The Middle

In the premiere episode, Frankie is struggling in her career as a car salesperson because she has failed to actually sell a car. Sue has auditioned for show choir and, to everyone's shock, makes the team, but fails to mention that she's part of the stage crew. To top things off, Brick wants Frankie to come to his class presentation dressed as a superhero. Just when Frankie thinks she's got a car sold and her kids under control, she does show up to Brick's class dressed as a superhero -- but he's given her the wrong day -- and the car she thought she had sold is stolen right in front of her. Work and home have taken over Frankie's life... to the point that she barely recognizes herself and has even taken to coloring her hair with a magic marker. Her youth has faded and the day-to-day grind has worn her down, but it's family and the struggles they face together that keep Frankie and the rest of the Hecks one big happy mess.

Facing financial disaster, Frankie tries to save her job by organizing a publicity stunt involving a car filled with jelly beans; Sue fails swim team tryouts, and then learns she needs glasses; and when Brick can't check books out of the library because Frankie can't pay a $200 library fine, he starts reading his mother's steamy romance novels.

Frankie and Mike's romantic plans for their anniversary are thwarted by a sick Brick, a lovesick Sue, a learner's permit-toting Axl, two crazy aunts and their diaper-wearing dog.

Meek daughter Sue finally succeeds in doing something right by selling thousands of dollars' worth of sausage and cheese samples for the school, which makes her eligible to travel to the state capitol. But when the school fails to recognize her achievement, Frankie urges her daughter to fight for her right to collect her well-deserved prize. Meanwhile, Brick discovers that love isn't all it's cracked up to be when his first girlfriend proves to be a bit on the bossy side.Meek daughter Sue finally succeeds in doing something right by selling thousands of dollars' worth of sausage and cheese samples for the school, which makes her eligible to travel to the state capitol. But when the school fails to recognize her achievement, Frankie urges her daughter to fight for her right to collect her well-deserved prize. Meanwhile, Brick discovers that love isn't all it's cracked up to be when his first girlfriend proves to be a bit on the bossy side.

Brick's teachers tell Frankie and Mike that Brick tested as "socially challenged" -- so Mike thinks basketball is the answer to help Brick interact with others. When that fails, Mike enters the neighborhood block-party lawnmower contest and discovers that Brick has a talent for souping up machines. Meanwhile Frankie joins the booster club to raise money for new football jerseys for Axl's team -- but Axl refuses to give his old one to her.

Frankie is caught in the middle when Axl accidentally breaks down the front door, and Mike insists that he fix it -- which could leave the Heck house wide open for days. Meanwhile, Frankie must sell a car within a week or be forced to wear a dog suit outside the lot. And it's school picture time for Sue, who has never had a flattering photo taken of her.

When the Heck family goes into a cleaning frenzy in order to get the trash out to a passing garbage truck, Frankie accidentally hits Brick with a beer bottle as she attempts to toss it into a bag - causing a small scratch. But when Brick innocently informs his school that his scratch was caused by his mother throwing a beer bottle at him, a social worker is called to look into the matter - sending Frankie into a panic to give off the image that the Hecks are a picture-perfect family. Meanwhile, Bob must help an uncooperative Mr. Ehlert shoot a new commercial advertising the car lot.

Frankie's dream of an idyllic family Thanksgiving is thwarted when Mr. Ehlert forces the staff to work on the holiday. Meanwhile, Frankie and Mike approve of a clueless Sue's first boyfriend -- who turns out to be a safe choice -- and a panicked Axl loses Brick in a corn maze.

Frankie observes what she thinks are the perfect siblings, and it becomes her mission in life to make her kids stop fighting with one another and interact as a loving family. Meanwhile, Mike contemplates firing Aunt Edie after she makes a costly mistake at the quarry.

While Frankie focuses on rehearsing for a solo in her church's midnight Christmas mass, Mike takes over handling the chores of setting up the Heck family Christmas. But Frankie becomes a bit jealous when it seems that Mike is doing a better job at organizing the holiday than she would have done. Meanwhile, Frankie and Mike try to help Brick overcome a problem in order to get into the holiday spirit.

Frankie and Mike must endure the unpredictability of teenagers when a hormonally charged Sue wants a cool pair of jeans in order to fit in with her peers -- and Axl wants a car to impress a girl. Meanwhile, in an attempt 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.

Frankie fears that a confrontation with trashy neighbor Rita Glossner (guest star BROOKE SHIELDS) is at hand when Sue has a run-in with her sons. Meanwhile, Axl tries to bribe Brick when he's asked to teach his little brother how to kick a ball for a gym requirement. But it's Brick who turns the tables on Axl and ends up bribing him for another favor.

Mike's discovery of a dinosaur bone in the quarry causes the plant to get shut down for scientific research -- leaving him out of a job. But Mike begins to feel like a dinosaur himself when he discovers how drastically things have changed technologically over the years in 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.

Frankie vows to stop yelling at and nagging her kids if they agree to follow-through on their schoolwork and chores without her intervention. Meanwhile, Mike reluctantly takes a night job as a driver delivering snack cakes with Bob.

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.

When Mike discovers that Brick is a spelling wiz and won the school spelling bee, he puts all of 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.

Frankie and Mike are excited to discover that Axl has found the perfect girlfriend, Morgan (guest star ALEXA VEGA -- Spy Kids), and that he's in love. But just as they start to get used to his new, sunny outlook on life, Morgan does the unthinkable and breaks up with him -- leaving Axl completely heartbroken. Meanwhile, Sue learns that she's not the greatest of babysitters when she's put in charge of watching Brick and freaks him out (as well as herself) by letting him watch a scary movie.

Frankie fears her job at the car dealership may be on the line when hardcore motivational consultant Abby (guest star AMY SEDARIS) is hired to whip the sales staff into shape. Meanwhile, with Frankie putting in extra hours at work, Mike has to deal with issues at home, including getting a pool table in order to make the house more fun for Axl and his friends, giving advice to Sue's slightly confused ex-boyfriend, and helping Brick with a school project.

Mr. Ehlert takes a liking to Mike and presents him with two tickets to the Final Four -- Mike's dream come true! But when Frankie's uncle passes away and the funeral is set for the day of the game, a battle begins to brew as Frankie forces Mike to choose which life event is most important to him. Meanwhile, Sue attempts to help Brick get out of going to a birthday party by impersonating Frankie over the phone but panics when she realizes that Frankie is going to make a call for real in order to get him out because of the funeral.

After having their power turned off because they couldn't afford to pay their electric bill on time, Frankie and Mike decide to cut out unnecessary expenses -- starting with their cable TV. But while the kids adapt to the change by doing other activities, Frankie and Mike find themselves not knowing how to fill in the time they used to spend in front of the tube. Meanwhile, Brick and his fellow socially challenged friends are dealt a major blow when the school library is closed during recess, and they are forced into the outside world on the playground with their fellow students.

Frankie is worried that Axl's going to get his heart crushed again when his on-again/off-again girlfriend, Morgan (guest star ALEXA VEGA), 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.

Mother's Day for Frankie is anything but serene when she finds herself doing more for Mike and the kids and less for herself. But Frankie learns that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree when she escapes the family for a few hours to go to her mom's (guest star MARSHA MASON -- The Goodbye Girl, Chapter Two) house and ends up acting like a child by making her wait on her hand-and-foot. Meanwhile, Sue feels guilty when she steals a motivational magnet from a store whose message actually enticed her to shoplift it.

The Heck family BBQ is being planned as spring rolls around, and Mike decides it's time for he and Brick to attempt to be more social at the event when Frankie points out that Mike's own social ineptness was passed on to Brick. Meanwhile, Axl sets out to clean the family pool in order to entice the girls to stop by for a swim ¬-- in their bikinis; and Sue finally finds someone who totally understands her -- church youth group leader Reverend TimTom (guest star PAUL HIPP) -- but upon learning that he may be leaving the parish due to budget cuts, she attempts to raise money to help finance his stay.

After attending year-end school parent-teacher conferences, Frankie and Mike are shocked to discover that Brick may be held back from going to the third grade because the school librarian, Mrs. Nethercott (guest star BETTY WHITE), has it out for him due to 31 unreturned books; and Axl's aptitude test results reveal him to be academically gifted. But Frankie makes it her mission to get an overlooked Sue the recognition she deserves when none of her teachers even realize that she's in their classes.

After a disastrous attempt to get her kids ready for the first day of school, Frankie devises a plan to stay on top of her kids' schedules in order to better organize their lives. But things go from bad to worse when Frankie -- aided by a reluctant Mike -- tries to be preemptive and explains Brick's eccentric quirks to his new, no-nonsense teacher, Ms. Rinsky (guest star DORIS ROBERTS), and gets accused of being over protective. Meanwhile, Sue is so enthusiastic about being on the school's cross-country team that she wears a heavy sweatshirt touting her team spirit in 80-degree heat, and Axl's body clock gets thrown for a loop when Frankie begins waking him up for school with an alarm clock, on the second season premiere.

Axl has just made the varsity football team, much to Frankie's delight, and she looks forward to a life-long dream of dressing up and walking him out on the field with Mike during homecoming. However, when she learns that Sue's first cross-country meet is the same day, Frankie and Mike must each make a Sophie's Choice-like decision on which kid's activity to attend. Meanwhile, Mike gets Brick to rake up the leaves in the yard but is thrown when instead of taking them to the dump, Brick wants to set them 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. 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.

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.

Frankie's best laid plans go awry when she convinces Mike and the kids that the Heck family should host a foreign exchange student from Japan (guest star MATTHEW MOY) to expose him to life in an average American family. But the Hecks become frustrated when the student shows no sign of interest whatsoever in the family.

Excited over being invited to the neighborhood Halloween party, Frankie encourages Mike to dress up in costume -- but he might just have his own idea of fun. Meanwhile, a melancholy Sue's spirits are lifted when she discovers that Reverend TimTom (guest star PAUL HIPP) is back in town and hosting a Halloween church event; things don't go quite as planned for Axl, his friends and their dates as they head out to an exclusive haunted house party; and Brick chooses a unique Halloween costume that is not easily defined.

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.

Brick is sick and tired of being forced to accompany Frankie on her weekend errands and pleads with her to let him stay home alone. Meanwhile, Mike is torn over how to deal with Sue's friend when he overhears her diss his daughter. And, with his fellow teammates all growing beards for the football playoffs, Axl attempts to grow one of his own -- with mixed results.

Mike begrudgingly invites his brother Rusty (guest star NORM MACDONALD), who is temporarily living in a tent, and his father Big Mike (guest star JOHN CULLUM), 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 Lisa -- 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.

The Hecks countdown the 12 days of Christmas with Frankie's parents, Pat (guest star MARSHA MASON) and Tag (guest star JERRY VAN DYKE), when they come to town to spend the holiday with the family -- much to Mike's dismay. But when Frankie decides that she wants to take the focus off of the gifts and make it a simple Christmas, Pat and Tag have other ideas in mind.

