Malcolm in the Middle (season 5)
Malcolm in the Middle | |
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Season 5 | |
![]() DVD cover | |
Starring | |
Country of origin | United States |
No. of episodes | 22 |
Release | |
Original network | Fox |
Original release | November 2, 2003 May 23, 2004 | –
Season chronology | |
The fifth season of Malcolm in the Middle premiered on November 2, 2003 on Fox, and ended on May 23, 2004 with a total of 22 episodes. Frankie Muniz stars as the title character Malcolm, and is joined by Jane Kaczmarek, Bryan Cranston, Christopher Kennedy Masterson, Justin Berfield and Erik Per Sullivan.
Episodes[]
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | US viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
86 | 1 | "Vegas" | Bryan Cranston | Michael Glouberman & Andrew Orenstein | November 2, 2003 | 06-03-501 | 10.26[1] |
The family travels to Las Vegas, where Reese and Dewey show an obese rabbit at a competition, Hal is convinced he has had a prophetic dream about winning at a slot machine, and Lois goes backstage with her favorite singer Boone Vincent (David Cassidy). Meanwhile, Francis begins getting overwhelmed with the workload at the ranch, capping off by falling into and being trapped with Otto in a well he was supposed to have fixed. | |||||||
87 | 2 | "Watching the Baby" | Levie Isaacks | Alex Reid | November 9, 2003 | 06-03-502 | 9.63[2] |
Attractive, popular girls want to be seen with Reese, Malcolm, and Stevie as revenge on their boyfriends, so the boys stick Dewey with babysitting Jamie. Dewey tells Jamie an elaborate story in which their parents are secretly wealthy and have a hidden "secret good house" in their closet, where they also own a robotic version of Francis as a slave. Working at the Lucky Aide when he can't pay for Jamie's diapers, Hal discovers that Craig tortures the graveyard-shift employers while he does nothing, so Hal helps them rebel. | |||||||
88 | 3 | "Goodbye Kitty" | Jimmy Simons | Gary Murphy & Neil Thompson | November 16, 2003 | 06-03-503 | 9.16[3] |
When Stevie finds out his mother has divorced his father, he falls into a depression and Malcolm tries to cheer him up. Lois' high-school diary falls into Reese's backpack and he reads it and becomes infatuated with the diarist – and is horrified to find out her identity. Dewey regresses into babyhood, appalling Lois. Meanwhile, neither Francis nor Otto can bear to put a horse with a deadly infection to sleep. | |||||||
89 | 4 | "Thanksgiving" | David D'Ovidio | Matthew Carlson | November 23, 2003 | 06-03-504 | 10.21[4] |
Reese aspires to prepare the perfect Thanksgiving dinner with Hal and Dewey's help. Lois intervenes when Francis and Piama seem headed for divorce. Malcolm goes to a party instead of staying with the family; he spends half the time wondering if Kirstin (Alessandra Torresani) is flirting with him, then he gets completely drunk. He arrives home and vomits into the turkey. | |||||||
90 | 5 | "Malcolm Films Reese" | Levie Isaacks | Dan Kopelman | November 30, 2003 | 06-03-505 | 9.18[5] |
Malcolm films Reese for a school psychology assignment. He then discovers that he is an unwitting participant in one of Mr. Herkabe's experiments, which portrays him as a sadistic maniac, and he loses Reese's trust. In revenge, he breaks into Herkabe's office to reveal the other students' dirty secrets, including his own. Hal fears he will lose his job when top officials at his company are arrested for embezzlement. Lois' washer and dryer keep breaking down. When Dewey skips school, he starts earning big money working as a street magician. Soon, Hal and Lois find his stash of money, but they assume it is theirs and end up using it to buy a new washer and dryer. A critic named Charles Cutter reviews the Grotto and insults every aspect of the compound, resulting in Francis and Otto beating him up. The newspapers trumpet the story, and the Grotto's business booms, because every venue in the state despises Cutler. | |||||||
91 | 6 | "Malcolm's Job" | Steve Welch | Maggie Bandur | December 7, 2003 | 06-03-506 | 8.37[6] |
Lois makes Malcolm and Reese get jobs. Reese finds a job at the local slaughterhouse, but Malcolm is forced to work with Lois at the Lucky Aide. Malcolm catches Lois smoking on her break and thinks she is a hypocrite. Hal takes a nursing class run by Polly to spend more time with Jamie, but he and the other dads soon start betting on their babies. Sick of Reese and Malcolm's bullying, Dewey runs away to the ranch to visit his "good brother", Francis. | |||||||
