The Quarry is the fourth episode of season two.
Summary
Mike makes Axl work with him at the quarry when he is suspended from school. Meanwhile, Frankie blames herself when Sue's school cuts the cross country team, and Brick makes the remote 'disappear' when practicing a magic trick.
Plot
Mike realizes Axl is skipping school when he catches him playing video games at a sub shop in the middle of the day. He’s way off base. Axl isn’t skipping school. He’s been suspended…for skipping school. Mike doesn’t want Axl sitting around the house all day watching TV, but here’s nothing good on anyway. As part of his punishment, Axl must spend his days working with his dad.
Mike worries that Axl may be an idiot. Yeah, he knows that all the parenting books say you’re not supposed to call your kid that, but there it is. Axl’s incompetence in his office could stem from boredom. Mike attempts to rectify this by sending out to do some “real” work out in the quarry.
Axl ends up loving quarry life. The men make great money and party all the time. Axl even considers dropping out of high school. It’s then that Mike realizes that his son truly is an idiot. But that’s okay. He was the same way at Axl’s age. This just means is that Mike will be calling the shots for his boy until he graduates from his idiot phase or high school—whichever comes first.
Bad news from the sports world. The school board must trim the budget so the no-cut cross country track program is in danger of, well, being cut. It’s both ironic and tragic. Sue wants her mom to attend a marathon school board meeting to discuss the cutbacks. Frankie agrees because she feels responsible for the cross country program being in jeopardy. Apparently, she prayed for it to go away. Oops.
There’s a lot of bickering at the Orson Junior High board meeting. Only Frankie Heck is the voice of reason when she suggests they put aside their personal interests long enough to focus on what’s best for the school. And what’s best for the school is not cutting cross country!
The crowd goes ballistic but everyone settles down once Sue steps up to the microphone to plead her cross country case. She says, “Don’t any of you remember how horrible junior high can be if you don’t have something? The panic that hits you in the lunchroom when no one will sit with you even if you pretend to have an English accent to seem more interesting!” Sue’s heartfelt speech brings a smile to Frankie’s face that disappears the moment the board votes to drop cross country.
Frankie turns to prayer one more time. She locks herself in the ladies’ room at work to ask for help from a higher power. Mr. Ehlert interrupts Frankie’s prayer session when he asks her to get a stain out of his tie. So, Frankie stops chatting with God and starts talking to her boss. Divine inspiration may have played a part in Mr. Ehlert’s decision to cut a check to keep the cross country program running. The fact that his face now adorns an ad plastered on the back of every track uniform also helped.
Brick finds an old Mr. Presto magic set in the hall closet. Frankie thought she made the kit disappear years ago. It was annoying when Axl and Sue went through their magic phases. Now it’s in the hands of The Amazing Brick. One of his tricks involves making the remote disappear. No, really. That thing is gone. Frankie says, “That’s not funny, Brick. We need that remote. What are we supposed to eat dinner to? The radio?” The device manages to make its way back from great beyond just Mike opens a new nonreturnable remote. Like magic!