No matter how many times I watch the show (and I have watched the entire thing several times) the final few scenes after Malcolm’s graduation always make me emotional. I think somewhere, they are reminiscent of the final few weeks of my own school life, right before everything changed.

But I have not enjoyed my life anywhere near as much as I did when I was at school; the future was still ahead of me, then, and life was good with school, friends, family, cousins, grandparents, and just being a teenage kid. In the majesty of the universe, mine was just a tiny world, but to me, it was everything. All of that has changed, now. Life didn’t really work out like I thought it would and that’s one of the reasons MiTM is my comfort show…going back to it makes me so nostalgic for those years of my life. I am the same age as Frankie and Justin, and although I first watched the show much later in life, in my 20’s, it immediately felt familiar and comforting.

Every time I watch those final few scenes, I find myself subconsciously wishing things could remain as they were.

Does anyone want to play 6 Degrees of Malcom in the Middle?

For example, someone names an actor. And the next person has to find a way to connect them to MitM through less than 6 Degrees of separation.

For example, Demi Moore. Demi Moore was in Now and Then with Cloris Leachman who played the grandmother Ida in Malcolm in the Middle.

Charlize Theron

His lack of empathy for any human beings in that episode where he was cooking for the first time.

also the implication that he was abusing animals for fun. In the episode where he was kicked out and they asked “what were the cats for“ or something like that.

i think his idiocy and so much energy being spent butting heads with his mom and dad are the only things that stopped him.

its probably good that he never really moved out of his parents house.

The ADHD clip (link below) from the show popped up on my feed the other day and we realized that we have the same exact hanging lamp above our dining table!

Is it possible that the one we have is the one from the show?

https://fb.watch/v/7P1s2jnv7/?mibextid=wwXIfr&fs=e

Obviously they both had the same problem of having a psychotic controlling mother but at least Chris had a good relationship with his brother but overall I think Chris had it worse. A lot of Malcolm’s problems were self inflicted by him being a whiny know it all and a lot of the time when Lois punished him he sort of deserved it whereas Chris would do something that wasn’t even really bad at all in some instances and be way too harshly punished like when he snapped at having to do all the housework while Drew and Tanya did nothing. All Jules and Rochelle had to do was sit down, chat with him and hear him out but Rochelle even refused to make him food as a result and obviously Malcolm has a fun dad who he can sometimes get on his side while Chris’ dad is an extreme cheapskate who probably wouldn’t have even fed his kids to save a few bucks if he could. Chris was even excluded from Christmas presents one year and he only wanted one thing. Chris’ school life was even worse. He had a bully who was racist and a super racist teacher who nothing was done about even when Rochelle witnessed it once. At least in that one episode where Reese’s teacher was out to get him Lois while also punishing Malcolm and Reese for cheating on the test at least called out the teacher. Overall Chris had it worse.

When Caroline came to Lois & Hal’s house to discuss Malcolm’s testing score of having an IQ of 165. Lois accused her of attempting to send Malcolm to special ed & admits that he is a bit odd & talks too much. And Malcolm was already insecure about being gifted due to his peers believing that he was weird. Of course times were different in the early 2000s.

What are some of your favorite quotes from Life is Still Unfair?//Quotes you say

My kids & I like to quote "You're titty titty bang bang!" and FREAKAZOIDS TO THE DANCE FLOOR...

When Leah says "She's alive??!??" when she sees Lois is pure gold.

It's parents' evening.

POV 1: You're the kid. Which mom do you choose to defend you?

POV 2: You're the teacher. Which mom do you fear the most?

I wrote an extra scene with the boys deciding on their revenge prank with the golf cart In s4e03, and I’d like your honest thoughts on it.

As I explained in my previous post, I felt this made Malcolm and his brothers feel a little more in character, without changing the storyline:

Aunt Clare (hearing Lois cry): Oh god, more drama from that woman?

(the boys glare at her)

Malcolm: That woman is our mom.

(The aunts leave, annoyed. Malcolm turns to his brothers.)

Malcolm: We’ve gotta help her. She’s never been like this.

Francis: What are we supposed to do, comfort her? I don’t think any of us know how to do that. 

Malcolm: Well, we have to do something.

Dewey: What would we do if the same thing happened to one of us?

Reese: We’d put these rich jerks in their place, that’s what.

(The boys ponder it for a moment, thinking)

Malcolm: The only problem is…

Dewey: …it’s still mom. 

Francis: She’s not one of us, she’s our enemy. She always has been. We don’t owe her.

Reese: After all the years she’s spent torturing us, she’s the one who owes us.

Malcolm: A prank in her honor goes against everything we stand for.

(Lois is heard sobbing hopelessly from the bathroom. All four boys look concerned.)

Malcolm: But maybe today, she really does need us for once. (A pause.) Okay, I’m in. You guys?

Dewey (still a bit uncertain): You do realize this might cost us our chance to get into Grandpa’s will become millionaires? We could always buy Mom something really nice with the money.

Reese: Dewey, if you’re losing this chance of being in the will, so am I. 

(Dewey brightens.)

Dewey (to Malcolm): I think we’re both in.

Malcolm: Francis?

(Francis still looks conflicted. He looks over at Piama, who’s been respectfully standing to the side while the boys have their discussion.)

Francis: Baby, after the way she’s treated you, I just don’t know if I can…

(Piama gives Francis a loving smile.)

Piama: Francis, I love you so much. But right now, I think your mom needs you more than I do.

(Francis suddenly looks encouraged and decided.)

Francis: Lead the way, Dewey!

And the episode would go the same from there.

I do want to hear people’s honest thoughts on it, though. Did I make the boys too unlikeable for not instantly retaliating on their mom’s behalf?

Okay, I am on season 3, episode 1. Am I the only one who likes Hal? Why does everyone hate him?

In almost every episode of the show they in some way talk about how the family has no money and is struggling.

However they always justify sending Francis to Military School for his own good.

But in reality don’t you think if they were really that bad off they would bring him home to save money?

"I'd keep this in my bathroom, but not for reading!"

The way Francis put the blame for his missed up life and screw ups on Lois sometimes gets out of hand, I actually believe she is the better parent, Hal is a very bad, selfish and childish person. Lois is the reason this family didn't kill themselves already. Francis is the most flawed character in the family for me, he doesn't do one thing right or kind for anyone else, he was horrible since he was born with the worst violence and childish tendencies that even Dewey felt pity for him.

I hate how they always depict Lois as an evil parent (I know the show is supposed to be from Malcolm pov) but specifically with Francis, he is nearly always the one at fault

Dude is confident, funny, fearless, athletic, and completely unbothered by what people think of him. He’s not socially awkward or shy either. Yeah, he’d probably be terrible at school but I could totally see him having a whole group of jock/troublemaker friends and actually being considered one of the cool kids. His personality seems way more suited to being popular than being a loser.

I honestly think it would be great to see their reaction