What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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T2 WHATS UP! December 10 - 16, 2017 BY KAT MULLIGAN TV Media F amily comedies are es- sential to prime-time television, though few manage to break through the fourth wall and provide a sense of genuine au- thenticity. It seems as if each decade graces us with one or two quality family sitcoms, the highs and lows of their experi- ences so familiar that we be- come a part of the family our- selves. Such legendary series include "All in the Family," "Roseanne," "Full House" and "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." Thankfully, the current gen- eration has found its own icon- ic family to join, though sadly the time has come to say good- bye. The final season of "The Middle" is underway, with a new, Christmas-themed epi- sode arriving Tuesday, Dec. 12, on ABC. "The Middle" made its way into homes across North Amer- ica back in September 2009. Throughout the pilot episode, mom Frankie, played by Patri- cia Heaton ("Everybody Loves Raymond"), provides the run- down on the Hecks, her family of five. There's the eldest of her three children, Axl (Charlie McDermott, "Hot Tub Time Machine," 2010), a carefree, athletic rebel; Sue (Eden Sher, "The Outcasts," 2017), a klutzy yet optimistic and driven mid- dle child; and Brick (Atticus Shaffer, "Steven Universe"), the brainy, quirky youngest child who juggles exceptional smarts with exhausting boredom. Dad Mike, played by Neil Fly- nn ("Scrubs"), rounds off the bunch with his towering height, level head and blunt honesty. As the family manages day-to- day struggles between break- fasts of frozen pancakes and fast food dinners around a glowing television screen, there is something incredibly raw and endearing about them. There's no need to try to im- press, and no wanting for more than what is possible for them. As the Hecks straddle the line between middle and lower class, there is a sense that a re- flection is being sent back to millions of Americans who see their own reality playing out onscreen, week by week. Per- haps this is why the series has long endured, as families have grown up with, and alongside, the Hecks. This growth is quite literal, with season 9 finding the fami- ly shifting toward an adult ma- jority: Brick is now the sole teenager in the house, and en- tering his sophomore year of high school. Sue is a junior at college, while Axl has found his way home from Europe, greatly changed by the experience (well, somewhat). Frankie and Mike confront the realities of having their adult children at home and the need for both of them, but especially Axl, to contribute to keeping the fami- ly afloat as they juggle daily bills and expenses. Another notable element of the season thus far is its recog- nition of the family's journey — the lasting impact of the Hecks in their own universe and the world beyond the screen. The season 9 premiere made this theme overtly clear, with Frankie's obsessing over the town's time capsule project, stressing to the family the im- portance of finding just the right way to commemorate Charlie McDermott, Eden Sher, Atticus Shaffer, Neil Flynn and Patricia Heaton star in "The Middle" Imperfectly perfect continued on page T10 TV FEATURE B/Health Initiatives Research 2 x 5 Have you or a loved one been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease? Agitation and insomnia are just two common symptoms associated with Alzheimer's disease. If you are interested in learning more about current research and the management of symptoms, please give us a call at 479-575-9600. Call Health Initiatives Research 479-575-9600 to talk to our staff about current trials and more learning opportunities. ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE OR MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT? NOW ENROLLING IN CLINICAL TRIALS! Help us discover new treatment options! You might be able to help with clinical research studies looking at potential treatments for mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment.