The Middle

Yritettyään huonolla menestyksellä saada lapsensa valmiiksi ensimmäistä koulupäivää varten Frankie tekee suunnitelman, jonka avulla hän aikoo pysyä kartalla lastensa aikatauluista, jotta hän voisi järjestellä heidän elämänsä paremmin.

Mike and Frankie must decide whether to attend Axl's football game or Sue's first cross-country meet; after raking the yard, Brick wants to set the leaves free in the forest.

While shopping for baby diapers for Sue, who has run out of them on a baby-sitting job, Frankie is completely humiliated when a clerk assumes she's shopping for adult diapers.

When Axl is suspended for skipping school, Mike decides it's time to teach his son a lesson about life and makes him go to work with him at the quarry.

Against the family's wishes, Frankie invites a Japanese foreign exchange student to live with them, in the hopes of exposing him to American life; however, the Hecks get frustrated when he shows no interest in them or America.

Frankie innostuu saadessaan kutsun naapuruston halloween-juhliin, mutta Mike aiheuttaa ongelmia.

Brick vaatii kuulla totuuden siitä päivästä, kun hän syntyi, sillä se on pysynyt salaisuutena.

Brick on kyllästynyt lähtemään aina Frankien mukaan, kun tämä hoitaa viikonlopun askareitaan.

Mike begrudgingly invites his brother, Rusty, who is temporarily living in a tent, and his father, Big Mike, who has recently broken his hip, to join him for the annual Heck family Thanksgiving.

While Frankie's parents Tag and Pat visit for Christmas, Mike is less than thrilled. To make matters worse, the Hecks have a disagreement with them over Frankie's idea on how to celebrate the holiday without exchanging presents