The Middle (season 5)

The Middle (season 5)
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes 24
Broadcast
Original channel ABC
Original run September 25, 2013 – May 21, 2014
Home video release

DVD release

Region 1 October 7, 2014[1]

The fifth season of the television comedy series The Middle began airing on September 25, 2013 on ABC in the United States. It is produced by Blackie and Blondie Productions and Warner Bros. Television with series creators DeAnn Heline and Eileen Heisler as executive producers.

The show features Frances "Frankie" Heck (Patricia Heaton), a working-class, Midwestern woman married to Mike Heck (Neil Flynn) who resides in the small fictional town of Orson, Indiana. They are the parents of three children, Axl (Charlie McDermott), Sue (Eden Sher), and Brick (Atticus Shaffer).

Cast

Main cast

Recurring cast

Guest cast

Episodes

No. in
series		 No. in
season		 Title Directed by Written by Original air date Production
code		 U.S. viewers
(million)
971"The Drop Off"Lee Shallat ChemelDeAnn Heline & Eileen HeislerSeptember 25, 20134X55018.94[2]
Against Axl's wishes, the whole family takes him to college at East Indiana State University and helps him move into the dorm. Meanwhile, Brick keeps losing his new cell phone.
982"Change in the Air"Blake T. EvansJana Hunter & Mitch HunterOctober 2, 20134X55028.03[3]
Brick starts middle school, while Sue feels a sense of freedom without Axl around. Also, she runs into Darrin only to find out that he has a girlfriend. Meanwhile, Frankie finds out that Axl is texting Mike and not her and is determined to get Axl to text her.
993"The Potato"Lee Shallat ChemelTim HobertOctober 9, 20134X55038.25[4]
Sue gets a job at an eatery in the mall. Meanwhile, Frankie and Mike find out that Brick isn't going to his classes. Also, Axl tries to avoid his terrible roommate.
1004"The 100th"Blake T. EvansDavid S. RosenthalOctober 23, 20134X55048.31[5]
Mike and Frankie begrudgingly agree to drive a giant cow float in a parade as the town of Orson celebrates its 100th anniversary. Meanwhile, Sue tries to make Darrin jealous.
1015"Halloween IV: The Ghost Story"Lee Shallat ChemelRoy BrownOctober 30, 20134X55058.03[6]
It's Halloween at the Heck house. Axl is hazed repeatedly (having to hop on one foot when he gets a text message or being taped to the goal post with the only other freshman on the team, for example) as a college freshman football player. Sue has a bonding sleepover with her fellow Wrestlerettes. They have a seance, and Sue claims to see the Santa Maria sail across the family room wall after trying to awaken the spirit of Christopher Columbus. With the help of the rest of his family, Brick asks out a girl he's enamored with to his school's Halloween dance, using social media. Brick goes to the Halloween dance dressed as a bookmark, where he has an accident and gets a concussion. He then requires his parents to look at his eyes every few hours. Sue shocks her parents by purposely revealing seeing the Santa Maria during the seance and Mike has a long conversation with her, telling her she probably just dreamt it.
1026"The Jump"Elliot HegartyRobin ShorrNovember 13, 20134X55088.93[7]
Frankie adopts a dog after her family members constantly make fun of her. Sue shocks her parents by making the school volleyball team. Axl, about to flunk out of multiple classes, asks Brick for help.
1037"Thanksgiving V"Lee Shallat ChemelDavid S. RosenthalNovember 20, 20134X55078.53[8]
Thanksgiving finds the Heck-household hoarding secrets. Sue and Frankie try to hide Frankie’s outlandish behavior at a pre-Thanksgiving sale, while Axl must find a way to inform his parents that he dropped three of his four classes. Simultaneously, Grandpa Tag (Jerry Van Dyke) tries to persuade Grandma Pat (Marsha Mason) not to take a cruise, after squandering away their money playing online poker. All of these revelations come to head during Thanksgiving dinner, during which Frankie’s boss, Dr. Goodwin (Jack McBrayer) and Rusty’s wife, Marlene (Mary Birdsong) and kids are thrown into the chaos. Elsewhere, Brick is determined to have Lime-green Jell-O for dessert.
1048"The Kiss"Elliot HegartyJana Hunter & Mitch HunterDecember 4, 20134X55067.41[9]
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 his ex-girlfriend Cassidy.
1059"The Christmas Tree"Lee Shallat ChemelTim HobertDecember 11, 20134X55098.08[10]
When Axl comes home from college for Christmas vacation but would rather spend time with his friends over family, he and Frankie must come up with a time management agreement that will satisfy both of them, Meanwhile, Sue's severe allergic reaction to the Christmas tree threatens to ruin her Christmas, 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.
10610"Sleepless in Orson"Blake T. EvansRoy BrownJanuary 8, 20144X55108.82[11]
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. Darrin attempts his own spinoff of Boss Co with his friends away at college, but Axl and Sean discover it and successfully shut down the new operation, though it forces them to finish a difficult job that their competition had started. Meanwhile, Sue is both disgusted and intrigued when Derrick Glossner continues to surprise her with spontaneous kisses.
10711"War of the Hecks"Lee Shallat ChemelRobin ShorrJanuary 15, 20144X55117.51[12]
The ultimate prank battle is on between brother and sister when Sue discovers that Axl stole Orson High's Thundering Hens mascot head over a year ago, forcing Sue to wear an embarrassing chicken head in her role as the school mascot. A friendless Dr. Goodwin tries to make friends with a reluctant Frankie, and invites her to accompany him to multiple after-work social gatherings. Meanwhile, Frankie is forced to give up Colin Firth (the stray dog she took in) just as Mike is finally starting to bond with it.
10812"The Carpool"Julie Anne RobinsonJana Hunter & Mitch HunterJanuary 22, 20144X55128.04[13]