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.

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.

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 (guest star BRIAN DOYLE-MURRAY) chooses her to accompany him to a managerial seminar, and ex-boyfriend Brad (guest star J. BROCK CIARLELLI) asks Sue to be his dance partner for the school's annual Square Dancing with the Stars.

As Valentine's Day approaches, Frankie becomes elated when elusive son Axl asks her to accompany him to help pick out a present and choose a restaurant to impress his mysterious new girlfriend -- who may be way out of his league. Meanwhile, Mike inadvertently spills the beans about Brick's crush on fellow student Autumn (guest star ISABELLA ACRES), which totally humiliates his extremely shy son; and forgetting to get a name or e-mail address, Sue begins a diligent search for the boy she kissed during a Halloween hayride.

Fearing that a friendless Brick could be missing out on his childhood, Frankie makes it her mission to find a suitable friend for him. Meanwhile, after Mike forbids Sue from seeing an R-rated film, she goes against her father's wishes and sneaks into a movie theater with her friend Carly (guest star BLAINE SAUNDERS); and Axl and his band need a hot chick to appear in their online music video and attempt to shoot footage of their sexy biology teacher, Ms. Devereaux (guest star KRISTIN CAVALLARI) -- without her knowledge or consent.

After Sue wins a family trip to New York, Murphy's Law goes into full effect and it's anything but a smooth flight, when the Hecks board a plane and fly to the Big Apple.

Frankie once again goes head-to-head with Brick's third grade teacher, Ms. Rinsky (guest star DORIS ROBERTS), when Brick gets a 'D' on his math test, and Frankie thinks bad teaching skills are to blame. But Frankie wonders whether or not she can make the grade when Ms. Rinsky makes her and Mike attend a class to test their own math skills. Meanwhile, Axl and Sue, while begrudgingly watching over their crusty, old aunts, mull over a plan to accompany Aunt Edie on a search for a time capsule she had buried years ago when she was young.

Spring Break turns out to be anything but peaceful when the Hecks attempt to clean up 20 years of junk accumulated throughout the house. But digging up the past leads to things that were better left buried and forgotten. Meanwhile, Brick opens up a lucrative neighborhood information stand, giving advice on everything for a dollar per query.

After receiving multiple warnings about leaving his dirty, smelly socks lying around the house, Mike has finally had enough and punishes Axl by forbidding him to play in the final school basketball game of the season. But everyone assumes that Mike is being petty when they discover that Axl could end up beating his father's record for most free throws landed in a season if he plays in the game. Meanwhile, Sue is ecstatic -- but Frankie and Mike are suspicious -- when she wins an MVP trophy for cross-country, and Brick is humiliated when he's forced to wear hand-me-down clothes from his rebellious cousin.

Obsessed with the upcoming royal wedding, Frankie shocks her family when she treats the event like the Super Bowl and begins purchasing commemorative "tchotchkes" -- as well as an expensive HDTV -- to enjoy the festivities. Meanwhile, Brick attempts to teach Sue how to become an on-air reporter when she decides to try out as an anchor for the school's Shucker News Team, and Mike has a mutiny on his hands at the quarry when he's forced to make cutbacks and takes away the one thing his workers care about -- free pretzels.

Mother's Day for Frankie turns out to be anything but serene when Mike and the kids present Frankie with the perfect Mother's Day gift -- a day to herself. But when her special day off goes awry, Mike offers a do-over with the family, which comes complete with its own set of glitches.

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 (guest star BLAINE SAUNDERS) 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.

Frankie and Mike attempt to cure Brick of his irrational fear of crossing over bridges. Meanwhile, Axl is pitted against nemesis Sean Donahue (guest star BEAU WIRICK) 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.

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 (guest star DORIS ROBERTS) or risk not moving up to the fourth grade; Axl hasn't fulfilled his required 30 days of community service; and 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.

With school about to start in a few days, Frankie realizes that she and Mike have barely spent any time together with the kids over the summer -- so she insists that they take a short family vacation. But when Mike decides that the perfect family getaway is a camping trip, memories of their campsite honeymoon 19 years earlier -- which was ruined by Nicky (guest star RAY ROMANO), a sad-sack, former high school acquaintance of Mike's -- come flashing back, on the third season premiere.

With Sue now in high school, Axl (who is totally embarrassed by her presence) decides to play a mischievous trick on her, which earns his perfectionist sister a collection of tardy slips. Meanwhile, Mike sets a meeting with Brick's new fourth grade teacher, Mr. Wilkerson (guest star CHORD OVERSTREET), after learning that he's allowing his son to skip gym class; and Frankie and Mike bicker over which one of them is really the boss of the family.

After being mortifyingly humiliated and grossed out due to a family member's actions, Frankie has a meltdown and decrees to the family that major changes need to take place in every aspect of the Heck household -- and then packs up and abruptly leaves. But Frankie's not gone for good as she heads to her mother's (guest star MARSHA MASON) house for a little TLC and motherly advice to help her through the humiliation.

Frankie cracks down on Axl and forces him to focus on his future when she learns that the school PSATs are right around the corner, and he hasn't even begun to study for them. Meanwhile, Sue once again tries out for a school activity that may not be a perfect fit for her -- cheerleading; and Mike tries to toughen up Brick when he learns that his son is being bullied at school.

As the Heck home begins to literally fall apart, Frankie and Mike consider leaving homeownership behind and moving the family to an apartment. Meanwhile, Axl attempts to fake Frankie out by pretending that he's sick in order to get out of taking a school test -- and must later convince her that he's well enough to attend a party that evening; Sue and her ex-sort-of-boyfriend Brad volunteer to prepare a school skit about showing the dangers of texting and drinking while driving; and Brick tries to offer a little bit of brevity by spouting off Shakespearian quotes.

After being embarrassed over wearing a childish costume at a high school Halloween costume party and being ignored by the guys, Sue asks a flabbergasted Mike for his advice on what boys want when it comes to girls. Meanwhile, Frankie reluctantly volunteers to take Brick's socially awkward school social skills group trick-or-treating; and Axl and his friends devise a plan to trick rather than treat the neighborhood kids on Halloween.

Frankie and Mike are convinced that their slacker son Axl will blow his interview with a football scout, which could earn him a scholarship to college. Meanwhile, Sue and Brick begin a texting marathon -- and accidentally rack up some serious charges -- on Aunt Edie's cell phone; and Frankie attempts to be completely attentive to the family's needs when she realizes that she's more considerate to outsiders than her own kin.

Frankie is thrilled when she learns that the Orson Community Theater is putting on a production of The Wizard of Oz, and that kids don't need to audition to be munchkins as they will be automatically cast -- which is a perfect scenario for a hapless Sue. But things quickly go awry when Frankie is cast in a singing role and learns the director is not happy with Sue's performance and may cut her from the play. Meanwhile, Brick asks his unreliably quirky Uncle Rusty (guest star NORM MACDONALD) to attend his school's "Special Friends Day" -- with disastrous results.

Frankie's parents, Pat (guest star MARSHA MASON) and Tag (guest star JERRY VAN DYKE), invite the Hecks to spend a few days at their house to celebrate Thanksgiving together. But the festivities begin to fall apart quickly when Frankie's sister Janet (guest star MOLLY SHANNON) and her family also join in, and soon the siblings are at each other's throats over their widely differing parenting techniques. Meanwhile, Mike attempts to offer some advice to Axl on how to pick up girls when he witnesses his son trying to impress a pretty mini-mart cashier -- and fails miserably; Brick attempts to prove his innocence when he is accused by Janet of damaging her daughter's expensive toy; and Sue is thrilled when Frankie, Pat and Janet invite her to take part in their gossip sessions.

On a tipsy whim -- and against Mike's warnings -- Frankie decides to throw a Christmas Eve party at the house; Mike buys Frankie a much needed new dishwasher for Christmas but has a hard time keeping it a secret when she begs him to replace the old one before the party takes place; Sue calls on Reverend TimTom (guest star PAUL HIPP) to explain the meaning of Christmas to Brick when he reads the Bible and begins to question it; and Axl gets annoyed with Bob (recurring guest star CHRIS KATTAN) when he tries too hard to be cool in order to befriend him while working together on a Christmas tree lot.

After realizing that no one keeps their New Year's resolutions, Frankie decides that they will be assigned anonymously to each family member, and an all-you-can-eat buffet feast will be the reward for those who can abide by their chosen resolution for a week. But chaos soon ensues when Frankie must spend more time with Brick, Mike needs to smile more, Axl has to keep his bedroom clean, Sue needs to stop trying out for things she'll never make, and Brick must stop reading all of the time.

After attending Aunt Ginny's funeral, Frankie begins to fear that the family is missing out on important life milestones and vows to begin celebrating all of them. Meanwhile, Axl accidentally eats Brick's Indiana dough school map project and is tasked with creating a new one, and Sue discovers that one of the boys on the wrestling team has a crush on her.

With Indiana hosting the Super Bowl, Frankie is devastated when she hopes to land a plum assignment as an official volunteer and ends up with a less-than-stellar position. Meanwhile, the entire Heck household takes advantage of the Donahue's new car while they are out of town, and a scary, close call with the car causes Sue to profess her true feelings to her new boyfriend, Matt.

Frankie and Mike decide to try a fresh approach to Valentine's Day by having dinner out with friends. But a clueless Mike angers Frankie by refusing to present her with a simple romantic gesture. Meanwhile, Axl can't think of a life-changing moment that's occurred in his life when he's assigned to write a school paper on the subject, Brick is tasked with writing a report on love, and a hapless Sue doesn't understand why her new boyfriend, Matt (guest star MOISES ARIAS), has suddenly turned into a "bad kisser."

Frankie pulls out all of the stops in an effort to get an overexcited Sue tickets to a Justin Bieber concert; Mike is thrilled over Brick's enthusiasm to win the school's spelling bee and coaches him for the event; and Axl and his friends attempt to break an electronic speed limit road sign's 15 miles per hour limit -- on foot.

Axl, Sue and Brick call a sit down meeting with a shocked Frankie and Mike, accusing mom of being a nag and dad of giving out crazy punishments without ever hearing their sides of the story. In return, all they ask for is a chance to do what they're supposed to do -- on their own -- without constantly being harassed by their parents. But the kids might want to be careful what they wish for when Frankie and Mike agree to their terms and find themselves taking a relaxing break from parental responsibility.

Because this year is a leap year and Sue's birthday falls on February 29, she is overly excited about celebrating her big day in a big way. But given her parents' track record with celebrations, Sue may need to lower her expectations. Meanwhile, Frankie discovers that tough husband Mike has been taking care of a stray cat at work for years, Brick falls for a pretty girl in his social skills class, and Axl becomes enthralled with vacuuming the house.

