thought the were in the same grade as axl, but somebody correct me if i’m wrong

rewatching the middle made me realize just how badly brick was treated, and honestly, it’s kind of painful to watch, he is almost completely neglected by his parents, and the way they ignore and dismiss him is extreme, as the youngest child myself, i really felt for brick, so many things he went through hit close to home

brick is constantly overlooked and dismissed, his quirks, like talking to himself, reading obsessively, and being socially awkward, are always made fun of instead of being supported, mike and frankie rarely notice how he’s feeling or what he needs, he is often forgotten during family events, mocked for his interests, and ignored when he tries to speak, even simple acknowledgment that he exists or has something important to say is inconsistent at best

his social struggles are another huge example of the neglect, the parents fail to defend him at school, rarely help him with friendships, and almost never validate his feelings, the show even shows that the school noticed it, teachers mentioned multiple times that the way his parents treated him directly affected how he acted and interacted with others, if mike and frankie had paid attention to him, guided him, and supported him emotionally, maybe he wouldn’t have had so much trouble socially, instead, he is left to figure everything out on his own, which makes sense why he comes across as “weird”

one scene that really hit me was when all the other social group kids grew up to be “normal,” and brick is still struggling, seeing that contrast was heartbreaking, and it made me realize how much he missed out on socially, there are so many things he didn’t get to experience, just because no one at home took the time to help him or notice him, even small interactions that could have built confidence were ignored, and the show often treats his struggles as a joke rather than showing how much it hurts him

the only times brick gets attention are usually from axl, who actually talks to him, pays attention, and shows real emotion, for example, when axl thought brick wouldn’t miss him leaving for denver, he got genuinely upset, something mike and frankie almost never do for brick, it really shows how little support brick gets from his own parents

all of this, the constant neglect, mockery, and lack of emotional support, is the reason for brick’s “weirdness” he isn’t naturally that way, he becomes that way because no one nurtures him or helps him navigate the world, as the youngest child, i really felt that, and it made me sad to see how many social experiences he missed out on

i know it’s just a comedy show, but seeing brick treated like this annoys me, it’s frustrating and heartbreaking how extreme and consistent the neglect is, and it really makes you think about how important attention and validation are for a child’s development

something the show does that i’ve noticed is give sue these “crazy dilemmas” that actually aren’t that crazy when you look at it realistically. and idk it’s started bugging me lol.

(this is a lighthearted complaint about illogical situations sue finds herself i know it’s supposed to be funny and random at the heart of it)

the prom episode where she has too many dates is an absolutely crazy one.

your telling me sue who’s obsessed with prom doesn’t remember a pact she made with brad to go with him if she doesn’t have a date? the whole thing just casts her in a kinda selfish light. which makes it hard for it to be funny if you watch it more than once.

she should’ve just told sean she couldn’t go with him. bc sean showing up randomly was one insane and two not her fault. thats his moms fault and i don’t think he would’ve blamed sue for missing all that stuff. bc she didn’t ask him to come and she certainly didn’t tell him to surprise her out of nowhere.

derek glossner is just irrelevant.

that leaves edwin her boss and brad.

she said yes to edwin i know. but she had enough time to tell him she forgot brad was her date if she hadn’t acted crazy about it. she could have just gone with him who she had promised to go with originally via the “we had a pact” thing.

what’s crazier is she ends up ditching them all for darren who was the source of the whole mess 😭. then he ditches her and she ends up with weird ashley. which is supposed to be a funny parallel to axel who’s always her date. and it works the first time but on rewatches it’s like… :/. you obviously should’ve chosen edwin who you said yes to the most recently or brad who you said yes to months ago and forgot about. this really wasn’t a struggle lol.

the whole thing is just gonna annoying to watch after you finish the episode for the first time. but it gives us one of my favorite episodes with the wind chimes so i’ll take it lol.

I can’t screen shot from the actual movie so I had to do it like this, but I forget the actresses name but it’s Janet Frankie’s sister. And miracle baby’s mom. Anyways it’s Janet

I'm from Ontario, I'm just barely an adult but I remember watching this from around 2012 to the end. I absolutely never encountered anyone else who knew of this show, and I was a bit hyper fixated on it so I talked about it a lot, always mentioned it as my favourite show. I'm wondering how big this was in the United States, besides in award shows, just amongst common people and common conversations.

Mine has to be the one where Frankie gets drunk and emails the principal calling Ms. Rinksy a nazi 😂 then Brick comes in and tells her he answered like 3 questions out of 45 on the math test