The Middle: The Complete Second Season

Great gift idea

Seaons Two of "The Middle" continues as did Season one. It is realistic, in a way that "Roseanne" attempoted but this is middle class- not lower middle class, there is love in the family and a LOT less sarcasm, but there are still dirty plates under the bed. Mostly, this is a show where human rights are important. What a relief to see a sit-come where the wife and husband aren't offensivbe sterotypes. Dad isn't made to look like a bumbling thoughtless idiot who doesn't do any work around the house. Mom isn't made to look like the brains behind the operation, coping with idiocy amnd manipulating to get her way; Mom isn't made to look like the brainless pretty girl who usurps to her husbands will (Grrrr Florence Hernderson) while culture forces her to live like a Carly Simon song. The kids do not make you want to puke as did the Brady kids and everyone but Danny Partridge to my generatioln. (Sherwood Schwartz should have been arrested for what he did to American Culture) and the kids, Axle, Sue and Brick, are all great kids, with faults, quirks and, as it happens, have become role models for a new generation of Americans who will not feel like Quasimoto because they aren't Maricia, Greg, Jam, Peter, Cindy and- God forbid - Bobby. (Picture Greg Brady on the couch in his Boxers watching a football game and snapping at Mike about how he'll get his homework done when he does.)The writing is brilliant- fresh and new and even when old issues we've seen come up on a plot, they're handled freshly. These are excellent parents. They work together. They respect each other. They love their children very much and neither of them sacrifices their core values in favor of the other.But they respect the other. It's time that American family sit-coms taught about respect. Lord knows the two party family values thing isn't even close to real.Yes, The Heck are a "dream" family and for all of the familys out there in America, coping with divorce, a parent in jail, drugs, alcohol, the fact that one out of five kids have been sexually abused, we are given The Hecks as a respit from the heroin, the guns, the condoms and prayers, the breath smelling, the dilated pupils and the crying kid from the broken heart. It leads us to the political garbage that has descended (ironically the last time political frogs fell from the sky we got "All In The Family" and "Mary Tyler Moore"- Maybe there's something to this.)but this respit doesn't demand that we fit a Disney-fake mold. Our quirks are not only acceptable, but encouraged. we no longer have to compromise.I think of Axle Heck who gets dressed for school in literally two seconds while telling his mom to "Chill". It works for him. I think of Brick Heck, a genuis to be sure, standing without fear and looking up at his mother with a book in his hand asking, "Which part of me is my throbbing manhood?" I smile with love as Sue turns into a Beatles freak every time Reverand Tim-Tom makes a surprise visit (always just in the nick of time)Blackie And Blondie have done something important here and these are tevleviion shows that are well worth watching over and over. (Where is Doris, the dog in diapers, this season? Lord...could it be?)But the Aunts are still there, Mikes Dad and Frankie's Oscar winning parents are there. Bob- the lone video-game geek from work - is still there and THIS is an American Family with family values ("Look, the Tornado gave us a dryer") as we re-define the nuclear family- or better yet, put it on display in the museum of natural history. Family values are a group of people shaering their livers with love and respect. Why should THAT be political unless it comes from hate....The Heck are here to stay and their contributions to our culture are just as wonderful as the way they make us laugh every week.I look forward to season ten. I forgive Patricia Hearn for the dammage she did to human rights in "Everybody Loves Raymond." Neil Flynn has always been remarkable, whether he's a Janitor, demanding his place in the world or a bouncer in a club in The 70's Show; the man has always managed to make men individuals and not groups of hormone crazed idiots. This is a gifted actor.Yes. "The Mimddle" is a very political show because sit-coms about familes teach us what is right or wrong based on how they get us to accept them and get used to them. Blackie and Bk,ondie didn;t CHOOSE to be political. Neither did "Bewitched." How many of us STILL wish that Smanatha had turned Darin into a widowed 65 year old woman on Social Security? Vengence isn;t satisfactory without the lesson. I am sad to see that there are still aMericahn women who are willing to usurpo their will to a man. And let's face it: any man who wants this- who is not interrested in his partners opinions and help - is a loser.Particularlyu if that partner has magical powers."The Middle" even has an effeniment homosexual (this is only implied) whom they treat with great respect, despite the fact that he was caught - underage - smoking behind his garage on Chirstmas Day. I look forward to when he finally discovers why it is he feels as though he doesn;t fit in. I bet even Axle will treat him with his usual indifferent respect.Maybe that'll be part of season nine?I swear to you this is brilliant and respectful television.

Seriously, 8 p.m. is not a goof. That is the joke. The kids are counting down to New Years early because it is a church party. I laughed out loud!!!🥳

Good show

Great quality dvd. Love this show — ability to see “normal” family life with all its quirks!

If you ever have watched a clip or snippet or "tuned in" to the Middle for a few brief moments... you may not "get it." You may watch Brick murmuring to himself, Axl walking around the house being a typical teenager or Sue being an "untypical" teenager and being unusually positive or trying out for everything and getting turned down for everything...Anyway, you will need to watch a full episode or two to understand that this is a great show that takes some of the best situation comedy formulas from the 60's and intersperses it with today's edginess without being over the top like Modern Family. The show is good old fashioned funny and in many episodes has a moral to it...Who knew? Patricia Heaton plays a tired Mom who loves her children but sometimes does not know how to show it... Neil Flynn plays the father and is pretty much a little over the top in being a brain dead father when disciplining his kids. He has a hard time when it comes to having a "filter" in regard to being brutally honest with talking to his kids.. Sometimes you will shake your head (being a Dad myself) and wonder how clueless a Dad can be... Overall, the shows are entertaining, very realistic (if you have a big family or any family you will know what I mean) and will hold your interest. All you need to do is watch an episode or two to know what I mean. If you like Modern Family and the dross that this show permeates, you may not like "The Middle." If you don't like Modern Family, you will most likely like The Middle!

I only gave 4 stars because when my package came the case was broken and the DVDs fell out of case but the DVDs were good

This is one of my favorite TV shows to watch. It’s just a typical working class family who try to make the best of their situation. Just like the rest of us.