92 | 7 | "Christmas Trees" | Steve Love | Alex Reid | December 14, 2003 | 06-03-507 | 8.71[7] |
Hal, Reese, Malcolm, and Dewey go into business selling Christmas trees, but two priests send homeless people to frighten away their customers, since Hal is selling the trees cheaper than the church. Craig is bitten by a squirrel, and Lois orders her co-workers and some homeless people to catch the squirrel to prove that Craig won't need the painful shots. When Otto's family visits the ranch, they seem so much like Francis' family that he gets homesick. | |||||||
93 | 8 | "Block Party" | Levie Isaacks | Rob Ulin | January 4, 2004 | 06-03-508 | 7.45[8] |
Returning early from vacation, the family discovers that their neighbors have been celebrating their yearly absence with a block party. Reese and Dewey scheme to make quick cash by letting kids beat up Reese, Hal and Lois join the kielbasa-eating contest, and Malcolm inadvertently aids a burglar. Meanwhile, Francis finds himself assigned to breeding cows, the most disgusting job at the ranch. | |||||||
94 | 9 | "Dirty Magazine" | Bryan Cranston | Eric Kaplan | January 11, 2004 | 06-03-509 | 9.07[9] |
Malcolm decides to publish a student's brilliant story in the school newsletter despite its vulgar language. Principal Block (Kurtwood Smith) censors him, but Malcolm contacts the ACLU, who forces him not to censor the story. Block cancels all extracurricular activities and only reinstates them when Malcolm calls off the ACLU, but Malcolm gets revenge on Block by publishing his own magazine just outside the school grounds, also containing the story. During work, Hal has a close counter with his new female supervisor, of whom Lois encourages him to continue to flirt with to avoid him getting fired. Reese attempts to manipulate Dewey to prove he is smarter then he is. Meanwhile, Francis tries to teach Otto how to dance for Otto and Gretchen's 25th anniversary, only to realize Otto is a terrible dancer. | |||||||
95 | 10 | "Hot Tub" | Jimmy Simons | Andy Bobrow | January 25, 2004 | 06-03-510 | 8.70[10] |
Hal buys a hot tub without telling Lois, but it turns into a swamp when he neglects to clean it. Malcolm finally gets his learner's permit, and gets mixed up in a fight between Polly and her ex-boyfriend. Reese steals Dewey's new friend Noah, who had actually befriended Dewey to get to Reese to ask him to beat up Noah's bullies. Meanwhile, Manfred Schmidt – former fiancé to Gretchen, former best friend to Otto – visits the ranch. Otto reveals to Francis he actually stole Gretchen away from Manfred. | |||||||
96 | 11 | "Ida's Boyfriend" | Peter Lauer | Neil Thompson | February 8, 2004 | 06-03-512 | 6.39[11] |
Ida brings a wealthy Chinese man, Mr. Li (James Hong) to whom she is engaged to the family's house for a dinner, informing them of her plans to fly to Hong Kong to live with him. Malcolm gets his tongue pierced, but it swells up, and he must hide it and the resulting lisp from Lois until the wedding ends. Reese smashes Dewey's new toy in front of him, so Dewey pretends Reese does not exist. Malcolm discovers that Ida is drugging the man by making him drink opiate-laced tea to change his mood, allowing her to take advantage of him and get his money. When she attempts her drug laced tea again, it goes awry as the whole family is drugged. Li comes out of the effects of the drugs and breaks up with Ida. Lois punishes everyone for their behavior and decrees that no one will encourage drug use again. Meanwhile at the ranch, Otto hires an acting troop to stage a murder mystery, but the actor's over-dramatic performances are causing more chaos then expected. | |||||||
97 | 12 | "Softball" | Ken Kwapis | Michael Glouberman | February 15, 2004 | 06-03-511 | 7.61[12] |
Malcolm joins the Lucky Aide softball team to get away from Lois' wrath on the job – but she has recently become the coach. Francis drives home to prove to Lois that he is not lazy, but Lois refuses to admit that she is wrong until Hal intervenes. Dewey dares Reese to outdo one of Francis' old stunts. Hal panics when he unknowingly applies for a job with what appears to be a top-secret espionage agency, and when he goes back the next day to tell them about his decision to leave, he finds the whole building has disappeared. | |||||||
98 | 13 | "Lois' Sister" | David D'Ovidio | Gary Murphy | February 22, 2004 | 06-03-513 | 10.29[13] |
