Company Picnic (2) is the twelfth episode of the third season of Malcolm in the Middle, which was broadcast on February 3, 2002.
Summary
The family attends Hal's company picnic, where Hal tries to avoid his new boss because of his bleak history of first impressions.
Lois tries to control Dewey's candy habit but gets interrupted by Meg's husband who is equally as annoying, Lois then snaps and tells him exactly how to solve his and her problems and be more attentive towards her and create an atmosphere of trust. Meg then returns to complain about Lois' words towards her husband, this leads to Dewey running away and Lois says she doesn't have time to deal with them and their habits which she could care less about. This leads to a rollong fight between the two, ending with them both being pushed into a muddy pool, where they brawl. After Lois is covered in mud and has gotten rid of Meg for the day she finds Dewey eating out of a ruined piñata. Dewey has now gone savage and tries to bite her only to be wrapped up in her coat and loaded into the car.
Malcolm and Laurie are partnered up for the scavenger hunt but Malcolm can't stop complaining about how she can like Gary over him. Reese also enters the scavenger hunt and is partner with a large boy named George who despite their differences and their limited brain power manage to get along well together. Back with Malcolm and Laurie he gets her to tell him exactly why she doesn't like him only to find out she thinks he's bitter and annoying and despite him being cute he manages to mess it up. This eventually leads to him crying only to find out the leaves he was using as tissues were poison oak leaves. Reese and George eventually win the scavenger hunt injuring many smaller kids in the process, they state they will miss each other, George then punches Reese giving him a black eye and taking the 100 dollar prize for himself. Laurie then claims it was nice to see Malcolm and would like to again only she can't tell if he's smiling due to the poison oak swelling up his face.
Francis finds himself caught up in an ice hockey match between the loggers and a female oil-rig crew and bets against the loggers, knowing that if he wins the money he can pay off his debts to Lavernia and leave his Alaskan hellhole. At first Francis tries to sabotage his own team into losing only to have Lavernia step in claiming its time for a little "strategy". She helps put the loggers back in the game, until Francis joins the game replacing Amos, whom he claimed ran away screaming about government agents and murderous clones, when in reality he had just lock Amos in the bathroom. Eric gets hit in the groin with a puck savi Francis from being hit, which gives Francis a change of heart and ends winning the game for his team. The loggers congratulate him and offer to treat him with the bet money, once Francis explains his scheme he is dragged behind a zamboni naked while ever else celebrates.
Hal convinces his coworkers to pretend he is Landon due to Hal having dirt on the rest of them. Lois tells him to tell Pratt the truth only to fire him based on his opinion of him. Once Landon sees Pratt flipping everybody off as he leaves he decides not to hire Pratt after all. Hal then returns to the car where Reese has a black eye, Malcolm has a swelled up face, Lois is covered in mud, and Dewey is wrapped in a coat trying to lash out, due to going savage. Hal then states that his encounter with Pratt went better than expected and is the only one in a good mood leaving the picnic.
Trivia
- This episode has no "camera commentary", though Malcolm does aside in part 1, so it does have camera commentary as a whole.
- This is also the first episode not to have a cold opening, only having a "Previously on Malcolm in the Middle" segment before it.
- The unnamed husband of Meg, is played by Bradley Whitford, who is the husband of Jane Kaczmarek.