Malcolm in the Middle - Why nobody is speaking about it?

[The Mass Shooter Ron Soye]

It took me the longest time to actually be able to take Breaking Bad seriously because of him. It was extremely hard to disassociate him with the goofy Malcolm in the Middle dad.

The underwear scene bridged the two together.

 

[UnKillFill]

He also doesn't remember a lot of Malcom in the middle because of head injuries from racing.

I'd imagine the drugs didn't help.

 

[Nicholas II of Russia]

Malcom feels like he is on the Path of Lisa Simpson were he starts out as a decent "smart sane person among insane people" but will eventually descend into being "Oh So Holier than the rest of the cast"

I can tell you right now, Malcolm sometimes is a bastard in some episodes and that doesn't really change, and it shows him as a character with defects and bad traits on his personality. So no, he's not late-Simpsons Lisa in any point, that's a mark of a good character.

 

[Get the rope Macaulay!]

Malcolm in the Middle aged well as a dysfunctional family sitcom. Malcolm talking to the audience to provide exposition and context was genius from a director's standpoint. I wonder if those moments were superimposed or if he did that in real time while the cast just do their thing.

what? are you a retard? its not real life, yeah of course the cast just did their thing in the background. have you never interacted with a camera before? Also once Malcolm got to high school the show turned to shit. he also did way less talking to the camera. i know people go "but the family was so much fun" but it was supposed to be about malcolm.

When the Jamie is born you can safely stop watching

people are bitching about the NB reveal for the revival but you know 100% its to keep up the Jamie joke (its not supposed to be known if its a girl or boy)

maybe the show doesn't have publicity for being lower middle white class

it doesn't have publicity because its 20 years old, if i put a gun to your head and asked you to name me another sitcom from the bush era 2000s that is talked about and wasn't obviously a clear #1 in the ratings could you do it?

even them being lower middle white class isn't as unique as people make it out to be Roseanne was the start of showing that on TV, only Malcolm really made it absurd, i do love the plot point of the rich black people living around them, people forget that because of racism that actually did happen a lot, much more well off blacks couldn't get the financing of whites and ended up in worse places than they should have, still around whites though so its sort of a moot point.

I've seen the bowling episode mentioned quite a bit as a really good piece of media

much like how every franchise is into alternate universes now, that really got big right when the bowling episode came out, it got nominated for an emmy. Its a neat bit of writing but they probably save a lot of time and money being able to basically shoot in the same location and can reuse shots for the other timeline.

I know the guy playing Otto died but I was really disappointed with where Francis's character ended up going after the Grotto. Francis was easily at his best when at the Grotto, it was the best part of his character arc.

i hated Francis' arc post military school, obviously he grew as a person but in general those first 3 seasons of malcolm with Francis being their "expert" was great, perfect kid show. i feel like Francis basically was slowly written out of the show,

The show did a good job balancing A/B/C plotlines for a half hour show.

i think its just like everything else and society has crumbled so hard that everything from mid women to mid sitcoms are being worshipped right now, like that nigger school show on ABC does it just as well,

Do you think the family would have a chance without being menaces if they were raised differently?

chance of what? i think the family would always be fucked because Lois is where the kids ODD comes from, as you can see from her diary episode. plus as you see in the pizza episode or other early parts of episodes the family does genuinely get along and even the mom joins in on the fun but thats boring, and like in real life you focus more on when your parents fuck you over than the fun times.

 

[BradeRunna]

It was a shitty sitcom from the early to late 2000's. There wasn't much that was good about it or memorable. The only episode I can remember anything about was the one where the father was making his wife gain weight so she would get a bigger ass.

 

[Sugriva]

I've never been able to watch this show.

Every time I try it I get 3 episodes in and get driven off by the fact the Mother is a Harpy, The Dad is borderline Retarded, The Youngest feels destined for Grossout Humor and Malcom feels like he is on the Path of Lisa Simpson were he starts out as a decent "smart sane person among insane people" but will eventually descend into being "Oh So Holier than the rest of the cast"

Malcolm is the "holier than thou" character but it's never treated like a good thing and always leads to his downfall. Definitely not like the Simpsons where Lisa is always right and the writers want you to know how good and virtuous she is.

 

[ComeoutandJULAY]

Everyone talks about Bryan Cranston going onto Breaking Bad but do people know that Frankie Muniz (Malcolm) is a NASCAR driver now?

Frankie Muniz will always have some of my respect for badly felting the shit out of fringe ComicsGate/Balldoverse/Sektur lolcow Cody "Camelot" "Coomalot" Dennison in a race just last year.

Good times.

 

[Cat tit bingo]

I always really liked the set design, it captures that realistic clutter that most shows can't, everything is usually just to pristine. The intro is also the best thing ever put to television.

 

[The Last Stand]

Malcolm is the "holier than thou" character but it's never treated like a good thing and always leads to his downfall. Definitely not like the Simpsons where Lisa is always right and the writers want you to know how good and virtuous she is.

