The Middle

10 Best Episodes of The Middle - Season 1

The daily mishaps of a married woman and her semi-dysfunctional family and their attempts to survive life in general in the city of Orson, Indiana.

Written by Sophie and last updated on feb 04, 2023.

PS: The following content contains spoilers!

PPS: I will admit that parts of this page was written with the help of AI - it makes my work so much easier to not start from a blank page!

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The Middle - S1E6

#15 - The Front Door (Season 1 - Episode 6)

When Axl accidentally breaks down the front door, Mike insists that, he fix it in order to teach him a lesson, which leaves the Heck house wide open for days. At work, Frankie needs to sell a car within a week or she will have to wear a dog suit outside the lot for promotion. Meanwhile, it's picture day at school and Sue is concerned because she has never had a flattering picture taken of herself.

The episode was rated 7.70 from 538 votes.

The Middle - S1E5

#14 - The Block Party (Season 1 - Episode 5)

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Brick's teachers tell Frankie and Mike that he is "socially challenged". Mike believes that enrolling Brick on a basketball team is a good way to get him to interact with others, but the idea falls through. However, when Mike enters the neighborhood block-party lawnmower contest, he realizes that Brick has some special talents. Meanwhile, Frankie joins a booster club in the hopes of raising enough money for Axl's football team to buy new jerseys, but Axl refuses to give his old one up.

The episode was rated 7.72 from 545 votes.

The Middle - S1E12

#13 - The Neighbor (Season 1 - Episode 12)

When Sue has a run-in with her sons, Frankie fears that a confrontation with the trasy neighbor may be at hand. Meanwhile, Axl attempts to bribe Brick after he's asked to teach his little brother how to kick a ball for a gym requirement. However, Brick is the one turning the tables and it ends up bribing him for another favor.

The episode was rated 7.72 from 473 votes.

The Middle - S1E21

#12 - Worry Duty (Season 1 - Episode 21)

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Frankie is worried that Axl's going to get his heart crushed again when his on-again/off-again girlfriend, Morgan (Alexa Vega, "Spy Kids," "Ruby & the Rockits"), re-enters his life and tries to mold him into the man she wants him to be. Meanwhile Brick learns what it means to be a mother hen when he has to watch over a baby chick for a school science project.

The episode was rated 7.72 from 401 votes.

The Middle - S1E8

#11 - Thanksgiving (Season 1 - Episode 8)

Frankie's plan to have an idyllic family Thanksgiving backfires when Mr. Ehlert demands his staff work over the holiday. Brick goes missing in a corn maze.

The episode was rated 7.72 from 502 votes.

The Middle - S1E13

#10 - The Interview (Season 1 - Episode 13)

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Mike loses his job when the plant shuts down for scientific research after he discovers a dinosaur bone in the quarry. However, Mike starts to get irregular feelings when he discovers how drastically things have change technologically over the years when considering the terms of searching for a job. Meanwhile, Frankie feels she must once again come to Brick's rescue when he decides to run for school historian.

The episode was rated 7.74 from 466 votes.

The Middle - S1E16

#9 - The Bee (Season 1 - Episode 16)

When Mike discovers that Brick is a spelling whiz and won the school spelling bee, he puts all his efforts into training him to win the regional bee, which could ultimately lead to competing in the Scripps Spelling Bee. But as the family gets set for their road trip to Chicago for the regional bee, Frankie and Mike are horrified when they realize they forgot one thing -- Sue's birthday.

The episode was rated 7.76 from 439 votes.

The Middle - S1E23

#8 - Signals (Season 1 - Episode 23)

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Frankie points out to Mike that his social ineptness has been passed on to Brick, leading Mike to decide that both he and Brick need to be more social, and the Heck family BBQ is the perfect time to try. Meanwhile, Axl volunteers to clean the family pool in an attempt to get girls to stop by and swim and Sue tries to raise money for a local parish because her new friend, Reverend TimTom might be leaving in order to keep costs down

The episode was rated 7.76 from 394 votes.

The Middle - S1E14

#7 - The Yelling (Season 1 - Episode 14)

Frankie makes a deal with her kids, that if they do their homework and keep chores she won't nag them. Meanwhile, Mike takes a job as a night driver with Bob.

The episode was rated 7.76 from 457 votes.

The Middle - S1E15

#6 - Valentine's Day (Season 1 - Episode 15)

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Valentine's Day unexpectedly finds Frankie and Mike home alone and ready for a romantic evening while Brick is away at his first sleepover, Sue goes to her first boy-girl party, and Axl has a big date night planned with some friends. But Cupid's arrow doesn't exactly hit the target, and the best laid plans soon begin to unravel.

The episode was rated 7.76 from 442 votes.

The Middle - S1E10

#5 - Christmas (Season 1 - Episode 10)

Mike takes over the responsibility of organizing the Heck family Christmas while Frankie practices for a solo that she is singing at midnight mass. However, she gets jealous when Mike seems to be doing a better job than she ever did. Meanwhile, Frankie and Mike help Brick get over a problem so he can get into the Christmas spirit.

The episode was rated 7.77 from 485 votes.

The Middle - S1E20

#4 - TV or Not TV (Season 1 - Episode 20)

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After failing to pay the electric bill on time, the electric company shuts off the Heck's power. This leads Frankie and Mike to cut down on their unnecessary expenses, including their cable TV. The kids take up other activities to fill the void, but Frankie and Mike have a hard time figuring out what to do. Meanwhile, Brick and his other socially-challenged friends have to go outside for recess when the school library shuts down.

The episode was rated 7.78 from 396 votes.

The Middle - S1E11

#3 - The Jeans (Season 1 - Episode 11)

A hormonally charged Sue wants a cool pair of jeans in order to fit in with her peers, resulting in Frankie and Mike enduring the unpredictability of teenagers, while Axl wants a car to impress a girl. Meanwhile, attempting to teach Brick about responsibility, Frankie and Mike reluctantly allow him to take care of Aunt Edie and Aunt Ginny's dog Doris for a few days.

The episode was rated 7.82 from 478 votes.

The Middle - S1E17

#2 - The Break-Up (Season 1 - Episode 17)

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Axl is heartbroken when his girlfriend (Alexa Vega) breaks up with him; Sue and Brick watch a scary movie.

The episode was rated 7.83 from 425 votes.

The Middle - S1E24

#1 - Average Rules (Season 1 - Episode 24)

Parent-Teacher conferences cause Frankie to worry about the kids. In them she's told Axl is gifted but not applying himself, that her teachers still do not know who Sue is, and Brick may have to repeat the second-grade due to failure to return over 30 library books. Guest star Betty White as the school librarian.

The episode was rated 7.93 from 386 votes.

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