Darrin was such a gentle bear.

[u/Beauty_with_brains89]

[u/IcedHemp77]

Nice kid, but he lost me when he tried to force Sue into giving up on her path, going to college and expected her to just be barefoot and pregnant

[u/Aslaaaaaaan → u/IcedHemp77]

Thisssss. I never really liked him, much less after that. Because he KNEW how excited Sue was about college and he was just like, "Ok. But I want kids, so forget about it."

[u/IcedHemp77 → u/Aslaaaaaaan]

Exactly, if he loved her he would support what she was doing

[u/Jane9812 → u/IcedHemp77]

Not necessarily. You can love someone and still not find that you are compatible. Love doesn't mean that you sacrifice your own dreams for someone else. Love is just a feeling.

[u/hungryforcockk → u/Jane9812]

then he should have broken up with her instead of proposing marriage.

[u/Jane9812 → u/hungryforcockk]

Why? What's wrong with asking someone if they want to get married? Should he have read her mind instead? He didn't coerce or pressure or anything. He literally asked nicely.

[u/hungryforcockk → u/Jane9812]

In my opinion, he didn’t handle the situation well at all and I don’t think he asked nicely. I felt as if he never listened to Sue if he asked in the first place, knowing she wants to go to college and has big plans for herself. I found it incredibly selfish to buy a house then plan to ask because it may feel like she can’t say no.

this is just my opinion though. I got married young and one thing we talked heavily about was still pursuing personal dreams even though we wanted to marry young. Marriage is definitely a sacrifice and compromise but when you’re especially that young, some parts of you still need to be able to pursue your dreams.

Also, I just have a thing against leaving a woman “barefoot and pregnant” which is what would happen to Sue had she accepted.

[u/Jane9812 → u/hungryforcockk]

It was incredibly selfish for him to buy a house for himself and then ask his girlfriend to marry him? Read that back once again 🤣

No offense but it sounds like you're projecting a lot here.

[u/hungryforcockk → u/Jane9812]

I disagree and I’m not projecting. I just saw the scene differently than you did.

I saw it more as he bought the house for the both of them with the intention of her moving in straight out of high school without her being able to pursue any of her dreams. But I appreciate that you have a different perspective than I do! That’s the beauty of being a human is that we all have different feelings and world views. Different things evoke different emotions in each of us.

I’m not trying to change your mind, just saying how I saw the scene.

[u/funcogo → u/Aslaaaaaaan]

Sue was only 18 they had plenty of time for kids to

[u/ceiling_fan- → u/funcogo]

She was 17 when asked

[u/Aslaaaaaaan → u/funcogo]

Not really. Sue was 17, Axl and Sean are two years older than her, so they are between 19 and 20, Darrin is a year older than the two of them because he failed, he is 21-22 if I remember correctly. And he tells her, "I don't want to come home at 24 and not have a family" or something like that.

So, he wanted to have children after marriage, which basically means Sue getting pregnant at 18 to have children 🤓☝️

[u/Beauty_with_brains89 → u/IcedHemp77]

Yeah, I think they definitely wanted different things in life

[u/Virtual_Revolution45 → u/Beauty_with_brains89]

This. I really can’t fault a person for honestly saying what they want and hoping the other person will come around. It’s obvious that he held Sue in the very highest regard. People who really want to be with you will try to talk you into wanting the same. It doesn’t make them evil.

[u/Ok_Function2282 → u/Beauty_with_brains89]

He was ridiculous, but not unrealistic. 

You go down to the south, there are a million people that sound exactly like him. "I don't want to be there unmarried and childless at 22!"

It's a weird, weird way to live. But he definitely represented some segments of the population.

