Interesting. I definitely agree wrt Sher and Shaffer, but find McDermott extremely weak. Some of it's the writing, but the actor has no ability to suggest hidden depths or an inner life when those aren't made obvious by the script. That can be death for an actor.

Yeesh. Not seeing it. His mistreatment of his siblings in too many episodes was sadistic, and McDermott's performance is shallow and charmless. I'm immune to men's torsos, though, so that might be contributing to my intolerance.

I'd say Axl often threatens to wander into Lily territory. He's definitely The Middle's weak link (both the character and the actor) and in some episodes his bullying and sheer noxiousness are both symptomatic of lazy writing, and inconsistent in the sense of being traits especially Mike wouldn't come close to…

I'll have to give Parks and Rec another shot. The ep I saw was thoroughly undistinguished. On the order of possibly The Middle's only weak entry, The Loneliest Locker.

Yup. It was a silly comment by a sad little man who can't distinguish between good and superb.

The actor plays him with such utter sincerity I keep reminding myself that it's a role. The scene where the Rev is genuinely flustered at not being able to break into since as he's misplaced his guitar is very nicely played.

How so?

Great point. And for all her wild gesticulating she does no mugging at all.

Wait—would that really be unexpected? She's not a huge star, her manner of physical comedy would be difficult to mimic (and costly if another performer failed), and the suit isn't anything like hopelessly difficult to work in.

Nonsense, sir. Eden Sher would be very difficult to replace. Charlie McDermott, on the other hand….

I see your point. I dislike what Modern Family has done with Lily, for example. Granted she sees a lot less screen time with ten other cast members than Atticus Shaeffer does with four, but she's little more than a brat, and she's vastly less interesting than Brick.

No. S/he's just a brainless douchebag.

Nah. Fuck you. There's no hope for you, cretin. None at all.

It helps, too, that the house appears to exist in a believable neighborhood. It's hard to believe how many shows skate by without one. Did The Dick Van Dyke Show ever show even a fragment of the Petrie's front or back yards?

Likewise, until a few weeks ago. It's worth it. Watch.

It's unfair to compare Two and a Half Men to The Middle. The former is an embarrassment enough in its sniggering shallowness without putting it up against a smart, rich, genuine, and sharp character study that also happens often enough to be laugh out loud funny.

MitM isn't nearly as funny or engaging. It's characters are veritable cartoons compared to those on The Middle.

I suppose for that kind of thing they'd have to hypothesize reflexes that keep up with his speed, yeah? Otherwise he'd trip over his own feet the way you or I would if we tried to run down a 45 degree slope.

Yes. You should.

It's because that no matter how it's written the universe of the flash cannot work. There's always going to be a bunch of stuff like this.