With the bus drivers on strike, Principal Barker (Rachel Dratch) 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 (including Brick) 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 in order to attract a female student whom he has fallen for, and Sue desperately wants to go to an Indiana Hoosiers basketball game with Mike.
10913"Hungry Games"Lee Shallat ChemelDavid S. RosenthalFebruary 5, 20144X55138.56[14]
The Hecks attempt get out of church in time to use their "VIP seating" coupon for the all-you-can-eat buffet. But guest Reverend Deveaux (Keegan-Michael Key) senses trouble in the family dynamic, and delays the Hecks one by one.
11014"The Award"Phil TraillKaty BallardFebruary 26, 20144X55146.98[15]
Mike gets an award for working at the quarry for twenty years, but is reluctant to go. Sue attempts to hold a "Helping Hands" event, where classmates will hold hands around the whole school. When that fails, she organizes "Mix-it-up Monday", where students from different groups are assigned seats at lunch to get to know their classmates. This works out well for Brad and Carly, who meet new friends, but not so much for Sue. Meanwhile, Axl finds a strange voicemail on his phone left by an apparently drunk young lady, and he covers the campus trying to find the girl that sent it. Eventually, his ex-girlfriend Cassidy calls to say it was her, and the episode ends with them talking again. At home, the air conditioner will not shut off. Darrin arrives to repair it and he and Sue realize they are both single.
11115"Vacation Days"Phil TraillTim HobertMarch 5, 20144X55157.32[16]
Mike is "forced" to take a vacation, which he doesn't enjoy at first but ends up looking forward to some relaxing days. Unfortunately, Brick has found a load of coupons he made for father's days and birthdays, and decides to redeem them all at once, which tortures Mike. Axl makes a surprise visit to Orson before leaving for spring break, which annoys Frankie when she finds he spent almost the entire time at the Donahues' house. Sue is working the whole spring break, and overreacts to some negative Yelp reviews regarding the Potato shop.
11216"Stormy Moon"John PutchRobin ShorrMarch 12, 20144X55167.48[17]
Frankie is arrested for an over-due library book and suspects Brick. Sue dislikes Reverend TimTom's new girlfriend, Reverend Tammy (Casey Wilson), but isn't sure how to tell him. Meanwhile, Axl and Cassidy reunite during Spring Break. After a couple of days catching up and enjoying each other's company, Cassidy leaves Axl a somewhat abstract painting, saying he'll know what it means.
11317"The Walk"Lee Shallat ChemelDavid S. RosenthalMarch 26, 20144X55177.28[18]
Sue has no date for the prom, then gets too many dates as her boss, Sean Donahue, Brad and Derrick Glossner all ask her out within hours of each other and Sue is afraid to decline any of them. But when Darrin asks her, she sets out to break all her other dates, though she still ends up going to prom by herself. Frankie and Mike feel like they aren't giving their all to each other after finding that they connect better with their new neighbors (Nicole Sullivan and Matt Braunger). Axl helps Brick with a book report.
11418"The Smell"Phil TraillRoy BrownApril 2, 20144X55187.20[19]
After being goaded by his friend Bill Norwood into taking an assistant coaching position on the girls soccer team that Sue is now a member of, Bill has to back out of his duties due to work, and Mike becomes the new head coach. He soon discovers that the girls care more about their various personal issues than the game itself. 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. Meanwhile, after Axl asks the girls across from his dorm room if the painting Cassidy left him means they are back together or not, the girls all suddenly start to take an interest in him.
11519"The Wind Chimes"Lee Shallat ChemelJana Hunter & Mitch HunterApril 23, 20144X55197.19[20]
Rita Glossner puts up wind chimes, which annoys Frankie and leads to a confrontation. Brick obsesses over coming up with a new pretzel product, after hearing a prompt for customer suggestions when he calls the 1-800 number on the box. Axl and Hutch try to move an old couch into their dorm room, thinking it will be good for an apartment they plan to get next semester. Sue announces that she is dating Darrin again.
11620"The Optimist"Lee Shallat ChemelTim HobertApril 30, 20144X55207.39[21]
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. 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. Elsewhere, Axl and Hutch try to bulk up for spring football drills.
11721"Office Hours"Lee Shallat ChemelBen AdamsMay 7, 20144X55216.65[22]
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.
11822"Heck on a Hard Body"Blake T. EvansJana Hunter & Mitch HunterMay 14, 20144X55227.14[23]
Sue is determined to win a car in an Ehlert Motors contest that requires her to keep her hand on the car longer than several other contestants. Mike's brother Rusty is homeless again, causing difficulty by both moving in and by accompanying Mike on a trip to Chicago for Brick's spelling bee. Elsewhere, Axl is clearing out of his dorm room and finds that he has misplaced an entire desk, jeopardizing a $200 deposit. A furious Frankie shows up, only to wind up re-living her college days with Axl and his pals.
11923"Orlando"Eileen HeislerDavid S. RosenthalMay 21, 20144X55237.85[24]
Sue counts down the days until the Hecks depart on their road trip to Walt Disney World (She won the trip in the Ehlert Motors "Hands on a Hard Body" contest in the previous episode). Brick begs his parents to take a detour to North Carolina so he can meet his online girlfriend, while Axl anxiously awaits the posting of his final grades as a college freshman.
12024"The Wonderful World of Hecks"Lee Shallat ChemelTim HobertMay 21, 20144X55247.85[24]
When the Hecks arrive at Walt Disney World, a good time may not be had for all when a series of misfortunes threaten to put a damper on their trip.

