Middle of the road?

 

This time, I thought I’d discuss a show that I’m not really sure how I feel about, so that should be fun. Even if the title may make some of you think of it, it’s not actually about ‘Malcolm in the Middle’  but rather another US family sitcom, simply called ‘The Middle’. Despite having nine seasons and therefore being on the air for almost a full decade (2009-2018), it’s not a show that’s particularly easy to find outside of the US or one that I’ve seen many people talk about. However, when it does come up, there are often people claiming that it’s underrated and as I’m torn on it, I decided to share some thoughts.

We caught it for the first time when we were on our six month trip around North America in 2011 and really enjoyed it. As it was about the whole family, it seemed to have a bit of something for everyone (never an easy feat). It was also an interesting experience to watch something so American (specifically central USA, hence the title) while we were visiting the USA. For instance, the 2011 episode where Frankie (the mother of the family and reliable narrator) is obsessed with the royal wedding and wakes up in the middle of the night to watch it felt like an exaggeration for a comedy show. At least, it seemed far-fetched until we came across people in the USA who did that for real. This just made the episode funnier, of course. It’s also interesting that despite it being such an ‘all-American’ show, whatever that means, I felt that it had a fair bit in common with some British comedies. This is partly due to it focusing on the ordinary minutiae and seemingly mundane, small parts of everyday life rather than glamourising it or having big climatic moments or reveals. This was even more apparent when comparing it to the much shinier TV shows that you typically get from the USA (such as ‘Modern Family’, which we discovered at around the same time).

So, I should probably tell you a bit about what the show’s about (that might help). It takes place in Indiana and follows Frankie and Mike Heck and their kids, Axl, Sue and Brick. What’s interesting about them first of all is that they’re a lot less wealthy than the families in shows like ‘Modern Family’ as many of the episodes focus on the Hecks struggling financially. It’s a world away from the huge houses that crop up in so many American TV shows and films or from New York based movies(in fact, when they actually go to NYC in an episode, you don’t get to see it as it’s about them travelling there instead).

This takes us on to my mixed feelings surrounding it as we all liked it years back but then started watching other things and didn’t really think about it as much. It can be pretty tame and predictable and it had a tendency to repeat the same plots, punchlines and dynamics quite a bit so by the ninth season, it felt like you’d seen the same storylines/humour played out many times, with not much sense of it changing.

This could work as a segue into talking about Mike (played by Neil Flynn from ‘Scrubs’ and Mean Girls), as he’s the family member most resistant to change/growth. Mike’s a very conventional, even stereotypical ‘manly man’ but to an extreme degree. There’s not a whole lot to say about him other than that he’s unromantic, strict, completely sports-obsessed, only cares about practical things rather than being creative or a people person and doesn’t ever express emotions or talk about them (apart from anger). He also often gets the luxuries that come with being the ‘fun parent’ without even being fun. I don’t remember finding him this frustrating when we first watched it but I recently rewatched a few episodes and well… I have thoughts. He’s not completely awful and there are worse TV husbands, don’t get me wrong. In fact, Patricia Heaton (who plays Frankie) had a crappy TV husband when she was Debra in ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’. Heck, I love ‘The Royle Family’ and that’s despite Jim being absolutely horrific in practically every way. However, some of the big issues with Mike are how little he considers the feelings of others or what they want or need. He also never admits that he could be wrong as he’s so convinced that his way is the only way. In general, he always just seems uncomfortable with vulnerability or anyone expressing emotions as he’s so closed off and lacks empathy to the point of regularly treating the kids like they’re an inconvenience, unless they’re playing sports and/or winning something.

In some ways, I don’t mind that the show made almost all of the leads have moments that paint them in a negative light as I appreciate that they didn’t want to make it too corny and tried to avoid the cliched portrayal of a super close working class family.* That being said, while it’s fine to be flawed as families don’t always have to get on, it still felt like they relied a bit too heavily on the ‘flawed people’ premise meaning that the show lost some of the heart that it could have had in favour of rehashing some of the same arguments time and time again.

However, there is a bright spot (note that I said, almost all of the leads) and her name is Sue. Sue Heck is, rather appropriately, the middle child of the family as well as the heart of the show. She was always my fave and while it was for a different reason as a kid, I really don’t see that changing any time soon. Too many might call her annoying but for quite a lot of the show, she’s a ray of sunshine who puts up with a lot of shit but perseveres and is unwavering with her kindness, optimism and love of life, proving that that’s all a sign of strength. She deals with constant bullying from her brother, Axl, getting rejected from almost every school club and her family forgetting her birthday with an unfathomable amount of resilience, grace and sweetness. In general, she’s just so appreciative of the little things that it inspires you as a viewer to try and be more like that too (easier said than done sometimes though). Her less upbeat moments when she’s stressed are pretty relatable too.

So, if you’re wondering if this show is worth watching, I’m still not really sure (sorry). I wouldn’t say that it’s a particularly great show but maybe that’s ok. After all, there are still some pretty decent heartfelt and/or funny moments (Ashley is another good character to look out for, I’d say). Also, in the spirit of Sue, I’ll take a leaf out of her book to focus on looking for the positives whenever possible so if you fancy the show, I’d say go for it (although as I said, it is notoriously difficult to find, especially outside of the United States).

*If you’re looking for a really smart, wholesome and original story about a family going through financial difficulties, I’d recommend the ‘No.9’ episode, ‘Love’s Great Adventure’, which aired exactly five years ago today. It’s so beautifully done and has tension, heart and comedy without being saccharine, preachy or condescending as it’s about a genuinely close working class family who like spending time together (rather than one who give off the vibe that they think they’re kinda stuck together, like the Hecks at times). If only this episode was the story all about love that was talked about every Christmas, instead of Love, Actually.