Funny / The Middle

• In the spelling bee episode, Brick ends up losing because of his little repetition tic, making a Running Gag into something truly hilarious.
  • Earlier in the same episode, Sue wants the family to see the world's largest tree stump. It ends up being a bust, and we get this gem from Axl:
  Axl: I had the lowest of expectations and I am still disappointed.
• In "Friends, Lies, and Videotape," Sue and Carly want to see a rated-R movie because Taylor Lautner is in it. They pretend to be adults by wearing their moms' clothes, drinking coffee, and loudly having what they think is an adult-sounding conversation while they're in line.
  Sue: Do you remember when we went to see 127 Hours? I didn't think there was enough sex and violence! I could have used more mature themes!
  Carly: Yeah, I totally could've handled that!
• In "The Friend," Sue and The Wrestlerettes awkward, bizarre dance against the cheerleaders is absolutely hilarious.
• In "The Name", Brick's "whispering to himself" tic gets reversed when he whispers to Frankie when talking about Janet and looks down when he says the last word out loud.
  Brick: (whispering to Frankie) But she's so bossy. (looks down and talks out loud) Bossy.
  Frankie: Shh!
• In "Office Hours", Frankie becomes so forgetful she drives to her old job at the car dealership, a full year after having left.
• “The Answer:” Frankie chastises Axl for bragging about “celebrating” Valentine’s Day with Devin (ie, sleeping with her), but Mike gives him a thumbs up when she’s not looking. Moments later after Brick calls himself the “make-out king” over Axl, Frankie gets on him for that too, but Mike gives Brick a “okay” sign when she turns her head again.
• "True Grit": Crossed with Heartwarming: Axl's latest attempt to claim Lexie is flirting with him results in her slamming the door in his face.
• The Hecks stunned at Axl refusing to see how incredibly stupid his girlfriend, April, is.
  • April begs off being with them on Thanksgiving because she has to see "Grandma." It turns out it's not really her grandmother but rather her babysitter who she just calls Grandma.
  Brick: And FYI, not a very good babysitter as she clearly dropped her on her head a few times.
  Sue: Try a few hundred times!
• In "A Very Marry Christmas", Brick baby-sits some kids. They have fun, and upon leaving, we get this:
  Kid: I had a lot of fun, Brick. You must be the most popular kid in school.
  (Beat)
  Brick: Well, I am in school.
  • Later in the same episode, the Hecks discover that Axl and April got married and completely lose it. Frankie and Mike start chasing Axl around a neighbor's Christmas-decorated lawn, screaming at him for being such an idiot.
    Mike: Get away from that Wise Man! You've got no business being near wise men!
    • How they discover is also funny in and of itself: while they are driving around seeing the Christmas lights (at Axl's suggestion), Frankie gets a call on her phone. And after having a calm and pleasant talk with the caller, she hangs up... and snaps. The caller? April's mom.
    • Mike stops briefly to ask if Axl had to marry her. When Axl admits he didn't:
      Mike: That makes it worse!
    • Brick tries to stop him with a candy cane as Sue trips him with some lights. The mom of the kids Brick babysat passes by in a car, sees this mess and declares to the kids are never going to see Brick again.
    • And then later on, when Brick is looking up how to get the marriage annulled, discovers a reason that Mike and Frankie immediately agree to use: Axl being mentally unstable.
• "Look Who's Not Talking": Crossed with Awesome: When Brad surprises Sue by pretending to be a mugger, Lexie Groin Attacks him and while he's on the ground, gets in front of Sue, puts her hands in a defensive position and yells: "We don't know him! We don't know him!"
  • This exchange after the misunderstanding is cleared up:
  Lexie: I've heard so much about you!
  Brad: Same! Minus the karate skills.
• "Hoosier Maid":
  • Lexie, fed up with Axl's stealth-flirting, decides to play along to an exaggerated enough degree that Axl is at a loss for words.
  • Crossed with Heartwarming: After Axl and his roommates have hidden and successfully avoided being caught living in The Bin, Axl lets out a Big "YEAH!" from under the bed and Lexie responds by throwing her binder at him.
  • After Lexie tells Axl off about accusing her of having feelings for him, she slips and falls into his arms. The two have a moment of awkward silence immediately after and then Lexie tells Axl: "Next time just let me fall".
• "Swing and a Miss": When Lexie goes to see Axl in his room in the midst of all the allergic reactions she's having, she engages in a coughing fit and as she's leaving, Axl covers his own mouth and nose with his shirt.
• "The Confirmation": Crossed with Heartwarming, Axl and Lexie passionately making out every time they secretly sneak away. The two can't keep their hands off each other and the circumstances get more and more ridiculous moving forward.
• The scene in "Role of a Lifetime" where they're all imitating each other. Just the whole thing.
• "There is no happy ending part!"