Grandparents is the fifteenth of the second season of Malcolm in the Middle, which was broadcast on February 11, 2001.
Synopsis[]
Lois' parents Victor (Robert Loggia) and Ida (Cloris Leachman) come for a visit and don't seem to approve of anyone in the family except Reese.
Plot[]
In the cold opening, the boys sit at the kitchen table eating pancakes their dad made for them despite the fact that they keep having to pick hair out of their mouths. Malcolm’s thanks his father and says how great they are. Hal unsanitarily uses the spatula to scratch his hairy back asks them who’s ready for seconds. Dewey coughs up another hair and says “I am”.
Lois is sitting at the kitchen table when Hal comes in and she asks him which pink form he would rather let slide that month: cable or Visa. Hal says they could probably live without cable. Hal finds that the refrigerator is broken after dumping out a carton of ice cream which has melted. Lois is in disbelief since they just had it fixed, Hal admits that the refrigerator is nothing but a piece of junk and that it’s only five years old and can’t understand why it keeps breaking down. Flashbacks show that the boys misbehaviour is responsible for the fridge’s issues. Including: breaking the fridge’s light while playing hockey in the kitchen, Reese tackling the refrigerator to the floor and Dewey hammering a nail into the fridge to hang up a picture.
Lois' parents come to visit. Her mother, Ida Welker and father, Victor Welker are really cruel and horrible people who are very annoying to everyone in the family, with the exception of Reese. This is because they are reminded of how strong-willed, high class and talented Susan was while growing up. She overcame adversity and became successful in her own right. Thus, Victor and Ida believe Reese inherited Susan's strong traits and will head toward success in his own right. They especially hate Malcolm despite his genius. Victor and Ida reasoned that he's very weak and untalented is because of how they view Lois. To them, she was weak-willed, untalented and low class. Thus, Victor and Ida believe that Malcolm inherited all of Lois' weak traits and will likely fail.
Meanwhile, Francis is sick from a bad sushi he ate at a truck stop while he and the cadets are in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. He called home to ask Malcolm what their mother put in the hot tea when they were little. Malcolm informs him that their grandparents came to visit. Francis isn't happy asking if they drove up or if they heard their cloven hooves clatter up the driveway. He reassures Malcolm they have stupid lizard brains and are threatened by anyone with a large IQ and they would eat them if they had bigger teeth. Victor comments how Malcolm is always on the phone but Francis overhears him and tells Malcolm to say he is an evil, malevolent troll he simply says Francis says hi and Victor says he is a no-good delinquent.
Hal buys a new refrigerator thinking Victor is going to reimburse him for it, but Victor changes his mind. He admits his resentment towards Hal because he made a wrong choice in not marrying Susan over Lois before emphasizing their bad decision to buy orange juice with pulp.
Both parents go into the boys bedroom and are furious and Lois swears that she will kill them by snapping their necks like chickens. Hal reminds her that won’t make the situation any better. Lois suggests returning the refrigerator but Hal reminds her that they can’t since they bought it on sale. Hal then says that in the meantime they’ll both just need to work a ton of overtime, Lois questions who will take care of the kids.
Lois comes home from work and informs Hal that Lucky Aide keeps both registers open until midnight and questions what idiot would need a beach ball at 11 PM. She asks if he’s made the boys lunches but Hal says he's hasn’t yet because he’s been experimenting with the ice cubes the fridge makes but Lois objects that Hal isn't helping and he used a rectal thermometer. In the boys bedroom they get into an argument with Hal believing she is pushing her frustrations with her parents onto him and Lois tells Hal she hates the new refrigerator and everything about it: it’s tubular handles, the way it keeps the butter and when she’s trying to sleep she can hear it whirring and to top it off it keeps things too cold. Hal decides that is the last straw and goes to sleep in the garage until she apologizes. Through the door Ida tells Victor she knew there was tension.
Malcolm goes into the backyard where Ida immediately whips him in the face and tells him he needs to toughen up before asking him to take a hit at her. Malcolm says he's not gonna hit her and a kid should never have to say anything about hitting their grandmother. Ida wonders how he is going to stand up for himself when raiders come and throw him in a truck to take him away and reading will get him nowhere. Malcolm stands up for himself claiming if she can't appreciate he is taking high school math classes and reading great books then to just leave him alone because he is going to be successful and rich because he is smart before running into a post. Ida only laughs for not paying attention.
Victor brings Reese into the parents bedroom and tells him he is now old enough to receive a gift, a case of his old weapons, Reese is impressed with the wide array of equipment such as a gas mask, field glasses and chocolate K-rations which Victor claims he can get a nice girlfriend with. Reese thanks him before pulling the pin off a live grenade assuming it was no longer active and Victor tells him to hold onto the handle or it will explode. He grabs the pin to disarm it but breaks the handle off.
In the kitchen Malcolm is nursing his bruise when they both run in and inform him of what happened, Malcolm attempts to call the police but Victor claims that there is no reason to panic but Malcolm reminds him that he gave Reese a live grenade and he is a total idiot which even Reese himself agrees to. While arguing over it they drop the grenade, thinking on impulse Malcolm throws it in the new fridge to keep it from destroying the house, as they all run for their lives, blowing up the fridge in the process. They all run outside before it explodes.
Later a shocked Lois demands an answer, Reese explains what happened but states Malcolm was responsible for destroying the new fridge, but Lois' anger is on her parents for bringing and giving Reese live ammunition and how they must be completely insane. Ida tells her not to talk to them like that causing her to break down.
Hal has seen enough and tells Lois to take the boys into the bedroom and leave him alone with her parents. He sits Ida and Victor down and tells them while it is not his place to fix their relationship with Lois, he decides to take a stab at the price for the traumas they have put her through, a total of $3000. Victor and Ida are shocked though Hal calmly explains that this money will cover the cost of the destroyed fridge, the collateral damage, pay off some credit cards and get his car's transmission fixed. Victor continues to protest and Hal threatens that with one phone call he can get the two of them thrown in prison for child endangerment and acknowledges that since they don't like giving the family money, they will call this $3000 payment blackmail. Ida laughs and claims that this situation is similar to one they experienced with Victor's brother Vaslev all over again. While not seen onscreen, the two obviously pay Hal for the damages in order to not go to jail because Reese’s testimony along with all evidence in the fridge and the crate filled with weapons can put them away.
Back in New Orleans, the cadets are getting ready to return to Marlin Academy after having a great time, but Francis refuses to leave until he gets some action. The maid needs to do her job so she lifts up her shirt and flashes him before telling him that he needs to leave. A stunned Francis says that it was good enough and leaves after the others.
Trivia[]
- First appearances of Ida and Victor Welker.
- Ida had been mentioned only as "grandma" is numerous previous episodes, but hasn't made an on-screen appearance until now.
- This is also the only appearance of Victor, he was mentioned to have passed away in Christmas.
- The episode reveals why Victor and Ida favors Reese more than Malcolm. As he is the only strong one in the family, they believe he'll go on to better things. To Victor and Ida, Reese reminds them of Susan because she was strong and overcame adversity. They resent Malcolm despite his genius mainly because of their own resentment to Lois for being weak all her life and thus they believe he has inherited all her weak traits.
- This is the opposite in Family Reunion in which the Wilkerson relatives favors Malcolm and treats him very well. They show their resentment to Reese because they believe he is the only thing that is wrong with Hal's family since his marriage to Lois.
- Dewey only had two lines in the episode. In the cold opening he says "I am" and when the new refrigerator gives him ice cubes he says "Thank you."
- A small animal cage can be seen on a high shelf in the boys' room when Hal and Lois are arguing.