Brick takes a job as a newspaper delivery boy from the town's veteran newsman (guest star EDWARD ASNER) in order to buy himself night vision goggles, and Axl tries to convince Sue that a long distance relationship will not work between her and boyfriend Matt when his family moves away from Orson. Meanwhile, Sue attempts to adjust to wearing a full-on headgear, and Frankie discovers that Mike has been secretly hoarding batteries for years.

When the Hecks attend a new church, Frankie is inspired by the pastor's sermon about getting one's business in life completed before death rears its ugly head. So she makes it her mission to ensure that her family puts it into practice. To that end, Mike wants to thank his dad for being there for him and his brother after their mom died, Sue starts up her own babysitting service, and Brick thinks a new bed will meet the requirement, while Axl believes that helping Brick get his new bed will fulfill his. But Frankie finds it difficult to figure out what it is that she should be doing to fulfill her own life's destiny.

Sue finds a kindred spirit in her awkward school guidance counselor, Jane Marsh (guest star WHOOPI GOLDBERG), who inspires her to reinvent herself...as Suki. Meanwhile, Frankie is ecstatic when she and Mike buy a much needed new bed but is frustrated when her stubborn husband insists on trying to build it himself; and Brick attempts to call the President to outlaw the Presidential Fitness Challenge, which would force him to accomplish some strenuous physical exercises at school.

Brick gets anything but good luck after he finds an evil four-leaf clover. Frankie makes a decision to find a caregiver for Aunt Edie (guest star JEANETTE MLLER) after she almost burns down her house. Axl tries to devise a plan that will keep his status as a lady's man in play after he once again accidentally invites "weird" Ashley (guest star KATLIN MASTRANDREA) to the prom. Mike gets upset with his dad, Big Mike (guest star JOHN CULLUM), when he's accused of being too soft on Brick. and Axl is horrified when his friend Darrin (guest star JOHN GAMMON) asks Sue to the prom.

It seems like Frankie truly has eyes in the back of her head when she busts both Sue and Axl for making some bad choices that they thought no one would ever find out about. But when it turns out that she's using Brick to be her snitch, Mike is completely against it. Meanwhile, Axl's weekend getaway to the lake is in peril when Sue discovers him sneaking into the house in the middle of the night and coerces him into doing whatever she commands - otherwise she will tattle on him; and when Frankie is stuck at work, Mike is forced to attend Parent Day at Brick's school.

On the third season finale, Frankie and Mike are surprised to receive an invitation to Mike's brother Rusty's fast approaching wedding. But their surprise turns to panic when they discover that he has listed the Heck house as the site of the ceremony...without asking them. Meanwhile, Axl and his friends decide to become their own bosses and set out to form their own company to garner summer jobs, and Brick is upset with Mike when he finally accepts an invitation to a fellow student's party but is not allowed to go because it falls on the same day as the wedding.

On the third season finale, Frankie and Mike are surprised to receive an invitation to Mike's brother Rusty's fast approaching wedding. But their surprise turns to panic when they discover that he has listed the Heck house as the site of the ceremony...without asking them. Meanwhile, Axl and his friends decide to become their own bosses and set out to form their own company to garner summer jobs, and Brick is upset with Mike when he finally accepts an invitation to a fellow student's party but is not allowed to go because it falls on the same day as the wedding.

On the fourth season premiere, Frankie's plans to recreate the magic of her own childhood summers are foiled when Mike lets it slip that Axl is his favorite Heck child, and Frankie tries to coax the kids into telling them who their favorite parent is. Meanwhile, when Frankie and Mike discover that Axl failed English during the past school year, they force him to make it up in summer school, otherwise he could jeopardize any chance of getting a college sports scholarship after graduation; Brick takes up growing a tomato for his summer project; and Sue tries to bond with a reluctant Mike and attempts to get him to do numerous activities with her, which she plans to document in a giant scrapbook.

When Frankie is suddenly fired from Ehlert Motors, she embarks on a quest not to repeat mistakes from the past by taking any crummy job that comes her way, deciding to go instead to tech school to secure a real career. Meanwhile, school has begun and Axl is starting his Senior year in high school, Sophomore Sue takes on the task of mentoring new freshman Jenna (guest star BAILEY BUNTAIN -- Bunheads), and Mike is upset with Brick when he can't be bothered to put his book down to meet some of Mike's friends after a softball game.

When Brick develops yet another quirky tic that begins to overshadow his whispering, Frankie and Mike are urged by the school therapist, Dr. Fulton (guest star DAVE FOLEY), to get him a small pet so that he can learn to bond with it, which in turn will help him bond with people. But when they present Brick with an ill-tempered bunny, the tiny animal teaches the Heck family the true meaning of evil. Meanwhile, as the Homecoming dance approaches, Axl finds himself dating cheerleaders Courtney and Debbie (guest stars BRITTANY ROSS and NATALIE LANDER) -- but he doesn't know which one of them is actually his girlfriend; and Sue tries out for school mascot.

Trashy neighbor Rita Glossner (guest star BROOKE SHIELDS) returns and is about to rain fire upon the Heck household when she accuses Frankie of stealing her hose. Meanwhile, Sue takes a peek at Mike's paycheck and is so shocked at how little he makes that she decides to call off her first official road trip to Cincinnati for her school mascot duties in order to save money; and while Brick learns about the birds and bees in school, Axl shocks his little brother by explaining the whole process in graphic detail.

As Halloween approaches, the Hecks get quite the scare when Sue receives her learner's permit, and it's time for Frankie and Mike to teach her how to drive. But when a freaked-out Sue loses her nerve, she ends up running over Axl's foot, which could put an end to his high school football career and hopes for a scholarship. Meanwhile, Axl looks forward to voting in his first election, and Brick undergoes an unexpected transformation when he eats too much Halloween candy.

Frankie is made an example of in front of the entire class when she doesn't make a good impression on her first day of dental assisting school with no-nonsense teacher Mrs. Armwood (guest star JANE KACZMAREK). Meanwhile, because Axl's broken foot may end any chance of him receiving a college sports scholarship, Frankie and Mike insist that he up his grades and get himself a tutor; and Sue and Brick think they've stumbled upon an expensive item inside an old safe and try to get big bucks for it from a local pawn store employee (guest star RICK HARRISON -- Pawn Stars).

Frankie attempts to do a good deed for Thanksgiving by inviting a couple of Marines (guest stars/former Marines WILLIAM FRANCO VASQUEZ and NICK JONES, JR.) to celebrate the holiday with her family. But with Frankie's parents, Pat and Tag (returning guest stars MARSHA MASON and JERRY VAN DYKE), constantly bickering, the good deed may not go unpunished. Meanwhile, while Axl grapples with his growing feelings for tutor Cassidy (guest star GALADRIEL STINEMAN), he receives the good news that his foot is healed and he can play in the big game; Sue tries to track down the thief who has stolen the chicken head off of her school mascot uniform; and Brick becomes mesmerized by a book on the making of the film, Love Story.

Christmas doesn't seem so merry to Mike when he helps brother Rusty (recurring guest star NORM MacDONALD) move some furniture into the Heck house garage and discovers that Rusty doesn't actually own the items. Meanwhile, Frankie hatches a plan to take a part-time holiday job in a department store in order to get an employee discount to buy presents; Axl turns the garage with the stolen furniture into his own bachelor pad; and Reverend TimTom (guest star PAUL HIPP) makes a bold choice by casting Brick in a holiday play and tasks an overly zealous Sue with baking cookies for the event.

As their 20th anniversary approaches, Frankie begins to think that Mike may be tiring of her company and is purposely trying to avoid her. Meanwhile, Sue frantically tries to coax Axl and Brick into helping her set up an anniversary party for their parents; and Brick falls into a non-responsive state when Axl tells him the ending of a book he's been waiting years to read.

Axl is shocked to discover that he and Sue are enrolled in the same Life Skills class. And things only get worse for the "Ax-Man" when he is assigned to work with his sister on a big class project. Meanwhile, Brick's school therapist, Dr. Fulton (recurring guest star DAVE FOLEY), attempts to teach him how to reach out to his fellow students in order to make some friends; and Frankie and Mike find themselves dealing with an unreasonable insurance company after they discover a tree branch has fallen and broken the windshield of Frankie's car.

Feeling guilty over not being able to spend enough quality time with each of their kids, Frankie and Mike decide to dedicate each day of a three-day weekend to one of their offspring. Unexpected revelations emerge when Axl takes them to a paintball range, Sue talks them into an exhausting itinerary consisting of 17 separate activities, and Brick attempts to bring them to a "Planet Nowhere" sci-fi book convention.

Mike is upset with Frankie when he discovers that she set him up on an adult playdate with a new neighbor who shares the same interests. Meanwhile, when the school cheerleaders announce that they're taking over cheering for the wrestlers -- thus putting Sue and her Wrestlerettes out of business ¬ a determined Sue demands a cheer off; and Brick makes a lovesick Axl begin to question whether he's intellectually stimulating enough for his smart, new girlfriend.

While other kids begin receiving college acceptance letters and Axl doesn't, Frankie and Mike begin to worry that their son's chances for a sports scholarship have passed him by. Meanwhile, Sue is determined to prove that smiling is contagious as a hypothesis for a school science project, and a relentless Brick begins pestering his parents for an iPad.

As Valentine's Day approaches, Axl and partners Sean and Darrin (recurring guest stars BEAU WIRICK and JOHN GAMMON) take Boss Co. to the next level by offering their services to help guys break up with their girlfriends. Meanwhile, Brick becomes upset with Frankie when he discovers that she has thrown out all of the school artwork he has made over the years, Sue is thrilled when ex-boyfriend Matt invites her to the school's Valentine's Day dance, and Mike accidentally sends a romantic text meant for Frankie to a co-worker at the quarry.

As Frankie prepares for her upcoming annual tradition of watching the Oscars on TV, she becomes overly concerned when Brick informs her that he's taking a three-day school bus trip to Chicago -- worried that his unique quirkiness could lead him to become separated from the group. Meanwhile, Sue wants to find out if Axl's friend Darrin (recurring guest star JOHN GAMMON) has feelings for her.

After accidentally breaking the family room window, Axl, Sue and Brick decide to band together and place the blame on the neighborhood bad seed Glossner kids. But Frankie and Mike know that the kids aren't being truthful and put together a wheel of pain, in which the kids must spin the wheel and land on a consequence, hoping that one of them will break down and confess -- putting Sue's "Sue-weet 16 Party" at risk. Meanwhile, Frankie needs to please her no-nonsense dental assisting instructor Mrs. Armwood (guest star JANE KACZMAREK) in order to obtain a prime dental rotation spot.

