Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair Series Recap & Review - Episode 4
- Chase Gifford
- 24 minutes ago
- 7 min read
"If I want to be humiliated, I can take a math test." - Reese
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 4:
Episode details are discussed in the following recap & review. Proceed with Caution!
"My family is tempermental. Half temper. Half mental." - unknown
Lois is so crazy and stressed her car accident isn’t even on her radar. She simply doesn’t have the time to worry about it. Broken leg or not, she’s going to celebrate their anniversary her way. Oh and there’s definitely residual effects from Hal’s little trip to nowhere. He’s still kind of high but it’s harmless. Childlike. He might squeeze your earlobe but it’s nothing to worry about. I think.
Francis walks Kelly through what it’s like to deal with Reese when he’s off the deep end. Basically you just have to brace for impact.
Lois is putting the finishing touches on the party. It’s so close and yet so much can happen that could destroy everything. Never forget what this family is capable of where mischief is concerned. And Hal’s new perspective on life is distracting to put it kindly. He means well but he’s a bit… off.
Malcolm, Tristan, and Leah arrive looking ready to party and reconcile familial traumas long since dormant. Yipee!
As brazen as Reese has always been, even he’s not crazy enough to underestimate the brilliance of Lois’s wrath and so he’s sticking to the shadows until further notice.
The Krelboynes have returned! Lloyd, Dabney, and Kevin. It is both wonderful and awkward to see them again. So much, but so little has changed.
Stevie! And his begrudgingly-still-in-love parents, Kitty and Abe. Although they’d never admit it. And for an intermediary speaker, Stevie is just about the worst choice on the planet. For obvious reasons.
Malcolm eventually runs into the rest of his siblings and they let him know exactly how he’s been treating them. But for all their faults, they forgive easily. But once Lois walks up, Malcolm pulls another disappearing act. He’s gotten pretty good at it.
Francis encounters some old friends from the academy. And they’re a wee bit drunk. And in their drunken stupor, potentially committed a felony.
Leah is finding solace in the boy she’s been talking to. Although as young boys tend to do, he wears out his welcome fast.
With a celebration of love comes a flurry of old faces. And it’s pretty cool to see everyone.
The oh so brave Malcolm is heels on a toilet hiding from his mommy. And she knows exactly where he is. And they will solve their differences right then and there. Even with Feldspar in the background making heinous toilet noises. You’ll see for yourself. Or rather hear the horror.
Malcolm believes they are better versions of themselves when they’re not around one another. When all they do is fight and drive each other crazy, Lois exclaims, “That’s what families do!”
This talk is reminiscent of their last talk in the series finale. When she declared he would be President of the United States. That pressure has been pressing down on Malcolm since the day she told him. It’s been twenty years of feeling inadequate because of her lofty expectations of him. He took her goals for him to heart and it’s been killing him ever since. She does little to assuage him by belittling the severity of what she said to him all those years ago. Plans rarely work out is her justification.
What he took to mean as an absolution from his mother was nothing more than a grand hope for her son. A hope not etched in stone.
She loves her son. But she had no idea the power of her misplaced hopes for Malcolm. He has based his entire life on those words and now that he knows they were just a plan not expected to be realized rather just hoped for he has no idea what to do. By the way, Craig is still crapping. Things aren’t magically fixed but it’s a start and for now, that will do just fine. Plus they really need to leave that restroom. Craig is destroying it.
As Reese leaves the other stall and escapes the diarrhea factory that is Craig Feldspar he runs into his dad for the first time since Hal found out about Reese’s video channel. And much to the chagrin of his onlooking siblings waiting for a meltdown, Reese gives a genuine apology to his dad. It’s a rare moment of civility for Reese.
Hal appreciates the kind words but lets Reese and his siblings know that they operate under a misjudged knowledge that no matter what they do Hal will love them. And while he admits that’s true, their behavior makes it extremely difficult to do so. He likens his maintaining of love for them as an act of heroism. He also calls it a gift because it makes him feel better about himself as a father. And it just leaves them confused.
And now for all the days that Hal has shown his endless love for Lois, it’s her chance to return the favor. At the center of the chaos, at the heart of what makes this show so lasting and amazing, was the love between Hal and Lois. For all the silliness, it’s truly sweet and loving.
And then there’s Malcolm. After his realization that he had little to do with helping with the anniversary gift organized by Lois, he attempts to right that wrong. Of course he makes a fool of himself in the process. But I think it’s for the best.
So the party continues. Hal and Lois make out in the back like a couple of rabid teenagers. It’s sweet but also kinda gross. And Leah is still trying to figure out what to do about her first asshole in the form of a stupid teenage boy. Kelly to the rescue on that front.
But now, it’s time for the lovely couple to dance. We finally arrive at my favorite scene of the entire four episode reunion. It’s true to form, old school Malcolm in the Middle shenanigans and it’s amazing.
I give you Francis, Hal & Lois, and a big, comically huge bag of glitter and confetti. What could possibly go wrong?
A Summation of the Anniversary Party by Hal Wilkerson:
“This is the most incontestable forfeit of a security deposit of all-time.” – Hal
Oh and Lois had no idea her leg was broken. Not even the cast was a clue. But now that the party is over the pain finally sets in. She’s unique, I'll say that. Thank god.
As for Leah and her boy conundrum: Problem solved.
I think the most important takeaway here is that despite all of the chaos and trauma, the family that fights each other, stays together. That is to say, everything is back to normal and there’s something comforting about knowing they’ll all be okay if we never see them again. Although I hope these all too brief four episodes are simply a toe in the water for what’s to come.
Out of 10
Story: 10/ Acting: 9/ Directing: 9/ Visuals: 10
OVERALL: 9.5/10
Overall thoughts on Episode 4:
The handling of Dewey kept this from being even more special. I understand to an extent why it happened but their pivoting to a different actor and then to still push the character aside feels misguided. His character in the original series is brilliant and quietly maniacal. None of that comes through in these reunion episodes. That said, they do enough right that I’m happy they returned. It isn’t perfect but I think that’s why it works for a show about a family that is, in as few words as possible, unhinged. I love the callback to the last major conversation that Lois had with Malcolm. It was too big to ignore and they understood that. They aren’t 100% but they’re on their way. It’s nice to know they’re all doing so well for a fictional family.
And all the cameos, especially in the final episode, was a stroke of genius. To see so many old faces that made the original series as special as it is made these new episodes even better. If this is it, I’m content. If it’s a sign of things to come, I’ll be there. This show is so funny. It is genuine. It is brilliant in its own right.
Lastly I just want to say thanks for letting us check back in with this insane but admirable family. I think each character has something in them that we can all see within ourselves. It’s kooky and exaggerated and implausible as hell but it’s always from a good place with a lot of heart and because of that this family will go down in television history as one of the best. Hopefully, until next time.
Check out the trailer below: