Kitty's Back, is the 5th episode of season 6 and the 112th episode overall on Malcolm in the Middle. It was directed by Peter Laurel and written by Matthew Carlson. The episode premiered on Fox in December 12, 2004
Plot[]
Kitty (Merrin Dungey) returns after having done everything imaginable and wants to return to her family. Hal is willing to forgive her, but Lois orders her out of Abe and Stevie's lives. This causes conflict between her and Abe. Francis comes home and puts Dewey through the torturous "Brotherhood Initiation", then teaches Dewey about a fool-proof way to get out of trouble from his parents, Malcolm helps Stevie write an acceptance speech for his etiquette award, and Reese gets a full-body sunburn so he can peel his entire body at once. But when nobody cares about Reese shedding, he decides to mess up Stevie's speech which ends with him punished by Lois.
Synopsis:[]
Reese decides to sunbathe in the backyard of the Wilkerson house without putting on sunscreen. Soon enough, he's terribly sunburned while he was napping.
Later on inside the Wilkerson kitchen, Reese attempts to peel off the burned skin by starting with his right foot. However, Lois catches him in the act and warns against it because he risks getting leprosy if he attempts it. Reese is forced not to peel his skin while his family along with Stevie and Abe Kenarban are celebrating Dewey's birthday. Lois apologizes to him about the birthdays being less than what he deserves because of the debt they have to pay off with Hal's trial and the other taxes. Dewey asks what is taking Francis so long to come to his birthday. Lois explains that Francis is busy watching something on TV and won't be turning up until after Dewey is in bed. During the time, Abe tells Hal that the new teller at the bank he goes to, started flirting with him by telling him that she noticed that he forgot to "date" his check.
In the boys' room, Stevie has just been awarded the highest honors at the Good Manners Awards banquet for having the best manners and Malcolm decides to help him with his acceptance speech by using a tape recorder to record his voice. When the speech is done, he can eliminate the heavy breathing with the editing on his friend's computer. Reese comes in the room excited that underneath his old skin, there's a new skin underneath it that he makes his own snake skin suit.
In the Wilkerson kitchen, Hal and Lois bid Abe and Stevie good night and were just preparing to go to bed themselves until Kitty shows up at their door unannounced. She tells them that while she was away doing what she always wanted to do, she regretted leaving Abe and Stevie and asks for their forgiveness. Hal is more than willing to forgive her because he knows that she just made a mistake. However, Lois put her foot down and refuses. She tells Kitty off that she'll never forgive her for what she's done. She mentions that Abe and Stevie deserves better than Kitty. Lois mentions that her actions were creepy and unforgivable. She tells Kitty to leave and never come back again in their lives.
Francis finally arrives and tells Dewey it's time to be put through a torturous 'Brotherhood Initiation', which he claims that he had put Malcolm and Reese. This begins with Dewey giving Francis his bed for the night. Over the next few days Francis makes Dewey's life hell by making him do and eat disgusting things just to gain a cookie. Eventually, he gets sick, fed up with the tortuous Brotherhood initiation which he believes is fake, locks himself in the bathroom and gives Francis the cold shoulder.
The next day, Abe confronts her about what she said to Kitty. It was apparent that he has taken her back and Lois is upset about it. She refuses to apologize to Kitty for telling her off that her actions were unforgivable and creepy. Lois reminds him that she stood in for Kitty for every PTA meeting that they had attended. Abe refuses to listen and leaves the house.
In the Wilkerson master bedroom, Lois is furious about what had happened to Abe and Stevie. She thought they were better off without Kitty in their lives. Hal tells her that she needs to forgive her at once. Lois refuses and tells him that she'll stand her ground by attending the Good Manners Banquet even if they don't want her there. Hal points out to her that saying mad at Kitty and bringing it there is already making him uncomfortable. He mentions that he likes being friends with Abe and thinks Lois is going too far with this hatred. Hal asks her to think about how much Malcolm's friendship with Stevie will be affected if she continues this current behavior she's showing. Lois mentions that she will stand her ground and doesn't care if Hal is uncomfortable in her anger for Kitty. She will stand her ground there and Hal tells her off that he will never support this because Abe is his friend and Stevie is Malcolm's friend.
In the boys' room, Malcolm is helping Stevie with his recording when Lois offers him some lemonade. He refuses her lemonade and tells her that he'll be drinking juice from his mother's choice. It is apparent that Malcolm is torn between the two choice he has, defending Lois's thoughts about Kitty and forgiving his friend's mother. If he sides with his mother, then he'll lose his closest friend at school. However if he forgives Kitty, then Lois will make his life a living hell. Still Malcolm tries to reassure Stevie that things will be fine. Before they could continue editing his speech, Reese rudely interrupts them and tells them about his plans to make his own snake skin suit. He wants their help so they can make money off of his snake suit. Despite holding aversions against Lois for how she treated Kitty, Stevie and Malcolm team up against Reese. Stevie shares his sentiments about it being disgusting and unappealing. Malcolm agrees and calls Reese an idiot for even suggesting it. He also mentions that he and Stevie wants no involvement in his skin shedding business. The two boys leave the room. Reese is angry and decides to get revenge against Malcolm and Stevie. He sees the speech that Malcolm is recording for Stevie and gets an idea.
