Best TV Show of the Week
The Middle
on ABC
By catherine Nailog
The June 1st episode of ABC’s The Middle (8:30 p.m. ET),
“Errand Boy” earned the program the title of Best TV Show of the Week.
The show depicts another busy weekend in the Heck household. Mom Frankie
must run errands, but youngest son Brick would rather stay home alone; when
Frankie won’t permit this, he chooses to stay with his chain-smoking,
Spanish-novella-watching aunts than spend time with his mom. Axl tried to grow a
beard as a means to bond with his teammates during playoffs. Mike drove teen
daughter Sue and her friends Shannon and Carly to the movie theater; but when he
realized that boys were meeting them there, he decided to go to the movie
himself, to Sue’s dismay. After having sent Sue to the theater restroom,
Shannon invited Carly to a sleepover at her house. She informed Carly that Sue
wasn’t being invited out of fear that Sue might feel out of place at the party.
Mike overheard the conversation and became disturbed at the slight.
Frankie returned from her day of errands with Brick still trying to convince her
to leave him home alone. Frankie told Brick that he wasn’t old enough and that
she never left Sue or Axl home alone when they were nine years old. Mike told
Frankie what happened at the movie theater. He was surprised that Frankie
wasn’t going to do anything about the situation. Frankie explained to Mike that
that’s the way junior high school girls were and nothing could be done about it.
Brick discovered that Sue and Axl were in fact left home alone at the age of
nine. Frankie didn’t trust Brick to be home alone because of Brick’s being
easily distracted; he drove into the bushes while reading and forgot he was
riding a bike. Mike found Sue’s note indicating that she and Shannon were best
friends. His frustration with his daughter’s predicament continued to grow.
Mike found Sue helping Carly and Shannon study for their science exam in the
kitchen. He commended his daughter for being a “loyal friend.” His annoyance
with Shannon had met its limit. He questioned everything that Shannon said.
Sue was unnerved at her father’s behavior. She decided that they should study
in her room.
Frankie had to go to the store to get milk and decided to leave Brick home
alone. Brick was given a list of instructions by Frankie, who would return in
twenty-four minutes. Brick finished his book just as Frankie left. He then
played with the garbage disposal, took a sip of mouthwash and spat it back in
the bottle, played with an electric guitar, and walked around like a robot while
wrapped in aluminum foil.
Frankie returned home and found Brick reading on the couch. She quickly smelled
something burning in the oven. Brick had turned on the oven to cook lunch.
Frankie used the oven for storage of a blanket and explained that the microwave
was for cooking. Brick mentioned that the oven wasn’t part of the instructions
she gave him. Frankie decided to never leave Brick home alone again.
It’s another weekend and Frankie has just taken Brick on her day of errands. He
sat in the backseat of the car that’s filled with groceries. She told him the
last stop would be a car wash. Mike felt bad for Sue not being invited to the
sleepover and decided on creating a fun night for his daughter by renting a
movie. Sue suggested that they invite Shannon and Carly to watch the movie, but
Mike expressed that he’d like it to be just the two of them. Sue received a
call from Shannon wanting to borrow her sleeping bag for a family trip. Mike
was surprised about the call and offered to take the sleeping bag over to
Shannon’s house. Mike arrived at Shannon’s house and met with Shannon’s father,
Steve. Mike explained the situation to Steve, but Steve didn’t want to correct
his daughter’s poor behavior. Mike realized that Shannon ran that household.
Frankie has just paid for the car wash. She returned to her car and found Brick
sitting in the front seat. She instructed Brick to sit in the backseat, but
Brick insisted on being in the front during the wash. While they argued, the
windows were left down and soap suds spewed into the car. They both laughed as
the car wash continued. Mike returned home with Sue’s sleeping bag. He didn’t
tell her what really happened at Shannon’s house because Sue would find out
eventually. He decided to enjoy the evening with his daughter. Frankie and
Brick returned home and had a good laugh at their time at the car wash. She
told Brick why she was hesitant in leaving him home alone; he was her youngest
and that she would miss their time together. She promised to let him stay home
alone as soon as he learned to tie his shoes, which was ten months later.
Two of Axl’s teammates appeared at the house with fake beards. They removed
them, revealing fairly grown-in beards. Axl’s beard consisted of sporadic hair
growth along his jaw and cheek. He was embarrassed and made a deal with this mom
that he would do anything if he could say he was forbidden to grow one. She
agreed only if he would be her new errand boy.
The Middle
is a refreshing look at family life. This episode examined the lengths of what
parents go through to protect their children from harm; Frankie not letting
Brick stay home alone or Mike reprimanding a parent for his child’s bad
behavior. Life is not perfect; it is filled with disappointments and
heartache. Frankie and Mike are parents who provided moments of perfection, of
joy, and of happiness to their children as depicted in a car wash gone awry or a
father-daughter movie night. They try their best in making their children’s
lives better and that is why it is the Best TV Show of the Week.
Best TV Show
of the Week
The Parents
Television Council -
www.parentstv.org
