Malcolm in the Middle (season 4)

The fourth season of Malcolm in the Middle premiered on November 3, 2002 on Fox, and ended on May 18, 2003 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.

Malcolm in the Middle
Season 4
DVD cover
Starring
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes22
Release
Original networkFox
Original releaseNovember 3, 2002 (2002-11-03) –
May 18, 2003 (2003-05-18)
Season chronology

Episodes
See also: List of Malcolm in the Middle episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		US viewers
(millions) 
641"Zoo"Todd HollandMichael Glouberman & Andrew OrensteinNovember 3, 2002 (2002-11-03)06-02-40112.2
Malcolm is depressed, and the family goes to the zoo. Reese battles a goat, while Malcolm and Dewey end up in a tiger pit. Dewey calms Malcolm long enough for Reese to save them by tossing the goat in the tiger pit. This experience makes Malcolm see his life in a whole new light. Francis and Piama's road trip across America results in them meeting a German couple named Otto (Kenneth Mars) and Gretchen (Meagen Fay) who offer Francis a job at their dude ranch. Lois' ex-boyfriend, Matt (Tim DeKay), works at the zoo and his demonstration of a tarantula on Hal results in Hal getting a nasty bite. While Hal recovers, Matt inadvertently reveals to him that Lois actually had a third boyfriend, leading to a serious confrontation between Hal and Lois.
652"Humilithon"Jeff MelmanMichael BorkowNovember 10, 2002 (2002-11-10)06-02-4029.6
Malcolm's first day of high school gets off to a bad start when Lois embarrasses him in front of the entire school, causing him to have no friends except the Krelboynes. He plans to commit a felony that would make Lois ship him off to military academy, but Cynthia warns him that if he does so, she will 'never have sex with him again' (lying and sacrificing her-own reputation to give him a better one). Lois and Hal volunteer in the school, where Hal clashes with Mr. Herkabe. With Malcolm and Reese away, Dewey stays home alone for the first time in his life and has a wonderful time. On the ranch, Francis begins getting overwhelmed with the workload due to Otto constantly allowing his employees to take extended breaks, without arranging anyone else to cover for their shifts, before being given his-own truck for free.
663"Family Reunion"Ken KwapisAlex ReidNovember 17, 2002 (2002-11-17)06-02-40310.9
Francis and Piama visits just as the family goes to Hal's family reunion for his father's birthday, and Hal's family makes Lois miserable because she is from a lower-class family. Hal, Piama and the boys are furious for this and get revenge on the family. Hal clashes with his father, Walter (Christopher Lloyd), and forces a confession from him by tickling him. The boys drive a golf cart over the celebration with the help of their younger cousins, destroying the party. Even though Hal and Lois pretend to be angry at the boys, they are both proud of them for standing up to the family. Lois finally starts treating Piama kindly, not wanting to turn out like her own in-laws.
674"Stupid Girl"Todd HollandDan KopelmanNovember 24, 2002 (2002-11-24)06-02-4049.8
Malcolm pretends to be stupid so he can win over a cute girl named Alison (Brittany Finamore) who really is stupid and soon finds that he is actually becoming dumber. Stevie wins Lois' approval and she takes him to the school dance. Hal rents a steamroller and becomes addicted to running over various objects until Dewey brings him back to his senses by standing in front of it. Meanwhile, Francis saves Otto from being conned by a con-artist selling him cow sunscreen.
685"Forwards Backwards"Levie IsaacksMaggie BandurDecember 1, 2002 (2002-12-01)06-02-40610.7
Days before Malcolm's birthday, he and Reese pull increasingly severe pranks against each other. Flashbacks throughout the episode gradually reveal how their feud began when Malcolm ate a blueberry Reese was saving. Dewey worries about his role as Abraham Lincoln in the school play and takes Lois' advice to imagine a set of parents, leading to a memorable performance. Hal enlists Craig to help him find Malcolm a birthday present, but is driven nuts by his constant demands. Although Craig calls off the deal, he rescues Hal from buying a bad comic book and forces the owner into negotiations. The comic book goes to Dewey as compensation for missing his play, due to Hal and Lois having to ground both Reese and Malcolm for their pranks. Meanwhile Francis and Otto encounters a "devil cow" at the ranch and discovers it is just an ordinary cow long overdue for milking.
