The Middle: Season 2

2010 · 24 episodes · ★ 7.1

What Season 2 of The Middle

The Heck family returns to Orson, a fictional town in Indiana, for a season of 24 episodes. Frankie tries to keep the household together while selling cars with little luck, and Mike runs a quarry. Their children, Axl, Sue and Brick, bring their own problems: school, Sue's athletic career and Brick's quirks. The conflict stems from the lack of time and money of a lower-middle-class family that wants to keep its good humor. Frankie, the narrator, tells it all with irony as responsibilities pile up.

24episodes

Sep 22, 2010premiered

May 25, 2011latest episode

8.4 hrtotal runtime

Season 2 Episodes

2x01 Back to School
Sep 22, 2010 · 21 min · ★ 7.1
Frankie comes up with a plan to stay on top of her kids' schedules; Brick's new teacher accuses Frankie of being overprotective.
Directing: Wendey Stanzler · Writing: Eileen Heisler, DeAnn Heline · Starring: Brian Doyle-Murray, Chris Kattan, Doris Roberts, Peter Breitmayer
2x02 Homecoming
Sep 29, 2010 · 21 min · ★ 7.9
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.
Directed by: Ken Whittingham · Starring: Brian Doyle-Murray, Beau Wirick, Chris Kattan, Greg Cromer
2x03 The Diaper Incident
Oct 6, 2010 · 21 min · ★ 7.2
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. Meanwhile, after getting on Mike's case to get a physical exam because she thinks men tend to fall apart faster than women as they age, Frankie proceeds to throw out her back and hides it from Mike, who tells her he received a clean bill of health from the doctor; a clueless Sue falls for Axl's friend, Sean, who barely notices her existence; and Brick begins to test all of the age-old urban legends parents tell their kids - such as not to swallow a watermelon seed for fear one will grow in their belly - after discovering Frankie has used these white lies on him in the past.
Directing: Wendey Stanzler · Starring: Beau Wirick, Chris Kattan, Blaine Saunders, Brock Ciarlelli
2x04 The Quarry
Oct 13, 2010 · 21 min · ★ 7.3
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. But Mike's master plan backfires when Axl likes the job so much that he wants to quit school and lead the life of a quarryman. Meanwhile, Frankie is devastated when she fears that she accidentally prayed away Sue's cross-country team after it's cut by the school; and while practicing a magic trick, Brick makes the main TV remote disappear - and can't figure out how to make it reappear.
Directing: Lee Shallat Chemel · Starring: Brian Doyle-Murray, Greg Cipes, Ethan Phillips, Victoria Garcia-Kelleher
2x05 Foreign Exchange
Oct 20, 2010 · 21 min · ★ 7.0
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.
Directed by: Paul Lazarus · Starring: Laura Ann Kesling, Jen Ray, Dierk Torsek, Matthew Moy
2x06 Halloween
Oct 27, 2010 · 21 min · ★ 6.3
Frankie is excited over being invited to an adult neighborhood Halloween party. But will she be able to get Mike to dress up in a costume, or will he have his own idea of fun? Meanwhile, a melancholy Sue's spirits are lifted when she discovers that Reverend TimTom is back in town and hosting a Halloween church event; things don't go quite as planned for Axl, his friends or their dates as they head out to an exclusive haunted house party; and Brick chooses a unique Halloween costume that is not easily defined.
Directing: Jamie Babbit · Starring: Beau Wirick, Paul Hipp, Chris Kattan, Frances Bay
2x07 A Birthday Story
Nov 3, 2010 · 21 min · ★ 7.4
Frankie and Mike are speechless when, on his ninth birthday, Brick demands to hear the true story about the day he was born, which has remained a mysterious Heck family secret. Meanwhile, Axl's new manager at the movie theater turns out to be a conundrum - hot and dumb - which leaves a confused Axl wondering if her hotness trumps her incompetence.
Directing: Ken Whittingham · Starring: Beau Wirick, John Gammon, Sarah Wright, Treisa Gary
