Ep 24. Average Rules

The Middle season 1 episode 24 titled "Average Rules" follows the Heck family as they deal with the end of the school year and Axl's graduation from middle school. Frankie, Axl, Brick, and Mike are all excited about the summer and can't wait to start relaxing. However, Sue is upset because she didn't do as well as she hoped on her final exams at the end of the year and her friends all did better than her.

Frankie tries to console Sue by telling her that being average is okay and that she doesn't have to be the best at everything. However, Sue is determined to prove that she's not average and decides to take a shot at creating a school mascot in order to win an award at the end of the year assembly. Meanwhile, Axl is dealing with the fact that he's leaving middle school and will be a freshman in high school next year. He's worried that he won't be able to keep up with the older kids, but Mike reassures him that he'll be fine.

As Sue works on her mascot, she begins to realize that it's harder than she thought. She struggles to come up with a design that's unique and that will impress the judges. Meanwhile, Frankie and Mike are dealing with the fact that Axl hasn't registered for high school yet. They can't believe that they forgot to do it and start to worry that Axl won't be able to get into classes he needs.

As the day of the assembly and Axl's graduation approaches, tension builds in the Heck household. Sue is determined to win the award for her mascot and is frantically making last-minute changes to her design. Axl is nervous about leaving middle school and Frankie and Mike are worried that they've set him up for failure by forgetting to register him for high school.

The day of the assembly arrives and Sue is ready to present her mascot to the judges. However, she's surprised to find out that the judges aren't impressed with her design and that she didn't win the award. She's devastated and feels like a failure. Meanwhile, Axl's graduation goes off without a hitch and he's excited to start high school.

In the end, Frankie and Mike realize that they need to cut Sue some slack and let her be who she is, even if that means being average. Sue learns that it's okay to fail and that she's still loved and appreciated by her family. Axl realizes that high school isn't that different from middle school and that he's going to be just fine. The episode ends with the Heck family enjoying the start of summer and looking forward to the adventures that lie ahead.