696"Forbidden Girlfriend"Jamie BabbitMatthew CarlsonDecember 15, 2002 (2002-12-15)06-02-40511.2
Malcolm starts to date Nikki (Reagan Dale Neis), a girl from his school that he tutors in his free time. The only problem is her dad, who dislikes him, and things are made worse when Lois is involved. Hal and Lois take abstinence pills in an attempt to be better parents, but the pills run out and they have a hard time staying apart. At the ranch, Otto is furious with a neighboring ranch constantly destroying the fence that Francis is building to keep the cattle inside, so that their own horses can reach water. In the end, Francis comes up with a simple solution of adding a gate in the fence.
707"Malcolm Holds His Tongue"Jeff MelmanGary Murphy & Neil ThompsonJanuary 5, 2003 (2003-01-05)06-02-41010.5
Malcolm decides to keep his opinions to himself, but he becomes so repressed that he is hospitalized with a stomach ulcer. Reese must enlist Craig to drive him and his girlfriend, Alison, to a concert. When Reese learns that Craig wants to go on a hayride date and won't let him renege, Alison ditches Reese to go to the concert alone, and he is forced to spend the evening with Craig. Hal starts practicing race-walking, and ends up having talents for it, until he makes a fierce rival, Wheeler. Hal also decides to take on a local speed-walker and buys a speed walking outfit. Hal makes a run at beating this "common jogger", after learning Wheeler's dirty secret. Francis has just received a pair of expensive pair of boots from Hal but soaks them in water to make them completely fit in their boots.
718"Boys at Ranch"David D'OvidioGary Murphy & Neil ThompsonJanuary 12, 2003 (2003-01-12)06-02-41210.4
Hal and the boys visit Francis at the ranch. Everyone is shocked to find that Francis is a lot different from who they remember. As Hal gets depressed that the ranch succeeded where he failed in getting Francis to be responsible, the boys try to restore Francis to his old self by revealing a secret stash full of rockets and fireworks. Hal and Otto get drunk and end up stranded in the desert during the night. The boys set off the fireworks, helping to rescue Otto and Hal but blinding themselves.
729"Grandma Sues"Jimmy SimonsMichael Glouberman & Andrew OrensteinFebruary 2, 2003 (2003-02-02)06-02-40713.7
Francis and Piama visits the family the same day Grandma Ida's last day of visit. However, Grandma Ida is injured by slipping on leaves Reese neglected to rake up, and she sues Lois and Hal – just when Lois discovers that she is pregnant. To make matters worse, she hires an expensive lawyer and sues for a vast sum. This turns to horror when they find out that their insurance is canceled, which could lead to Ida evicting them from their own home and taking all of their belongings. The boys band together with Piama in support for Hal and Lois. However, upon learning that the family has no insurance, the lawyer refuses to aid Ida, who instantly tries to get on their good terms, but they kick her out of the house.
7310"If Boys Were Girls"Ken KwapisStory by : Alexandra Kaczenski
Teleplay by : Nahnatchka Khan		February 9, 2003 (2003-02-09)06-02-40811.7
Hal asks Lois if she'd like the new baby to be another boy or a girl, but they are interrupted by the boys fighting. During a hellish trip to the mall with Hal, a fed up Lois imagines life with daughters instead of sons, with Reese as Renee (Mimi Paley), Malcolm as Mallory (Lisa Foiles), and Dewey as Daisy (Jennette McCurdy). Though the fantasy starts pleasantly, Lois soon discovers the problems with raising girls: Renee is a promiscuous and spiteful bad girl and pregnant by Mallory's crush, Mallory is a selfish egotistical brat and a liar on a clandestine diet, and Daisy is a master manipulator. The problems are made worse with the arrival of Francis, who had rebelled against Lois and left college. The girls gang up and blame Lois for all of their problems, just as the boys had done earlier, making Lois realize that girls are just as difficult to raise as boys. In the real world, Hal desperately searches for the perfect Valentine's Day present for Lois and settles for a baby's outfit. Though the boys are well behaved for once and have thoughtfully bought a heart-shaped candy box, Lois still wishes for the new baby to be a girl.
