The Middle - Season 1 (2009) (season)
Directed by:
Lee Shallat ChemelCinematography:
Blake T. EvansComposer:
Joey NewmanCast:
Patricia Heaton, Neil Flynn, Charlie McDermott, Eden Sher, Atticus Shaffer, Chris Kattan, Mel Rodriguez, Brian Doyle-Murray, Alexandra Gold Jourden, Van Epperson, Peter Breitmayer, Bob Clendenin (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Frankie takes her daughter to work to help Sue sell some cheese and sausage for a school fundraiser. If Sue tops $3,000 in sales, she’ll win a four-day trip to Indianapolis. Like most fifth graders, Sue can’t wait to see the state government in action. Mr. Ehlert approaches and wants Frankie to make coffee, as he would never ask one of his male salespeople to do such a thing. Sue is appalled by his sexist attitude but her mom says, “Eh, it’s not worth the fight.”Sue turns out to be quite the salesperson. She hits her quota and Frankie promises to mail her sales check to the food company. The list of field trip winners is posted but Sue’s name isn’t on it. Frankie thinks it must be some kind of mistake and wants to go down to the school to straighten things out. Sue doesn’t. She says, “Eh, it’s not worth the fight.” Ouch. Brick has a girlfriend named Olivia, who turns out to be rather high maintenance. She makes a list of Brick’s boyfriend duties which includes buying her ice cream and telling her she’s pretty. Olivia’s a little too demanding for our boy Brick. He wants to break up with her, but Olivia feels she has put too much time and effort into this relationship to see it end.The Heck men sit at the breakfast nook trying to figure out a way to get Brick out of this unhealthy pairing. Mike says the only way Olivia may possibly move on is if she finds some other poor sucker to torture. Brick takes this advice to heart. Olivia likes goldfish crackers, so Brick brings a baggie full of them to school and drops them next to another boy’s lunch tray at school. Olivia sees the crackers, assumes they are this other boy’s cheddar-based snack and quickly declares that he is now her boyfriend. Way to go Brick! Frankie, realizing that “Eh, it’s not worth the fight” has become her catchphrase, encourages Sue to take a stand for what’s right. That means confronting Mr. Perez, the faculty member running the sausage contest. Sue timidly pleads her case to the teacher, who says he’ll look into it. But when the day of the big trip arrives, a busload of cheese and sausage saleskids are off to Indianapolis while Sue sits at home.Frankie is fed up. She and Sue hop in the car, hit the road and catch up to the Indy-bound bus down the interstate. Frankie encourages her daughter to stand up to Mr. Perez. When Sue is less than assertive, Frankie reads him the riot act in front of the entire class saying her daughter deserves to be on that bus. Mr. Perez begs to differ. He called the sausage company and they have no record of sales from Sue Heck. But Frankie is adamant and Mr. Perez ultimately says, “Eh, it’s not worth the fight.”Sue waves to her mom from the back window as the bus pulls away. As Frankie waves back, she pulls down the sun visor. Out falls an envelope. If you guessed it’s the envelope holding the check for Sue’s sausage sales, you may now reward yourself by taking a trip to your very own state capital. (ABC TV Network)
(more)Cast
![Patricia Heaton](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/164/116/164116177_e353bc.jpg)
Patricia Heaton
USA
Best series:
The Middle (2009) (series)
Back to You (2007) (series)
thirtysomething (1987) (series)
![Neil Flynn](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/276/276838_042c53.jpg)
Neil Flynn
USA
Best series:
Tour of Duty (1987) (series)
Scrubs (2001) (series)
The Norm Show (1999) (series)
![Charlie McDermott](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/330/330856_3f7adf.jpg)
Charlie McDermott
USA
Best series:
The Office (2005) (series)
Unbelievable (2019) (series)
The Middle (2009) (series)
![Eden Sher](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/055/126/55126049_1e9322.jpg)
Eden Sher
USA
Best series:
Robot Chicken (2005) (series)
Star vs. The Forces of Evil (2015) (series)
Weeds (2005) (series)
![Atticus Shaffer](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/452/452485_2eda09.jpg)
Atticus Shaffer
USA
Best series:
Steven Universe (2013) (series)
My Name Is Earl (2005) (series)
Star vs. The Forces of Evil (2015) (series)
![Chris Kattan](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/272/272512_dff157.jpg)
Chris Kattan
USA
Best series:
How I Met Your Mother (2005) (series)
Voltron: Legendary Defender (2016) (series)
The Middle (2009) (series)
![Mel Rodriguez](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/166/110/166110044_f8017a.jpg)
Mel Rodriguez
USA
Best series:
Better Call Saul (2015) (series)
We Bare Bears (2015) (series)
Community (2009) (series)
![Brian Doyle-Murray](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/162/713/162713525_34e76e.jpg)
Brian Doyle-Murray
USA
Best series:
Adventure Time with Finn and Jake (2010) (series)
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005) (series)
Life with Louie (1995) (series)
Alexandra Gold Jourden
Best series:
Two and a Half Men (2003) (series)
The Middle (2009) (series)
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000) (series)
Van Epperson
USA
Best series:
Parks and Recreation (2009) (series)
American Crime Story (2016) (series)
Feud (2017) (series)
![Peter Breitmayer](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/160/671/160671787_bc9c3b.jpg)
Peter Breitmayer
USA
Best series:
Fargo (2014) (series)
Why Women Kill (2019) (series)
How I Met Your Mother (2005) (series)
![Bob Clendenin](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/066/037/66037400_5aeecf.jpg)
Bob Clendenin
USA
Best series:
Scrubs (2001) (series)
My Name Is Earl (2005) (series)
That '70s Show (1998) (series)
Chelsey Valentine
Best series:
American Horror Story (2011) (series) - actor, a.f.
The Middle (2009) (series)
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service (2003) (series)