Meanwhile, a sick Dewey locks himself in the bathroom and continues giving Francis the cold shoulder. He begs his younger brother to come out to talk and let him explain himself. Dewey refuses, telling Francis off that he made up the Brotherhood Initiation just to take advantage of him in the same manner that Malcolm and Reese does on a daily basis. Feeling sympathy and guilt, Francis decides to tell Dewey about the large vanilla candle in the closet of Hal and Lois's room. When they light it, this will cause the two to get amorous and have sex forgetting whatever was on their mind and even the bad reports about the boys' bad behaviors. Francis mentions that he trusts Dewey with the secret as his favorite brother. He comes out of the bathroom, still sick, but not as bad as it was earlier. Francis finally apologizes for hurting Dewey with his behavior and admits there is no initiation for brotherhood. He reveals that he only did the tortuous regime out of frustration because of how Malcolm and Reese treated Dewey over the years and make them pay for that mistreatment. How Francis never intended to hurt him, but his ego took over and clouded his better judgement. Hence, he never told Malcolm and Reese about the large vanilla candle in the closet of Hal and Lois's room. Francis could trust neither boy in regards to that secret without them screwing him over. Thus, Malcolm and Reese usually end up getting into trouble with Hal and Lois. Dewey decides to use this knowledge to his advantage, while keeping the secret to himself.
At the Good Manners Award Banquet, Lois and the Kenarbans continue giving each other the silent treatment, much to Hal's dismay. He leaves and gets drunk along the way at the banquet. Lois wants to continue on hating Kitty for leaving Abe and Stevie. However, she reconsiders it when she hears Frank Wolston's speech. He points out that manners affects everyone, good and bad. Good manners in showing kindness and being helpful is always rewarded. Bad manners in hating one another shows how terrible a person is no matter how much they claim otherwise. Overhearing this, Lois realizes that she was being unfair in her mistreatment towards Kitty and how her terrible behavior is affecting everyone. She apologizes to Kitty for what happened and she forgives her friend. Finally, Stevie is ready to make his speech with him lip-syncing his recorded speech. However, something goes wrong and the speech is ruined with all the rude words. Everyone is angry about it, except for a drunk Hal who loves it. When Malcolm notices Reese smiling intently at him, he realizes Reese was behind the sabotage of Stevie's acceptance speech. Taking into account his reason for revenge in their refusal to participate in his Snake Skin business, Malcolm decides to get payback of his own by telling on Reese to Lois about it.
The next day, Lois is seen vacuuming the house. She has punished Reese for his prank against Malcolm by ruining Stevie's acceptance speech at the Good Manners Award Banquet. As he is carrying his full snake skin suit, Lois rudely reminds Reese that his punishment isn't over until the bathroom floor is so spotless he can eat off it, which he's going to do for the next two weeks. Then, she orders him to get rid of that skin suit because she's disgusted by it. Reese is insulted by that and tells her off if Malcolm made another him out of hair, she'll immediately throw a parade for him. The vacuum cleaner sucks in the snake skin and he is horrified by this. Lois informs Reese that it just took the suit. He's devastated by it because it was his only known fame to glory over Malcolm. Reese unplugs the vacuum and asks Lois for five minute alone with it. He takes it outside with him. Dewey shows up with a bad report card, but lights the lit vanilla candle. Although Lois and Hal are angry about the report card at first, they passions overwhelm them and they go into their bedroom to have sex. In the end, the bad report card is ignored to Dewey's joy.
Cast[]
- Jane Kaczmarek as Lois
- Bryan Cranston as Hal
- Christopher Masterson as Francis
- Justin Berfield as Reese
- Erik Per Sullivan as Dewey
- Frankie Muniz as Malcolm
Guest Stars[]
Recurring[]
- Craig Lamar Traylor as Stevie Kenarban
- Gary Anthony Williams as Abe Kenarban
- Merrin Dungey as Kitty Kenarban
Cameos[]
- Henry Gibson as Frank Wolston
- Jeanette Miller as Elderly Woman
- Derek Walters as a Waiter
- Mitch Silpa as a Bartender
Trivia[]
- This episode marks the last appearance of Kitty Kenarban. She will be mentioned in Graduation, however.
- This episode marks the first time that Francis has admitted his frustration in how Reese and Malcolm treated Dewey. He explains he made up the torturous Brotherhood Initiation just to get back at the two boys for the deed.
- This marks the 2nd episode which reveals that Dewey is Francis's favorite brother followed by Jamie. He dislikes Malcolm for his egotistical attitude, and Reese for being a bully. The first time was in Malcolm's Job and the last time Hal's Christmas Gift.
- At 15:50 into the episode, Francis is speaking to Dewey in the bathroom, and a hand can be seen to the far left coming in and out of the screen. They're meant to be alone in the house as everyone is at the award-ceremony for Stevie. When the scene changes to show Francis, there is no-one standing behind him.
- There was supposed to be a scene where Lois is informed by Malcolm in regards to Reese's prank on Stevie by ruining his recorded speech. Angered, she interrupts Stevie's butchered speech by turning off the computer and he is wheeled off stage. Malcolm appears and apologizes for any technical difficulties with the speech that his computer has caused. Lois then grabs Reese by the arm, drags him on to the stage and screams at him in front of everyone regardless of their discomfort. It ends up intimidating him again knowing how pissed off she is with him. This makes Hal sober up and he realizes he has to stop this. Malcolm warns him not to because if he tries to interfere with Lois screaming at Reese, he'll just make things worse. During her rants, Abe is finally able to tell Kitty how he truly felt when she left him and Stevie. He tells her off that he's filing for divorce and wants her to leave. This was dropped to cut on airing time.
- Also, Malcolm originally found out about the large vanilla candle. Enraged over Francis having never told them about it, he tells Reese and they both beat Dewey up. They also plan to get him back for screwing them over by never telling them about the candle and allowing Hal and Lois to punish them. This was also dropped.
Quotes[]
- Lois: Reese, Stop It. You're gonna give yourself leprosy.
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- Reese: Did you know that underneath your skin, there's more skin! Why have I always been so careful?