Frankie's sister, Janet (guest star MOLLY SHANNON), comes to the rescue and offers to help run the Heck household while Frankie studies for her dental assisting school finals. But the sheer amount of disorganization in the house throws perfectionist Janet for a loop. Meanwhile, when Cassidy's ex-boyfriend pays an unexpected visit from college, Axl tries to take the high road and not act like a jealous boyfriend; and Sue wants to legally change her middle name (which is also Sue) in order to have a normal name on her driver's license.

Frankie can't hide her disappointment over who "The Bachelor" chooses to marry and ends up moping around the house for days about it; Mike attempts to toughen Sue up when she joins the school's tennis team and continually compliments her opponents during their matches; and Axl and Cassidy try to figure out where their relationship stands after their big fight. The Bachelor's CHRIS HARRISON provides voiceover for the episode.

After successfully graduating from dental assisting school, Frankie attempts to interview for a job but discovers that, when asked about herself, she doesn't quite know how to describe who she is. Meanwhile, when Axl gets his band their first paying gig at the Orson Dollar Days, Sue becomes a 'Yoko' to boyfriend Darrin's 'John' and begins to offer unwanted advice to the group; and when Brick informs Frankie and Mike that he has joined the Prairie Scouts, Mike ends up reluctantly having to lead his quirky troop's camping trip. JACK McBRAYER (30 Rock, Wreck It Ralph) guest stars as Dr. Goodwin, who Frankie interviews with for a possible job. Supernatural's JIM BEAVER guest stars as Brick's not-so-trustworthy Scout Master, Mr. Stokes.

After discovering that Sue's life, as defined on Facebook, is pretty pathetic, Frankie creates an online alias (or two or three) and attempts to make her daughter as popular as possible. Meanwhile, after having read Tuesdays with Morrie, Frankie's healthy dad, Tag (recurring guest star JERRY VAN DYKE), coerces Mike into listening to his long-winded life stories on a weekly basis; and Axl and Brick attempt to garner interest in getting a bunch of baby bunnies and kittens adopted by producing a viral video starring the animals in a James Bond knockoff.

As Mother's Day approaches, Frankie wants to ensure that Mike gets her something she actually wants for a gift and informs all of the kids of her wish so that at least one of them will clue in a clueless Mike. Meanwhile, Sue asks Reverend TimTom (recurring guest star PAUL HIPP) for advice when she begins to resent her friends' happiness over getting their driver's licenses after she has repeatedly failed the test, and Cassidy stuns Axl with some bad news during the prom.

While waiting in line at the power company to pay a late bill and dressed in her lab coat for her new dental assisting job, people mistake Frankie for a doctor and let her cut in front of them so that she can finish her business quickly and get back to saving lives. But when one of those people shows up at Dr. Goodwin's (guest star JACK McBRAYER -- 30 Rock) office for a dental checkup, Frankie must attempt to keep up the charade, which leaves her new employer completely perplexed. Meanwhile, Axl discovers that Sue has a perfect attendance record at school and convinces her to ditch a day and live life on the edge; Dr. Fulton (DAVE FOLEY) tries to find out why Brick is so opposed to going to middle school; and Mike and Axl's fishing trip takes a turn for the worse when a distraction causes Mike to crash the boat he is towing, wedging it into a ditch.

As graduation day approaches, tension begins to build between Frankie and Axl when he ignores her requests for answers about the graduation party she's planning for his special day. Meanwhile, Sue hopes that the sixth time's the charm as she once again attempts to pass her driver's test; and during his final days of elementary school, a forgetful Brick is reminded by Vice Principal Dunlap (guest star MARION ROSS -- Happy Days) that he's the class historian and is responsible for putting together a slideshow highlighting the last four years of school in front of a school assembly. Note: This season finale episode was directed by series co-creator and executive producer Eileen Heisler.

On the fifth season premiere, Frankie insists on having the entire Heck family along for the ride, against Axl's wishes, as they drive to his college to move him into his dorm. But the short drive turns out to be an eternity when Sue freaks out after discovering that Frankie forgot to fax in her essay to be a candidate for Junior Peer Leadership Advisor, and Brick proves once again that he can't be trusted when he keeps losing his new cell phone.

The first day of school is upon the Heck family -- and Sue finds herself feeling a sense of freedom she's never felt before, with Axl not around to make her campus life miserable. But Brick, who is beginning middle school and afraid of getting a "swirlie," avoids the bathroom at all costs. Meanwhile, Frankie becomes jealous of Mike when she discovers that Axl calls and returns his texts but won't do the same for her; and Sue's feelings for Darrin (guest star JOHN GAMMON) surface once again when Mike calls him over to help fix the air conditioner.

After Frankie and Mike are forced to return the church van when it's discovered that their car has been repaired, Sue -- who has been driving the other car -- begins to freak out because she'll have to start taking the bus again. But when her parents tell her that she could get her own car if she got a job, Sue ends up working as a potato girl at a local mall eatery. Meanwhile, Frankie and Mike are called into Brick's principal's (guest star RACHEL DRATCH) office and are informed that he has not attended any of his classes; and much to the family's dismay, Axl begins to spend his nights back home when he becomes fed up with having to deal with his horrible college roommate.

Marking the 100th episode milestone of The Middle, the citizens of Orson, Indiana celebrate the Orsontennial -- the town's 100th anniversary. During this momentous event, Frankie and Mike find themselves begrudgingly trying to drive a giant cow float in the parade; Axl, Sean (recurring guest star BEAU WIRICK) and Darrin resurrect Boss Co. and attempt to make some big bucks by setting up a VIP area to view the festivities; Sue, still crushing on Darrin, tries to make him jealous by pretending to be dating Brad (recurring guest star BROCK CIARLELLI) again; and Brick tries to earn himself a place in Orson history by entering a contest to come up with the town's new motto, which will be used for the next 100 years.

As Halloween approaches, Sue holds a séance during a sleepover with her fellow Wrestlerettes and swears that she's seen the ghost of Christopher Columbus and one of his ships; Axl finds himself being hazed by the football team and not allowed to enter his own Halloween party that's being thrown in his dorm room; and the family tries in vain to give Brick advice on how to ask out a girl he likes to go with him to a Halloween dance.

Frankie finds solace in rescuing and taking in a lost dog; Sue actually makes the volleyball team; and Axl calls on Brick for help with his college academics classes.

Thanksgiving finds the Heck family in turmoil when Axl tries to figure out the perfect time to tell his parents that he dropped three out of his four college classes; Frankie's dad Tag (recurring guest star JERRY VAN DYKE) admits to Mike that he lost a lot of money gambling online and won't be able to take wife Pat (recurring guest star MARSHA MASON) on a planned cruise; Sue is hiding a shocking secret from her discount shopping excursion with Frankie; Dr. Goodwin (recurring guest star JACK McBRAYER) and Uncle Rusty's wife (guest star MARY BIRDSONG) and kids show up unannounced for Thanksgiving dinner; and Brick goes to extreme measures to have lime green Jello salad during the feast.

When Frankie's sister asks her to house-sit, Frankie and Mike jump at the opportunity to have a romantic, kid-free weekend in an upscale home. But technology might just trump romance when they find themselves having a difficult time navigating all of the computerized gadgets in the house. Meanwhile, Sue, who has been left in charge of watching over Brick while the parents are away, finds the Heck house being invaded by the bratty neighborhood Glossner kids; and Axl takes a road trip with Darrin and Sean in an attempt to drive to Vassar and reconnect with ex-girlfriend Cassidy.

When Axl comes home from college for Christmas vacation, he would rather spend time with his friends than with his family, so he and Frankie must come up with a time management agreement that will satisfy both of them; Sue's severe allergic reaction to the Christmas tree threatens to ruin her holiday; and after it's discovered that Brick lied to the school about his Christmas wrapping paper sales, he finds himself running a mini Ponzi scheme in an attempt to pay back the debt.

Frankie and Mike become concerned about Brick when he starts expressing a host of irrational fears spawned by a constant stream of news alerts showing up on his refurbished iPad. Meanwhile, Sue is both disgusted and intrigued when Derrick Glossner (guest star DAVID R. CHANDLER) continues to surprise her with spontaneous kisses; and when Darrin attempts his own spinoff of Boss Co, Axl and Sean successfully shut down the new operation but end up having to finish the difficult job that their competition had started.

The ultimate prank battle is on between brother and sister when Sue discovers that Axl stole the high school's Thundering Hens mascot head over a year ago, forcing Sue to wear an embarrassing chicken head in her role as the school mascot. Meanwhile, a friendless Dr. Goodwin tries to make friends with a reluctant Frankie and invites her to accompany him to after-work social gatherings; Frankie agrees to attempt to find her dog Colin Firth's owner if Mike tries - and fails - to make friends with him; and Brick tries to muster some interest in a recommended book on Debbie Reynolds.

With the bus drivers on strike, Principal Barker asks the parents to form carpools to get the kids to and from school. But with time management not being one of Frankie's strong suits, her carpool kids find themselves facing the possibility of being on the receiving end of some tardy slips -- which could ruin their chances of being invited to the "No Tardy Party." Meanwhile, Axl hits the books and becomes an expert in Astronomy -- a class he's not even taking -- in order to tutor a hot student; and when Mike receives two IU basketball tickets, he tries to find someone to accompany him to the game, not realizing that Sue really wants to go with him.

Excited and hungry over receiving a "squatter's" coupon at an all-you-can-eat buffet, the Hecks head off to church with the intent of hitting the restaurant immediately after the service. But much to their dismay, they find themselves being counseled by guest minister Reverend Deveaux (guest star KEEGAN-MICHAEL KEY) when a family squabble occurs during the sermon. Now, with all of their pent up issues, they may never get out in time to attend their grand feast!

Frankie discovers via a local blog that the quarry is presenting Mike with an award during a dinner for his 20 years of dedicated service. But Mike, not thinking it's that big of a deal, doesn't want to attend. Meanwhile, after being sat on in class by a guy who didn't know she was even in the chair, Sue attempts to put together a plan to get the students more connected with each other; having imbibed a bit too much at a party the night before, Axl tries to track down the mystery girl who left a message on his phone; and Brick thinks he's totally styling in a purple suit and bolo tie that he found in his cousins' hand-me-down box.

After being forced by his work to take a paid vacation, Mike tries to relax but finds his "alone time" being invaded by Brick, who wants to cash in and implement all of the personal gift coupons he has given his dad for Father's Day and birthdays over the years. Meanwhile, Frankie is livid when she discovers that Axl has been hanging out at the Donahues for the past few days and didn't let her know that he was even in town; and Sue is horrified when she discovers that someone has given her service at Spudsy Malone's a bad review online and consequently, overreacts in her efforts to better please the customers.