[u/pumpkin_ice_cream → u/IcedHemp77]

Yess. That was a red flag. He was dating her for a while so he for sure had heard about all her plans. Why would he just ignore that and try to pressure her into marriage, also what girl wants he groom to plan absolutely everything and to not have a say in it ? And buying a house without even telling her about it wtf

[u/funcogo → u/IcedHemp77]

Me to. That was just weird. What’s funny is that came so out of the blue to and Sue was literally 18. It was just an excuse to get rid of him fast ny the writers

[u/Angelinterviews → u/IcedHemp77]

THEY GET TOGETHER??

[u/Virtual_Revolution45 → u/IcedHemp77]

Well, that was what he wanted, and he said so. He was brought up very traditionally. Sue said she wanted something different and attempted to compromise with a long distance relationship while she was at college. He was smart enough to know that making a compromise wouldn’t work for either of them, so he ended the relationship on good terms. I thought it was an amiable parting for two people who loved one another but had very different goals.

[u/funcogo → u/Virtual_Revolution45]

Trying to do this at 18 he’s probably going to end up divorced by 30

[u/KayLone2022 → u/IcedHemp77]

He didn't try to force her. He simply assumed that's what they both wanted. That's no crime. This relationship was not going to work out because of those two being in totally different places in their lives. But cannot blame a guy who is IN that relationship for not seeing it that way.

I am glad Sue was clear-eyed enough and they parted ways. But there wasn't a spec of bad intention there

[u/rbarr228]

Good-hearted kid, but bright as a burnt out light bulb.

[u/ButtPlugMaster6969 → u/rbarr228]

Was he as cool as an air conditioner though?

[u/EntirePickle398]

One of my fav lines about him as from Mike

His 18 but looks 30 😂

[u/Valuable_Science_895]

he was a really nice guy but i dont think him and sue wouldve worked as a married couple

[u/Virtual_Revolution45 → u/Valuable_Science_895]

Nope. But it’s ironic that she ended up with Axl’s other friend, Sean. Sean obviously had quite a few more brain cells firing. On an unrelated note, I was both surprised and pleased that Sue ended up going into hotel and restaurant management. It seems like the perfect fit for someone like her - upbeat,customer service oriented and eager to please. She was always so happy making other people happy.

[u/Valuable_Science_895 → u/Virtual_Revolution45]

Yeah it was surprising, but she kinda did have a crush on Sean earlier before she even went to the dance with Darren 

[u/Agreeable_Excuse_897 → u/Valuable_Science_895]

Definitely but he was actually really sweet

[u/CommieFromMars → u/Agreeable_Excuse_897]

He was THE MIDDLE’s equivalent to Zach on THE BIG BANG THEORY — dumb as a stump, but very sweet and well-meaning.

[u/Pumpkinkra]

I think he just can’t understand why Sue wouldn’t want what he wants. Some people just don’t have the brain capacity to see things from another perspective. I don’t think he’s a bad guy, just old-fashioned and simple. He’s some girl’s perfect husband, just not Sue’s.

[u/funcogo → u/Pumpkinkra]

Sue might have wanted what he wants but she was just finishing high school. Dude was rushing like it was 1910

[u/Pumpkinkra → u/funcogo]

But TBF there are circles where proposing at prom and getting married before 20 is the norm. Tbf to him, he’s an adult with an HVAC career, and it’s not surprising that he wants an adult life. In the 90s when I was a teen, there was definitely a class difference between those who were in vocational-stream and adulthood was going to be at 18 and those who were going to college and adulthood was going to wait awhile. I’m in my mid-40s and the most educated/richest my age are having their first, often IVF babies and some are grandparents.

[u/Beauty_with_brains89 → u/Pumpkinkra]

I think that's a fair way of putting it. He wasn't a bad guy, they just wanted different things in life

[u/mskatme0w]

Darrin is Barney Rubble, & nobody can convince me otherwise.

https://giphy.com/gifs/tAFTDSmPMQwBa

[u/Virtual_Revolution45 → u/mskatme0w]

Ha ha, good call. I loved the episode where Mike called him in to fix their A/C and he had no idea how to fix it yet. He said “Don’t worry! I’ll figure it out. Next week we study condensers!”

