The Middle : Frankie kinda had a point.

How many times has Axl insulted/disrespected her? And not just her, the whole family. How many times in previous seasons did he pick on Sue and imply she was dumb? Yet when they call HIS girlfriend dumb, its unacceptable? Imo he is acting like a hypocrite. And everytime they show Axl, with the expection of tonight, April is with him. Maybe they're just tired of him always bringing her when he comes over. Is he really gonna treat his family like *beep* over a girl he's only known for a bit? Im siding with Frankie on this one.

I totally agree.

I actually think Frankie and the entire Hecks are the hypocrites here. Axl maybe treating his family like beep, but they are taking out their anger & frustration out on his girlfriend & I feel that is unfair.

How are they taking out their anger on April? They didn't tell HER how they really feel.

My question is this:

I don't remember Frankie freaking out this much when Sue was dating Darren. And he's as dumb as rocks. She even encouraged Mike to be friendlier with him.

so why is this different for her?

Frankie is not self-aware enough to realize that she's being hypocritical. She's acting purely on emotionthere's no logic to it because she's not a logical, thoughtful person.

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I don't remember Frankie freaking out this much when Sue was dating Darren. And he's as dumb as rocks. She even encouraged Mike to be friendlier with him.

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Darrin was NOWHERE as near as dumb as April! For one thing, he has a good job repairing air conditioners and such, and you need some smarts and skills for that. April is just presented as borderline mentally deficient. She's never heard of April Fool's Day and is so incredibly stupid, she thinks a fast food uniform represents the armed forces. That little joke was not only silly but downright insulting to people really wearing the uniform.

Darrin's mentality is on par with Axl, who isn't the sharpest tool in the shed. He covers it up with bluster, but he's proved himself time and again to be lacking common sense and any other kind of sense.

As for his treatment of the family, yeah, it's consistently been atrocious. In real life, a person like him would've been put in his place long ago. His parents and siblings are way too tolerant of that behavior. Superior? Hardly. Last night, he said both Frankie and Mike were "dead behind the eyes." Mike should've walked out right then.

But the premise of The Middle is family, not girlfriends or boyfriends. Eventually, they'll all reunite. I've a feeling Axl will ask April to marry him, and it'll be happening pretty soon. She'll freak out, of course. Marriage isn't in the plans for her, and Axl will be left with nothing but (you guessed it) his family.

The difference is that they didn't have to change their schedule for Darren, nor was he with Sue all the time.






[love]
Kades! [/love]

No I don't agree. Frankie and Mike didn't teach him to be respectful and indulged his narcissism. Mike will bluntly say how much he prefers Axel over Sue and Brick right in front of them with no shame. Saying its okay for her to be rude about his girlfriend and he should have no feelings about it (she has been nothing but sweet so far) because that's how Axel treated them is childish in my opinion. Axl defending his girl is one of the very few times I have liked him.

I agree completely.

I expected Axl to back down when Mike started getting more seriousbut he held his ground.

I daresay, this was the first time I actually felt Axl acted more like a man, than a teenager. He didn't drop his girlfriend because mom didn't approve, nor did he go running back just because dad said so. He earned a lot of respect from me for that one.

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I daresay, this was the first time I actually felt Axl acted more like a man, than a teenager. He didn't drop his girlfriend because mom didn't approve, nor did he go running back just because dad said so. He earned a lot of respect from me for that one.

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It won't last. He'll come running back when April gives him the heave-ho. Or else Frankie will find out about it and go to him. Whatever. This will happen before the Christmas break. Just wait. By next spring, April will be history.

Things like that happen on tv shows. All I care about is the moment.

Axl earned a lot of respect from me for how he stood up to Mike.

Well, I'm glad you respect him. I'll check in with you when he's back at home.

Why? What difference would it make to me? I am simply commenting on something in a specific episode that I liked. Whether or not the writers build on it is irrelevant, and I will decide how I feel about the direction they take when they select one.

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Why? What difference would it make to me? I am simply commenting on something in a specific episode that I liked. Whether or not the writers build on it is irrelevant, and I will decide how I feel about the direction they take when they select one.

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What difference would it make to you? Well, apparently one speech from Axl in a five minute scene changed your entire opinion of that character. So, yeah, I'd think if he returned to the family fold and demonstrated that he wasn't mature at all, it would make a difference to you. Because then you'd realize that his "standing up" meant absolutely nothing.

I never said that one speech changed my entire view of the characterjust that it impressed me.

I will say, if Axl grows up and gets his act together I won't forever hold his past against him. He was a jerk; he was irresponsible; he was a narcissist; if he becomes a far different adult than he was a teenager, I'm not going to refuse to accept it simply because of what he did in the past. How illogical would that be?

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I will say, if Axl grows up and gets his act together I won't forever hold his past against him. He was a jerk; he was irresponsible; he was a narcissist; if he becomes a far different adult than he was a teenager, I'm not going to refuse to accept it simply because of what he did in the past. How illogical would that be?

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I think you're confusing Axl with Scrooge. People don't change overnight, not unless they're visited by three spirits and threatened with their death.

Well, this IS a tv show, man. Axl is as much of a fictional character as anyone.

Exactly. That's why his character can change on a dime..and has and will continue to do so. If he's "fictional," then why does he "impress" you? If anything, the writing should impress you, not Axl.

I agree with you, Nicetryjan. I was coming here to post the same thing.

I also agree that Frankie and Mike never taught Axle how to be respectful. All three are at fault here. But, I think Axle is acting like a douche. He needs to suck it up and quit acting like a big baby.

Yeah. So they don't like his girlfriend, big deal?

On key difference is that when Frankie was serious and genuine whereas as Axl is kind of kidding..

During that confrontation between Axl and Mike, and Axl was going on about, "nobody talks bad about my lady,", I thought Mike was going to hit him, but, then I remembered, fathers don't hit their kids, even when they deserve it, nowadays.

So a fully adult Axl would have deserved to be hit this time? You don't dis a person's girlfriend to his face. If April had been rude to the rest of the family, maybe Mike could say he did not like her.

There is dumb and then there is dumb dumb and April is in the second category. How she manages to survive the day and not wander into the street is a miracle. Basic things like her asking where the bathroom is and getting the answer "it's the first door on the left" just baffle her and she has to be led there by Axl. So she annoys people (understandably) and yes maybe Frankie shouldn't have said what she said but she has apologized repeatedly and yet he still hangs on to his anger. it's ridiculous especially given his horrible treatment of his family (as Frankie pointed out).

"I will not be strong armed by threats against my laundry"

The reason why I said I'm surprised Mike didn't hit Axl, was because, Axl was being disrespectful to his own mother, while at the same time, telling his father, you don't bad mouth my lady. That's when Mike should have punched him in the jaw, and knocked him down. Axl acting like he's the warrior of the female race, when he treats his own mother, and sister at times, like dirt. He has no credibility on that front; besides, I doubt if the relationship will even last, and when that happens, he won't have his family for support.

I agree that Axl very much deserved a swat upside his head in that scene, especially when he said, "both of you are dead behind the eyes." He has a hellava nerve, when they've stood by him in every calamity that's ever befallen him. They feed his face, they provide a place for him to park his bones, and he think he "deserves" it. Actually, isn't that the Millennial way of thinking?

Mike and Frankie should have taught Axl a lesson when he was a kid.

Maybe Mike and Frankie think they owe Axl, they did steal him college fund after all.

His family will still support him.