References

  1. ↑ Lambert, David (October 2, 2014). "'The Complete 5th Season' DVD Release is Coming Next Week!". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
  2. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (September 26, 2013). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'The Middle', 'Modern Family' and 'Survivor' Adjusted Up; 'Nashville' & 'CSI' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
  3. ↑ Bibel, Sara (October 3, 2013). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Revolution', 'Survivor', 'The Middle', & 'Back In The Game' Adjusted Up; 'Ironside' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  4. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (October 10, 2013). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Survivor', 'Back in the Game', 'Modern Family' and 'The Tomorrow People' Adjusted Up; 'Nashville' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  5. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (October 24, 2013). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Survivor', 'The Middle', 'Modern Family' & 'The Tomorrow People' Adjusted Up; 'Super Fun Night' Adjusted Down + Final World Series Numbers". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  6. ↑ Bibel, Sara (October 31, 2013). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Arrow' & 'The Middle' Adjusted Up; 'Super Fun Night' & 'CSI' Adjusted Down & FInal World Series Numbers". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  7. ↑ Bibel, Sara (November 14, 2013). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Revolution', 'Arrow', 'The Middle' & 'Survivor' Adjusted Up; 'Super Fun Night' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  8. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (November 21, 2013). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'The X Factor', 'Modern Family', 'Arrow', 'Survivor' & 'The Middle' Adjusted Up; 'Super Fun Night' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  9. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (December 5, 2013). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Arrow' & 'Modern Family' Adjusted Up; 'The Tomorrow People' & 'Super Fun Night' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  10. ↑ Bibel, Sara (December 12, 2013). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'The Middle' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  11. ↑ Bibel, Sara (January 9, 2014). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'People's Choice Awards' Adjusted Up; 'Revolution' & 'Super Fun Night' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  12. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (January 16, 2014). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'American Idol' Adjusted Up; 'Law and Order: SVU', 'The Tomorrow People' & 'Super Fun Night' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  13. ↑ Bibel, Sara (January 23, 2014). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Arrow' & 'The Middle' Adjusted Up; 'Modern Family' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  14. ↑ Bibel, Sara (February 6, 2014). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Super Fun NIght' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  15. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (February 27, 2014). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'American Idol' & 'Nashville' Adjusted Up; 'Survivor', 'The Middle', 'Mixology', 'Suburgatory' & 'Criminal Minds' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  16. ↑ Bibel, Sara (March 6, 2014). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Modern Family', 'Mixology' & 'Nashville' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  17. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (March 13, 2014). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'The Middle', 'Suburgatory' & 'Modern Family' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
  18. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (March 27, 2014). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'American Idol', 'Modern Family' & 'Suburgatory' Adjusted Up; 'Mixology' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  19. ↑ Bibel, Sara (April 3, 2014). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Survivor', 'The Middle', 'Suburgatory', 'Modern Family' & 'Criminal Minds' Adjusted Up; 'CSI' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  20. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (April 24, 2014). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Survivor', 'The Middle', 'Suburgatory' & 'Modern Family' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
  21. ↑ Bibel, Sara (May 1, 2014). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Survivor', 'American Idol' & 'Suburgatory' Adjusted Up; 'Revolution' & 'CSI' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  22. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (May 8, 2014). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'The Middle', 'Arrow', 'American Idol', 'Modern Family', 'Law & Order: SVU' & 'Suburgatory' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  23. ↑ Bibel, Sara (May 15, 2014). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Revolution', 'Arrow', 'Survivor', 'Suburgatory', 'Modern Family' & 'Law & Order: SVU' Adjusted Up; 'Chicago P.D.' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Kondolojy, Amanda. "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Survivor', 'The Middle' & 'Modern Family' Adjusted Up; 'Survivor' Reunion Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 22, 2014.