The Middle rocks Halloween all over again

I know you’re all regular PodClack listeners, as am I. Jay Black and Christy T. always put on a great show (not to detract from Jay’s frequent guests, but the two are great fun to listen to). Nevertheless, I have a bone to pick with their latest installment — The Middle an average show? I think not!

I have to agree with Christy about Frankie, but Brick? Brick is awesome. Sure he’s gotten more awkward since the first season, but that either has to do with the shininess of something new inevitably growing duller, or the fact that the actor is aging. He’s in his gawky years (hey, there has to be relativity in all things!), right smack between cute kid and even gawkier teen, and it’ll take another season or two for him to be truly identifiable as the latter. But he’s always great.

And, in the meantime, we get funny stories like last night’s when Frankie took Brick and his social skills group trick-or-treating. How great was that! I can’t believe one person could actually handle all those kids — it took a rope and a prayer for Frankie to manage it — but I learned that I’d love to see more of them around. Why not?

Sue’s die costume actually was rather funny, and I loved the guy who used her costume like a table to discard his drink at the party. Plus Axl and Brick both got some good zings in there after Sue toppled over onto the floor.

And while I’m not consistently a Sue fan, she and Mike were great together. Christy T. made a good point about Mike and Brick’s relationship, and I think it can be expanded upon to say that Mike himself is great, and Neil Flynn is killing it as a father of three. His initial advice was painfully funny to watch, and it was funnier still when Frankie asked him if he’d told Sue all sorts of things. Nope, just that tomorrow’s another day. Yeah, Mike!

Round two involved the vaguest, broadest answer I think I’ve ever heard. Mike couldn’t even specify what it was about Sue that boys would consider great. The inner-Sue thing was hilarious, and I loved when she paraded out in a hat, a poncho, an animal print t-shirt, and finally a grocery bag purse. Are you kidding me? That was awesome.

It was actually Axl who was weak this time. His plan for selling candy back to desperate parents sounded interesting, and I laughed mildly when he and his friends were playing the superhero part, but I didn’t get much from him. No matter … with or without a solid Axl performance the show is miles above average.

On a side note, did anyone catch the commercial for the CMA awards? I was fast forwarding through it when I thought I saw Brick. Sure enough, upon review, there were Brick and Sue post “auditioning” to host the awards show. That’d make me tune in!

“You know what it is; I’m just too nice.” – Frankie, obsessing over an encounter with a mean man
“Yeah, that’s one theory.” – Mike

Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Oct 27, 2011 @ 15:17 EST5EDT