Frankie is gobsmacked when she is handcuffed, arrested and taken to the police station. But when she discovers that her arrest was over an unreturned library book, she sets her sights on the only person she suspects to be the real guilty party -- Brick. Meanwhile, Sue doesn't know how to express her feelings of disdain to Reverend TimTom (guest star PAUL HIPP) over his new partner and girlfriend, Reverend Tammy (guest star CASEY WILSON); and Axl and Cassidy (guest star GALADRIEL STINEMAN) reunite during Spring Break but find themselves mostly kissing and not talking to one another.

After bumping into some old acquaintances on a walk around the neighborhood, Frankie and Mike realize that they are more interesting and charming with them then they are with each other and search for a way to remedy the situation. Meanwhile, Sue ends up with multiple dates to the prom because she is too nice to turn down any of the boys who asked her; and Brick enlists Axl's aid in preparing an "outside the box" book report.

After being goaded by friend Bill Norwood (guest star PAT FINN) into taking an assistant coaching position on the girls soccer team that Sue is now a member of, Mike becomes the new head coach but discovers that the girls care more about their various personal issues then the game itself. Meanwhile, after discovering that a mysteriously hideous smell in the house is emanating from Brick, Frankie must attempt to introduce her pungent son to better hygiene; and Axl is completely perplexed by a picture Cassidy painted for him as to whether it means they are still together as a couple or broken up.

Frankie pleads with a mean and unyielding Rita Glossner (returning guest star BROOKE SHIELDS) to take down her wind chimes, whose noise is driving the Heck family crazy. Meanwhile, Axl and Hutch find a ratty, old couch abandoned on the street and try to figure out a way to retrieve it; instead of complaining to a pretzel manufacturer for skimping on the salt, Brick instead commits himself to coming up with a new pretzel snack idea for the company; and Sue informs the family that she and Darrin are dating again.

With high school graduation less than two years away, Sue finds herself becoming super stressed out when she hunkers down and frantically tries to earn a scholarship to help pay for college. Meanwhile, upon figuring out that business is down because she forgot to send out all of Dr. Goodwin's dental appointment reminder cards, Frankie tries to find a way to secretly send them out without her boss finding out. After Mike misinterprets a situation and scolds a girl for picking on Brick, Brick demands that Mike formally apologize. And Axl and his football buddy Hutch (guest star ALPHONSO McAULEY) eat the Hecks out of house and home in order it try to bulk up so that they are big enough to be picked again to play on the team next year.

Feeling that her mind has been turned into Swiss cheese over the kids' never ending demanding requests of her, Frankie sets up office hours in which they can only voice their needs between 5:00-6:00 p.m. Meanwhile, an overprotective Mike keeps a stern eye on Darrin to make sure he doesn't take advantage of Sue; and Brick invites his surprising new friends over to the house for a book club meeting.

Sue is determined to win herself a car and enters Ehlert Motors 'Hands on a Hard Body' contest, in which the last person whose hands never leave the car wins. Meanwhile, Mike and his perpetually down-on-his-luck brother Rusty (guest star NORM MACDONALD) find time to bond again when they take a road trip to Chicago with Brick to attend his Spelling Bee; and Frankie has to travel to Axl's college dorm to help him locate a missing desk or risk losing her $200 deposit.

After winning a trip in the "Hands on a Hard Body" contest, Sue counts down the days until the Hecks depart on their road trip to Walt Disney World. Meanwhile, Brick begs his parents to take a detour to North Carolina so he can meet his online girlfriend, and Axl anxiously awaits the posting of his final grades as a college freshman, in the first part of a two-part season finale.

In the second part of the two-part season finale, the Hecks arrive at Walt Disney World and try to stay positive, but a good time is not to be had for all when a series of misfortunes threaten to put a damper on their trip.

On the sixth season premiere, Frankie makes a giant blunder when she discovers that school started a week earlier than she thought – and Sue and Brick must scramble to catch up on the days they've missed and re-acclimate themselves to school life. Meanwhile, it looks like the “Year of Sue” might be starting off on a high when she finally gets her braces removed. Axl beats Mike at basketball for the first time in his life, and Brick gets creative in an attempt to find the perfect school book bag. RICHARD KIND guest stars as Sue’s Orthodontist, Dr. Niller.

Frankie and Mike scramble to find second jobs in a desperate attempt to afford sending Sue to a good college next year. Sue and Brad (recurring guest star BROCK CIARLELLI) strive to do something different and important while writing, directing and starring in the senior play, entitled “The Loneliest Locker,” instead of eating the family out of house and home, Axl literally begins to take the home apart when he removes – without asking – as many household items as he can to furnish his and Hutch's new rented house; And Brick drives the family crazy when he finds a box containing all of his noisy and annoying childhood toys – that were purposely stowed away by Frankie – and begins playing with them.

In an attempt to become more social, Brick shocks Frankie and Mike by informing them that he'd like to go to his middle school's Fall Fantasy Dance; Axl begins to panic when he discovers that he needs to declare a college major by the end of the week – and he has absolutely no idea what he wants to do; and Sue finds herself becoming a bit twitchy and nervous when she begins to drink a lot of coffee in an attempt to appear more mature and sophisticated, now that she's a high school senior.

As Frankie and Mike wish each other a happy “20-somethingth” wedding anniversary, Axl decides that he and Hutch need to class up their broke-down house and find another roommate to help with expenses. But while helping Axl track down a dining room table to help spruce up his house, Frankie finds a full dining set on sale online for $50 and ends up giving Axl the Heck house dining room table, while she excitedly looks forward to her new purchase. Meanwhile, after being presented with a special necklace to proclaim his love, Sue becomes angry with boyfriend Darrin when she discovers that he had also given the same gift to his former girlfriend; and Brick begins a podcast. JIMMY KIMMEL guest stars as himself.

On Halloween night, Frankie and Mike are stunned – and a bit scared – to learn that Brick has invited a girl over to the house just to hang with him. Meanwhile, to help supplement her college fund, Sue attempts to put together a pumpkin patch screening of the animated classic, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown; and Axl reluctantly goes to the library to write a history paper and ironically gets locked inside after staying past closing hours.

The Heck house once again throws a curve ball to the family when the kitchen sink caves in and drops out of sight, causing Frankie to have to wash the dishes with the outside hose. Meanwhile, Sue is informed that – since Wrestlerettes does not qualify for P.E. credit – she needs to master tinikling (a difficult dance routine for a clumsy Sue) to get the credit she needs to graduate; and after Brick accidentally breaks Mike's lawn mower, he takes Axl's advice to try and play the hero card by taking his dad's wallet then returning it later, thinking this will divert Mike's attention away from the busted mower.

Thanksgiving for the Hecks at a local restaurant buffet doesn’t go well when Sue feels that Mike doesn’t like her boyfriend, Darrin, and Brick invites his quirky girlfriend, Cindy.

Mike accompanies Sue on a college tour weekend, and Frankie abandons Brick with a school project and a revolving door of babysitters while she goes to see Axl play in his first college football game.

Frankie has had enough of schlepping out the Christmas decorations and trying to make the perfect holiday for her family – who she feels doesn’t appreciate all that she does for them – and decides to kick back on the couch and have a minimalist Christmas this year. Meanwhile, due to Sue’s allergy to real Christmas trees, Mike attempts to purchase an artificial one and ends up not getting what he paid for; Axl puts Boss Co. back into business for the holidays as “Tree Wise Men” but gets into such a heated argument with Sean (recurring guest star BEAU WIRICK) over a misfit toy that the two can’t seem to work together; and Brick becomes fascinated by a Christmas letter the family has received and attempts to write one on his own outlining the past year of the Hecks.

Frankie is thrilled when Pam Staggs (guest star KIRSTIE ALLEY) – the most popular girl in high school who wouldn't give Frankie a second look back then – moves back to Orson and invites her to hang out. But Mike becomes concerned with Frankie when she and Pam begin partying every night and acting like rebellious teenagers. Meanwhile, Mike is shocked to learn that Brick has received the middle school's Athlete of the Month award; Axl tries every trick in the book to get Devin Levin (guest star GIA MANTEGNA) to go out on a date with him; and Sue attempts to take on the oboe, rowing and raising farm animals, thinking that these obscure extracurricular activities will help her get into a good college.

Frankie discovers an old, uncashed paycheck from Ehlert Motors. But in order for her to collect her pay, Mr. Ehlert (recurring guest star BRIAN DOYLE-MURRAY) forces her to work on the lot for one day. Meanwhile, after her hours at Spudsy's are cut down, Sue takes a part-time job from Mike as the quarry cleaning lady; Mike's dad, Big Mike (recurring guest star JOHN CULLUM), attempts to persuade a lazy Axl to help replace the Heck family’s damaged kitchen sink; and Brick discovers the joy of watching '70s game shows and begins his own annoying classic contest with the family.

After learning that Aunt Edie has passed away, the Hecks board a train with the body to take her to her final resting place in South Dakota. But along the way, Frankie accuses Mike of not being very caring or nurturing after she trips in the dining car and is helped up by another man, while Mike continues pumping out some ketchup; Axl believes that he was responsible for Aunt Edie's death because he had used the excuse that his Aunt had passed away numerous times to get extensions on his school assignments; Sue attempts to complete her college entry essay and accidentally sends it before correcting an inappropriate sentence; and Brick decides to take a risk and live outside his comfort zone by befriending a complete stranger in order to live his life as freely as his late Aunt did.

Valentine's Day aims its sights on the Heck kids when a nervous Brick finds out that his quirky girlfriend Cindy (guest star CASEY BURKE) wants him to kiss her on the special day; Darrin (recurring guest star JOHN GAMMON) asks Frankie and Mike to help out with an exciting scavenger hunt he's putting together for Sue; and Axl begins to question girlfriend Devin's request that he not give her anything for what she considers to be a lame tradition.

The Heck family learns about Darrin’s marriage proposal to Sue...as well as her response. Meanwhile, Axl attempts to use his Intro to Psych class to cure Brick of all his quirks and tics.

Frankie’s consumed with guilt when she realizes that she and the family forgot to celebrate Brick’s 13th birthday – which had come and gone three months earlier.

Frankie finds herself innocently flirting with Axl's hot friend, Finn (guest star MATTHEW ATKINSON). But when she makes a not-so-innocent remark about him to her sister, she fears that both Finn and Axl may have overheard her conversation. Meanwhile, Sue is forced to take Brick to a "Planet Nowhere" sci-fi convention, and Frankie's dad, Tag (recurring guest star JERRY VAN DYKE), asks Mike to secretly help him study to pass his driver's test so that he can keep his license from being taken away

Sue tries to clear her head by making “Sue-venir” sachets of potpourri to give away to her classmates, while Frankie is on pins and needles, as they nervously wait to find out if Sue has been accepted to any of the colleges she applied to. Meanwhile, Brick kicks Axl out of the bedroom and into the dining room as he attempts to find some peace and serenity so that he can attempt to write a novel; and Mike refuses to admit that he was rocking out in his car and singing at the top of his lungs – even after his whole family witnessed him doing it

Frankie accompanies Brick on a school field trip and attempts to help her socially inept son make friends with a couple of boys. Meanwhile, when Devin scolds Axl for being mean to his sister, he tries to make it look like they are the best of friends when Sue spends the weekend at his house; and while trying to thin out some of their hoarding father’s massive stockpile of junk, Mike gets a sinking feeling that he may have bullied his brother Rusty (recurring guest star NORM MACDONALD) a bit too much as kids and turned him into the hapless man that he is today. Recurring guest star DAVE FOLEY returns as Dr. Fulton.

