# The Middle **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 26, 2018, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle/814859 "2018-05-26T18:20:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle/814859/21 "2018-05-29T22:29:11Z")
I have really enjoyed the show. I have not watched it much this past season, but it is on my DVR, so I will eventually get around to watching the final episodes. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle/814859/22 "2018-05-30T00:57:20Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > It’s Idiocracy! One Axle begat three more, (and so on, and so forth, and what have you…) and no more Sues or Brads. > > eta: I noticed Brick had a wedding ring at the book signing. Pleasepleasplease let it not be Cindy. Gah! “Cindy” was just gorgeous in the prom episode. I didn’t notice the wedding ring, but it’d take someone special to be with him. I’ve enjoyed the series every season. Eden Sher deserves more roles in particular. And Axl had certainly picked a wide variety of cute girlfriends, though I’m glad he ended up with Lexi. (Did she not know how to clean the house when they showed the teen-aged triplets?) For me the weak point has been Patricia Heaton. If I had an episode recorded, I might skip over the adults speaking, getting to just the parts with the kids. The same is true when watching _Modern Family_. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle/814859/23 "2018-05-30T01:05:10Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I have loved this show since it came out. I feel like there was never a clunker episode. The kids were great actors and even the secondary characters were cool (props to Brad!) Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought the show was discreet about Brad being gay. I don’t think anyone said it out loud, not even Brad himself when he came out to Sue. And actually when Sue first introduced him as her boyfriend, Mike and Frankie were concerned until they met him and then they were completely relaxed about it. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle/814859/24 "2018-05-30T03:00:26Z")
Such a great show, Sue Sue Heck was definitely the anchor of the show… Great supporting characters as well, Nancy Donahue, Reverend Tim Tom, Rita Glossner, Brad, Chuck, Rusty ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle/814859/25 "2018-05-30T04:36:49Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought the show was discreet about Brad being gay. I don’t think anyone said it out loud, not even Brad himself when he came out to Sue. And actually when Sue first introduced him as her boyfriend, Mike and Frankie were concerned until they met him and then they were completely relaxed about it. As far as I know they were until the finale. When they showed the scene of Sue’s wedding Brad was there with an obvious boyfriend. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle/814859/26 "2018-05-30T12:29:34Z")
I think a few years back Brad told Sue “I have to tell you…” and then Sue cut him off, saying “I know”. There was also a storyline where Sue wanted to dump her boyfriend but Brad conned her into postponing it until he had a chance to woo a male friend of Sue’s boyfriend. The Middle worked because the average family could relate to it. Our homes are not immaculate, sometimes things get broken or messy and you don’t always have time or money to address it. The parents aren’t perfect and neither are the kids- except Sue. Our kids get ignored by their teachers and peers, just like Sue. Our kids have their own quirks, like Brick. And our kids are often lazy attention whores, like Axle. I hope Eden Sher gets plenty of work. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle/814859/27 "2018-05-30T13:32:45Z")
I think Rev. Tim Tom was actually Jesus. He was always perfect, never judgemental, always there at the right time, and always had a song ready to go for the most obscure problems. He’s inhuman! And I found out it’s spelled “Axl”. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle/814859/28 "2018-05-30T13:42:34Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I think a few years back Brad told Sue “I have to tell you…” and then Sue cut him off, saying “I know”. There was also a storyline where Sue wanted to dump her boyfriend but Brad conned her into postponing it until he had a chance to woo a male friend of Sue’s boyfriend. I’ll confirm this. I remember it well. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle/814859/29 "2018-05-30T21:15:57Z")
For all you Sue Heck fans, there are talks of a [spinoff for her](https://tvline.com/2018/05/30/the-middle-spinoff-abc-eden-sher-sue-heck/). ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle/814859/30 "2018-05-30T21:29:27Z")
I’ve tried watching a few times and found some of it amusing, but Patricia Heaton turns me off in a major way. She’s a religious fundy with an ugly mouth, and speaking of ugly, she certainly messed up her face with a ton of bad plastic surgery. As the beleaguered Debra on Everybody Loves Raymond, she was often stunning (and yes, way too good for schlubby Ray). Yes, yes, I know time marches on, etc., and I admit I am no oil painting myself. But I think this is a case where ugly outside actually matches up with the ugly inside. . ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle/814859/31 "2018-05-30T22:47:34Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > “Cindy” was just gorgeous in the prom episode. I didn’t notice the wedding ring, but it’d take someone special to be with him. > > I’ve enjoyed the series every season. Eden Sher deserves more roles in particular. And Axl had certainly picked a wide variety of cute girlfriends, though I’m glad he ended up with Lexi. (Did she not know how to clean the house when they showed the teen-aged triplets?) > > For me the weak point has been Patricia Heaton. If I had an episode recorded, I might skip over the adults speaking, getting to just the parts with the kids. The same is true when watching _Modern Family_. We were floored when we saw Cindy in the prom episode, we had no idea how pretty she was. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2018, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle/814859/32 "2018-05-31T01:51:01Z")
