Screens: ABC
The thing about the on-again, off-again romance between The Middle's Sue and Darrin is that almost everything about it is perfect — almost. What Sue brings to the relationship is sweetness, enthusiasm, and unshakable optimism. What Darrin brings is the kind of personality that's never going to overthink anything because he's...never going to overthink anything; what he lacks in intellect, he makes up for in cheerful kindness. Sue may be a big nerd at school, but Darrin's too dim to be status-conscious about her lack of popularity. And Darrin may not be the smartest guy Sue's ever known, but she's too accepting of all humanity to let that bother her.
Here's the problem: when nice meets dumb, a lot of signals are going to get crossed, or missed completely. That's what happened earlier this season, when Sue belatedly realized that though she'd broken up with Darrin a while ago, she might have been too hasty, and maybe he's a good prospect after all. But just in time for her to figure this out, he started dating Angel, another student at his trade school (and one with a much more involved cosmetic regimen than Sue's).
In the interim, Sue's attracted the interest of Derrick. As one of the disgusting Glossners, Derrick hasn't really done much (anything) to ingratiate himself to Sue: in the latest episode, he shows up to Spudsy Malone's, where Sue works, with greasy hair and actual dirt on his forehead, and proceeds to steal change from the wishing well. But what he lacks in presentation, he makes up for in confidence; over and over through the episode, he interrupts her attempts to tell him off by kissing her, which I have to say is a pretty advanced technique and one I wouldn't expect from a kid whose school-aged sibling still Big Wheels around the neighbourhood in a diaper (and no pants).
Meanwhile, Darrin is having problems of his own. Though Angel may be very glamorous and wear lots of makeup, dating her turns out to be no fun at all. She's demanding and bossy and has very expensive tastes. A different young man might have connected his intractable unhappiness to a jerky girlfriend after just a couple of dates as opposed to a couple of months, but what's important is that Darrin gets there eventually and breaks up with her. Yay!
Unfortunately, Derrick's non-charm offensive is actually starting to work on Sue. Though the rational part of her recognizes that he's no good, it's hard for a girl like Sue not to be won over by this kind of constant attention, and her final scolding ends with yet another kiss. As she wanders back inside in a daze, she fails to notice someone watching from across the street.
Darrin! With flowers and a giant teddy bear! Showing up to re-pitch woo to Sue! Only to be foiled by this gross interloper! It's so unfair!
Derrick ends the episode by telling Sue he knows he's not worthy of her, but he's going to work on rectifying that. I only wish I thought Darrin was ruthless enough to pursue Sue (heh) even if he thinks she has another suitor, because I'm almost as invested in Sue and Darrin figuring things out as I am in Brad and his girlfriend in Canada.