After Axl forgets to bring home a sombrero that Sue needs for a special high school senior photo she's setting up with Brad, she becomes super angry and won't let up on arguing with him. In an attempt to remedy the situation, Frankie takes Mike's advice to individually tell Sue and Axl the truth about how she thinks each of them is handling the situation – which causes even more friction amongst the bickering siblings. Meanwhile, Mike is shocked to learn that Brick has been awarded with the middle school's Athlete of the Month.

A case of disrespect hits the Heck boys when Axl – who is celebrating his milestone 21st birthday – refuses to come home and help Mike move an old freezer, and Brick begins turning into a mini-Axl by disrespecting Frankie with a bad attitude. Meanwhile, Sue is torn over what to do when the manager of Chop Suey USA tries to woo her away from her job at Spudsy's.

Frankie and Mike find themselves caught in the middle of a longstanding family feud when Frankie's Uncle Dutch (guest star DICK VAN DYKE) contacts her dad, Tag, in an attempt to reunite and bury the hatchet with his estranged brother. Meanwhile, a fearful Sue receives her first detention ever for being caught going off campus for lunch and seeks advice from Axl on how to survive the ordeal unscathed.

Frankie and Mike attempt to have a romantic date night at home by renting a movie. But every time they turn it on, they end up falling asleep and try desperately to get through the film over a series of nights. Meanwhile, Axl teams up with Brick to invent the next big thing, and the Heck Brothers Old-Timey Barbecue Sauce is born; and Sue is floored when she’s asked to her senior prom by a hunky mall store greeter. But she has to figure out a way to get out of work early in order to attend.

Tired of getting lousy Mother’s Day gifts year-after-year, Frankie informs Mike that she wants him to take her out for a proper afternoon tea. But Mike’s ineptness at setting up reservations online could end in disaster. Meanwhile, Mike orders Axl, Sue and Brick to put some effort into choosing a great Mother’s Day gift for Frankie; and Frankie doesn’t get the answers she was expecting when she asks each of the kids what things they would do differently than her when they become parents. Guest star MARSHA MASON returns as Frankie’s mom, Pat.

As graduation approaches, Sue begins to think that "the Year of Sue" may end on a sour note when a series of unforeseen events threaten to ruin her special day. Meanwhile, Frankie and Mike are stunned to learn that Brick is doing so well in Middle School that he's been offered the chance to skip eighth grade and go directly into high school; and as summer vacation commences, Axl sees some images of girlfriend Devin on social media having fun with some guys back home and begins to worry he may lose her, on the season six finale.

On the seventh season premiere, Sue cannot contain her excitement over getting ready to move out of the house and into the dorm to start college. But Sue’s excitement starts to give way to dread when she accidentally burns her hair and ends up having to cut it short, Axl doesn’t want to join the family and help his sister move into the dorm, Frankie finds herself not feeling sad about Sue moving out of the house, and Mike overwhelms his daughter with learning financial and safety guidelines to keep her safe at school. Meanwhile, Brick doesn’t know what to do when his girlfriend, Cindy (guest star CASEY BURKE), tells him that she wants to take their relationship to the next level.

Nervous about starting college and disappointed that her dorm roommate has not arrived yet, Sue begins to drive Frankie and Mike crazy with her multiple texts and calls at all hours. But when her dorm roommate finally arrives, Sue naively thinks that all of her worries are going to go away and that she’ll make a new lifelong friend. Meanwhile, Axl and Hutch (recurring guest star ALPHONSE McAULEY) find their house being overrun by ants, and Brick finds himself being protected by his own mysterious school bodyguard.

Frankie is speechless when Mike – whose entire wardrobe consists of long-sleeved flannel shirts – decides to wear a short-sleeved Hawaiian shirt when they go out to dinner with some friends. Meanwhile, Sue, excitedly signing up for as many no-cut college clubs as she can, she accidentally tells Devin (recurring guest star GIA MANTEGNA) how much Axl loves her – which scares Devin and leads her to question their relationship; and Brick gets a little too ambitious while tackling his chore of cleaning the bathroom.

Frankie is completely gobsmacked when Mike's brother Rusty (recurring guest star NORM MACDONALD) pays an unexpected visit and offers him an opportunity to partner on one of his crazy business ideas – and Mike wants in. Meanwhile, Axl goes to extreme measures to prove to Mike that he can handle riding his dad's new motorcycle; and unbeknownst to her parents, Sue tells Brad (recurring guest star BRAD BOTTIG) that her college roommate is so horrible that she's resorted to living in her car.

Frankie becomes worried about Mike, who is being more quiet and distant than usual, and calls on Reverend TimTom (recurring guest star PAUL HIPP) to come over and try to find out what's troubling him. Meanwhile, Sue invites an excited Brick to spend a weekend with her at college, which includes a tour of the library. But when Sue bumps into Logan (guest star DAVID HULL) – the hunky Abercrombie guy who had asked her out to prom – and once again falls under his dreamy spell, she realizes that Brick is no longer with her and is now missing; and when Axl and Hutch decide to take matters into their own hands by complaining to the city when their house is completely overrun with ants, and they discover that they may have even more problems than an insect infestation.

Halloween finds the Hecks in their own Twilight Zone-type stories, with Brick providing an introduction to each. Special guest star BROOKE SHIELDS returns as trashy neighbor Rita Glossner.

Frankie is looking forward to taking part in the annual homecoming tailgate. But she begins to feel like the event will become an embarrassing disaster when her mom, Pat (recurring guest star MARSHA MASON), decides to come out and join in the fun. Meanwhile, with Axl down with a bad case of the stomach flu, Mike turns his attention to Brick to help him win the tailgate cornhole tournament trophy that has eluded him for so long; and Sue volunteers to be the class liaison for Homecoming at the event.

The Hecks agree to forgo Thanksgiving after Frankie finds out that she's out of a job until January and must pick up a holiday position, requiring her to work on Thanksgiving in order to make ends meet. Much to her dismay, she ends up, once again, having to portray an overworked 19th century woman back at Heritage Village during the Harvest Feast and finds herself going face-to-face with Sheila (guest star FAITH FORD), a woman who definitely takes her job too seriously. Meanwhile, Sue goes back to work at Spudsy's over her holiday break in the hopes that she'll once again run into Logan - the dreamy Abercrombie guy; Axl finds himself in foreign territory when he starts becoming emotional over how his life has turned out; and Mike and Brick find themselves needing to find a bonding experience when the electricity goes out at the house and they are forced to interact with each other.

Dr. Goodwin (recurring guest star JACK McBRAYER) informs Frankie that she must attend a convention on an all-expense paid trip to Des Moines as part of the dentist office's transition to being part of the Smile Superstars International team, headlined by the company's inspiring founder, Dr. Samuelson (guest star CHERYL HINES). Thinking that her husband could use a break, Frankie entices Mike to join her on the trip to experience the luxuries of a free mini vacation. Meanwhile, Axl informs a disapproving Sue that he's going to move into her dorm room until he finds a new place of his own, and roles become reversed when Mike's dad, Big Mike (recurring guest star JOHN CULLUM), agrees to watch over Brick while Frankie and Mike are out of town.

Dreading the fact that they are always late to church and end up in the overflow room, Frankie makes the decision to have the family watch a Christmas Eve service on TV from the comfort of the Heck house. But a string of events make their evening anything but a peaceful, silent night.

The ever optimistic Sue decides that she wants to become part of a social circle and thrusts herself head first into the college’s sorority rush in the hopes of being accepted into a house. Meanwhile, Axl tries to connect Mike into social media in an attempt to help generate awareness of Mike and Rusty's baby diaper business; and Frankie begins to feel like she's not needed as much in her son's life when Brick goes shopping for a pair of pants by himself for the first time.

Axl has big plans for his first day as a business intern at Little Betty. But his dreams of coming up with new ideas for the snack making company go out the window when he's reduced to doing menial tasks for an ungrateful boss (guest star ALAN RUCK). Meanwhile, Cindy informs Mike that she has kissed another boy and that he has to break the news to Brick, while Mike simultaneously listens to Frankie complain about how much she hates working for Smile Superstars International, the new dental office owners; and Sue's professor (guest star JOSH COOKE) challenges her to stop seeing the world through rose-colored glasses and really open up and hone in on her critical thinking for a writing assignment.

Feeling guilty over floating Frankie’s 50th birthday for too long, Mike enlists Axl and Brick to help him set up a surprise party for her. Meanwhile, Sue finds herself being mocked after posting a sign in the dorm laundry room to help find one of her lost socks, and after Brick turns in an “I Can’t” project at school and indicates that he can’t do sports, Coach Babbitt (guest star BROOKE DILLMAN) makes it her mission to turn him into an athlete.

While Frankie and Mike try to figure out which household appliance a piece of plastic belongs to, Brick becomes a tyrannical director when he casts Cindy and Troy (guest star JOVAN ARMAND) to re-enact scenes from Knots Landing for a school project; Sue's excitement over having new friend Lexie (guest star DANIELA BOBADILLA) become her college dorm roommate quickly sours when she finds herself being charged for half of the new things that Lexie is spontaneously buying for the room; and Axl finds himself becoming stressed out when his boss befriends him and tells him that the fruit pie division is on the verge of being shut down.

After discovering that Brick has never seen a movie in a theater, Frankie and Mike take him to see a film with a small scene that was partially shot in Orson. But when Brick sees a trailer for an upcoming Planet Nowhere film that he completely disapproves of, he makes it his mission to ensure that it won't ever play in that theater – or anywhere else. Meanwhile, Frankie and Mike get into a major disagreement over how events really unfolded when Mike shushes Frankie after he perceives that she was constantly interrupting Bill Norwood (guest star PAT FINN) while he was telling a story, Sue runs into Logan (guest star DAVID HULL) – the hunky Abercrombie guy – and thinks she has a real chance of becoming his girlfriend, and Axl and Sean (recurring guest star BEAU WIRICK) discover that they have unexpected ties to an event that happened when they were young.

After Brick attends a Bar Mitzvah and questions when he’ll officially become a man, Mike attempts to help him become more responsible in his quest to manhood. Meanwhile, Sue exudes a little too much enthusiasm as she tries to flirt and find herself a boyfriend; and Axl and Hutch find themselves a new home – in the form of a Winnebago.

