Wednesday, January 14, 2015

The Middle: A Quarry Story

Well, Sue (Eden Sher) is devastated when they put in a self-serving topping bar at her fast food baked potato job which cuts down on her hours and Frankie (Patricia Heaton) decides that she should get the small job at the quarry even though Mike (Neil Flynn) is reluctant to hire her. But she really turns the place around and Mike is so impressed that he even tosses her the keys so she can mop up the muddy floor when none of the guys are around. Big mistake. It starts out as something perfectly innocent, Sue just wants to show Brad and Carly (J. Brock Ciarlelli and Blaine Saunders) what the quarry really is. However, Brad's selfie, which he posts to instragram, gets out of control and random kids just start showing up, assuming that a party is happening. Sue tries to keep the whole thing under control, but it doesn't work. Kids crawl on the machines and go into the trailer where Mike and Sue works and one person even has the audacity to use Mike's World Best Dad mug. Somehow, Mike finds out about the party and arrives. The show cuts to Mike yelling at Sue, sobbing her eyes out on the couch. He tells her that the quarry has explosives and someone could have easily gotten hurt and Mike would be liable. And that meant he could have lost his job when the family is already poor enough. Mike is beyond upset at her, and begins the grounding off at six months but thanks to Sue's sweet letters, it trickles down to just six weeks though Sue doesn't feel that that is enough and gives herself two more, but, typical Heck move, they forget about it and after a month, the whole grounding thing is forgotten.
In the meantime, Frankie and Mike have finally reached their limit with the hole and hose instead of the kitchen sink so Mike begs his father (John Cullen) to surrender one of his seventeen sinks in his backyard because free is basically all they can afford. Big Mike does this and manages to get Axl (Charlie McDermott) to help him, forcing his lazy butt off the couch. Axl tries to shirk responsibility as he has done a million times before, but that crap doesn't work on Big Mike. He's retired and has all the time in the world. Big Mike forces Axl to look for the exact right screw in a whole pail full of them, but Axl gives up and just uses any old screw, meaning the water squirts in two opposite trails. Fortunately, Big Mike guilt trips him into actually looking for the right screw and the sink is perfectly fixed.
After last week, Frankie's plot line is small but still important. She finds an old, uncashed paycheck, void because ninety days have long passed. However, being the penny-pinching Mr. Ehlert (Brian Doyle-Murray) he forces her to work for him another day. But Frankie literally does nothing, could care less, and sells two cars, more than she has in her time working there. Unfortunately, their joy is short-lived because, as I've mentioned earlier, Sue had that party at quarry.
Now, I do have a few problems with the show. My dad pointed this one out. If Big Mike had so many sinks in his backyard, why did it take two months for them to ask him for one? That really doesn't make any sense. And how in the world did Mike find out about the party? He had to, of course, but how? He's barely online and hates his cell phone. Maybe someone told him? These are some pretty big plot holes and cannot be overlooked. Also, Axl was back at college last week, getting that girl to like him, and now he's back at home on break? Makes no sense. Also, Sue's cow from last week is gone, no consistency in this episode, something that always upsets me.
That being said, it was better than last week's episode and I am so glad that they brought Big Mike back to the show. He's a great character and lives right in town so they should use him more often. He hasn't been on the show since season four. His interactions with Axl are great. And I'm also glad to see Carly again. Where has she been? Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Chuck (Greg Sipes) still manages to get a great line in his ten seconds of screen time, calling Sue, Little Girl Mike
-Mike informs Sue that this a place of  business and there should be no sparkly posters around. Sue immediately excuses herself to get something out of the break room.
-There is also a no singing rule at the quarry.
-Brick (Atticus Shaffer) has his own plot line of obsessing over 1970s game shows. Sue manages to win all his stupid games. It's the little wins in life.
-Frankie steps on a fork in the shower, something that shouldn't happen. Spoons in the shower, forks in the sink.
-Carly makes out with a guy from junior college at the party. Sue is slightly horrified.
-Mr. Ehlert makes it clear to Frankie that he is a married man.
-Because the kitchen is being redone, Frankie has to make a club sandwich in her bedroom as she can't find a plug anywhere else.

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