2x08 Errand Boy
Nov 17, 2010 · 21 min · ★ 6.8
Brick pleads with Frankie to leave him home alone when she runs errands.
Directed by: Lee Shallat Chemel · Written by: Tim Hobert · Starring: Beau Wirick, Frances Bay, Blaine Saunders, Julie Brown
2x09 Thanksgiving II
Nov 24, 2010 · 21 min · ★ 7.0
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. But when Frankie observes the macho Heck men's non-communicative nature, she encourages a not-so-receptive Mike to engage them in a real conversation and express their feelings. Meanwhile, Brick is ecstatic when he discovers that Bob is bringing his girlfriend, Linda - the local librarian who loves books as much as Brick does - to Thanksgiving; and Sue wants to start a mother-daughter tradition of baking a pie for the holiday, but ends up getting more sliced up than the crust.
Directed by: Ken Whittingham · Starring: Chris Kattan, Norm Macdonald, John Cullum, Frances Bay
2x10 A Simple Christmas Mid-Season Finale
Dec 8, 2010 · 21 min · ★ 7.4
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
Directing: Elliot Hegarty · Writing: Mitch Hunter, Jana Hunter · Starring: Frances Bay, Jerry Van Dyke, David Chandler, Parker Bolek
2x11 Taking Back the House
Jan 5, 2011 · 21 min · ★ 7.2
After years of being at their kids' beck-and-call and never having time for themselves, Frankie and Mike decide to take charge of their lives and regain control over the Heck household. But Axl, Sue and Brick don't plan on going down without a fight.
Directed by: Barnet Kellman · Written by: Eileen Heisler, DeAnn Heline · Starring: Chris Kattan, Blaine Saunders, Julie Brown, Pat Finn
2x12 The Big Chill
Jan 12, 2011 · 21 min · ★ 7.0
Mike freezes Frankie out because he can't fathom how she inadvertently paid $200 for a small bottle of eye cream that she thought was priced at $20. Meanwhile, Axl's fathering techniques are put to the test when he has to take care of a mechanical infant doll for health class, and Sue and Brick desperately search for a way to fix a hole that they caused in Sue's bedroom wall.
Directing: Lee Shallat Chemel · Starring: Rick Overton, Chris Kattan, America Young, Rebecca Ann Johnson
2x13 Super Sunday
Jan 19, 2011 · 21 min · ★ 6.3
As the Super Bowl approaches, Mike is thrilled when Brick takes his advice and studies up on football in order to understand and talk the sport. But Axl thinks his little brother is taking over his turf by being Mike's football buddy - a position Axl used to cherish. Meanwhile, Frankie thinks her professional career is looking up when Mr. Ehlert chooses her to accompany him to a managerial seminar, and ex-boyfriend Brad asks Sue to be his dance partner for the school's annual Square Dancing with the Stars.
Directing: Paul Lazarus · Starring: Brian Doyle-Murray, Chris Kattan, Pat Finn, Brock Ciarlelli
2x14 Valentine's Day II
Feb 9, 2011 · 21 min · ★ 6.8
Axl has a new girlfriend he wants to impress on Valentine's Day, while Brick has a crush on a fellow student and Mike accidentally lets the news slip out, humiliating his shy son. Elsewhere, Sue searches for a boy she kissed on a Halloween hayride.
Directing: Lee Shallat Chemel · Starring: Isabella Acres, Blaine Saunders, Raymond Ochoa, Chelsea Tavares
2x15 Friends, Lies and Videotape
Feb 16, 2011 · 21 min · ★ 7.0
Frankie looks for a friend for Brick; Sue sneaks into an R-rated movie against Mike's wishes; and Axl and his band need a hot female for their music video and try to get stealth footage of their sexy biology teacher.
Directed by: Alex Reid · Written by: Tim Hobert · Starring: Beau Wirick, Blaine Saunders, Kristin Cavallari, Nick Shafer
2x16 Hecks on a Plane
Feb 23, 2011 · 21 min · ★ 6.8
Sue wins a family trip to New York, and the flight turns into a comedy of errors.
Starring: Luenell, Charles Emmett, John M. Keating, Ant
2x17 The Math Class
Mar 2, 2011 · 21 min · ★ 7.0