An excited Frankie looks forward to re-bonding and taking care of Sue and Axl, who both have to stay home during Spring Break to recuperate from having their wisdom teeth removed. And since he's the only Heck child still living at home full-time, Brick tries to lay down some new house rules with his siblings during their stay. Meanwhile, Mike becomes furious with his brother, Rusty, after discovering that his ex-wife Marlene (guest star MARY BIRDSONG) came up with the diaper business idea and may be entitled to all profits made from the endeavor.

After making some extra money from the diaper business, Mike surprises a rather unenthusiastic Heck family with a Spring Break vacation at Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. In the hopes of livening up what is perceived to be a lame vacation, Frankie suggests that the Donahues join them. While Mike visits all of the attractions on his own, Nancy asks a not-so-thrilled Frankie to speak with Sean to try and talk him into taking his MCATs; Axl enlists Brick to help him pick up women by playing "Jerk/No Jerk" – with Brick in the role of the Jerk; and Mike is anything but excited when an exuberant Sue reveals some news to him about her upcoming summer plans.

Sue develops a crush on one of her college professors and goes to extremes to get him to notice her. Meanwhile, Frankie and Mike agree to meet (Brick’s girlfriend) Cindy’s parents, who end up being just as quirky as their daughter.

Frankie is thrilled when Sue invites her for lunch at the college. But lunch becomes awkward when Sue brings her new boyfriend along – Jeremy (guest star WILL GREEN), the school activist – and the two of them begin bombarding Frankie with everything she and the world, in general, are doing wrong. Meanwhile, Axl informs a very disappointed Mike that he wants to quit football, and Brick overly obsesses over filling out a satisfaction survey after ordering some graph paper online.

Frankie is excited to stretch out and relax on her new backyard lanai (aka patio) that Mike and his workmates built for her. But peace and serenity become hard to come by when new neighbors, with three screaming kids, move in next door and make it next to impossible for Frankie to find some quiet time. Meanwhile, Brick questions Mike as to whether his workmates helped build the lanai because they are his friends, or because he's their boss; Sue and Lexie draw a winning number in the dorm lottery and score the perfect room but find it difficult to kick out its current occupants; and Axl and Hutch open up a grilled cheese food truck out of their Winnebago, with a reluctant Kenny as their chef.

After enduring year after year of botched Mother's Days, Frankie declares that the family gets to take a pass on doing anything at all for her this year. But after a man offers to buy Frankie's groceries at the market when she discovers that she forgot her wallet – and tells her to pay the kindly gesture forward – she decides to have the family pull each other's names out of a hat and do something nice for that person, which doesn't go as smoothly as planned.

Now that summer vacation has begun for Sue and Axl, and they are both back at home, Frankie and Mike attempt to set a curfew for them after they end up coming home from a party at 2am. But after arguing that they don’t have a curfew while away at college and won’t abide by the rule, Frankie comes up with an idea that will clandestinely let her know where both of them are at all times. Meanwhile, as middle school graduation nears, Brick desperately tries to discover who he’s up against for class valedictorian.

After almost forgetting that Brick’s middle school graduation is only days away, Frankie goes on a mission to right a wrong when Brick discovers that the song he was supposed to sing at the ceremony has been cut. Meanwhile, Sue needs to be at Dollywood to begin her summer job on the same day as Brick’s graduation, and Axl takes a job as a country club counselor and finds himself being mocked by a 10-year-old carbon copy of himself.

On the eighth season premiere, Frankie and Mike are excited to meet April – the love of Axl’s life – but discover that love may indeed be blind when April reveals a quirky personality trait. Meanwhile, after getting bit by the acting bug while working at Dollywood over the summer, Sue wants to change her major to theater, and Brick is starting high school and making it his mission to try for a fresh start and not be considered one of the weird kids.

When a devastated Sue discovers that she has been kicked out of college because she forgot to renew her financial aid, Mike tries to come to her rescue and convince a tough college bursar to reinstate her. Meanwhile, having only taken oral liquid medication all of his life, a frustrated Frankie does everything in her power to teach Brick how to swallow a pill when he gets an ear infection, and Hutch becomes angry with Axl after he keeps driving the Winnebago without permission to Orson to visit new girlfriend April – leaving Hutch without any means of transportation to get to class.

As Halloween approaches, Frankie is taken aback when she discovers that, if the circumstances ever arose where she and Mike got divorced, the kids would all choose to live with Mike. Meanwhile, Sue tries everything in her power to get her room back from Brick; and having to be so nice around girlfriend April all of the time leads Axl to lash out at his family.

Sue has had enough of boyfriend Jeremy and wants to break up with him. But not knowing how to do it, she asks Axl for some of his worldly advice. Meanwhile, Brick tries his best to show school spirit and fit in with his fellow high schoolers but is thwarted when best friend Troy (guest star JOVAN ARMAND) gets noticed instead and is drafted by the football team, and Frankie becomes a bit embarrassed when she accidentally purchases some racy graphic underwear.

Frankie and Mike are embarrassed to admit that they once again forgot Brick's birthday. But their embarrassment turns to fright when they discover that he has turned 15, and it's time for them to teach their not-so-sure-footed son driver's ed. But when Axl takes a shot at letting Brick drive his Winnebago, he ends up running down one of Orson's most treasured landmarks. Meanwhile, while Sue anxiously tries to choose a college major before deadline, she learns a shocking secret from Frankie.

Frankie has come to the conclusion that April is not good enough for Axl and does everything in her power to keep her out of their annual Christmas family photo. But she finds herself vying for Axl's attention by trying to rearrange timing for the family's Thanksgiving dinner when she discovers that he plans to go to April's multiple family get-togethers that day. Meanwhile, Sue goes ballistic when she discovers that Brick will now be her new co-worker at Spudsy's.

Although excited about finding a new discount store that sells oddly-shaped fruits and vegetables, Frankie is devastated when Axl refuses to talk to her or even answer her texts after inadvertently admitting how she feels about April in front of him. Meanwhile, Brick develops a new, quirky tick in the form of a repetitive phrase and lands in detention, and Brad (recurring guest star BROCK CIARLELLI) surprises Sue by coming out for a weekend visit at her college.

Trashy neighbor Rita Glossner (recurring guest star BROOKE SHIELDS) talks an apprehensive Frankie into taking a road trip to an unknown destination; Mike takes an embarrassing fall at the quarry and has to deal with even more embarrassment when OSHA is called in to investigate; and Sue attempts to convince Axl to end his estrangement with the family after learning their true feelings about April.

As Christmas approaches, Sue keeps a holiday secret from the family; after agreeing to watch the neighbor’s three kids, Brick finds himself trying to hide from them as they had such a good time that they keep wanting to come over and play; and Mike doesn’t know how to react when Bill Norwood (recurring guest star PAT FINN) gives him a Christmas gift for the first time ever.

The Hecks find themselves spending New Year’s Day attempting to stave off a zombie apocalypse in the Orson Escape Room, desperately trying to beat the Donahue’s record of getting out with more than one minute, eight seconds to spare. Meanwhile, Brick is convinced that the mild mannered man assigned to the family’s Escape Room group is really the famous author of the “Planet Nowhere” books, Sue divulges a secret about herself to Axl that’s she’s been keeping since childhood, and Mike is stunned when Frankie reveals that she had a romantic dream involving Frank Sinatra.

Frankie is ecstatic when she wins free maid service for a month. But the Heck house turns out to be quite the frustrating challenge to clean. Meanwhile, when Mike and Rusty's dad, Big Mike (recurring guest star JOHN CULLUM), starts to have trouble taking care of himself at home, the brothers begrudgingly begin to look at assisted living facilities for him; and when the Winnebago gets too cold and dangerous to inhabit since snow is coming through a hole in the roof, Axl, Hutch and Kenny attempt to move in with Sue and Lexie in their temporary college housing. Guest star NORM MACDONALD returns as Mike’s brother, Rusty.

Axl begins to panic when he realizes that he only has four months of college left before he graduates, and he hasn't sent out any job resumes – something he should have started when he was a junior. Meanwhile, Brad agrees to lead Sue's no-cut a cappella group as they enter a music competition, and Brick desperately asks for Frankie and Mike's advice when girlfriend Cindy tells him that he reads too much, and if he doesn't stop, she'll break up with him.

Frankie becomes sad when her doctor informs her that her ovaries are shriveled up, meaning her days of having kids are over. In an attempt to cheer her up, Mike offers to have him and Frankie babysit the neighbor's baby overnight, which puts some perspective on being an older parent. Meanwhile, Sue and Axl are a bit shocked when romantic sparks fly between Sean Donahue and Sue's roommate Lexie; and Brick tries his best to hone up on his font knowledge when he meets Gibson, a worthy font opponent.

Frankie and Mike frantically attempt to shut off the water and save some treasured items when the pipes burst in the basement. But after freaking out and bickering amongst each other, Axl, Sue and Brick call a family intervention meeting to let their parents know that their constant fighting and bickering is negatively affecting them. But while the kids feel like they can benefit from their parents' newfound realization, Frankie and Mike start to think that the kids' lack of support makes them the ones who should be sorry.

After Frankie tries to get a stubborn Mike to go see Dr. Goodwin (guest star JACK McBRAYER) to take care of his toothache, Mike convinces the good doctor to leave his tooth alone and tell Frankie that everything was ok. But the two find themselves fabricating a story that’s so ludicrous that they fear Frankie will figure out the truth. Meanwhile, since they are nearing the end of their senior year at college, Axl, Hutch and Kenny decide it’s time to sell the fabled Winnebago; Sue tries her best to let college golf cart driver Tyler (guest star KEATON SAVAGE) know that she likes him; and Brick attempts to write a historic Scottish rap musical – a la Hamilton – focusing on the life of Sergeant Charles Stuart MacKenzie.

Lexie spends Spring Break with the Hecks and confesses to Sue that she has a crush on Axl; with the quarry softball team on a losing streak, Mike hires high school coach Babbitt (guest star BROOKE DILLMAN) as a ringer to pull the team out of their slump; and Frankie desperately tries to uncover what has happened within the Heck family to make Nancy Donahue exclaim that she must be very proud of one of her family member's achievements.

After Axl runs into just about all of his ex-girlfriends while attending a St. Patrick’s Day party – including Devin Levin (guest star GIA MANTEGNA), Cassidy (guest star GALADRIEL STINEMAN), and even Weird Ashley (guest star KATLIN MASTANDREA) – Hutch tells Axl that the universe is trying to tell him something about his love life, and that he must speak with each of them to try and figure it out. Meanwhile, Brick discovers that Frankie and Mike aren’t half as thrilled as he is when he buys an old microfiche machine at a library sale; and not knowing that Tyler is set to take Sue to the Chancellor’s Ball, Sean Donahue pays her a surprise visit and offers to escort her to it.

