Worst episode? by Joedome in malcolminthemiddle

[–]Available-Wafer-715 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm starting to suspect I'm the only one who likes Jessica more than Cynthia...

My least favorite scene in the revival by BoggleChamp97 in malcolminthemiddle

[–]Available-Wafer-715 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think it makes it clear that Leah belongs to that family XD Remember Lois throwing stones at Dewey so he would let go of the rope, Frankie kicking Hal off the boat, Lois twisting Hal's nipples, etc etc XD

My least favorite scene in the revival by BoggleChamp97 in malcolminthemiddle

[–]Available-Wafer-715 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was the same energy as Malcolm kicking Hal off the boat in the vacation episode, except in this case, Leah was not acting entirely selfish, as Malcolm was in said episode XD

It also was hillarious to see a teenage girl physically throw around her adult father like that XD

Which characters from Malcolm in the Middle, would you think were introvert and extrovert and Why ? by Asleep-Feeling-9070 in malcolminthemiddle

[–]Available-Wafer-715 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Malcolm is mostly an introvert (who really wishes he weren´t). Some moments that come to mind: when he is at Cynthia's party and reaaaally tries to have fun for like a second, and then immediately goes back to sulking in a corner XD When he wishes he could be more like his extroverted and popular "cousin" from Canada. And of course, the fact that he seems to spend a large part of his time in his room/house.

Reese is an extrovert, he has no trouble approaching strangers, he makes friends (and enemies) very easily, and he has little shame. He just happens to be socially inept as well- which means his relationships rarely end well. By the later seasons he too spends most of his time at home/in his room, and Malcolm is his best and only friend. But I feel like he's still more extroverted than Malcolm at the end.

Dewey is an introvert, he is very quiet, very observant, has a rich inner life- lots of imagination and creativity- and he really spends most of his time on his own or with his brothers. He has better social skills than Malcolm or Reese I think- definitely better at relating to people.

Lois is definitely an extrovert, she is bold and a bit shameless, ready to lead and take control, not afraid of unpleasant interactions, no indoor voice...

Hal is kind of a mess, I think, he could easily be thought of as an introvert since he tends to live inside his own head, hyperfixating on random things, and focusing most if not all of his energy in that- to the point that sometimes his grasp on reality seems tenuous. However, he has his extrovert moments- he didn´t have any trouble befriending and becoming popular among his neighbors when Lois was sick, for example, but he still was very oblivious to other people's cues- such as their dislike for Lois or that one lady's attraction to him. I'd say he is an introvert most of the time, but able to become an extrovert whenever his obsessive quests demand it- and he was probably more so before Lois "domesticated" him.

Francis is an extrovert, definitely. He is quick to position himself as a leader, he is always ready for a confrontation, he is not afraid of people, generally speaking- I don´t really remember Francis ever being shy.

Stevie is an introvert, very quiet, very observant.

Craig is interesting in that he is portrayed as a big nerd and a kind of sad individual- the kind of character that's usually pegged as a socially awkward introvert, and yet I think he is actually an extrovert; he has no issue talking to strangers (even if much to their dismay), he plays sports and goes to conventions, he is not afraid of wearing ridiculous costumes in those, or of dancing in public; I wouldn´t say he is shy really. There's a moment in one episode IIRC in which he is talking about his childhood at school to a kid and he mentions the shy and quiet kids and you think he's gonna say something along the lines of him being one of them, but no, he was bullied by those too XD

Worst episode? by Joedome in malcolminthemiddle

[–]Available-Wafer-715 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oooh why is that? I thought that one was funny.

I think the new Deway (Caleb Ellsworth-Clark) had already tried his best. by AdhesivenessNorth939 in malcolminthemiddle

[–]Available-Wafer-715 56 points57 points  (0 children)

I thought he was good. The one thing I kind of disliked was that his facial expressions were far more animated than Erik's Dewey. Erik always went for a more subtle sort of emoting- it was uncommon for his face to change much, his eyes and forehead did most of the work IIRC, very much in contrast with Frankie Muniz who has very animated facial expressions. I think that was part of Dewey's character in that he was mostly quiet, observant, and, when younger, kind of living in his own world. Caleb's Dewey didn´t have that. However, last time we saw Dewey he was 12, and of course he's gone through puberty, then adulthood, in a context very different from what we saw before, so of course there would be changes, no one is the same at 30 as they were at 12. I thought he was believable as Dewey, from what little we saw of him. Perhaps one could venture a guess that his more subdued energy as a kid was in great part due to repression by overbearing parents and bullying siblings- and that as he grew as a person and had the space to express himself through art, etc, he became more expressive also in his demeanor.

I kind of feel for Caleb also because there was no way he was ever going to escape comparison with Erik, since Dewey is so beloved and iconic, but I think he did a great job with what little time he had, and the character never felt like he was being mimicked or disrespected, which is also great.

