by Robert Scocchi
| Published
When I first heard the news about Disney+ Malcolm in the middle Revived, I decided to revisit the original series on Hulu with cautious enthusiasm. Although I tend to watch the sitcoms I grew up on on repeat (no one watches them). Freezer And the golden age simpsons More than I do), I was hesitant to follow the Wilkerson family because I feared the series wouldn't survive nearly 20 years after wrapping up its seven-season run. Fortunately, it only took a couple of episodes for the memories to come rushing back to the point where I was quoting 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 comedy series
Most sitcoms tend to have one or two characters that carry the entire show, however Malcolm in the middle Cut from a different piece of fabric. From the very first episode when Malcolm Wilkerson (Frankie Muniz) found out he had an IQ of 165 and was placed in Krelboen's class for the gifted, you'd think he'd be front and center. That is, until she meets Malcolm's lovable but dysfunctional family.
Living in the house with Malcolm are two brothers: his dorky, hot-headed older brother, Reese (Justin Burfield), and his innocent, obsessive younger brother, Dewey (Eric Pere Sullivan). The trio of troublemakers also have an older brother named Francis (Christopher Masterson) who is sent to Marilyn Academy, a military school for troubled teens.
Every brother in Malcolm in the middle He has good intentions, but boys will be boys, so their primary means of showing affection is by beating each other up, pulling elaborate pranks on each other, and getting in trouble with the law on a regular basis.
Enter the parents
Despite their differences, the boys in Malcolm in the middle They have one common enemy, their mother Lois (Jane Kaczmarek). Lois rules the family with an iron fist, and is a tyrant with a heart of gold, because she is always looking out for her family in the only ways she knows how: screaming, psychological warfare, and humiliation. While a woman like Lois might seem unlikely in any other context, she represents the ideal mother figure Malcolm in the middle Because of how unpredictable and destructive her children are, making her scrape absolutely necessary to keep her family out of trouble.
You might think that Frances, Reese, Malcolm, and Dewey's problematic behavior is a product of their upbringing and environment (read: Lois is a bad mother), but when you learn more about their father, Hal (read: Lois is a bad mother).Bryan Cranston), it becomes clear that their myopic impulsiveness may actually be genetically inherited.
Hal Wilkerson is more complex than Walter White
Living in constant fear of Louis' brief but absolutely necessary outbursts of rage, Hal often alludes to his bad boy past, which through stories resembles the current behavior of his four sons. Working as a corporate drone, Hal is a slave to his impulses and has a penchant for gambling, smoking cigars, drinking, parading around the house (or his front yard) in his skimpy clothes, and bribing his children to take the fall whenever he engages in behavior that would put him in the doghouse with Louis.
Hal is arrogant but lives in fear, spontaneous but so short-sighted that he can't keep himself out of trouble, a reckless spendthrift even though he lives on the verge of poverty, and, in some ways, the most agile figure skater you've ever seen. Very bad Creator Vince Gilligan once described Bryan Cranston's portrayal of Walter White as “Mr. Chibs turns into Scarface,” but Walter has nothing on Hal Wilkerson Malcolm in the middle If I have to weigh it.
Think about it… Walter White started at point A, ended up at point B, and it took five seasons to get there. As a huge fan of everyone Very bad universe, I can't help but think that Hal as a character goes further than Walt because he's a living, breathing contradiction of the highest order.
Hal is paternal but criminally negligent as a parent.
Hal offers sage, life-affirming advice to his children but fails to follow it himself.
Hal is always the first one to try to save the boys from trouble, but he always makes things worse when he sees red and acts erratically just like his offspring when things get messy.
Hal is disproportionately confident when you look at his living situation from the outside, but he's self-aware enough to know that he's completely hopeless without Lois pestering him and pushing him to be his best.
The technological sweet spot
But it is perhaps the only element of Malcolm in the middle What makes it a truly timeless series is the time in which it takes place, which I refer to as the “technological sweet spot.” Malcolm in the middle It's a series old enough to be perfect fodder for nostalgia, but modern enough to remain relevant without too much suspension of disbelief. This series predates the smartphones and internet culture that dominate our daily interactions, and focuses so strongly on family dynamics that it feels like something that could appear today and be just as effective without seeming dated.
Francis's pay phone calls home from Marilyn Academy may seem outdated, but these exchanges simply show the audience how a homesick young adult wants to stay in touch with his family even though they have decided that he is too moody to live under their roof. More often than not, whatever B-story is playing out at the academy influences Malcolm, Reese, and Dewey's behavior at home as they plot against Louis under the guidance of their beloved older brother, so these phone calls are absolutely necessary, even if this seems like a dusty aspect of the show. somewhat.
In other words, the cell phone wouldn't change the narrative in any significant way, so these interactions still hold up.
Binge Malcolm in the Middle on Hulu
the Malcolm in the middle The reboot is scheduled to be released sometime this year, but as of this writing does not have a specific release date. If you're ready to see what Malcolm and company will do over the next four episodes, it comes with strong recommendations to go back to the year 2000 and browse the entire series rather than binge-watching it. friends For the hundredth time.
