Okay, so not the sport as much as the three syllables in the word, putting it in the ranks of all of the other three syllable words that Brick went off to list before bed. He may do well in a country club setting; there’s archery, badminton….
When’s the last time such a distinctively unusual character was crafted from nothing on TV? And I find it unfathomable that anyone scripted all of that for Atticus Shaffer. This has got to be of his creation. Can you imagine that from an unseasoned, kid actor?
I’m enjoying how The Middle is mining the simpler life of a Midwestern state (is that where Indiana is?) instead of just making fun of it, which wouldn’t make much sense since Frankie and Mike chose to live there. Riding mower races at the annual block party, three times around the block? I’m just imagining in my head standing on one of my city streets, witnessing those things “peeling” down the four-lane street. Not so much.
And how they make fun of Brick without just leaving him as irredeemably weird. His failure is as a social creature, but there’s no disputing his intellect, or the amount of interests that he has. That they’re different from his siblings’ and parents’ interests is okay.
I loved the teacher conference where Mike kept saying, “So he has a hard time making friends … I could have told you that for free.” What kind of a test was that, exactly? Is that really life in a public school that they were trying to poke fun at? And do parents have to pay extra for testing, and other “additional services?”
The Middle just keeps on getting better. I do feel like sometimes Axl’s and Sue’s stories are a reach, but I think that’s only in comparison to the ease with which I buy every situation Brick ends up in. Anyone else see Sue trying out to be a dog in her ball girl training? And what does wearing her brother’s football jersey do for her? I see that backfiring on them both if she wears it to school … it’s not too far off from giving your sister your lettermen jacket, which is gross.
Brick playing basketball actually reminded me a bit of Everybody Loves Raymond, when one of the twins runs around the basketball court with his hands coming out the bottom of his shorts, trying to scare the other kids, and altogether just messing around. But he didn’t stand there reading the basketball, or the capacity sign — which Brick then proceeded to check against the size of the assembled group. Oh, Brick.
And never underestimate The Middle’s capacity for some great quotable lines:
“And I’m the one who needs testing.” – Brick to Frankie after Sue comes through chasing a tennis ball
“Ketchup packets?” – Mike
“They’re my security condiments; they soothe me.” – Brick
“It was fun. It was a little loud, but I got some reading done.” – Brick to Frankie, on how basketball was
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Oct 29, 2009 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