Lois' sister Susan (Laurie Metcalf) visits, bringing generous gifts for the whole family. Suspicious, Lois eventually learns that Susan needs a new kidney and tries to donate one to her, and Susan begrudgingly accepts. Dewey breaks into the garage to use his new cotton candy machine, and Reese and Malcolm joyride in their new Mustang until they are arrested. Meanwhile, Francis "leads" a group of Girl Scouts on a wilderness campout journey through the desert. | |||||||
99 | 14 | "Malcolm Dates a Family" | Steve Welch | Rob Ulin | March 14, 2004 | 06-03-514 | 7.61[14] |
Lois boycotts Luigi's Pizza, the family's favorite restaurant, after discovering they were forcing them to tip without notice, rendering the boys and Hal unable to eat the pizza without being grounded by Lois. Hal and the boys sneak Luigi's pizzas in the garage. Malcolm gets more involved with his new girlfriend, Angela's, (Sara Paxton) intellectual family, than with her, and she eventually ditches him for ignoring her, forcing the family to kick him out and replace him with Stevie. Meanwhile, the family is watching a TV report about Lois' scheme to close Luigi's when they catch Malcolm there with his friends, which prompts Reese to accidentally confesses that they have been sneaking pizza too. Meanwhile, Otto hires a personal assistant for Francis, only for Francis to end up relying on him for everything, which even includes moving his arms. | |||||||
100 | 15 | "Reese's Apartment" | David Grossman | Dan Kopelman | March 21, 2004 | 06-03-515 | 9.30[15] |
When Lois and Hal find out about the most disgusting and terrible thing Reese has done yet (which is never revealed on-screen), they kick him out of the house. Francis tries to defend Reese and bring him home (without knowing what he did). Dewey enjoys trashing Reese's things and sleeping on his bed. Lois finds that Reese's grades are improving and he takes care of himself, he is also $20,000 in credit card debt. They drag him home and Malcolm narrates that she has spent over a month finding a suitable punishment for him. | |||||||
101 | 16 | "Malcolm Visits College" | Peter Lauer | David Wright | March 28, 2004 | 06-03-517 | 9.06[16] |
Malcolm looks forward to visiting college – until Lois comes along and they meet the power-hungry dorm head, Leland. When Hal refuses to buy Dewey a piano, Dewey steals items from around the house to build one. Reese pretends to be a drug dealer to befriend a student who turns out to be an undercover cop. Francis and Otto try to help out at a daycare, but Otto gets the kids drunk. | |||||||
102 | 17 | "Polly in the Middle" | Steve Love | Matthew Carlson | April 25, 2004 | 06-03-516 | 7.21[17] |
Polly the babysitter (Julie Hagerty) is caught in a love triangle between Abe and Craig after Lois sets her up with Craig and Hal sets her up with Abe – unbeknownst to each other – and she enjoys spending time with both of them. Malcolm becomes fed up with Dewey's belief in a lucky shirt, believing he is just being superstitious. Meanwhile, Francis finds himself more and more dominated by Piama's fiery personality, feeling embarrassed in front of his co-ranchers. | |||||||
103 | 18 | "Dewey's Special Class" | David D'Ovidio | Maggie Bandur | May 2, 2004 | 06-03-519 | 7.45[18] |
Malcolm coaches Dewey on how to "throw" an IQ test so he will not end up in the Krelboyne class. When he refuses and announces his intent to join the Krelboynes, Malcolm enlists Reese to take the test for Dewey. However, his poor test-taking skills lands Dewey in the emotionally disturbed "Busey" class instead of keeping him in the regular class. Reese tries to figure out what type of genius he is. Hal and Craig enter a Dance Dance Revolution-style contest. In the cold opening, during a public ceremony of blowing up a dam, Otto and Francis realized they swapped the dynamites meant for the dam for the picnic cooler meant for the audience, resulting in the destruction of Francis's truck. | |||||||
104 | 19 | "Experiment" | Bryan Cranston | Alex Reid | May 2, 2004 | 06-03-518 | 6.92[18] |
Stevie and Malcolm try to figure out how Reese managed to separate two bases for an enzyme for a medical experiment when he refuses to tell them. Dewey sells chocolate bars by fibbing (with Francis' help). Meanwhile, Francis teaches assertiveness to a runt pig. | |||||||
105 | 20 | "Victor's Other Family" | David Grossman | Eric Kaplan | May 9, 2004 | 06-03-520 | 5.58[19] |