7411"Long Drive"Levie IsaacksMichael BorkowMarch 2, 2003 (2003-03-02)06-02-40911.0
Reese is sent to prison for a day, where he clashes with a wrestler imprisoned for beating a man to death. Lois takes Malcolm on a lengthy drive to her sister's house, during which she tells him everything about sex. At first Malcolm is horrified, but they end up having a pleasant conversation. Dewey creates a feud in Hal's six-man band for his amusement. At the ranch, Francis blows up Otto's favorite cow, Helga, in a branding accident, and cannot bring himself to tell him.
7512"Kicked Out"Jeff MelmanAlex ReidMarch 9, 2003 (2003-03-09)06-02-41311.5
A combination of Malcolm's disgust at the house falling apart around them, and Hal's fear-induced "zero tolerance" attempts at maintaining peace and order in the family, results in Malcolm being kicked out of the house. The longer he has no home, the more his sanity begins to slip away. Hal finds Malcolm at his ex-girlfriend's house and agrees to keep this between them, knowing that Lois would have gone through greater lengths to find him. At the ranch, Otto's family arrives and Francis has to deal with Otto's piano-playing nephew who intentionally annoys him, which leads to him smashing his piano in front of Otto's family. Reese attaches a fire hose to his back for more speed on his bike, which ends in a disaster.
7613"Stereo Store"Bryan CranstonMatthew CarlsonMarch 16, 2003 (2003-03-16)06-02-41411.0
Hal gets a second job at "U-Buy It." Meanwhile, Jessica (Hayden Panettiere), a girl from Malcolm's school, babysits Malcolm, Reese, and Dewey while Hal works the night shift, and she ends up embarrassing them in front of her friends. Francis accidentally hires a film crew to shoot a pornographic film at the Grotto, and tries to hide the truth from Otto and Gretchen.
7714"Hal's Friend"Jeff MelmanDan KopelmanMarch 30, 2003 (2003-03-30)06-02-41511.1
Hal meets with an old high-school friend, Larry (Joel Murray), who hasn't changed in all the time since they have seen each other. Hal claims Lois believes Larry is a horrible influence on him, which is proven right when Hal and Larry accidentally knocked down the bedroom's wall drunk. Malcolm and Stevie convinces their Krelboyne friend Dabney to become more independent from his overprotective mother. Dewey manipulates Reese to do favors for him by pretending Lois is giving Reese orders through the phone, even though there are no one on the other line. Meanwhile, whilst Piama and Gretchen are on vacation for the weekend, Otto stays with Francis in his bed but to Francis' horror, Otto screams uncontrollably in his sleep.
7815"Garage Sale"Levie IsaacksMaggie BandurApril 6, 2003 (2003-04-06)06-02-41610.2
Home from a visit with her sister, Susan, who had called her "hopeless," Lois puts Reese in charge of the family garage sale to build his character, but he gets carried away with the authority. When Reese sells Dewey's piggy bank that had $16 inside it and Lois refuses to do anything about it, Dewey takes revenge on the family by selling all the valuable items inside the house (TV, stereo, bookshelf, etc.) Hal finds his old pirate radio transmitter and restarts the station he ran in college under the pseudonym Kid Charlemagne. However, he ends up in trouble with the police. Malcolm finds an old computer worth thousands of dollars and arranges to sell it to Craig. At the last second, Hal pulls Craig away to help continue transmitting his radio show, and Reese intentionally destroys it. After learning how-much the computer was worth, Lois severely punishes Reese for his behavior. At the ranch, Otto becomes more and more depressed whilst dealing with his estrangement from his son, Rutger, worrying Francis and Gretchen dearly.
7916"Academic Octathalon"Todd HollandRob HanningApril 13, 2003 (2003-04-13)06-02-4119.3
