Best TV Show of the Week
The Middle on
ABC
By Catherine Nailog
The Middle’s
episode titled “Mother’s Day II” that aired on ABC Wednesday, July 6th
(8:30 p.m. ET), receives the distinction of Best TV Show of the Week.
Mother’s Day was coming up for the Heck household. Mike and the kids have
forgotten about Mother’s Day and didn’t know what to give Frankie, so they
decided to leave Frankie alone for the day. On Mother’s Day, Frankie was
excited to have the day to herself. Initially, she couldn’t decide on what to
do first: read, sleep or watch Oprah. She decided to read magazines on
the couch, but needed her reading glasses that were in a stuck junk drawer. She
ended up fixing and cleaning out the drawer. As her day progressed, Frankie
spent most of her Mother’s Day doing household chores. By the time she settled
back onto the couch, Mike and the kids returned from a fun-filled day at Brown
County Fair. They had had a picnic, played volleyball, took an old-time
photograph and rode the Ferris wheel. Frankie was envious of them and sad about
her Mother’s Day. She admitted to Mike that her day was horrible. She had
always wanted to go to Brown County. To make Frankie feel better, Mike decided
to do a Mother’s Day redo the following Sunday and take Frankie to Brown County.
The following Sunday
arrived, Axl texted a girl to invite her to the prom and Arlo, Brick’s friend,
arrived for his play date. Arlo was just as eccentric as Brick, maybe even more
so. Fearing that he would have a fit, Arlo accompanied the Hecks to Brown
County. The Hecks and Arlo arrived at Brown County only to find that the fair
was being dismantled. The fair was special for Mother’s Day. Axl became
worried that he hadn’t received a response from his prom date. Sue couldn’t
decide on a souvenir from the fair. The fabulous picnic lunch that Mike and the
kids had the Sunday prior was no longer being provided. The picnic lunch was a
special for Mother’s Day. They all sat on the park-like grounds and ate food
that Mike purchased from vending machines. They attempted to play volleyball;
however Frankie served the ball into a tree, making the ball stuck. They tried
to take an old-time picture, but the photographer was impatient and wanted to
leave. Frankie’s old-time souvenir photo ended up being of her and Arlo. Mike
had gone to get Brick from outside, while Axl was busy trying to get cell phone
service and Susie was trying to decide on a souvenir. The day wasn’t going
right. Frankie wanted to go home, but Mike convinced the Ferris wheel operator
for one last ride. The ride was going well until the Ferris wheel got stuck by
Susie’s souvenir octopus.
Axl received a yes
response to the prom, but it was from a girl that he didn’t mean to text.
Frankie argued with Mike over another horrible Mother’s Day. Mike said
something to Frankie that made her jump off the Ferris wheel and injure her
foot. The Hecks arrived home and Frankie apologized to Mike for her crazy
behavior. She explained to Mike that she feels guilty whenever she’s alone and
away from the kids as well as when she is with the kids and wants to be alone.
Mike doesn’t understand because he never feels the guilt.
This episode deserves to
be the Best TV Show of the Week because it depicted the difficulty
that mothers experience whenever they’re away from their families. Frankie
couldn’t enjoy herself on her free day and was compelled to keep the house in
order. Mike’s desire to please Frankie by giving her a second mother’s day was
admirable. He tried to create a fun day for Frankie similar to the one that he
and the kids had, but it wasn’t meant to be. Like anything in life, things may
not turn out as planned. And it is great to have a loving and supportive family
like the Hecks, who tried their best at giving Frankie a memorable second
Mother’s Day.
Best TV Show
of the Week
The Parents
Television Council -
www.parentstv.org