Lois, Reese, Jamie, and Malcolm go to Manitoba to meet Victor's secret family. The boys get along and even have fun with their newfound cousins, and everything is fine until Ida arrives, demanding Victor's pension. Lois reluctantly helps her get it, until she discovers that Ida lied to her and Victor is not her biological father. Dewey dreads Hal running with him since bad things always happen before such events between them. During the cold opening, Francis must deal with an amorous horse and cow sharing a stall. Betty White guest stars as Victor's other wife, Sylvia. | |||||||
106 | 21 | "Reese Joins the Army: Part 1" | Steve Love | Andy Bobrow | May 16, 2004 | 06-03-521 | 7.50[20] |
Reese's new girlfriend Beth is about as dumb as he is. Malcolm initially dislikes her but they soon grow to like each other too much and Beth breaks up with Reese. Devastated, Reese runs away and joins the United States Army under the false surname "Jetson", where he learns that blindly obeying every command from drill instructor Sergeant Hendrix () allows him to become a top-class soldier-in-training. Hal's company goes under, and two FBI agents want him to falsely testify against his employer. He refuses, but they arrest him when the employer provides false testimony against Hal. Lois stresses out when she must work overtime at Lucky Aide to make ends meet; eventually her snappy demeanor and mounting mental instability get her fired. Dewey enters a piano contest and is angry when no one notices. | |||||||
107 | 22 | "Reese Joins the Army: Part 2" | Peter Lauer | Andrew Orenstein | May 23, 2004 | 06-03-522 | 7.99[21] |
The company uses Hal as a scapegoat and Lois has become more mentally unstable. When Francis learns she may no longer be able to care for his siblings, he enlists Malcolm to help forge their father's signature in a legal document that would declare Lois mentally incompetent, emancipate Malcolm, and give Francis and Piama custody of Dewey and Jamie. Malcolm admits he can forge only Lois' signature, while the missing Reese knows Hal's signature. Meanwhile, during battle simulation training, Reese's team gets captured because he has trained himself not to think, but he escapes by recalling how he avoided being grounded by his parents and devising an elaborate prank. Reese then makes his way with his squad into a ranger mission in Afghanistan. Malcolm finds evidence that destroys the prosecution's case against Hal, but also infuriates Lois and snaps her out of it. |
Cast and characters[]
Main[]
- Frankie Muniz as Malcolm
- Jane Kaczmarek as Lois
- Bryan Cranston as Hal
- Christopher Kennedy Masterson as Francis
- Justin Berfield as Reese
- Erik Per Sullivan as Dewey
Recurring[]
- Craig Lamar Traylor as Stevie Kenarban[22]
- David Anthony Higgins as Craig Feldspar[22]
- Julie Hagerty as Polly[22]
- Kenneth Mars as Otto[22]
- Emy Coligado as Piama[22]
- Katherine Ellis as Gretchen[22]
Production[]
In April 2003, Fox renewed Malcolm in the Middle for a fifth season.[23][24] Main cast members Frankie Muniz, Jane Kaczmarek, Bryan Cranston, Christopher Kennedy Masterson, Justin Berfield and Erik Per Sullivan return as Malcolm, Lois, Hal, Francis, Reese and Dewey respectively.[22] The season reveals that Hal and Lois's fifth child Jamie is a boy.[25] Though it was initially reported that the episode "Lois' Sister" would serve as the series' 100th episode,[26] that honor instead went to the episode "Reese's Apartment".[27]
Release[]
Broadcast history[]
The season premiered on November 2, 2003 on Fox, and ended on May 23, 2004 with a total of 22 episodes.[28]
Home media[]
The season was released on Region 2 DVD on April 29, 2013,[29] and on Region 4 DVD on September 4, 2013.[30]
Reception[]
Josh Wolk wrote for Entertainment Weekly, "The inevitable reality of aging child stars is unfortunate, as Malcolm still amazes with vibrant comic creativity."[31] Scott D. Pierce wrote for Deseret News, "It's not exactly the same show, and viewers may have gotten used to it, but there's still magic there. It can still make you laugh."[27] People was critical of "Reese's Apartment", saying, "No one's saying this boisterous sitcom has to slow down with age. But Malcolm's 100th episode hurts itself by hopping from story line to story line instead of sticking with the strong central situation."[32] The episode "Dewey's Special Class" won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography.[33]