Frankie once again goes head to head with Brick's third grade teacher, Ms. Rinsky, when Brick gets a D on his math test and Frankie thinks poor teaching skills are to blame. But Frankie wonders whether or not she can make the grade when Ms. Rinsky requires that she and Mike attend a class to test their own math skills. Meanwhile, while begrudgingly watching over their crusty, old aunts, Axl and Sue mull over a plan to accompany Aunt Edie on a search for a time capsule she buried when she was young.
Directed by: Alex Reid · Written by: Mitch Hunter · Starring: Frances Bay, Doris Roberts, Mary-Pat Green, Jeanette Miller
2x18 Spring Cleaning
Mar 23, 2011 · 21 min · ★ 7.6
Spring Break turns out to be anything but peaceful when the Hecks try to clean up 20 years of junk accumulated throughout the house. But digging through the past leads to some things that were better left forgotten. Meanwhile, Brick opens up a lucrative neighborhood information stand, giving advice on everything for a dollar per query.
Directed by: Barnet Kellman · Starring: Michael Patrick McGill, Jerry Hauck, Jen Ray, Kenneth Chang
2x19 The Legacy
Apr 13, 2011 · 21 min · ★ 7.6
Mike punishes Axl by forbidding him from playing in the last basketball game of the season. Meanwhile, Brick begins wearing his cousins hand-me-downs, and Sue wins a trophy.
Directing: Adam Davidson · Starring: Sarah Rush, Greg Cromer, David Chandler, Parker Bolek
2x20 Royal Wedding
Apr 20, 2011 · 21 min · ★ 7.4
Frankie gets swept up in the excitement of the upcoming royal wedding. Meanwhile, Mike has to make a few layoffs at the quarry, and Brick helps Sue with her audition for the school news team.
Directed by: Ken Whittingham · Starring: Greg Cipes, Troy Metcalf, Malcolm Foster Smith, Brian Palermo
2x21 Mother's Day II
May 4, 2011 · 21 min · ★ 7.5
Things don't go as planned when Mike and the kids give Frankie a day without the family as a Mother's Day gift.
Directed by: Lee Shallat Chemel · Written by: Tim Hobert · Starring: Brian Doyle-Murray, Chris Kattan, Nick Shafer, Celia Finkelstein
2x22 The Prom
May 11, 2011 · 21 min · ★ 7.2
After learning that Axl text-invited the wrong girl to prom and plans to solve the situation by standing her up, Frankie and Mike demand that he meet the girl face-to-face in a timely manner to gently break off the date - or face the music and take her to the big event. Meanwhile, Sue and her friend, Carly, try in earnest to fit in with the school's "B" crowd during lunch, and after a successful first show, Brick begins to bore Frankie and Mike with his impromptu one-man plays.
Directed by: Ken Whittingham · Starring: Beau Wirick, Paul Hipp, Blaine Saunders, Nick Shafer
2x23 The Bridge
May 18, 2011 · 19 min
Frankie and Mike attempt to cure Brick of his irrational fear of crossing over bridges. Meanwhile, Axl is pitted against nemesis Sean Donahue when a lifeguard position opens up at the local public pool, and Frankie is ready to pull her hair out when she tries to help an indecisive and emotional Sue pick out a two-piece bathing suit to wear on the pool's opening day.
Directed by: Lee Shallat Chemel · Starring: Beau Wirick, Chris Kattan, Blaine Saunders, Jen Ray
2x24 Back to Summer Season Finale
May 25, 2011 · 21 min
With only three days left until summer vacation, Frankie is ecstatic that she's made it through another school year with the family. But her happiness turns to panic when she and Mike learn that Brick needs to write a daily journal and turn it in to Ms. Rinsky or risk not moving up to the fourth grade; that Axl hasn't fulfilled his required 30 days of community service; and that, because of an error, Sue must prove that she never took a sick day from school in order to receive a perfect attendance award at her middle school graduation ceremony.
Directing: Ken Whittingham · Starring: Doris Roberts, Andy Milder, Patrika Darbo, Jan Hoag