The Middle - Dental Hijinks / Swing and a Miss - Double Review

Welcome back to The Middle! I have two review for you this week- "Dental Hijinks" and "Swing and a Miss". I thought these two episodes were very different, and I definitely liked one more than the other. So let's get started!

Dental Hijinks

The main focus on this episode was Mike and his tooth pain. He refuses to see a dentist so Frankie gets her employer, Dr. Goodwin, to look at it when he comes over. He agrees to go visit Dr. Goodwin just to get her to stop complaining about it. But when Mike gets there he says that he doesn't want anything done to his tooth. The dentist lies to Frankie and makes up a story. This lie turns into a bigger lie, and Mike feels so guilty that he ends up dreaming about it. He can't handle the pressure and walks into the dentist's office and finally gets his tooth looked at. Imagine the time and energy he could have saved if he had just hadn't lied.

Axl and his roommates, Kenny and Hutch, throw their annual "Bago Bash" at their Winnebago. They realize that they need to do something with the Winnebago since they're graduating so they give tours. Three guys, who are exactly like Axl, Hutch, and Kenny, show up and decide they want the Winnebago. The guys all say goodbye to each other, and Axl realizes how much they'll miss one another. He manages to get the RV back so the guys can enjoy three more months together.

Sue has boy issues this week. She likes Tyler, the guy who drives the golf cart. She tells Lexie that she hopes he likes her back because she really needs a boyfriend right now. She hops on his golf cart and the two have a nice conversation (even though it's interrupted by Jeremy). Tyler invites her to a movie and she's excited until he shows up with his girlfriend. Who invites a girl to the movies if they already have a girlfriend? Luckily, the girlfriend realizes that Tyler likes Sue and breaks up with him. I'm glad that Sue finally got the guy she wanted.

Overall this wasn't my favorite episode of The Middle. My favorite part was definitely Sue's story, and also the few minutes of Brick we had. His beret (or "tam" as he called it) was ridiculous and his musical and Scottish accent were so bad it was funny. I don't know why, but the episode just fell flat for me. However, I did like "Swing and a Miss" much better.

Swing and a Miss

I loved this episode of The Middle, and I really hope you all did, too. I thought all of Hecks had entertaining stories this week, and I think Lexie is an excellent addition to the show.

Lexie spends spring break with Sue at The Hecks. She clearly doesn't understand the their lifestyle as she brings a glass dish as a present. She also asks Sue where she can put the towel so the cleaning lady will find it.

Frankie: "Hey Brick, go find a place for this where it'll look nice." Brick: "The Donahue's?"

It turns out that Lexie wants to spend spring break in Orson because she likes Axl! Sue kind of freaks out about it but eventually decides she's okay with it. The week doesn't go as planned for Lexie as she washes her hair with the dog shampoo and it expands. She looks like a poodle. Then she has an allergic reaction to either the detergent, the pillow, or the sheets. She definitely doesn't look attractive with her hair and her hives. Then her throat starts to close up. Needless to say, Axl doesn't really want to spend time with Lexie.

"I think we Hecked up Lexie." -Sue

When they get back to the apartment, Axl comes over to get his dishes (he put his flip flops in the dishwasher!) and Sue lets it slip that Lexie likes him. He seems surprised, and Sue says that she's tried everything to get her to stop. He later goes to the St. Patrick's Day party looking for Lexie, but runs into Devin. I wonder what's going to happen with Devin? What will happen with Lexie? I'm so excited that Axl knows about Lexie now!

While Sue was busy with Lexie, Frankie tries to figure out why Nancy Donahue told her she should be proud. Frankie has no idea and even asks Mike and the kids. She tells Mike she can't ask Nancy because she would look stupid. "Historically, looking stupid hasn't always been a deterrent for you," he responds. She finally finds out that Brick got into the National Honor Society. Frankie thinks this is a very big deal and changes her plans to attend the ceremony. Brick is so surprised that his patents came that he makes a speech at the ceremony. He even takes a picture!

Frankie actually took the time to dedicate a entire dessert table to Brick and made Nancy Donahue jealous. Brick is impressed especially since she hates cooking. "It's easy to do things you like for people, but doing something you hate? That's love."

Mike was busy with the Quarry's softball team this week. The league has a rule that two women have to be on each team. Unfortunately, the two women that work at the Quarry are old. But Mike runs into the school's softball coach, Tink, at the grocery store and it turns out she has a great arm. He offers her a job so she can play on their team. She is awesome, but she benches Mike because he hurt his back. No one on this team has loyalty- they prefer winning so they're fine with Mike sitting on the bench. Tink gets a better offer and leaves to play for a different team. Mike ends up having to play against her new team, but luckily he plays well. I was glad that his back healed and was able to get the last laugh.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the review, I enjoyed this episode, and I hope the great writing continues. It's hard to believe that it's already March, and we're in the back half of the season.

What did you all think of these two episodes? What do you think will happen with Axl and Lexie? Do you like Sue's new boyfriend? We're you happy that Frankie finally showed up at a school event? Let me know in the comments!