The Middle Episode 3.14 Hecking It Up

The Super Bowl is in Indiana! Mike doesn't care since the Colts missed the playoffs. Frankie, however, is jazzed to fulfill her duties as an official hospitality volunteer until she learns she'll be working at a shuttle parking lot in French Lick. To add insult to injury, Frankie learns that the Donahues are going to the big game.

Nancy Donahue calls from a pre-game fiesta to ask Frankie to put their brand new Passat in the garage while they are gone for the week. No problem. Frankie does just what Nancy asked. She parks the new car in the garage—her garage. Frankie makes good use of the neighbors' new car. What she doesn't know is that the rest of her family does, too.

The Passat is a plethora of fun for the entire Heck family. Axl goes cruising. Brick plays with the GPS. Mike uses it as a quiet place to take naps. And Sue uses the car to study for her inevitable driver's test. Unfortunately, she accidently rolls the vehicle into the street. Uh-oh.

I.P.D.E. That stands for Identify. Predict. Decide. Execute. It's a little mantra Sue's new boyfriend, Wrestling Matt, taught her. Sue uses this wisdom to get the car back in the driveway. Her harrowing journey inspires Sue to tell Wrestling Matt that she loves him. His response is less than enthusiastic. Uh-oh again.

Frankie scores a stadium assignment at the Super Bowl thanks to the confidence she's gained from driving around in a brand new car. Speaking of the Passat, Frankie realizes that everyone in her family has been using it. She's upset at first, but then realizes that having one nice thing has brought them closer as a family. They've basically become the Donahues.

When Nancy Donahue calls to say they are coming home early, the entire Heck clan scrambles to clean up the car they stole from their neighbors. Wrestling Matt also pitches in. It's the only way he could corner Sue long enough to confess that he was planning to say "I love you" to her on Valentine's Day.

Frankie has no choice but to come clean when the Donahues notice a scratch on the Passat. Much to her surprise, the real new car owners aren't the least bit upset. They really are terrific neighbors. As for Frankie, she also does her best to be neighborly at the big game even though she got stuck working at the portable toilets. Instead of attending one Super Bowl, Frankie ends up hanging out at eight of them!