Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair Series Recap & Review - Episode 1
- Chase Gifford
- 20 minutes ago
- 5 min read
"You know those nature shows where a wasp paralyzes a caterpillar, then injects it full of larvae? I sat in a cubicle every day envying that caterpillar, 'cause at least he got to be on TV." - Hal
There are certain shows and movies that define who we are as people. The first movie I ever saw in a theater was Jurassic Park in 1993. I believed dinosaurs were alive. It was magic. At home I was nurturing what would become my love for horror movies with Nickelodeon's Are You Afraid of the Dark? I was in love with Batman: The Animated Series. Rugrats was one of my favorite cartoons of all-time. Looney Tunes, Catdog, Kablam!, Home Improvement, That 70's Show and so many others. But one stood out above the rest. My favorites were Rugrats, Batman, The Simpsons, and The X-Files. Among them was a true testament to comedy, family, individualism, chaos, and energetic television -- Malcolm in the Middle.
It is heightened reality, impossible surrealism, and theatrical absurdism. But all of the impossibilities aside, at the heart of it, what made it stand the test of time, was a story of an unassuming, albeit chaotic, family. With an anxiety-ridden, paranoid father named Hal, a maniacal, tyrannical mother named Lois, the oldest and most chaotic brother names Francis, an older brother with psychopathic and sociopathic tendencies named Reese, and the quiet and perhaps most conniving of them all, the little brother named Dewey. And the titular middle child himself -- the anxiety-ridden, paranoid, pain-strickenly intelligent, egotistical genius child named Malcolm. Aaand Jamie of course. But he came later.
By that description alone you might think this is a drama about a family stuck in a vicious cycle of systemic poverty and psychological warfare. But you'd be forgetting that this show is hilarious. It's zany and off-the-wall. It's a series that acknowledges the differences of those closest to us while celebrating the individual achievements of each character and that despite immense differences, family is what counts at the end of the day. And it does all of this in the most kooky, energetic, and hilarious manner possible.
Well now here we are, 20 years later, returning to the home of The Wilkersons, where the boys are grown and the parents are still not empty nesters.
Let's see why Life's Still Unfair...
Episode 1:
Episode details are discussed in the following recap & review. Proceed with Caution!
“A dysfunctional family is any family with more than one person in it.” – Mary Karr
This is the “where are they now” episode. It establishes what everyone has been up to in the twenty years since we last saw them and what they’re up to now. The family dynamics have all changed so much and yet it feels in many ways exactly the same, just with more gray hair. Hal and Lois are more in love than ever and there’s just something so adorable about their relationship. They are a family of chaos and yet Hal and Lois as a unit remain strong and lively.
As with the original show, it is their strengths as parents and as a couple that ultimately becomes their downfall in certain aspects. Hal loves Lois obsessively and that of course is very sweet but his demonstration of that love becomes, as only Hal could do, a borderline incursion of all her senses. It’s like Hugo the Abominable Snowman snatching up Bugs Bunny and holding him too tight. “I’m gonna love him, and hug him, and pet him, and call him George!” Hal is the snowman, Lois the bunny.
Francis and Piama are amazingly still together. I wouldn’t have bet on that for anything but I think based on the strength of Hal and Lois’ relationship and now Francis and Piama, I’m thinking the writers are idealists. In this crazy depressing world of ours, who can blame them for wanting that sliver of hope? As always, despite his persistent claims that he doesn’t care what his mother thinks, he fights tooth and nail to win her approval so again, while so much changes, not a lot changes.
Reese is more subdued these days but fear not, his true self shines through when it matters most. His devil-may-care way of operating is still very much in the driver’s seat much of the time. He faces a new challenge however in the form of his youngest sibling who for spoiler reasons, shall for now remain nameless. Let’s just say this – this new challenger has no idea what Reese is capable of achieving when it’s in the name of chaos. He has no equal.
Dewey is now apparently a ladies man. And a world traveler. And this part of the article is supposed to be the recap, no opinions really but I can’t ignore this part. For all the good things that these new episodes achieve, the handling of Dewey is not one of them. I understand the original actor, Erik Per Sullivan, turned down the offer to return so I’m sure in some way the writers’ hands were tied but the choices they made for Dewey are not only unfunny, they are scarce in detail and significance to the story we all care about which is where are The Wilkersons now?
And then there’s Malcolm. If he were reading this he’d start to question why I saved him for last. As if there was some sort of ulterior motive. I would tell him there isn’t and he would remain paranoid. Which is how he was when we last saw him, anxiety-ridden, paranoid and high strung. He’s still a genius, just older and more war-torn. His solution is to create as much distance from his family as possible both physically, by living in a different state, and mentally, by often pretending they don’t even exist. But it’s hard to deny the results when he has a great job now with a lovely home and a beautiful girlfriend. Still, the fear of his family lingers.
(We also meet some new characters that I will talk more about in the recap and review of Episodes 2, 3, & 4. So watch the first episode and come on back.)
At this point in time, Hal and Lois are on the verge of their 40th Anniversary. Hal, as you might imagine, tends to overwhelm Lois at this time every year so for once, Lois is taking over. A celebration of their marriage with Hal promising to remain hands-off for the first time ever. Needless to say it’s driving him nuts.
One part of planning such an occasion is inviting guests and this is where the drama really begins. And it mostly lies at the feet of their middle child.
Out of 10
Story: 8/ Acting: 8/ Directing: 8/ Visuals: 7
OVERALL: 8/10
Overall thoughts on Episode 1:
I don’t think this return is going to win any awards but to appease anyone other than the fans of the show was never going to be a priority. It’s just fantastic to see these characters again. I have loved this show since it first premiered in January of 2000. I was 10 years old, about to turn 11. Right around the age Malcolm is when we first meet him. Everything that has happened to these beloved characters feels surprising at times but always earned and with the exception of Dewey, it remains true to who they are highlighting their character traits which has molded who they were and who they’ve become.
This setup for the promise of lots of hijinks is exciting and the ending bombshell in this very first episode is both funny and a bit shocking and not just in a comedic way either. There’s a genuine undertone of betrayal by one of the characters and it’s interesting to imagine how they could possibly find the balance moving forward between sincerity and slapstick. The final shot is quite amusing I will admit. Oh and life is still, most certainly, unfair.
Check out the trailer below:
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