Mr. Herkabe forces Malcolm to join the academic octathlon team in an expensive hotel, where he encourages them to cheat. Malcolm chooses to make everyone pay by giving all the teams the contest answers he stole. Dewey alienates Hal after telling him he's too big for their bedtime ritual. Reese tries to avoid going to a dance with Alison because he does not want to spend money on a tux, but Lois forces him to keep his promise. After attempting to injure himself before being stopped by Alison, she holds him to his promise but she dumps him in the end, after they finished the dance.
8017"Clip Show 2"Levie IsaacksMaggie Bandur & Dan KopelmanApril 20, 2003 (2003-04-20)06-02-4228.7
Hal and Lois are penning their will, and think back to all the trouble their sons put them through. Hal forewarned against making out the will because neither he and Lois are equipped for the task and wanted to go to a professional to make out the will. Lois' history with Francis is finally revealed and how her inability to admit when she is wrong lead to a lot of the problems the family has been dealing with.
8118"Reese's Party"Levie IsaacksAndy BobrowApril 27, 2003 (2003-04-27)06-02-41811.1
Reese decides to throw a party while Lois and Hal take a last weekend getaway before the baby is born. Unfortunately, he invites Francis' friend Donnie and his gang, on the same night that Malcolm had planned a romantic dinner with his new girlfriend Kathy (Danielle Panabaker), and they turn the party into a crystal meth operation. When Francis fails to blackmail Donnie into leaving, Dewey solves the situation by tattling on the delinquents to their mothers. Hal and Lois have a miserable time at the honeymoon hotel after it is revealed that Hal lied to Lois about him getting a vasectomy.
8219"Future Malcolm"Ken KwapisStory by : Ron Corcillo & A.J. Poulin
Teleplay by : Michael Glouberman & Andrew Orenstein		May 4, 2003 (2003-05-04)06-02-41712.1
At the park, Malcolm meets a depressed middle-aged man named Leonard (Jason Alexander) who has much in common with him. Fearing that this might be his future self, Malcolm tries to help Leonard to improve his life. Lois can't understand why she is gaining weight in spite of her dieting attempts. Dewey keeps playing stunts, using the excuse that the baby "told" him to. Lois is about to punish him, saying the baby is not talking to him, when Dewey tells her the baby "says" to look behind her, revealing Hal has deliberately been making her gain weight (finding her growing curves arousing). Francis gets a swelled ego when he and Piama find employment as nude models.
8320"Baby: Part 1"Jimmy SimonsRob HanningMay 11, 2003 (2003-05-11)06-02-4199.8
Lois goes into labor while Hal and the boys are at a bridal exposition (which Hal had mistaken for car exposition). Ida moves in after her apartment burns down and she refuses to stay with Susan. After realizing that Ida has a fear of black people, Francis, Lois, and Piama enlist Abe and his poker buddies to help scare Ida out of the house, but Ida decides to stay when Lois' water breaks. Malcolm has been accepted to a boarding school in England, but Hal forbids him to go because the family cannot function without him. They rush to the car park, but they are busted by security for prior offenses.
8421"Baby: Part 2"Jamie BabbitMichael BorkowMay 18, 2003 (2003-05-18)06-02-42010.8
A frantic Hal crashes the car while trying to get home to Lois. Reese, Malcolm, and Dewey take a parenting class to be better brothers to their new sibling, but realize everything they were taught in the class is the opposite of what their parents did for them. Piama and Lois trick Susan and Ida into clearing up the misunderstanding between them to get Ida to leave. Francis is forced to help Lois give birth when the paramedics do not arrive in time. They manage to deliver the baby, who is named Jamie.
8522"Day Care"Steve LoveGary Murphy & Neil ThompsonMay 18, 2003 (2003-05-18)06-02-42110.5
A church-run daycare center accepts Lois' wailing newborn, but it comes with a price. Not only must Reese, Malcolm, and Dewey must attend Bible-study classes, but Hal and Lois are expected to take part in the church community. Malcolm and Dewey both hate it, Hal bonds well with the church members, Reese accepts God, and Lois had an epiphany of being a terrible mother to her own children. Meanwhile, a rival ranch reports an alien sighting, so Francis fabricates a sighting on Otto's ranch, which gets him arrested.

