The Middle

With the summer winding down and school about to start, Frankie realizes that all of their neighbors have gone on family vacations over the summer, yet the Hecks have spent their entire summer in Orson, Indiana. So, Frankie asks Mike to go on a "quick and cheap" vacation with the kids, and the only thing that they can think of is camping. However, when the kids refuse to cooperate and enjoy the great outdoors, she is reminded of her ruined honeymoon camping experience, involving Nicky (Ray Romano), an acquaintance of Mike’s from high school.

With the summer winding down and school about to start, Frankie realizes that all of their neighbors have gone on family vacations over the summer, yet the Hecks have spent their entire summer in Orson, Indiana. So, Frankie asks Mike to go on a "quick and cheap" vacation with the kids, and the only thing that they can think of is camping. However, when the kids refuse to cooperate and enjoy the great outdoors, she is reminded of her ruined honeymoon camping experience, involving Nicky (Ray Romano), an acquaintance of Mike’s from high school.

When Mike learns that Brick is skipping gym class, he must talk to his son’s fourth grade teacher (Chord Overstreet). Meanwhile, Axl persuades Sue, a new freshman, to schedule a swim class that leaves her with little time for traveling through the hallway to her next class -- thus keeping her from stopping at Axl’s locker and embarrassing him. Elsewhere, Frankie is shocked that the kids feel that Mike is superior to her in the household.

After being humiliated because she accidentally ate Axl’s toenail trimmings, Frankie has a meltdown and decrees to the family that major changes need to take place in every aspect of the Heck household -- and she then packs up and abruptly leaves. Unbeknownst to her family, Frankie heads to her mother’s (Marsha Mason) house for a little TLC and motherly advice to help her through her crisis. Meanwhile, Mike goes to get Frankie, Brick once again rambles about something (a food catalog) that only he cares about, Sue is worried about living in a torn household, and Axl freaks out when he discovers that Frankie walked out with his prized hat.

Axl hasn’t studied for his PSATs, much to the dismay of Frankie, who fears for her son’s future. Meanwhile, Sue tries out for cheerleading and awaits a phone call welcoming her to the squad. Elsewhere, Mike tries to toughen up Brick, when a meeting at school informs Frankie and Mike that Brick has been bullied.

Frankie and Mike consider trading the burdens of home ownership for apartment living; Axl fakes sickness to get out of a test while trying to create a loophole that allows him to still attend an evening party; Sue and her ex-sort-of-boyfriend, Brad, put together a skit about the dangers of texting and drinking while driving; Brick quotes Shakespeare.

When Sue wears an embarrassing costume to a Halloween party, she turns for advice to a stunned Mike, who realizes that his daughter is growing up. Meanwhile, Frankie takes Brick’s social skills group trick-or-treating, and decides to prove a point to the youngsters, after having several run-ins with rude people. Elsewhere, Axl and his friends devise a plan to cash-in on trick-or-treating, but are sidetracked when they attempt to help two children regain their stolen treats.

Frankie and Mike worry that Axl will jeopardize his chances of winning a college athletic scholarship. When he becomes the perfect gentleman for the recruiter’s visit but goes back to normal when he leaves, Mike and Frankie realize they only bring out their best behavior for other people and not their family. Meanwhile, Sue and Brick text with a phone belonging to their Aunt Edie. Things get out of hand quickly as usual.

Frankie and Sue are cast in a community production of "The Wizard of Oz." However, their excitement derails, when the director asks Frankie to tell Sue she is off the play because of her "Crazy Eyes". After a mother-daughter conversation, Sue believes that they both will be leaving the play, forcing Frankie to sneak out of the house for rehearsals. Meanwhile, Brick asks his Uncle Rusty (Norm Macdonald) to attend "Special Friends Day" at school, but a no-show from his uncle leads to lunch, bowling, and a driving lesson for the youngster. Also, Axl is punished for driving blindfolded on a dare from his buddies and spends his time flicking pennies.

Frankie’s parents, Pat (Marsha Mason) and Tag (Jerry Van Dyke), invite the Hecks to spend Thanksgiving at their house. However, the festivities begin to fall apart quickly when Frankie’s sister, Janet (Molly Shannon), and her family also show up. Meanwhile, Mike tries to offer some advice to Axl on how to pick up girls. Elsewhere, Brick attempts to prove his innocence when he is accused of damaging his cousin’s expensive toy, and an excited Sue joins Frankie, Pat and Janet in their gossip sessions.

While Mike tries to keep his Christmas gift of a new dishwasher a secret from Frankie, his wife plans a Christmas Eve party and wants him to install a new dishwasher prior to the festivities. Meanwhile, Sue asks Reverend TimTom to explain the deeper meaning of Christmas to Brick, who questions the holiday after reading the Bible. Elsewhere, Bob’s attempts to act cool annoy Axl, while they work together on a Christmas tree lot.

Frankie has the family randomly assign New Year’s resolutions to each other. Ultimately, Frankie must spend more time with Brick, Mike must smile more often, Sue must give up trying out for things she’ll never make, Axl must keep his room clean, and Brick must stop reading all of the time. With an all-you-can-eat buffet as an incentive for those who can keep their resolutions for a week, the family tries to live up to each others’ expectations. They discover it to be harder than they imagined, when Frankie leaves Brick at work after hours, Axl goes to great lengths to receive a revised grade of A on a paper he submitted long ago, Mike learns that smiling has its advantages and disadvantages, Brick suffers reading-withdrawal, and an ambitious Sue tries to form a band of girls to cheer on the wrestling team, when her ex-boyfriend, Brad, joins.

