Finally putting a face to the name of Frankie’s high school frenemy, Kirstie Alley guest starred as the infamous Pam Staggs on The Middle. Everyone probably has their own version of a Pam in their lives, but we all might never achieve the breakthrough that Frankie gets when Pam drops by unexpectedly.
One important takeaway lesson from Pam’s visit is that not everything that glitters is gold. By that I mean she was supposedly living on top of the world after winning millions on Wheel of Fortune years ago. In reality, she’s not happy with the direction her life has taken. Frankie can’t believe that this once-popular girl is actually jealous of her. There’s another life lesson reinforced: money can’t buy happiness. The Hecks aren’t rich in the financial sense of the word, but they are a stable and (mostly) happy family which is more than Pam Staggs can say.
While her mom was busy entertaining Pam, Sue was trying on new hobbies out for size in an effort to make a good impression on colleges. Taking a stab at the oboe and then rowing, Sue finally thought she found her true calling with animals. I have to say, her walking in the door at the end of the episode holding a baby cow had me crying tears! She wouldn’t be Sue if she didn’t try everything under the sun at least once, and that’s just one of her admirable qualities. Can’t wait to see what happens with this cow now.
Elsewhere, Axl was desperate to impress Devin Levin. After many attempts, she finally caves and admits that yeah, maybe she does like him too. I used to think Axl’s first girlfriend Cassie was a good match for him. Devin is the complete opposite of her though, which could prove to be an even better compatibility match for Axl.
Brick was in the background of much of the house scenes. Mike even pointed out that Brick was the least annoying person that week. Haha! As usual, Mike’s comebacks to his bizzaro family were some of the best lines of the episode.
Sue: “One word: oboe.”
Mike: “Five words: you don’t play oboe.”
Then later, when Sue brought home an oar from the rowing team:
Mike: “You don’t do rowing.”
Neil Flynn (and actually everyone on this show) deserves so much more recognition for these characters that you really can’t help but love as if they were your own family.
What was your favorite part of this episode?
[Photo via ABC]
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