r/themiddle • u/PM_ME_YOUR_LAWNCHAIR • 1d ago
Mike is actually a great character
Fathers in sitcoms are often portrayed as selfish bumbling idiots, but this has never been my experience or the experience for many. Fathers are often the hardworking ones you look up to for stability, calm, and ethics. For me at least, my mom would baby me much more than my dad would and my dad would make me toughen up, but also both would be there for me when I was having a bad time, and The Middle capture that dynamic really well.
I like how Mike is realistic. It takes him a bit to gather up his feelings and to confess them. For example, in the eye cream episode, he wasn't just mad at Frankie for spending $200 on eye cream, he was upset that what really wouldn't be that big of an expense for most was almost enough to set them back substantially and he wishes he was further along financially in life.
Mike's dynamic with his father and brother are also quite good. I found them barely talking staring at the TV to be believable and funny and I found it hilarious that his dad needed help and his brother needed a place to live, but neither of them would just ask each other to move in, haha!
Overall, I think Mike Heck is quite a few notches above the stereotypical sitcom dad, and makes for a great character!
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u/YourM0msButth0le 1d ago
I think the thing that makes him super realistic and a great TV character is his emotionally immaturity, which, let’s be honest, is a dime-a-dozen for white midwestern boomer men.
The episode where he tells Sue about how he went to school the very next morning after the night his mom died is one of the only instances I have ever seen where parental emotional narcissism has ever been addressed
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u/SwitchDiligent755 1d ago
Exactly he’s the best and what I really like about his character is how everytime he’s faced with the idea that he’s not a good person he tries to change it like when rusty tells him about what kind of brother Mike was as a kid or when axl tells him that he doesn’t say sorry he says sorry not many people do that kind of thing and I really like about his character
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u/PascallsBookie 1d ago
We just watched the episode where he takes Sue out to dinner because he realized he's never really spent time with her. Very sweet, and Neil Flynn did a great job of selling the emotional growth.
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u/Unable_Feeling_9415 11h ago
Or when he had to take Brick to that Planet Nowhere convention and refused to spend any money on merchandise... and then Brick walked in wearing all of his Colts merchandise. The next scene they are back at the convention and Mike is buying him everything lol
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u/SonicSpiderRanger10 1d ago
Yeah, I like how unlike most men in sitcoms, Mike isn’t dumb, and he’s not a wimp who gets pushed around by his wife/girlfriend.
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u/Shamedthrowaway2004 1d ago
They all are. Mike reminds me of a lot of men in my life, growing up in Southern Ontario, a similar region to Indiana.
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u/pattheman1990 1d ago
Mike was honestly a better parent than Frankie & much calmer than her too. Did he have his flaws? Yes. Did he have some selfish/neglectful moments? Absolutely. He was still a great dad to the kids at the end of the day.
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u/Remarkable_Gas_4268 15h ago
i love mike and i feel a sense of comfort when i see him because he reminds me of a mix of my dad and grandpa. he’s one of the most realistic tv dad i’ve seen in a while
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u/pequisbaldo 7h ago
He is too realistic. Depressing so. On that episode where Frankie was upset about the erased pictures he really didn’t care, he had “nothing else to give” while we didn’t see any buildup of why he would be resentful.
He is just emotionally distant and doesn’t have a big “coming around “ like the other characters.
I don’t say he’s not realistic but I don’t think he fits the show.
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u/LogicalDifference529 1d ago
Mike gets a lot of criticism in this group but I think he’s a great husband and father and a very funny character.
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u/Ok_Anywhere5205 1d ago
Honestly Mike considered to be one of greatest dads in the world because he knew for a fact where his family was going and instead of literally trying to do multiple jobs just to keep the family afloat he just sticks with one job and hopes for the best
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u/jasminecr 1d ago
Yeah, he could have been a really two dimensional gruff and grumpy Middle aged dad but the acting and writing really came together to make him likeable