Kicked Out is the twelfth episode of Season 4 of Malcolm in the Middle, which was broadcast on March 9, 2003.
Synopsis[]
While Lois is away, Hal is getting fed up with Malcolm's behavior so he kicks Malcolm out of the house. Malcolm decides to live in his girlfriend's attic. Meanwhile at the dude ranch, Francis deals with an irritating piano player.
Plot[]
Hal has a nightmare where he is tied to a pole and the boys are dressed as cannibals and Malcolm and Reese pour cans of gasoline to burn him at the stake. He tells them it’s no way to treat their father, but Malcolm claims he’s a weak excuse for a father and is nothing but a joke. Hal reminds him he’ll pay for that once his mother gets home, but Reese retaliates by saying that Lois is never coming home due to how badly he screwed up. They argue over who gets to set him ablaze until deciding to burn him together. After waking up, Hal is comforted by Craig dressed as Lois wants to spoon with him in bed.
Fed up with his dad's attitude Malcolm informs Hal he is giving him all the respect he deserves, which is none at all. He tells him off by reminding him that the house is a pig sty, everything in the fridge is expired and he found a piece of cake in the shower (which belonged to Dewey) and now he is screaming at him because he can't control Reese and Dewey and now he is officially sick of it. Hal sarcastically claims that if he feels that way he knows where the door is, Malcolm complies with it and him and Hal angrily explain everything they do to each other while walking to the front door. Dewey attempts to calm them down since it's 3:00 AM and they should all get some sleep but he is ignored because Hal and Malcolm's anger is on each other. Malcolm opens the door and goes outside and tells his father to close the damn door which he does. Malcolm is sure that in a few seconds Hal will come out with a heartfelt apology but after counting down Hal locks the door showing Malcolm that he isn't welcome in the house, leaving Malcolm in shock.
Back at the Grotto, Francis sets a table while Willy plays music to his actions, Francis angrily orders Willy to stop using the piano to mock him but his words are meaningless since Willy cannot understand English.
Back at the house, Hal worries about Malcolm since he's been gone for over a day and admits that he may have been too harsh towards him, Craig tells him to keep his voice down since they don't need the neighbors to know their business. In the living room Dewey asks why Reese is smiling about Malcolm being missing. Reese explains that since their dad is so overwhelmed with guilt over kicking Malcolm out he won't be able to punish either of them for a while and that the window of opportunity is open for them and they now have a free pass to do whatever they want. Dewey wonders what Reese plans to do, Reese is unsure since it's a once in a lifetime opportunity and he wants it to be a statement for everything he stands for.
At the Grotto, Francis tries to get Otto and Gretchen to see what Willy is doing but while jumping around the room Willy ignores Francis since he is aware of his resentment. Francis tries to explain but Otto believes that he must be saddle sore from so much horse riding, Gretchen assures him that hey have an ointment for that.
Hal posts flyers of Malcolm all over the neighbourhood until a young boy named Patrick starts posting up flyers for his missing dog Milton. Hal informs him that his poster was there first and his own poster may distract from his. Patrick states he doesn't own the tree but Hal asks him if he thinks finding a missing person is more important than a missing dog. Patrick states that although he doesn't know Malcolm personally, his parents tell him that Hal's entire family isn't worth as much as his dog. Hal informs Patrick that Milton is gone and has found a new owner and even if he did find him Milton would just resent him until he found another way to escape again and he should just take his poster down. Patrick retaliates telling him that Malcolm is likely in a crack house. They both frantically start tearing each others posters down.
Later, Hal and Dewey drive around the neighborhood searching for Malcolm using a megaphone attached to the top of the van begging him to come home and Hal admits that Malcolm was totally right about everything he accused him of. Dewey tells his dad not to sound so desperate and to hold something back.
Francis tries to communicate with Willy using a German to English dictionary where he tells Willy how he is annoyed with him playing music to his actions. Willy understands what Francis is saying but after asking for the dicionary he calls him a “crybaby bastard”. Francis decides to be mature and not let it bother him, but as soon as he walks away Willy begins mocking him again. Finally having enough, Francis grabs a crowbar and angrily destroys the keyboard by jumping on it, leaving Otto, Gretchen, Willy and the other guests in shock, leaving Francis to explain what happened that Willy was playing music while he did stuff, but after seeing the shocked faces of the others Francis realizes that he may have overreacted.