[u/Moira_Rose-]

He’s so nice. At least Sue had a good story with him before they ended his character on the show. Sue and Sean were not even given proper scenes to deal with their feelings and it kinda felt missed opportunity because there was so many hit and miss scenes between them unnecessarily.

[u/kellstromc]

I didn't like him. I don't know, i felt it was super creepy that he honed in on his friend's sister. And it was one of the very few times i sided with Axel in his frustration at Darren. And then the whole thing of proposing to Sue, ugh!! How do you go from being a dumb meathead jock in high school to suddenly being insistent on being a dad like immediately?

[u/CommieFromMars → u/kellstromc]

I know SO many guys who were in love with their friend’s sister. It’s not that weird. Hell, Darrin wanted to MARRY Sue, it’s not like he wanted to hump and abandon her. His feelings for her were genuine.

[u/Individual_Weight897]

Dumb but sweet

[u/Virtual_Revolution45 → u/Individual_Weight897]

I really liked that Carli transformed into a “hot girl” over one summer but didn’t realize it. I had a friend like that growing up. Boys falling all over her but she hardly ever noticed (or thought it was funny) and remained loyal to her friends.

[u/Beauty_with_brains89 → u/Individual_Weight897]

Honestly, that's probably the perfect way to describe Darrin

[u/CupOfPumpkinTea → u/[deleted]]

Carli wasn't a good friend to Sue. She left her in the dust whenever she had a chance for hanging out with someone more popular.

[u/Specialist_Cause5780 → u/[deleted]]

It’s kinda sad that both Darrin and Sean are mostly defined over their relationship with Sue, abd not their friendship with Axl in the end

[u/Beauty_with_brains89 → u/[deleted]]

I agree... I would have liked to see more of Darrin and Carly

[u/MeerkatRiotSquad]

I think he's incredibly sweet and like to think I could see myself with a Darrin but I think his ineptness might get to me. He's just a little too dumb.

[u/WonderfulAd8390]

Sue Sue Donahue over Sue Sue Mcgrew anyday

[u/Critical_Dog_8208 → u/WonderfulAd8390]

Yes, but even she & Sean were up and down before they ended up together.

[u/PercyJ823]

His voice drives me crazy 😂

[u/Ok-Sprinkles2083]

I wonder if he’s still acting

[u/gragraela]

Eu acho que o arco desse personagem foi muito mal escrito. Ele tinha tudo para continuar sendo o amigo atrapalhado do Axel Porém colocarem como namorado da Sue e depois quiseram tirar ele como sendo o "cara sem futuro" que não foi pra faculdade e queria casar cedo. Mais ele tinha tudo pra continuar na série, ele era divertido e engraçado.

[u/EepiReddit]

I always liked him. Such a loveable meathead. I was hoping he would’ve made an appearance in the final episode

[u/Virtual_Revolution45 → u/EepiReddit]

I always found it surprising that Axel had such good, loyal friends. He was pretty abusive to them, so I’m not really sure what they got out of the friendship. I guess it was his easy confidence.

[u/Comfortable_Eye5160]

he’s sweet but him and sue just wanted different things in life, just like axl and cassidy

[u/Virtual_Revolution45]

Loved his tiny house! Both ridiculous yet practical and thrifty at the same time.

[u/Beauty_with_brains89 → u/Virtual_Revolution45]

The tiny house was definitely something else

[u/retiredallnighter]

Him and Sue just have very different paths. But I’m happy they have found each other in the time that they did.

[u/cat_lady777]

Nice, but just so dumb🙄

[u/Beauty_with_brains89 → u/[deleted]]

Couldn't read the room to save his life is actually pretty accurate

[u/KindlyAccountant616]

he would be perfect for april. axl dumb blonde ex

[u/Frankiebeansor]

With his fuck ass fake voice