st.


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

What did you think of "Great Heckspectations"? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

The Middle S9E19 Review

Dr. Goodwin is back on this week's The Middle, but this time he reveals his dark side to Frankie, all because of peanut brittle.


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!