Review: THE MIDDLE season 2, episode 3 “The Diaper Incident”

There’s a moment in time when you learn some of the things your parents told you is a lie. Brick (Atticus Shaffer) has that moment after he finds out Frankie (Patricia Heaton) lied about chocolate being illegal for children under ten. He starts to test some other things Frankie told him, like his face might stay the same if he makes funny faces. Shaffer is entertaining in these scenes – his reactions at being disappointed in his mother are brilliant.

Frankie gets Mike (Neil Flynn) to have a physical. He tells her he’s received a clean bill of health – this coincides with certain things that make her feel old. A store worker mistakenly thinks Frankie is buying adult diapers and she throws her back but tries to hide it from Mike. While taking a bath, Frankie explains to Brick why she tells certain lies. I love how she explains that while it’s bad to lie, certain small lies are permitted when protecting someone. That kind of logic has to confuse a kid. Mike enters the bathroom and questions the mess in the bathroom. Brick lies to his father but there’s a problem – Brick has a “tell.” He whispers he’s lying.

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