After Aunt Ginny’s funeral, Frankie realizes the need to celebrate more milestones in her family’s lives. Elsewhere, Axl eats Brick’s school project (causing the usual chaos), and a delighted Sue discovers that a boy at school likes her.

Frankie is disappointed with her volunteer assignment at the Indiana-hosted Super Bowl. Meanwhile, with the Donahues away, the Hecks use the Donahues’ new car for their personal errands. Elsewhere, Sue seizes the opportunity to tell her boyfriend how she feels about him.

Frankie decides to spend Valentine’s Day with her friends and their spouses at a fancy restaurant. At dinner, all of the husbands except Mike buy roses for their wives, angering Frankie. Meanwhile, Brick is assigned to write a paper on love and decides to write about Frankie and Mike’s love. Axl has also been tasked with a school assignment about a life changing event, but thinks nothing special has happened to him that would compare with his friends’ stories. Elsewhere, Sue thinks her boyfriend has suddenly turned into a bad kisser, after experiencing French kissing for the first time.

Justin Bieber is coming to Indianapolis and Sue is desperate for tickets. Frankie decides to buy her tickets, but online tickets quickly sell out. When Sue learns more tickets are being sold in Indianapolis, Frankie takes her there, where line-jumpers get ahead of them. When Sue gets two tickets, Frankie assumes she’ll be attending the concert with her daughter. However, Sue decides to go with her friend Carly. Elsewhere, Mike trains Brick for the annual school spelling bee, and Axl and his friends attempt to break a speed limit of 15 miles per hour on foot.

Axl, Sue and Brick feel that Frankie nags them too much and Mike makes crazy punishments. Frankie and Mike decide to sit the kids down, but the kids beat them to it and sit Mike and Frankie down instead. The kids want a chance to show their parents that they can be responsible, which turns out to be harder than they thought. While Mike and Frankie are out, Axl drives Sue around town to find her lost coat. From the back seat, Brick reads Of Mice and Men aloud so that Axl can write a book report. Frankie and Mike take advantage of their spare time and decide to spend time together.

Despite Frankie’s claims to the contrary, Sue thinks her parents are planning a big surprise party because she’ll be able to celebrate her birthday on her actual birth date, February 29. Meanwhile, Frankie learns that Mike has been taking care of a stray cat at his workplace, but it passes away, so Frankie tries to make Mike confess his feelings. Brick develops a crush on a girl in his social skills group who likes to bite things. When the school decides to cut the group, Brick takes action. Also, Axl becomes instantly bored, so he spends his time vacuuming and eventually becomes obsessed with it.

Brick takes a job delivering newspapers from the town’s newsman (guest star Edward Asner) to save up enough money to buy night vision goggles. Meanwhile, Axl tries to convince Sue that a long-distance relationship with Matt won’t work. Elsewhere, Frankie discovers that Mike has been hoarding batteries.

After attending a new church, Frankie is inspired by a pastor who wants people to live without regrets by fulfilling their own destinies, and goes crazy trying to find her "business". Meanwhile, Brick wants a new bed, so Axl gets a game table and gets crushed by Brick at Air Hockey. Sue starts a babysitting service, but it does not go well when she has to watch an awful boy the same age as she.

Sue forms a connection with her awkward guidance counselor (Whoopi Goldberg) when she goes to talk to her about how "invisible" and overlooked she is at school. Frankie is frustrated when Mike insists on assembling their new bed by himself, causing tension. Meanwhile, Brick tries to relay a complaint to the president about the Presidential Fitness Test.

Brick believes that a four-leaf clover he found is bringing bad luck. Mike and his dad, "Big Mike," disagree over how Brick is being raised. Elsewhere, Axl is shocked when his jock friend Darren has asked Sue to the prom citing her "sunny disposition". Stuck with "accidental" prom date Weird Ashley for a second year, Axl also schemes to have another friend date the other girl he planned on taking, just to keep her away from other guys. But Axl’s plans go awry when Weird Ashley dumps him for a date she considers more her type. Meanwhile, Frankie tries to find Aunt Edie a care giver after she almost set her house on fire.

Frankie has eyes in the back of her head when she busts both Sue and Axl for making some bad choices that they thought no one would ever find out about. But when it turns out that she’s using Brick to be her snitch, Mike is completely against it. Meanwhile, Axl’s weekend getaway to the lake is in peril when Sue discovers him sneaking into the house in the middle of the night and coerces him into doing whatever she commands, otherwise she will tattle on him; and when Frankie is stuck at work, Mike is forced to attend Parent’s Day at Brick’s school.

The Hecks are pleased to learn that Mike’s brother, Rusty (Norm Macdonald) is getting married. However, the joy is short-lived, when they discover that the wedding is to be held at their house. Due to the short notice, Frankie goes out of her way to get everything done in the short amount of time which includes redecorating the house. Meanwhile, Brick cannot attend a friend’s party that same day, due to the wedding. Also, Axl and his friends get summer jobs, but the catch is it that it is their own business. This leads to them trying to get their first task done: removing a stump.