# The Middle- May 23, 2012: The Wedding **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 27, 2012, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle-may-23-2012-the-wedding/623262 "2012-05-27T18:01:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2012, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle-may-23-2012-the-wedding/623262/1 "2012-05-27T18:01:53Z")
I know _The Middle_ doesn’t get as much love 'round here as ABC’s other Wednesday night comedy, _Modern Family_, but for me and Mrs. Homie it’s the show we can most relate to. They’re going to **have to** deal with Brick going through puberty next season. The young actor who portrays him is turning 14 next month (CITE: [Atticus Shaffer - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atticus_Shaffer)), and his voice is breaking pretty obviously, particularly in the last two episodes. Also, I think this might possibly be the first episode where Sue has cried tears of sadness (she’s been frustrated and overwhelmed, but I think this is the first time she’s actually been _sad_). “Your fruit is never gonna look like Goldie Hawn’s fruit! My fruit is never gonna be Goldie Hawn’s fruit, ever, and that’s just my life!” ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2012, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle-may-23-2012-the-wedding/623262/2 "2012-05-27T18:39:34Z")
This is my #1 favorite show. Next is Raising Hope. Everything else falls into place behind those two. (Tho I’ll always have a place in my heart for King of the Hill.) ALL the Hecks are priceless in their own way and we can relate to all of them. Well, except for Sue’s consistant exuberance maybe. I would have become “Goth” by now and whittling my own knives. The Wedding was great. If they have to write in Brick’s changing hormones looks like they’ll have to address how small he is. Could be a good vehicle to help boost the self-esteem of smaller kids. (Having a purpose would be okay, right? It’s not Seinfeld.) ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2012, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle-may-23-2012-the-wedding/623262/3 "2012-05-27T18:42:52Z")
> [@Becky2844](#): > > If they have to write in Brick’s changing hormones looks like they’ll have to address how small he is. Could be a good vehicle to help boost the self-esteem of smaller kids. (Having a purpose would be okay, right? It’s not Seinfeld.) Nah. For all we know, Atticus may hit a growth spurt this summer and come back next season taller and lankier than Axl! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2012, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle-may-23-2012-the-wedding/623262/4 "2012-05-27T19:28:05Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Nah. For all we know, Atticus may hit a growth spurt this summer and come back next season taller and lankier than Axl! 🆒 [I don’t think so](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteogenesis_imperfecta) ---
**Author:** ![nivlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3bc359/32.png) [@nivlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nivlac)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2012, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle-may-23-2012-the-wedding/623262/5 "2012-05-27T20:08:19Z")
I like the show. At first I was kind of leery that the “janitor from Scrubs” will work as “Debra’s” husband, but the comedic acting has been first rate by the entire cast. I’m always amused that the family only seems to eat take-out junk food for dinner, usually burgers and fries. Unlike _Modern Family_ (also on my favorites list) which uses more contemporary themes in its plots, _The Middle_ just does old fashioned comedy with a standard nuclear family. The stories are really pretty basic, but the actors kill in their execution. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle-may-23-2012-the-wedding/623262/6 "2012-05-28T01:40:44Z")
> [@nivlac](#): > > The stories are really pretty basic, but the actors kill in their execution. Yeah, this exactly. I keep wanting to recomend the show to my friends but it’s hard to sell because it’s not edgy or clever like Community and doesn’t have a hook like Modern Family (gay family yay!) I have the same problem with Raising Hope but even that is quirkier than The Middle. I like how Frankie is obnoxious and absurd and people call her out on it instead of her being some kind of martyr. I think Sue and Axl are two of the best characters on TV right now! ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle-may-23-2012-the-wedding/623262/7 "2012-05-28T03:12:52Z")
“Axl” is a dramatic actor in _Frozen River._ “Mike” is a dramatic actor in _Winter’s Bone._ Both worthy of being called “Grit Lit” as far as I’m concerned. As an aside, some of the best lines I’ve heard are in Winter’s Bone when Jennifer Lawrence is showing her little brother how to clean a squirrel because they’re going hungry. As she’s scooping out the guts, before she drops them on the ground, her brother asks, “Do we eat that?” She says, “Not yet.” ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2012, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle-may-23-2012-the-wedding/623262/8 "2012-05-29T01:05:49Z")
Honestly, I think it’s the most realistic portrayal of a family in the history of sitcoms. Only part of the show I really don’t care for is the stuff with Chris Kattan and the car dealership, but thankfully they seem to have cut way back on that this past season.