When I heard the news of Disney+ for the first time Malcolm in the middle Revival, I decided to revisit the original series on Hulu with some anticipation. I'm obsessed with re-watching the sitcoms I grew up with (nobody does). Frasier And the golden age The Simpsons (more than I do), I wanted to explore the events of the Wilkerson family. Fortunately, it only took two episodes for the memories to come rushing back to me, reciting lines I hadn't heard in decades as if I had just watched the series last week.
Malcolm in the Middle is a timeless family sitcom.
Most sitcoms have one or two characters that carry the entire show Malcolm in the middle It is cut from a different fabric. From the very first episode, you'd think Malcolm Wilkerson (Frankie Muniz) would be front and center when he learns he has an IQ of 165 and is placed in the gifted "Krelboyne" class. That is, until you meet Malcolm's lovable yet dysfunctional family.
Living at home with Malcolm are his two siblings: his dimwitted and hot-headed older brother Reese (Justin Burfield) and his innocent yet mischievous and possibly gifted younger brother Davey (Eric Perry Sullivan). The older brother of the trio's troublemakers, Francis (Christopher Masterson), is also sent to Marlin Academy, a military school for troubled teenagers.
Each brother or sister in Malcolm in the middle They mean well, but boys will be boys, so the primary ways to fall in love is to hit on each other, pull pranks on each other, and get in trouble with the law every now and then.
Enter parents
Despite the differences, the boys inside Malcolm in the middle They have one common enemy and that is their mother, Lois (Jane Kaczmarck). Ruling her family with an iron fist, Lois is a tyrant with a heart of gold as she searches for the only way she'll ever know her family through screaming, psychological warfare and humiliation. A woman like Lois may seem invincible in any context, but she is the perfect mother Malcolm in the middle Because of how unpredictably destructive her children are, her courage is essential to save her family from trouble.
Frances, Reese, Malcolm, and Dewey may think that their problematic behavior is a product of their upbringing and environment (read: Lois is a bad mother), but when they learn more about their father, Hal.Bryan Cranston), it becomes clear that their short-sightedness may actually be hereditary.
Hal Wilkerson is more complex than Walter White.
Living in constant fear of Lois's brief but completely necessary outbursts of anger, Hal often references his bad boy past, which resembles the present-day behavior of his four children in the stories. Working as a corporate drone, Hal is a slave to the urges, and gambles, smokes, drinks, walks around the house (or yard) in his tights, and bribes the kids to fail when they fail. He engages in behavior with Lois that could land him in the doghouse.
Hal is arrogant but lives in fear, impulsive but short-sighted enough to keep himself out of trouble, a reckless financier on the brink of poverty, and somehow the most beautiful technical roller skater you've ever seen. breaking bad Creator Vince Gilligan once described Bryan Cranston's portrayal of Walter White as “Mr. Chips turns into Scarface, but Walter has nothing on Hal Wilkerson Malcolm in the middle If I had to weigh it.
Think about it… Walter White started at point A, and ended up at point B, and it took five seasons to get there. As a big fan breaking bad Universe, I don't think Hal is deeper as a character than Walt because he's the living and breathing opposite of the higher order.
Hal is a father but he is criminally negligent as a parent.
Hal gives wise, life-affirming advice to his children, but he fails to follow it himself.
Hal is always the first person to try to get the boys out of trouble, but he almost always makes things worse when he sees red and when things go wrong, he acts like his breed.
Hal has an unbalanced sense of self-confidence when you look at his living situation, but he's self-aware to know that without Lois pushing him and pushing him to be the best man he can be, he's hopeless.
The sweet spot of technology
But maybe a body Malcolm in the middle What makes the series truly timeless is the time it takes, which I describe as the "technological sweet spot." Malcolm in the middle A series old enough to stay relevant without too much suspension of disbelief is perfect binge-worthy nostalgia fodder. Despite our daily interactions with smartphones and our internet culture, the series focuses so heavily on family dynamics that it feels like something that could come out today and is effective without seeming like a day in and day out.
Francis' phone calls home from Marlin Academy may seem old hat, but these exchanges simply show the audience that a homesick young adult still wants to stay connected to his family even if they decide he's too volatile to live under their roof. Often, any B-story that plays out at the academy affects their behavior back home as Malcolm, Reese, and Dewey plot against Lois on instructions from their beloved older brother, so these phone calls are important, even if one aspect of the show seems a little dusty.
In other words, the cell phone doesn't change the narrative in any significant way, so these relationships remain intact.
Binge Malcolm is all over the middle
of Malcolm in the middle The reboot is slated to come out sometime this year, but doesn't have a set release date as of this writing. If you're ready to see what Malcolm and company will be up to during the next four-part run, it comes with strong recommendations to binge the entire series instead of looking back to the year 2000. Friends For the 100th time.
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