In 2019, Angelo Delos Trinos of Screen Rant included the episode "Malcolm Films Reese" in his list, "10 Episodes Of Malcolm in the Middle That Aged Poorly". He wrote, "The way privacy is belittled by the characters involved simply won't fly well today, especially in a school setting." He added, "The subplot about Francis dealing with a critic also aged terribly. Here, the newspaper critic is depicted as a vindictive bully who uses his profession to rain bile on everybody. The problem he presents is solved when he's repeatedly beaten senseless."[34]
References[]
- ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 27-Nov. 2)". The Los Angeles Times. November 5, 2003. Retrieved June 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 3-9)". The Los Angeles Times. November 12, 2003. Retrieved June 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 10-16)". The Los Angeles Times. November 19, 2003. Retrieved June 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 17-23)". The Los Angeles Times. November 26, 2003. Retrieved June 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 24-30)". The Los Angeles Times. December 3, 2003. Retrieved June 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 1-7)". The Los Angeles Times. December 10, 2003. Retrieved June 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 8-14)". The Los Angeles Times. December 17, 2003. Retrieved June 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 29-Jan. 4)". The Los Angeles Times. January 7, 2004. Retrieved June 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 5-11)". The Los Angeles Times. January 14, 2004. Retrieved June 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 19-25)". The Los Angeles Times. January 28, 2004. Retrieved June 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 2-8)". The Los Angeles Times. February 11, 2004. Retrieved June 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 9-15)". The Los Angeles Times. February 20, 2004. Retrieved June 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Feb. 16-22)". ABC Medianet. February 24, 2004. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Mar. 8-14)". ABC Medianet. March 16, 2004. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Mar. 15-21)". ABC Medianet. March 23, 2004. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Mar. 22-28)". ABC Medianet. March 30, 2004. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Apr. 19-25)". ABC Medianet. April 27, 2004. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ^ a b "Weekly Program Rankings (Apr. 26-May. 2)". ABC Medianet. May 4, 2004. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (May. 3-9)". ABC Medianet. May 11, 2004. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (May. 10-16)". ABC Medianet. May 18, 2004. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (May. 17-23)". ABC Medianet. May 25, 2004. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Casting Malcolm S05". AlloCiné. Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
- ^ "FOX Renews 'Malcolm,' Finalizes Sweeps Plans". The Futon Critic. April 10, 2003. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- ^ Wilkes, Neil (April 10, 2003). "'Malcolm in the Middle' renewed for fifth season". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- ^ Cormier, Roger (January 4, 2016). "16 Fun Facts About Malcolm in the Middle". Mental Floss. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- ^ "TCA Winter Press Tour: Fox". The Futon Critic. January 16, 2004. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- ^ a b Pierce, Scott D. (February 20, 2004). "'Malcolm' celebrates 100th". Deseret News. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- ^ "Malcolm in the Middle: Season 5 (2003–2004)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- ^ "Malcolm in the Middle: The Complete Fifth Season [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- ^ "Malcolm in the Middle – Season 5". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- ^ Wolk, Josh (December 5, 2003). "Malcolm in the Middle". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Malcolm in the Middle". People. March 1, 2004. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- ^ "Outstanding Choreography Nominees / Winners 2004". Television Academy. Archived from the original on August 6, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- ^ Delos Trinos, Angelo (August 20, 2019). "10 Episodes Of Malcolm in the Middle That Aged Poorly". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- 2003 American television seasons
- 2004 American television seasons
- Malcolm in the Middle