Frankie rescues a lost dog, Sue surprisingly makes the volleyball team, and Axl needs Brick’s help with school on the latest episode of The Middle.
Frankie discusses how people are pretty self-reliant where they live, but if you can’t do something yourself, you ask your family for help. Axl then dumps a pile of his laundry on the kitchen table for everyone to help fold. It’s expiration date soup night. Mike suggests they stop cutting corners on food. Frankie tells him they no longer have any corners to cut and they’re living in a circle. Sue informs the family she’s going to try out for the volleyball team. Axl then notices that Fankie painted her fingernails blue. He tells her should have done something about her sandpaper elbows as the rest of the family begins to pick on her painting her nails. Sue thinks it’s good because she read that older people should do something to draw attention away from their face. Later that night, Fankie is removing the nail polish as she tells Mike she gets teased way more than him. Mike says, “Hey, everyone gets teased around here. That’s how we show affection.” Frankie says she’s sick of it and would rather have a hug to show affection.
Three of Axl’s four professors pull him aside to talk to him about his poor performance. When they tell him he is not going to be able to pass, he automatically assumes he can if he buckles down just like he did in high school. Unfortunately, they inform him that buckling down will not help. They each tell him to drop their class.
Frankie asks Mike to answer the phone. He replies, “Can’t think of anyone I would like to talk to.” He notices it’s the school calling and they let it go to the answering machine because it’s never good news when the school calls. The message is from the volleyball coach letting them know that Sue has made the volleyball team. Surprised and worried the coach has made a mistake, they answer and ask her to confirm it. She informs them that Sue did indeed make the team. She also asks if they have a lawyer and tells them Sue needs to return the release forms they sent her home with. Frankie tells Mike, “Now when she gets home, act surprised.” Mike replies, “Oh, I don’t have to act.” They can hear Sue coming up to the door thanks to her joyful and loud screaming. She informs them that she has made the volleyball team. Sue explains that when she was called on, she went to spike the ball and fell through the floor into the janitor’s break room. They sent home release forms with Sue to avoid a lawsuit.
When Axl is unusually nice to Brick, Brick tells him, “I’m not going to fold your underwear.” Axl says he doesn’t need him to. Instead, he tells Brick he can finally come to see the college. Brick is very excited. They walk in to find Sue jumping up and hitting the wall. She created a jumping meter to see how high she can jump. Mike and Frankie walk in. They all decide to take a turn at trying to hit the top. Mike hits the top without even having to jump. Axl jumps up and hits the top. Brick tries, but doesn’t even hit it. Frankie squats down to jump up, but hurts herself in the process. She’s unable to jump up from the squatting position. They all begin to pick on Frankie. She claims it was because of her work shoes. Mike sarcastically comments, “Yeah, the rubber soles made you stick to the ground.” They all continue to laugh as Frankie walks away.
Brick comments that his tour of campus was short as they enter Axl’s dorm room. He tells Brick there is plenty to read in his room as he opens one of his textbooks in front of Brick. Axl then tells Brick to pretend Axl is an alien and needs to learn all of this stuff in one day. Brick realizes that Axl only brought him to college to help him study. Axl explains that he’s been told to drop three of his four classes. His fourth class is music appreciation, “which everyone calls clap for credits,” and he’s barely passing that. He admits that he doesn’t get anything done without Mike and Frankie around to nag him. Brick agrees to help him.
While driving, Fankie sees a lost dog alongside the road. She likes the attention it gives her so she brings it home. She names it Colin Firth. Mike tells her they can’t keep it. The dog is mean to everyone, but Frankie.
Sue asks Mike if he is going to come watch her game. He asks if she’s going to play. She says no, but tells him a cheer she says while on the sideline. Mike says, “Yeah, that’s good. Not get in the car good.” Mike ends up deciding to go to Sue’s game. The coach sees him sitting there and tells the other coach, “That’s floorboard’s dad.” They think the man in a suit next to Mike is his lawyer. Not wanting another lawsuit, the coach puts Sue in, “Floorboard, you’re in.” It’s match point. The ball comes over, hitting sue in the head, which sends it back over the net. The other team returns it and while she’s on the ground the ball hits her head again. This sends the ball back over the net. The other team loses it and Sue’s team wins. They raise her up as they chant “Floorboard.”
Brick asks Axl for his class syllabus. Axl doesn’t know what that is and grabs a protractor instead. He finds his math homework made into an airplane in his philosophy folder. They only thing he has to show for his work is a map of where the “hot chicks” sit in class. He realizes there’s no hope. Axl tells Brick to learn from his mistakes. Brick replies, “That’s a lot to learn.” Brick helps Axl drop his classes.
When Frankie’s dog is mean to them yet again, Mike says it’s time to get rid of the dog. Frankie claims she’s going to put up flyers. Mike tells her they all now she won’t do it. They all say the dog is horrible. Axl says, “He’s psycho.” Brick claims, “He really doesn’t add anything.” Frankie says she doesn’t want to get rid of the dog because he’s the only one in the house that likes her. She then goes on a rant about how they demand everything from her and constantly pick on her, “I’m sorry. I thought the word juicy was supposed to go in the front.” She says it takes a serious toll on her, “I have the weight of all of your ridicule and disdain piled on my back.” She adds, “I’m not just a mom punching bag. I’m a person with feelings,” before walking away and leaving them stunned in the living room. They stand outside Frankie’s bedroom door arguing about who is going to go in first to apologize. They all walk in together. Sue apologizes first and tells Frankie that she means everything to her. Brick says she does lots of stuff better than jumping. Axl says sometimes people mess up, as he relates it to his own situation by adding that we all make mistakes as we go along. Mike comments that college has actually taught Axl something, not knowing that he’s doing poorly. As the show ends, they hold Frankie up so she can hit the jump meter. She reminds us that family is always there to lift you up.
image: ABC
