'The Middle' Season 8 Episode 23: Summer Brings Trouble and Disagreements to the Hecks in Season Finale
Summer hits the Hecks with a series of complications in the season finale of ABC's hit family sitcom "The Middle."
According to the official synopsis for the upcoming episode titled "Fight or Flight," Axl's (Charlie McDermott) plans of spending the summer in Europe with his roommate Kenny (Tommy Bechtold) will put his parents Frankie (Patricia Heaton) and Mike (Neil Flynn) at a disagreement. Because while Frankie believes that the trip is a once in a lifetime opportunity for their eldest son to gain new life lessons and experiences, Mike thinks of it as an unnecessary side-trip on his son's path towards becoming a full-fledged working adult.
Will his parents' disagreement put a damper on Axl's summer plans? Will he decide to go to Europe in spite of what his father says, or will he take the more mature road and stay to start looking for a job?
On the other hand, middle child Sue (Eden Sher) is on pins and needles after barely scraping a parked SUV. The synopsis says that she will fail to get in touch with the owner of the vehicle despite leaving notes on the windshield. A promotional image shows just how determined she is to own up to her mistake, with her final note being so big that she'd have to tape it on the driver's window.
Meanwhile, youngest child Brick (Atticus Shaffer) finally figures out that his sudden onset of backaches is all due to the fact that his lawn chair has been replaced by a normal kitchen table chair.
Deadline reported back in January that the series will be back later this year for season 9, which may consist of 24 episodes.
Channing Dungey, ABC Entertainment president, said that the early renewal given to "The Middle" was due to the fact that the veteran sitcom has been one of ABC's "most consistent performers," and it even helped the network launch its Tuesday night comedy block this season.
"The Indiana Hecks have found America's sweet spot with their authentic, acerbic and always loving take on parenting, work, kids, marriage and life," Dungey said.
The final episode of "The Middle" season 8 airs on Tuesday, May 16, at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.