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Production

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.[1] The season introduces Jamie, the fifth child of Hal and Lois, although the baby's gender would not be revealed until the fifth season.[2] The series' parallel storylines involving Francis shifts in this season from the previous season's Alaska to a cattle ranch.[3] The storyline of "If Boys Were Girls" was developed by costume designer Heidi Kaczenski's then 11-year old daughter Alexandra.[4] Since Kaczmarek was pregnant before the season began filming, she was written out of some episodes, while her pregnancy was incorporated into the story later in the season.[5][6] The episode "Clip Show 2" is the series' second clip show after the third season's 19th episode.[7]

Release

Broadcast history

The season premiered on November 3, 2002 on Fox, and ended on May 18, 2003 with a total of 22 episodes.[8] According to Ned Martel of The New York Times, showrunner Linwood Boomer "chose to take a hard look at Malcolm's adolescence. That and a later time slot meant a 19 percent decline in the key demographic of viewers 18 to 49 in its fourth season's ratings."[9]

Home media

The season was released on Region 2 DVD on March 4, 2013,[10] and on Region 4 DVD on September 4, 2013.[11]

Reception

Mark Sachs of Los Angeles Times said on May 10, 2003, "This well-written, solidly performed series is as close to a live-action cartoon as you can get, and when it’s clicking on all cylinders as in Sunday’s episode, it’s a joy to behold."[12] At the 55th Primetime Emmy Awards, "If Boys Were Girls" won in the category Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series, while Kaczmarek and Cranston received nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series and Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series respectively.[13] Cloris Leachman, who portrays Lois' mother Ida, won in the category Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series.[14]

References
  1. "Casting Malcolm S04". AlloCiné (in French). Archived from the original on August 16, 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  2. 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 16, 2020.
  3. Chand, Neeraj (September 6, 2019). "10 Best Characters On Malcolm In The Middle, Ranked". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on September 15, 2019. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  4. Snierson, Dan (October 31, 2002). "Malcolm in the Middle gets help from a small scribe". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  5. Starr, Michael (July 25, 2002). "MALCOLM'S MOM BIG IN THE MIDDLE". New York Post. Archived from the original on October 11, 2013. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  6. Errico, Marcus (December 3, 2002). "Kaczmarek: Mommy in the Middle". E! Online. Archived from the original on August 16, 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  7. Dankievitch, Randy (February 4, 2015). "How Malcolm in the Middle Did the Clip Show Right". TVOvermind. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  8. "Malcolm in the Middle: Season 4 (2002–2003)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on August 1, 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  9. Martel, Ned (July 28, 2003). "Don't Wanna Grow Up Cuz Puberty Isn't Funny; Series Like 'Malcolm in the Middle' Confront the Reality of an Actor's Adolescence". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  10. "Malcolm in the Middle: The Complete Fourth Season [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. March 11, 2013. Archived from the original on August 16, 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  11. "Malcolm In The Middle – Season 4". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on August 11, 2013. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  12. Sachs, Mark (May 10, 2003). "Muddled times for 'Malcolm' clan". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  13. "Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing For A Comedy Series Nominees / Winners 2003". Television Academy. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  14. "Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series Nominees / Winners 2006". Television Academy. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
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