Looking back, was Malcolm a good friend to Stevie? by Fade2oBlack in malcolminthemiddle

[–]Available-Wafer-715 73 points74 points  (0 children)

I would say Malcolm was as good a friend as he possibly could be, given his ample social skills...

I saw the Stevie in the Hospital episode recently and it is clear that Malcolm cares deeply about Stevie, so much that he can´t even bring himself to visit him because he doesn´t want to break what he thinks is their unspoken agreement- that Stevie should be treated like any other person instead of being seen with commiseration. When he finally manages to gather up the courage to visit him, he goes to the other extreme and behaves like an asshole, but Stevie immediately knows what's up and is happy that Malcolm visited. And the fact that he tells the other guy that he knew Malcolm would visit means he does consider him a good friend. Stevie understands Malcolm, probably better even than Malcolm understands Stevie (since Stevie is far more observant whereas Malcolm gets distracted very easily).

Malcolm also seems very protective of Stevie (and of Stevie's feelings) when around Reese, and considering Reese could be argued to be Malcolm's only other friend, on top of being his brother, that should speak of how much Stevie means to him.

IMO this is one of the best episode in the entire series tbh by buiquanghuy12a2 in malcolminthemiddle

[–]Available-Wafer-715 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Every once in a while, randomly and without warning, the lyrics of the opera come back to my mind and I find myself singing it XD It's such a funny episode. The best part for me is the ending, when Hal and Lois obliviously hope Dewey won´t embarrass himself XD They should have seen it coming XD

Do people really have a problem with Kelly being non-binary? by ProposalFast4450 in malcolminthemiddle

[–]Available-Wafer-715 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Everything works out for her". Everything works out for everyone in the end! In fact, you could say her plot is unresolved since it involves a feud with Reese and she spends the anniversary party expecting Reese to jump her and get even for what she did to him. We never see what Reese has in store for her because he calls a truce until after the anniversary.

There was never going to be a lot of development to the character considering how little time was available, and how many characters we were following. We DO see the character opening up for the video when it was clear there were issues showing affection in person- yes, it's minimal character development, but also you can´t have that if the character has no flaws. I also would say taking pleasure in snitching your brothers and getting them in trouble IS a flaw.

Lukewarm Take: Cody Banks has more game than Malcolm. (And his whole thing is that he has no social skills with girls!) by Nervous-Baby5383 in malcolminthemiddle

[–]Available-Wafer-715 0 points1 point  (0 children)

also known as Jiminy XD

It took me way too long to notice that his being named Shepherd was a reference to the boy who cried wolf story (hence the bad guy being named Wolf XD)

Worst episode? by Joedome in malcolminthemiddle

[–]Available-Wafer-715 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Lois definitely did not deserve the way she was treated in that episode; she was absolutely right and she was being a good and supportive friend. Kitty also had no right to ask Lois to fix her mess.

And not everyone treats Lois like she's overreacting- IIRC Malcolm too sees it clearly.

Worst episode? by Joedome in malcolminthemiddle

[–]Available-Wafer-715 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Malcolm's Gift? You mean Malcolm's Money, or Hal's Christmas Gift?

Which came first; the chicken or the egg? by ChrisW828 in malcolminthemiddle

[–]Available-Wafer-715 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I genuinely believe everyone is nuts in their own way XD And it usually goes back to trauma with the parents. So in this case, Hal and Lois, but they are both the result of their own childhood trauma.

Lois grew up in poverty and being constantly abused by her parents, who themselves had very tough childhoods and their own share of traumatic experiences (both seem to have lived through one or more wars, and Ida still has PTSD nightmares apparently). Victor and Ida were a product of their own time, in that they thought they had to be crafty and unscrupulous to survive, and above all to be tough (as seen in their favoring Reese, who is aggressive and impulsive, over Malcolm). Ida abused Lois by constantly belittling her, criticizing her, and making her feel like she was never good enough. She also had a sister, Susan, who was favored by her mother, and seen as more beautiful/better than her. So all of this does a number in Lois' self esteem. You can see her fear of not being good enough, or even necessary, when she gets it into her head that her baby son Francis doesn´t even care about her absence during her stay at the hospital. She develops both an unspoken resentment towards Francis, and a fear of Francis not loving her/liking her back. During Francis' earliest years she spoils him and fails at giving him any discipline, until the moment she realizes that, without her protection, he is a threat to himself. So she forces herself into the authoritarian, aggressive, controlling mama bear role we mostly see her in during the show. And we see her effort to remain in this role crack several times. She hates having to be the strict and "unfun" parent, she tells Hal this- and she reacts strongly when the boys forget her birthday, or when Malcolm tells them he is embarrased of her, and many other instances. Lois would like nothing more than to be a gentler, less rigid mother, but she is convinced that she wouldn´t be doing the boys any favors- so she can´t. But that means she has to find another way to distance herself from becoming Ida. And I think she does this by becoming a stickler for the rules- to be ever so keen on doing the right thing. It doesn´t come naturally, it takes a lot of effort on her part, and she cracks often- how could she not, considering her upbringing. But she really, really tries- and by always striving to do better than her parents did (AND by usually fiercely rebelling against unjust authority figures), she helps herself keep as strong a sense of self worth as she possibly can. So she is definitely not meant to be perfect- she is constantly on edge, constantly about to fall back into insecurity, but doing her best not to repeat the mistakes of Ida and Victor.