Malcolm goes to Nicki’s house, and after making out under her bed she lets him sleep in the attic. But, she locks Malcolm in the attic as payback. After a few days Malcolm hears voices above Nicki’s room, Hal is confronting Nicki and her father Boyd of Malcolm’s whereabouts but after stating that Malcolm wasn’t there, Malcolm falls through the ceiling onto her bed. All three of them are shocked including Nicki who forgot that she locked him in the attic and thought he had left after they broke up.
Back home, a crowd of teenage boys gather to see Reese perform a bike stunt riding off a ramp and jumping cars with a firehose attached. Dewey claims that despite his concerns he cannot find a problem with Reese’s plan. Unfortunately, The stunt goes awry as soon as Dewey uses a fire hydrant to turn on the firehose. Instead of giving him lift to jump the cars the water pressure from the hose lifts Reese off the bike as he is sent flopping all over the yard and hits a tree leaving him stuck. As the crowd of onlooking boys run away, Craig eating a sandwich comes out and demands to know what Reese is doing until Reese aims the hose at him and he is sent hurtling backwards from the water pressure into the house shattering the kitchen window, after seeing this Dewey runs away in fear. Hal and Malcolm come home to see Reese crying for help, clutching a tree, soaking wet, in his boxers with his pants around his ankles. Hal welcomes Malcolm home and Malcolm thanks him while reassuring him that if his mom were there the events that occurred likely would’ve happened the exact same way.
Cast[]
- Jane Kaczmerek as Lois (Credit Only)
- Bryan Cranston as Hal
- Christopher Kennedy Masterson as Francis
- Justin Berfield as Reese
- Erik Per Sullivan as Dewey
- Frankie Muniz as Malcolm
Guest Stars[]
Recurring[]
- David Anthony Higgins as Craig Feldspar
- Reagan Dale Neis as Nicki
- Kenneth Mars as Otto
- Meagan Fay as Gretchen
Cameos[]
- Michael Wiles Shamus as Boyd
- Sam Lerner as Patrick
- Alex Boling as Willy
- Stephen Ford as Neighborhood kid (uncredited)
Quotes[]
- [Hal is having a nightmare with the boys having tied him up to a wooden stake.]
- Hal: Boys. Boys, come on. This is no way to treat your father.
- [Dewey is seen dressed up as a witch doctor with an African Mask over his face and wearing a loincloth, cackling in delight. Malcolm is seen pouring gasoline in a clockwise position on the wood and hay covering Hal's feet. He is wearing Hal's dress shirt, slacks and shoes]
- Malcolm: What kind of a father are You?! You're nothing but a joke and you're weak!!
- Hal: Oh, man. You're going to pay for that when your mother gets home.
- Reese:(appearing as an imp[half-man half-goat] and pouring gasoline counter clockwise) You still think mom's coming back, after the way you screwed things up. Dewey, what are you doing? I'm lighting Dad on fire.
- (Reese grabs the match box away from Dewey after he grabs one)
- Dewey: No way, I get to do it.
- Malcolm:(grabbing a match)We'll all do it.
- (The boys cackle in delight as they all simultaneously light the matches on fire and drop them on the wood. Hal screams as the nightmare ends with him being burned.)
Trivia[]
- Final appearance of Nicki.
- Running Gag: Hal saying "Zero Tolerance".
- Reese spraying Craig into the house with the firehose could’ve been payback for Craig torturing Reese in "Malcolm Holds His Tongue" despite the fact it was likely unintentional.
- Hal posts missing person posters of Malcolm to a tree here on this fake road on the premises of the CBS Studio Center. This private location would later be reused several times over the course of MitM, next time in Stereo Store.[1]
- Although Lois Wilkerson does not appear in this episode, Jane Kaczmarek is still credited in the episode's ending credits.
- Hal mentions that the previous incident is why Lois has a hard time trusting him to be alone with the boys. This will be repeated in Ida Loses a Leg.
- It is unknown if Francis was reprimanded for smashing Willy’s piano.
- This episode originally aired when Oliver Beene debuted on FOX.