Having finally graduated college, Axl tells Frankie and Mike that he's planning on going to Europe over the summer with Kenny. 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.

Episode Viewers and Ratings

Season 8 Episode 23 of The Middle was watched by 5,270,000 viewers, resulting in a 1.20 rating in the 18-49 demographic.

Is The Middle Renewed or Cancelled for Season 9?

The Middle Season 8 Episodes...

• s08e01 - The Core Group
• s08e02 - A Tough Pill to Swallow
• s08e03 - Halloween VII: The Heckoning
• s08e04 - True Grit
• s08e05 - Roadkill
• s08e06 - Thanksgiving VIII
• s08e07 - Look Who's Not Talking
• s08e08 - Trip and Fall
• s08e09 - A Very Marry Christmas
• s08e10 - Escape Orson
• s08e11 - Hoosier Maid
• s08e12 - Pitch Imperfect
• s08e13 - Ovary And Out
• s08e14 - Sorry Not Sorry
• s08e15 - Dental Hijinks
• s08e16 - Swing and a Miss
• s08e17 - Exes and Ohhhs
• s08e18 - The Par-tay
• s08e19 - The Confirmation
• s08e20 - Adult Swim
• s08e21 - Clear and Present Danger
• s08e22 - The Final Final
• s08e23 - Fight or Flight

The Middle Show Summary

Who are our modern day heroes? Politicians? Movie Stars? Athletes? Maybe... But what about the heroes of everyday life? Some of us think parents are heroes, and mothers are often super heroes. Meet Frankie Heck loving wife, mother of three and a car salesman at Jasper, Indiana's number one used car dealership. Frankie is middle class in the middle of the country and approaching middle age. Her super powers? Getting her kids out the door in one piece every morning! Jasper, Indiana is Frankie Heck's hometown a town nestled in between two factories. And depending on which way the wind blows, one day it will smell like snack cakes or another day, tires.

Frankie is trying to sell her first car at the local dealership while her husband, Mike, is a manager at the town quarry. Their oldest son, Elvis, just lost his best friend in an accident and is going through a bit of an identity crisis. Their daughter, Sue, is what you would call extraordinarily ordinary. However, this is not the case with their seven-year-old, Brick, who is different from other kids his age. Brick's best friend is his backpack.

The Middle gives you its take on life in the part of the country we don't often see. It may not be glamorous or showy, but it's a place where family comes first, and you do whatever it takes to keep your family together.