Top 10 Funniest Malcolm In The Middle Moments
#10: Reese’s Oven Panic
“Thanksgiving”
Reese is generally a dimwitted, mean-spirited bully, but even he manages to have surprising streaks of intelligence or competence. The most notable of these is his passion for and skill in the kitchen, with the second oldest member of the family having an aptitude for cooking that surpasses everyone else in the family. However, Reese’s desire to make the perfect Thanksgiving dinner leads him to panic and forget some essential things. When it comes time to take something out of the oven at a precise time, he panics when he’s unable to find the oven mitts, ultimately using his bare hands… and asking that the oven mitts be moved out of the way so he can set the hot tray down.
#9: Jamie’s Birth
Top 10 Best Jamie & Claire Moments on Outlander
"Baby: Part 2"
The family’s lives frequently dissolve into chaos, due largely to their own variously dysfunctional personalities, but also in part due to their terrible luck. The birth of Lois’ youngest and newest child is typically hectic, and sees the boys learning about babies, Hal getting into a car accident, and family friends in their yard, as Lois goes into labor at home, with the paramedics being delayed. The crown jewel though is when eldest son Francis is forced to deliver his own mother’s baby, which proves rather traumatic for him.
#8: Parking Lot Duel
“Hal's Christmas Gift”
Despite generally being the sane one in the family, Lois is rather unhinged as well. This is especially evident when she has to interact with others outside her family or coworkers. A shopping trip to the mall takes a strange turn when an upper middle-class woman opens her car door and hits her car. Lois proves just as infantile as her children, by doing the same to the woman’s car when she doesn’t apologize. This soon escalates into a full-on demolition derby match in the parking lot. The road rage displayed by both drivers, the unusual setting, and the comically low-speed finish make this a hilarious moment indeed.
#7: Francis’ Slingshot
“Halloween Approximately”
Although all the boys in the family are fond of troublemaking to some degree or other, Francis leads the pack, both in experience and in creativity. When the firstborn son returns home near Halloween, he decides to lead his brothers in setting up an enormous slingshot on the roof of the house, which they then proceed to use to terrorize the neighborhood with a wide variety of projectiles. Although some of their victims turn the tables on them by the episode’s end, their volleys of food and other objects were entertaining while they lasted.
#6: Funkytown
"Rollerskates"
Family patriarch Hal is incredibly goofy, which can be embarrassing for his sons, particularly early on in the series. Although he has a number of strange hobbies, he is a skilled dancer and skater. So, when Malcolm grudgingly asks his father to teach him to skate, Hal does so with gusto, instructing Malcolm how to do so by dancing flamboyantly to the tune of “Funkytown” by Lipps Inc. Surprisingly, Hal’s bizarre training method pays off when Malcolm plays street hockey against the neighborhood kids and he uses the moves he learned to be good at the game.
#5: Clowns Fight
Top 10 Scariest TV Clowns Ever
“Lois's Birthday”
After Hal and the boys forget her birthday, Lois goes to the batting cages to blow off some steam. Realizing their mistake, they follow her there and get her an impromptu cake and birthday clown in an attempt to make amends. Although she asks that they change so that she feels more appreciated, Hal and the others make it clear that they’ll probably continue disappointing her. However, after the clown makes a crack about Lois’ appearance, Hal punches him out; leading to a brawl with several clowns, which the boys join in on. Seeing how much they care for Lois, as well as the violence juxtaposed with a slow jam by Kenny Rogers, makes for a hilarious and somewhat touching moment.
#4: Trashing the Family Reunion
“Family Reunion”
On a similar note, the family’s trip to a reunion/birthday for Hal’s dad ends in chaos; albeit well motivated. After spending most of the day sucking up to their more affluent relatives, the boys are distressed when Lois, who has been bullied and mistreated by their extended family all day, is finally driven to tears. In revenge, they take a golf cart and crash through the dinner table and cause general mayhem, before finally driving it into a pool; once again using their skills in mischief to defend their mother from those who mistreat her maliciously.
#3: Hal Race-Walking
Top 10 Funniest RuPaul's Drag Race Moments
“Malcolm Holds His Tongue”
Hal’s hobbies are numerous in the show, but possibly our favorite is when he gets into race/speed walking. Like everything he gets into, Hal falls head over heels in love with the “sport” after seeing a group of people engaging in the activity in a park; comparing them to gods. Hal gradually becomes more and more obsessed, eventually getting to the point where he has absurd military fantasies about it and wears a ridiculous, fiery costume while walking. However, his outlandish confrontation with a rival race walker, who’s secretly a mere jogger, puts an end to Hal’s “career.”
#2: Hal Pops His Balloon Children
Top 10 Funniest Moments From South Park Not Suitable For Children
“Health Scare”
When Hal learns he may have a serious illness, Lois starts taking out her worry on the boys; being even harsher than usual with them. This prompts Reese and Malcolm to sneak out of the house at night and leave decoys in their beds, consisting of a balloon and a scary mask. When Hal, worried over his possible mortality, comes in, he unknowingly gives a heartfelt and emotional speech to his boys, who, besides Dewey, aren’t there. When he goes to kiss one goodnight, he pops the balloon, prompting him to scream at the top of his lungs and waking Dewey, who sees the Halloween mask and adds his own shrieks, in a fantastic and hysterical tonal reversal.
Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
“Blellow”
“Experiment”
Taking the Blame
“Water Park (Part 1)”
Teenage Lois
“Goodbye Kitty”
Too Clean
“Home Alone 4”
Dewey on God
“Day Care”
#1: Bounce House
“Malcolm's Girlfriend”
A rich friend allows Dewey to have his dream birthday party, complete with a bounce house. Meanwhile, Malcolm becomes distraught after he is dumped by his girlfriend. Desperate to feel happy again, he tries to go inside the bouncy centerpiece of his brother’s party, hoping to regress to a time of childlike joy, although Dewey tells him he’s too big. Malcolm’s exaggerated grin as he jumps in slow motion and the “Sesame Street” theme song playing during the moment are hilarious, but the explosive deflating of the bounce house leads to pandemonium. Hal’s overzealous, and rather frightening attempts to rescue the trapped kids complete the moment to help make it the funniest in “Malcolm in the Middle.”
