Malcolm in the Middle: Life is Still Unfair

Malcolm in the Middle: Life is Still Unfair

Malcolm in the Middle is the classic sitcom about the Malcolm family (though some fans still want to call them the Wilkersons). It originally aired in the early 2000s and ran for seven seasons, but after 20 years, a revival is finally happening. It is a limited run of just four episodes, and we do not know if any more are coming after that. Based on interviews, it seems this is just the final story as the creator comes to terms with his own family. It is loosely based on his family and upbringing. For the longest period of time, he could not figure out a story to tell.

The short run is for a couple of reasons. Based on what I’ve seen so far, it makes perfect sense. The longer a run is, the harder it is to tell a story. The more you have to fill the gaps. And Frankie Muniz is a professional NASCAR driver these days, so he is a busy man. You have to fit filming around him. That adds costs to the production, and these days, it ain’t cheap. You can tell this constraint has caused plot choices to happen, with scenes using other members of the cast to fill in the gaps and new characters being used. What we don’t see of Malcolm, we see hints of him in other characters, allowing us to see him in a different light and showing off some writing genius, really.

So, what is the show actually about? Malcolm is a genius, but quite frankly, not emotionally smart. He tries, but he lacks that emotional intelligence. Not just that, but he is not emotionally ready to be an adult. He got quite far without much effort. Parents tried, but as it turns out, you can’t help an idiot. At its heart, it is a show about family. It follows a chaotic, dysfunctional household with two parents trying their absolute best to raise brothers who stick together, cause trouble, and truly love each other. I used to hate Lois as a character and preferred Hal, but these days Lois is a hero. She is a mother doing everything she can, while Hal is lovable but not very good at practical things. They are opposites, but they balance each other out perfectly. With time, the show has only gotten better. When you rewatch it, things click into place. That is what makes a show stay relevant. You can see yourself in each of these characters in a way. With age, the family has only gotten stranger.

The rest of the family shines as an influence on Malcolm. Francis’s partner here is the person Malcolm needed most growing up. While his frustration is often valid, the rest of the family has gifts too. By the end of the original series, everybody grows. It isn’t just about Malcolm. The show teaches him that failure needs to happen to find success. He learns that being at the bottom means hard work is not always enough and that being special does not mean everything will be gifted to him. In some respects, he starts off spoiled and naive, but he finally understands the reality of the world by the end.

The reboot, however, shows that given some freedom, Malcolm misunderstands his issues and ditches his family, avoiding them to try and be a “better” person. Logical Malcolm tried to understand the world, but without that emotional intelligence, well, he is not very good at it. He got by and could do the very basics, but really, he is quite flawed and attracts people who are flawed too. It’s very much like his mother and Hal together, just he never found his own Hal to balance things out.

In many ways, this reflects the potential Lois had. It shows that Malcolm got his brains from his mum, not just his dad. With the brothers constantly trying to break the system, it is a real reflection of how family can be. They are a broke family trying to stay afloat while dealing with the consequences of poor decisions. It teaches us that sometimes things are just out of your control, which is a lesson full of heart. It is silly and over the top, yet it feels good even today.

The writing still holds up because the jokes are timeless and not stuffed with dated references. The writers were masters of their craft. While it might not match The Simpsons in scale, its influence is just as big. This revival story is centered on a wedding anniversary, with Malcolm coming back into the fold after keeping his distance. Not going to spoil things here, but let’s say it’s not simple. The journey is quite funny. He is bringing his daughter, Leah, along for the ride, and I am looking forward to seeing how that dynamic works. Based on what I’ve seen so far, it seems Malcolm’s daughter is a spitting image of himself, and his girlfriend, Tristan, is well, similar to him and Lois.

Based on how the story has gone so far, we know things are not a fairy tale ending. One thing is nagging me, though: I hope we do not get a fairy tale ending for Malcolm. We get to see what happened after college, and I suspect he might actually be a lot like his dad now—which he is, a bit. The show focuses on other characters, not just Malcolm. That was done for filming reasons and the fact it offers a mirror to Malcolm.

The cast has mentioned that they all came back together like a real family, which is great to hear. It isn’t a full cast, with limited screen time for certain actors, and Caleb Ellsworth-Clark taking over as Dewey. Despite the time away, Frankie can still act. His timing and facial acting are still top-tier. Bryan, as expected, just slides right back into the role like he never left.

The timing feels right because the kids are all grown up, making it the perfect moment to see if life is still unfair and exactly how unfair it is. The series was way ahead of its time with no laugh track and Malcolm talking directly to the camera. All four episodes are out today. I have watched all of them this evening and found them quite good. Maybe we will see more, but it ends the series on a high note. The only complaint I do have is that the lighting is different, but given the times, I suspect that’s due to the fact we’re in much higher resolution now and using different light bulbs.

Is it worth watching? The answer is yes. If you liked the original series, this adds to it. It takes ideas from that and brings them all together, doing so in a very tight and neat little story. It’s a standalone story that feels like an ending to a family story.

Some people will complain, but it’s one of the better ones. The actors are also showing off their range here. Everybody feels like they have a place, and they’re used sparingly and well.

I also love how his brothers really do love him after all this time, outside of one. There’s a nice little surprise in the mix here too, which really adds to the family.

So yeah, that’s my thoughts go watch it.