The Middle’s sixth season premiere kicked off with a bang, and while some aspects of the episode may have been a tad far-fetched, the relatable humor we’ve come to love was still present as the Hecks caught us up on their lazy summer. Surprisingly, it wasn’t all about lounging by the pool. Brick took up a sport (albeit croquet, which he played solo), Axl and his friends expanded their Boss Co business to include landscaping, Mike tackled home improvement with the help of WD-40, and Frankie finally found the time to flip her mattress.
Enter the Year of Sue
Sue is now a senior, and the only one still wearing braces. It turns out she’s had them on for eight years, and all she wants is to make this the most memorable year of her life, ideally without the annoying braces. Frankie pushes the orthodontist (guest star Richard Kind) to remove the braces, even though he advises waiting a few more months due to Sue’s “spongy” bones.
The orthodontist grants her wish, and Sue gets at least one day to show off her perfect teeth. They’re so perfect, in fact, that Axl pays her a rare compliment while trying to come up with an insult: “Sergeant at arms? More like sergeant of pretty teeth!” Even Axl is surprised by his own words.
Of course, this is The Middle, so things can’t stay perfect for long. Normally, teeth shift slightly after braces, but that usually happens years later. Sue’s teeth start popping out in all directions just a couple of days after having her braces removed! It makes you wonder what kind of orthodontist this is, as he didn’t send her home with a retainer right away. It’s common knowledge that you need to wear a retainer after having braces for any period of time. Somehow, a retainer will keep Sue’s rogue teeth in check if she wears it for at least a year, which she’s more than happy to accept.
Brick’s Big Changes
Brick is also undergoing some significant changes in his life: he wants a new backpack. The fact that he actually listens when someone at school points out that his Shaquille O’Neal bag is outdated says a lot. In earlier seasons, he was so attached to his plain old backpack that when Frankie finally threw it out, he was visibly upset. That backpack was his only friend at the time, so it’s a sure sign of puberty that he’s now paying attention to his peers.
He tries out a messenger bag first but soon finds the straps are even too big to adjust to his height. Next, he’s feeling pretty confident that a guitar case will solve all his problems, until, of course, it’s too big and clunky to carry around school. He briefly tries a neighbor’s old baby Bjorn to hold his books before finally settling on a pizza delivery bag. Oh, Brick.
Maybe Frankie will finally start to pay attention to Brick next year if/when Sue is out of the house in college too, but that’s doubtful. Frankie’s always had a penchant for being forgetful, and the family always picks on her for it. Everyone laughs at her for not knowing school had already started for Brick and Sue, and while that is a new low for Frankie, she’s not entirely to blame. Sue is 17 years old and perfectly capable of being responsible for something as simple as knowing when the first day of school is. If she really spent her whole summer preparing for the “Year of Sue,” I would bet she at least had a countdown all summer. Also, why didn’t Brad or Carly call or text Sue to see why she’d been missing all week? Brick’s a smarter-than-average kid who is usually itching to go to a library, so he should have been excited for school to start up.
Axl’s Growing Concerns
One of the funniest conversations occurred when Axl voiced his concerns about Mike with Brick. Axl and Mike had been playing basketball a lot lately, and for the first time in his life, Axl’s started beating Mike. He’s worried that his parents are slowing down, which they are, but this is another surprising sign that Axl is maturing. “Adults are supposed to replace each other. You replace Dad, Sue replaces Mom. Since I was a mistake, I’m free to live life the way I choose,” replies Brick.
What did you think of the premiere?
[Photo via ABC]
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