Bill Norwood (recurring guest star PAT FINN) is so upset with Mike for poaching his plumber at a reduced rate that their friendship could be at risk. Meanwhile, after having a fun mother-daughter picnic, Frankie is crushed when Sue – who usually tells her everything – won't divulge who the mystery guy is that she has a crush on; and Brick convinces Axl to let him hang out with him at college over the weekend – not to visit the library but to have some fun and par-tay!

After being reminded that Brick was never confirmed, Frankie and Mike send him to Reverend TimTom’s Wilderness Jesus Jam weekend camp to brush up on his religious knowledge in preparation for the blessed event. But Brick is shocked to discover that his bunkmate is no other than Blake Ferguson – the boy he was switched at birth with and raised by his parents for the first month of his life. Everybody Loves Raymond’s MONICA HORAN guest stars and reunites with Patricia Heaton in this episode directed by series star Charlie McDermott.

After discovering that he doesn't have a decent suit to wear for upcoming business interviews, Frankie is thrilled when Axl agrees to let her take him shopping to help him pick out a suit; and when Mike threatens to do away with the family summer pool if Sue and Brick don't start using it, they begin to worry that he and Frankie may take even more things away from around the house from their childhood that they don't use anymore as they edge towards adulthood.

Frankie frantically searches the house for Axl's graduation gift, which she bought and hid months before; Sue decides that she wants to make a sweet video for Mike's upcoming birthday – even though the family warns her that he probably won't like it; and after Cindy embarrasses Brick by strong-arming and chasing away a boy who was bullying him, Brick turns to Axl to help get him into shape so that he can stick up for himself.

Frankie, Mike and Brick begin to notice that their luck has changed dramatically for the better after the Prairie Scouts accidentally paint the Donahues’ address on their curb; and after missing his final college test before he graduates, Axl pleads with his teacher to let him take it, otherwise he won't be able to graduate. Meanwhile, Sue confides to Brad that her sophomore year in college was kind of a letdown. But a chance to speak to students at her former high school about college life leads her to a realization about her status as a student while at Orson High. A talk with Brad leads into an impromptu musical number about Sue’s many accomplishments over the years.

Having finally graduated college, Axl tells Frankie and Mike that he's planning on going to Europe over the summer with Kenny (recurring guest star TOMMY BECHTOLD). Although Frankie thinks this is a great once in a lifetime opportunity, Mike is less than pleased and thinks his slacker son should be putting all of his summer efforts into finding a job. Meanwhile, Sue begins to panic after she barely scrapes a parked SUV and doesn't hear back from the owner after leaving several notes on the windshield, and Brick discovers that his sudden onset of backaches is due to not sitting in his lawn chair, which was replaced by a normal kitchen table chair, on the season finale.

On the ninth season premiere, Axl returns home from his summer trip to Europe, sporting a man-bun and with a new, chill European outlook on life. Mike just wants him to clean up and look for a job, but Frankie thinks Axl will do this on his own and asks Mike to give him a little breathing room. Meanwhile, because Sue worked the entire summer at Spudsy's and missed out on having any fun, she decides to cram in a whole summer of fun in two days before going back to college; Brick makes the decision to break up with Cindy because he doesn't want to be tied down in a relationship when he's about to embark on the revelry of his "big sophomore year"; and Frankie desperately tries to come up with an item for a time capsule that's being buried under the Orson cow that will make the town remember the Hecks when it's opened in 100 years.

After Frankie gives neighbor Nancy Donahue (recurring guest star JEN RAY) an old scarf that is just sitting around gathering dust, Nancy returns the favor by baking her a delicious apple pie. Believing she's stumbled upon a way to get free and tasty meals, Frankie makes it her mission to find miscellaneous items around the house to give to her in exchange for some culinary delights. Meanwhile, Sue and Lexie prepare to move back into their college apartment but find that it's been sublet to a man who refuses to leave; and Axl's new job as the school bus driver gives him a chance to see how Brick's high school sophomore year is treating him, and he discovers that Mike has refused to speak to Brick's class on Career Exploration Day.

Frankie is stoked when Axl invites her and Mike to meet and have dinner with girlfriend Lexie's rich parents, Tammy and Bennett (guest stars LISA RINNA and GREGORY HARRISON). But Frankie is worried that their less then luxurious lifestyle may put a damper on their meeting. Meanwhile, Brick is excited to be a part of the Sophomore Slammer fundraiser, in which fellow classmates fake arrest each other and friends come to pay money – which will go to charity – to bail them out. But Brick soon discovers that no matter how hard he tries, he just can't get arrested.

As Halloween approaches, Frankie discovers that a woman had died in the bathtub of the Heck house close to 50 years ago; Frankie and Brick become convinced that she was murdered and, much to Mike’s chagrin, attempt to track down and find the murderer. Meanwhile, Axl and Lexie become frustrated over losing their alone time when Sue insists on hanging out with them wherever they go.

While Axl tries to invent a new beverage that mixes wine with beer, and Brick decides to join the school orchestra in an attempt to play the field and find himself a new girlfriend, Mike asks Sue to take the reins in putting together a romantic evening for he and Frankie to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary - which both of them totally forgot about. Frustrated with being the family member whose role is to do everything they ask of her without complaint, Sue puts her foot down and declares that she will no longer be that person anymore, which causes the rest of the Hecks to re-think and rebel against what their supposed familial roles have been.

Frankie is tasked with being at her mom Pat’s (recurring guest star MARSHA MASON) beck and call when she has to stay for a few days at the Heck house after coming down with an ailment. Meanwhile, just when it looks like Sean is about to ask Sue out on a date, Sue nervously blurts out that maybe they should both try to set each other up on a date with one of their friends; and Axl and Brick ponder what it is exactly that Mike does at the quarry.

The Hecks take a hectic road trip for Thanksgiving to Frankie’s sister’s house but soon find themselves running into barriers that could make them late to the feast; and with Axl now working with Sue and Brick at Spudsy’s, they have been informed by their manager that, due to budget issues, one of them needs to quit, and they must decide amongst themselves which one will take the hit.

Axl heads to Chicago to visit Hutch (recurring guest star ALPHONSO McAULEY) for the weekend but discovers that his friend, who has his own apartment and a job, is now acting more like a responsible adult than the free-spirited college student he once knew. Meanwhile, Sue’s excitement over having the apartment to herself over the weekend turns to horror when she is unable to sleep after watching Silence of the Lambs; and Brick enlists Frankie and Mike’s aid to help convince Lilah (guest star BRENNA D’AMICO), a new student who doesn’t know anyone at school yet, that she and Brick would make a cute couple.

This week an all new episode of The Middle.

It’s Christmastime, and Frankie and Sue are devastated after Axl informs them that he’s not going to church this year because he’s beginning to question his faith. Meanwhile, Mike goes to war with the Glossner kids after they keep defacing his new, giant inflatable snowman; and Brick goes all out in an attempt to wrap his first present for a planned Christmas Yankee Swap.

This week an all new episode of The Middle.

Now that Axl has a real job, he begins to bond more with Mike and spends a lot of time with him – leaving Frankie frozen out of their interactions; and just as Sue is about to break up with Aidan (guest star JACKSON WHITE), Brad (recurring guest star BROCK CIARLELLI) pleads with her to wait a beat until after he has a chance to win the affection of Aidan’s handsome friend, Luke (guest star CORBIN BLEU).

Frankie decides that she needs to find something new that she’s passionate about – life’s third act - and Reverend TimTom (recurring guest star PAUL HIPP) offers the perfect solution. Meanwhile, tired of hearing Sue and Brick argue because of the giant hole between their bedroom walls, Mike orders them to fix it; and after Axl refuses to let rich girlfriend Lexie pay for some extravagant outings, Lexie finds a way to fool him into thinking he’s becoming lucky when money and other high priced items suddenly make their way into his hands.

Mike’s wayward brother Rusty (recurring guest star NORM MACDONALD) comes to town and presents Sue with an extravagant gift, which Mike thinks is stolen goods. Meanwhile, with Sue now older and living the college life, Mike feels like he’s not as close to her as he used to be and tries to figure out a way to reconnect; Axl blows the money from his first paycheck on a big screen TV and blames his spending spree on years of learning from Frankie’s lack of financial wisdom; and Brick is stumped - but delighted - to discover mysterious, unmarked gifts being left at the front door of the house.

Things don’t go as smoothly as planned for the Hecks when Frankie helps Sue celebrate her 21st birthday by taking her to a bar close to the college; Mike begrudgingly accompanies Brick to a “Planet Nowhere” convention; and Axl and Hutch head to Ohio in the Winnebago to attend and make a toast at ex-college roomie Kenny’s wedding.

While Frankie feels the need to have a good cry after having a bad week, Mike shares the good news that, after 25 years as manager at the local quarry, he is being offered the job of Regional Manager but feels uncomfortable saying goodbye to his co-workers; and Brick suspects that he’s being treated unfairly by his health teacher because of how horribly Axl treated her back when he was a student.

It’s the Orson showdown of the century when the Hecks – along with the Donahues and Bill Norwood – wage a war against the Glossners after they steal Sue’s car.

After Dr. Fulton (recurring guest star DAVE FOLEY) calls Frankie and Mike into his office to inform them that Brick and Cindy have been making out all over school, Frankie tasks Mike into having a talk with his son to discuss dating etiquette. Meanwhile, Sue attempts to work up the gumption to give Sean the snow globe and confess how much she likes him; and after discovering a box full of unfinished thank you notes for gifts received over the years, Frankie orders Axl to finish and mail them all out.

Frankie is surprised but relieved when Dr. Goodwin (recurring guest star JACK McBRAYER) agrees to buy all of the peanut brittle that Brick needs to sell for school. But the good doctor displays a bit of Mr. Hyde behavior when Frankie doesn’t deliver the product in an expeditious manner. Meanwhile, Axl is getting sick and tired of having Mike tell him how to run his life, and things go off the rails when Axl attempts to trade in the Winnebago and buy a car; Sue is more determined than ever to win a very prestigious and competitive hotel scholarship; and Frankie swears that she’s seeing something mysterious flying through the house.

Frankie has to force Brick into asking Cindy to the high school prom, but worries that his quirkiness could spoil the happy event; Lexie talks a clueless Axl into giving Sue a belated 21st birthday present; and Mike becomes frustrated over how to get used to a new TV remote.

In an attempt to get Frankie the best Mother’s Day gift ever, Sue and Brick enter a trivia contest where they could win a trip for two to London for the upcoming Royal Wedding; and Axl is offered a job interview that could change his life.

This week an all new episode of The Middle.

After nine hilarious and heartfelt seasons, a Heck leaves the nest as the family takes a road trip to Denver, where Axl will start his new job – and a new life away from home on the one-hour series finale.