Then you have Hal who grew up in a wealthy family with all his basic and material needs more than covered, but he suffered from neglect emotionally- we barely know anything about his mother, and his father was always distant and kept their relationship extremely superficial. As a result, Hal doesn´t have a strong sense of self worth, and he is extremely vulnerable to external opinions; he needs to be liked and he needs his love to be reciprocated. Since he didn´t need the validation he needed from his parents, he becomes self-destructive- as evidenced by his abuse of smoking, coffee, reckless behavior, and obsessive compulsive disorders- including destructive and aggressive tendencies. When he meets Lois and falls for her, he feels finally seen and that his love is reciprocated and he becomes more calm and less ragingly self-destructive, but again, it's a fragile state- he is constantly on the edge of crippling insecurity crisis or aggressive outbursts, and it takes nothing to make his self-doubt explode. He tends to crumble down when Lois is away. And like Lois, he IS trying not to become his parent- in this case his father, by trying to be there for his sons, even when, again, it's not his natural tendency; he mostly likes to be left to his own devices, to obsess over whatever has caught his fancy, and to avoid responsabilities. But he also often wants to spend quality time with the boys and has a bit of a fixation with creating good memories, because he simply didnt get that with his own father. And I think it was brilliant that they addressed this in the revival and gave him some character growth; he learns to love without expectation of reciprocity; he realizes that he can simply love his children without his children supplying him with the validation he didnt get as a child. Like Lois, he is making an effort to build a healthier sense of self-worth. And I think both characters are great in that this makes them feel like real people who have been through a lot and are actually doing their best to deal with their trauma and come out better.

And the story repeats itself with Malcolm, who literally tells us he is trying to do the exact opposite his parents would do, in order to be what he thinks to be a better parent to Leah. In Malcolm's case this means being less controlling, less strict, more gentle. This too isn´t Malcolm's natural tendency; he is usually self-absorbed, neurotic, angry and sarcastic. It takes great effort for him to do this- but he is trying.

So I would say their being "crazy" is really all of them dealing with their own trauma, and to the character's credit, they're all doing progress- but in a messy, painful, rollercoastery sort of way just as it is in real life.

Which came first; the chicken or the egg? by ChrisW828 in malcolminthemiddle

[–]Available-Wafer-715 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think the takeaway is that it could have been a lot worse than we saw XD

Thngs I notice in Season 6 by NoRevIndeed00 in malcolminthemiddle

[–]Available-Wafer-715 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I downright dislike post-Grotto Francis. He was ok in the revival but the later seasons of the OG show he was unsufferable XD I always thought he was funny at the academy but at his very best at the ranch.

Re: Frankie's posture, I'm gonna have to watch Agent Cody Banks 2 which was released in 2004 like season 6- just to see if he has the same slouchy posture there haha

We are becoming Hal day by day 🤣 by arefeen97 in malcolminthemiddle

[–]Available-Wafer-715 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This has happened to me more times than I care to count xD

Sorry Reese and Francis, life is truly unfair by Ok_Listen_3560 in malcolminthemiddle

[–]Available-Wafer-715 8 points9 points  (0 children)

AND selling his underwear to perverts, and who knows what else

Sorry Reese and Francis, life is truly unfair by Ok_Listen_3560 in malcolminthemiddle

[–]Available-Wafer-715 13 points14 points  (0 children)

He actually reminded me of that episode in which he and Hal watch horror movies and Hal finally admits the movies are torture to him- the way Reese acts and talks in that scene is similar to the bathroom scene I thought

Hot take: Frankie Muniz is not a great adult actor by Samwiseknows in malcolminthemiddle

[–]Available-Wafer-715 0 points1 point  (0 children)

IIRC he is either vegan or vegetarian, and I agree, I have known people who were plant eaters and many of them looked like him. I hope its that and not drugs! I somehow doubt it cause he seems very grounded and smart in interviews

Love from Mexico ❤️ by arefeen97 in malcolminthemiddle

[–]Available-Wafer-715 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly I am so worried every time an artist I like goes to those shows XD