> [@Patx2](#): > > We were floored when we saw Cindy in the prom episode, we had no idea how pretty she was. Who cares about how pretty she is? She’s one of the most annoying characters in the show. And when you’ve got Rita Glossner, Diaper Glossner, Weird Ashley, the kid that thought he was a cat, and Rusty to choose from, that’s saying something. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2018, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle/814859/33 "2018-05-31T02:44:32Z")
Cindy is (was?) supposed to be annoying. The joke is that only someone as strange and off-putting as her could fall for an oddball like Brick. The Middle was about as wholesome as a sitcom could get about a dysfunctional family. And dysfunctional they were. So much of the humor was about their inability to get things together in even a minimal way. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2018, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle/814859/34 "2018-05-31T11:49:58Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I think Rev. Tim Tom was actually Jesus. He was always perfect, never judgemental, always there at the right time, and always had a song ready to go for the most obscure problems. He’s inhuman! > > And I found out it’s spelled “Axl”. Rev. Tim Tom is the best minister ever. Every youth group needs Rev. Tim Tom. ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2018, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle/814859/35 "2018-05-31T16:36:16Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > I’ve tried watching a few times and found some of it amusing, but Patricia Heaton turns me off in a major way. She’s a religious fundy with an ugly mouth, and speaking of ugly, she certainly messed up her face with a ton of bad plastic surgery. As the beleaguered Debra on Everybody Loves Raymond, she was often stunning (and yes, way too good for schlubby Ray). Yes, yes, I know time marches on, etc., and I admit I am no oil painting myself. But I think this is a case where ugly outside actually matches up with the ugly inside. > . Wow. Feel better? ---
**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 31, 2018, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle/814859/36 "2018-05-31T19:26:19Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Rev. Tim Tom is the best minister ever. Every youth group needs Rev. Tim Tom. My brother used to work at a church, and I never met their music director but my brother described him as an all-right guy, about our age. He liked to hang out with the guy off hours sometimes. I just imagined him as Reverend Tim Tom. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle/814859/37 "2018-06-01T00:30:50Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Who cares about how pretty she is? She’s one of the most annoying characters in the show. And when you’ve got Rita Glossner, Diaper Glossner, Weird Ashley, the kid that thought he was a cat, and Rusty to choose from, that’s saying something. Just making an observation, especially since it wasn’t apparent, at least to me because of the goofy hat she always wore. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle/814859/38 "2018-06-01T01:44:00Z")
Say, when does Brick do his time traveling? Talk about loose ends left untied! We deserve closure! ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle/814859/39 "2018-06-01T02:17:36Z")
In general, I’m no fan of shows that try to teach edifying lessons, unless they’re subtle and clever about it. _The Middle_ had a nice stealth lesson about going your own way. Brick’s weirdness and Sue’s dorky optimism did cost them some social isolation and pain, when they were younger. But they both persevered, and found acceptance. Their quirks simply ceased to be a barrier. Stuff that is omigawd HUGE in high school just isn’t that important, as you grow up. I especially loved Sue’s graduation, when her class stole her yearbook, and all of them wrote notes about how she cheered and inspired them. I had one complaint about the finale, though. The epilogue shows the three kids’ futures; Axl gets a decent job and becomes a dad, Brick writes a successful series of young adult books, and Sue…gets married. In the age of #metoo, the Women’s March, and awareness of male privilege, that’s a bit patriarchal. Did anyone else think that adult Brick, with the beard, was a dead ringer for David Mitchell? ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle/814859/40 "2018-06-01T03:37:52Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > I had one complaint about the finale, though. The epilogue shows the three kids’ futures; Axl gets a decent job and becomes a dad, Brick writes a successful series of young adult books, and Sue…gets married. In the age of #metoo, the Women’s March, and awareness of male privilege, that’s a bit patriarchal. I thought that a bit odd too. But then I thought about it and The Middle is mostly from Frankie’s point of view. She does all the voice overs. So from her point of view she tells us about what was most important to her. Axl having to deal with little versions of himself like she did with him. Everything turned out well for Brick not despite of his quirks but because of them and Sue gets her Princess Wedding Ending. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle/814859.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-middle/814859.md?page=3)