TVSquad

(S01E02) I didn't realize it as much in the first episode, but the Hecks are living the exact Midwest life that I had growing up. Okay, not exactly, but our run of luck and struggle went about like theirs did. I even remember when our dryer leaped across the room and died, though it wasn't nearly as melodramatic as theirs was.

The Middle surprised me last week by premiering with a really strong debut episode. Maybe, I thought, it's because I just watched Hank. Watching my grandmother shave her armpits would be high entertainment compared to that.

Well, Hank was so horrible I managed to convince myself that ABC's comedy lineup didn't start until 8:30 on Wednesday, so I tuned in fresh and ready to see how The Middle came out of its pilot. And it actually got better. Just about everything that happened in this episode was funny, and it was absolutely packed with things happening.

Right off the bat, the first thing you learn is that their perpetually half-naked son Axl is being punished. For a week he has to stay within five feet of a parent; a truly horrible punishment for a teenager. And yet, it created some very simple funny moments throughout the entire episode because he was always there. Even when Frankie and Mike were needing to have a serious conversation (I'm hoping he was allowed further away at night or things could get really awkward).

In other aspects, the episode was just making fun of life in the Midwest (sorry, we don't call it "The Middle," but I get why you are). I've never seen a store quite like The Thrifty Hoosier, but I bet if we had one in my small town it would do really well. It was such a surreal concept, and yet in the context of the Heck reality, it made perfect sense.

Just like a random tornado popping up at the local swimming pool. Speaking of that, can we talk about what an amazing talent the casting directors got with Eden Sher. She was a major part of a brilliant 2006 summer comedy on ABC: Sons & Daughters. In fact, I would love to be able to go back in time and grab that show and stick it right in the lineup where there's a Hank-sized pit of crap right now. Oh, it would be great in this lineup.

But I wouldn't want to lose Sher from The Middle. She plays the cluelessly untalented Sue with such gusto, you can't help but root for her. We're only two episodes in, but I found myself giggling even before she jumped into the water, just in anticipation of how horrible she would be.

There's a good kind of predictability that can be a great comedic tool. You come to expect certain reactions or behaviors from well-conceived characters, and so you get a little rush of adrenaline when you think that moment is coming. Sue Heck has already achieved that. I expect that every week or so she'll have something new she wants to try out for, and each time it will be a disaster. I don't know if you can sustain her character for years like this, but she's good for awhile this way.

Mike's honesty is another great tool for humor. Honesty and integrity is an important character trait in the Midwest, and he takes that to the extreme, to the point of telling Brick his very existence was a mistake, and honestly assessing Sue's lack of swimming ability. It's refreshing and funny, and yet he still has such affection for his family that it works.

One thing they will have to change is Frankie's abilities at work. In two episodes she's gone from zero cars sold to negative two: one stolen, and one destroyed by melted, compacted jelly beans. I saw that one coming a mile away, but it was still a funny visual. I also saw coming a mile away that they didn't count them first, but what a great use for Brick to get that number. I loved how the closest bid was still more than 400,000 under.

Speaking of Brick, I can't figure him out, but he's definitely my favorite character. He's still whispering to himself, and he's just so delightfully weird. It also appears that actor Atticus Shafer may have something physically different going on. I noticed in a kitchen scene that he walked a little awkwardly. It actually reminded me of some forms of dwarfism we've seen, though he doesn't appear to be particularly small.

There's been no mention of anything different about him in the show, so maybe it's not going to be an aspect of his character, or at least not yet. Or maybe it's nothing and he had a bum knee that day, but I definitely noticed a stiffness in his carriage or something.