The Middle: The Smell

This episode wasn't nearly as good as last week's.
Frankie (Patricia Heaton) begins by attempting to clean out the fridge, trying to find the item that just smells horrible in the Heck household. Finally, it is discovered that Brick (Atticus Shaffer) is the reason. So Frankie sucks it up and takes him out shopping for beauty products. At first, in a move she later regrets, she lets him pick out whatever he wants, but that doesn't go well because he over thinks the whole thing. Typical Brick. Frankie helps him because he clearly isn't ready to do this by himself. But then, this also backfires because he pours absolutely everything on to his body which means that the kids around him were getting sick from the stink. Finally, Mike (Neil Flynn) takes the reins and shows Brick exactly how things are done, but that doesn't mean Brick is any smoother with the ladies because he isn't.
Meanwhile, Mike is busy coaching Sue's (Eden Sher's) soccer team. Actually, Sue isn't even on the team until Bill Norwood (Pat Finn) recruited him but the feigned a new, busy assignment at work, leaving Mike in charge. Sue is also on the team though it doesn't look like she gets much playing time. Though the girls are good players, drama and personal issues get in the way. The girls won't pass to each other if they had an argument with the other girl and if their boyfriend dumps her, then it is lights out. Yikes. Finally, Mike pulls a Norwood and recruits another innocent dad to take his place.
Axl (Charlie McDermott) is still trying to figure out Cassidy's (Galadriel Stineman's) painting and asking other girls doesn't help. Sure, they do have some good ideas but it also makes Axl even more appealing and sensitive to them. Despite Hutch's (Alphonso McAuley's) pleas Axl doesn't call Cassidy for some time but when he does, he is able to work out the painting, which covers the history of their relationship. But they are growing apart and Cassidy doesn't want a boyfriend eight hundred miles away so they somewhat painfully break-up for good, probably, though this show has surprised me with this couple already so who really knows. But Axl will always have a special place in her heart. Axl takes the break-up harder than Hutch would have thought, but once some girls come along to comfort him, he perks right back up.
This episode wasn't as touching as last week's by a long shot, but it was still funny, just watching Brick drench himself in the beauty products and Sue falling off the bench. Last week was all about Sue but this episode gave each main actor roughly equal screen time, which is fine but nothing special happened. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Frankie goes as far as looking under the house to see what smells. Apparently, Mama Bats do nurse their young.
-Brick lost his back pack some time ago and doesn't remember the last place where he had it, thus the problem.
-Brick also writes down all the colors that he likes. Now that he's older he has grown to like periwinkle more.
-Sue, along with all the other girls on the soccer team, trash talk Mike. Naturally Sue does that to fit in but she doesn't really mean it. Mike doesn't address that issue. Mike doesn't smile enough and probably drinks too much.
-One of the reasons Mike agrees to help coach the team was the promise of beers after the games and he's done less for beers.
-Hutch is not pleased that Axl doesn't want to go to a party with him and is desperate enough to ask Kenny (Tommy Bechtold) to be his wing man. That won't end well.
-No mention of Darrin (John Gammon) which makes me sad. I want to see my favorite TV couple together again.
-Cassidy was also the first girl Axl ever loved and stuff. I wonder how involved that couple actually was and what was Cassidy's true reason for ending the relationship?