Malcolm reminds me of a troublemaking Sheldon Cooper. As smart as he is, he isn't above the hijinks from his family or much of a people person because of his cynical, bitter attitude towards others. I think there's an episode that deconstructs the similarities between Malcolm and his mom, Lois.

The episodes involving the smart kids class highlights how Malcolm's narcissism and recklessness contribute to his anti-social personality.

 

[MasterCylinder]

My favourite character was Egg.
He really held the show together imo.

 

[Checkerboard Hero]

I have never found a show quite like Malcom in the Middle since it aired, Everybody Hates Chris was close and was pretty good but man the writers of this show were on another level.

 

[neger psykolog]

I've never been able to watch this show.

Every time I try it I get 3 episodes in and get driven off by the fact the Mother is a Harpy, The Dad is borderline Retarded, The Youngest feels destined for Grossout Humor and Malcom feels like he is on the Path of Lisa Simpson were he starts out as a decent "smart sane person among insane people" but will eventually descend into being "Oh So Holier than the rest of the cast"

Everyone generally hates Malcolm and the show becomes a lot less about him through the seasons.
It is worth sticking with and giving it a proper attempt because it grows on you over time (or maybe not, it depends on your personality). There are several episodes that focus specifically on one character or a duo of them and have interesting paths.

I really enjoyed it as an adult but never watched it as a kid.

 

[ZsaZsaBinks]

Who can forget the opening sequence?

Another classic, battle at the parking lot.

I was literally thinking about this scene when I saw this thread.

 

[Chilson]

Great show, an actual sitcom about a lower middle class American family that is both funny and poignant. You usually only get one or the other.

The only gripe I have is that its final few seasons have a very socialist/commie underlying tone. Its not blatant enough to ruin it (god, remember when we got shows where the message didn't fuck the execution.), but I always found it disagreeable even if I do agree with the show about corporations being soul sucking scum (there are simply better answers than socialism/communism).

Lois, while a great character, is also just the worst as a mother and I am tired of everyone acting like she was a good mother by any definition. She was a horrid example of a mother.

 

[Get the rope Macaulay!]

Everyone generally hates Malcolm and the show becomes a lot less about him through the seasons.

i love Malcolm. he shifts from only sane man to asshole in high school, but a lot of the early episodes are either him doing kid stuff or outsmarting someone, like his teacher who was a former GATE kid and tried to establish a hierarchy. Its like i said, despite being boys they're all Lois' sons the same headstrong attitude and demand everyone plays by the rules of society. like as dumb as Reece acts, he still was a good person at heart. they all were and would fuck up someone's day if it lead to someone violating one of their few social norms, a big one being making their rather cunty mother cry. Reece was a lot like Francis, struggled in school but once they get a decent job they thrive. Dewey was the one destined for a good life because he was the worst treated, the age ranges mean Jamie would have a much better childhood.

Lois, while a great character, is also just the worst as a mother and I am tired of everyone acting like she was a good mother by any definition. She was a horrid example of a mother.

most lower class women are because they can't think of better ways of disciplining their kids.

 

[XYZpdq Jr.]

pretty sure I haven't watched a minute of this since it was originally airing?

iirc don't the legends say Dewey was massively raped even beyond what you'd expect a child actor like him?

Even Malcolm himself forgot the show.

Pro wrestler-turned family annihilator Chris Benoit is wrestling Bret Hart, a childhood favorite of mine, in the original intro (no doubt edited out now, I haven't even checked). I always think of that when the show comes on. It's a quick clip within a montage, but us nerds zero in on shit like that.

AKSHUALLY the nerd deep cut is Nazca, anime forgotten before it finished
everybody remembers the family murderer

I can never think of Funkytown without picturing Heisenberg dancing to it in that hockey episode. (Also cartels but that's another story)

gotta move on

 

[Kari Kamiya]

Who can forget the opening sequence?

Ooh that reminds me.

 

[Chilson]

most lower class women are because they can't think of better ways of disciplining their kids.

Nah I get it. Its why she is a great character, I just hate everyone saying she is an amazing mother when she is fucking horrible at it.

 

[Ah ha']

I didn't appreciate Malcom in the Middle that much until I got older, as a kid i genuinely didnt like live action shows because cartoons just seemed more fun but Malcom I would watch with my family and actually sit down.

Looking back it was definitely relatable growing up, but one thing I think is really important is that despite their eccentricities the family genuinely loves each other and Hal and Lois love each other very much.

I say this because in the time I was watching this show almost all of the families of my friends growing up, or people I met later on were getting divorced, and I had been witness to some brutal parental fights while visiting to play games or something, but Hal and Lois who fought with each other or were seemingly over the top in punishing the boys would still reconcile and keep together.
The show is also pretty funny and I will always remember the part where Reese is in basic and theyre doing a war game and he forces his squad mate to eat dirt and vomit so they can get out of the jail “It isnt lethal it just looks like it!” Then he gets a tank and blasts the general point blank with a cannon full of flour, hilarious!

 

[alphabetnigger]

You're not the boss of me now