Zoo is the first episode of the fourth season of Malcolm in the Middle, which was broadcast on November 3, 2002.
Synopsis[]
Chaos ensues on a family trip to the zoo. Hal becomes jealous of Lois's ex-boyfriend, Malcolm and Dewey get trapped in a tiger pen and Reese locks horns with a goat.
Plot[]
In the opening scene, Malcolm and Reese toss a football in the living room before Lois tells them from another room they can't play ball in the house. They then decide to play on the roof until Lois emphasizes they can't play ball on the house either. They then play ball by tossing it through the windows until Lois says they can't play ball through the house either. Eventually they simply toss it between two windows, Reese claims it isn't even fun but Malcolm reminds him that stopped being the point a long time ago.
Lois comes into the boys room and finds Malcolm sulking under his covers having spent his entire summer depressed convinced that life is pointless. Lois claims he needs to stop since he has been alienated from the world so long Hal has thought they sent Malcolm to camp. Lois tries to reassure Malcolm that every teenager goes through this phase as Francis went through it by crying in the shower and Reese wouldn't get out of the dryer but he will get over it, then tells him to get dressed as they are going to the zoo. Malcolm asks why they are going to go stare at pathetic caged animals and fat suburban yahoos pointing and laughing at them, Lois says she has a coupon.
In the kitchen, Dewey asks Reese what the zoo is like since he has never been there before, Reese is also unsure because he has never been to the zoo when it is open. The zoo tickets, it turns out, were gifts from Lois' old boyfriend Matt, who now runs an exotic rainforest exhibit there. Lois telling Hal that it has been 20 years and can't believe Hal is still jealous, Hal claims he isn't before a series of flashbacks showing how unnervingly jealous he gets: such as seeing off a gas fitter for wearing shorts that are too short, breaking to tears over a Tom Cruise movie he and Lois went to, and even when she was breastfeeding Francis as a newborn. Hal then receives a phone call from Francis, who has been enjoying a road trip across America with Piama since leaving Alaska. However Piama's car has broken down and the couple are down to their last few dollars. Francis attempts to get some money from Hal but fails.
The family arrives at the zoo and Malcolm remains depressed, Hal hates seeing him the way he is and offers to get him a wax crocodile to cheer him up. Lois wants to see a rain forest animal show starting soon that Matt is hosting. Dewey asks about seeing the tigers and Reese decides to go hit the monkeys hoping no one caught on that he had meant it literally. Malcolm asks if he can go wait in the car since it's technically still at the zoo. Lois refuses and concludes that since Malcolm is so committed to being miserable she decides to put him in charge of Dewey for the day. Dewey immediately drags him off to go see all the animals and decide which ones are worth seeing twice, Lois calls after them to meet back up at 5:00pm.
Malcolm tells Dewey he just wants to be by himself, Dewey asks why he's mad which Malcolm denies it and that he wouldn't understand. Dewey asks anyway and Malcolm explains the reason he's depressed is because he's finally aware that he's just an insignificant speck of dust lost in a universe full of random tragedy, Dewey asks what a lemur is infuriating Malcolm since he wasn't even listening.
Hal and Lois arrive at Matt's rainforest animal show and while Lois greets Matt with a hug Hal showcases his unnerving jealousy by joining in the hug as well. He then tells him how they rarely go on outings due to his job and starts an elaborate conversation about his boss. He is ignored as Lois was sure Matt would end up working with animals, Matt brings up a snake named Monty who gave Lois an unpleasant surprise in the shower. He asks where the boys are but Hal brags about how much they look like him he attempts to pet Matt's cockatiel Cookie but gets too close and is scared by her screeching, exasperating Lois.
At the petting zoo, Reese antagonizes a goat who gets revenge by chasing the lad around the zoo for the majority of the outing. After realizing the goat somehow escaped from the petting zoo and is stalking him Reese tries to throw a soda can at him but it is quickly eaten. He later tries hiding from the goat in the bathrooms but it manages to find him again.
With their '74 Cadillac broke down at a dusty, mountain gas station in New Mexico, Francis and Piama are down to their last five bucks. Piama decides to go into the gas station to get some emergency food, but Francis suggests getting lottery tickets since this is the perfect time to get them. Piama refuses and confirms she is buying food like adults eat. Francis looks at his car and now sees why it was under blue book. A jovial German couple, Otto and Gretchen, befriend them by complimenting their American cars before they tell Francis about the ranch they own called "The Grotto" which is a portmanteau of both their names. After a short conversation, Francis is offered a job as a foreman at their nearby dude ranch, despite his inexperience with horses, they assure him he can learn and it pays $200 a week with free room and board. He agrees after they promise it wont end with him being cut up and hidden in a secret basement. Piama comes out with lottery tickets but Francis states they don't need them now.
At the zoo, Malcolm has a conversation with a clown about how nothing he does matters. The clown reminds him who he's talking to and to either buy a giraffe balloon or go to hell. Malcolm tells Dewey how the clown is someone who understands how awful life is, Dewey reminds Malcolm he is at the zoo with a Popsicle and wonders how he could be unhappy, Malcolm tells him he wanted a grape flavored one. Then Dewey excitedly goes over to the tiger enclosure but doesn't see any inside. Malcolm sees it as a sign that the universe is against him seeing what he was most excited about and maybe there never were any tigers and the sign was just used to build false hope. Before he can rant further Dewey takes a tumble into the perilous tigers' den, Malcolm immediately jumps in after him. Dewey is unharmed but Malcolm tells him they need to leave before they get into trouble. However, before they have a chance to escape a tiger appears and confronts the two.
Back at the show, Matt does a trick with Cookie but Hal claims it could never happen in the rainforest. He points to Lois to be his last volunteer, but Hal goes up to prevent her from being near him. Matt reluctantly agrees to let Hal meet Victor, a bird eating tarantula which terrifies him before Victor bites him on the cheek after sensing his fear, landing him in the first aid center. Matt assures him that Victor had never bitten anyone before and once the swelling goes down the fangs should fall out.
Back at the ranch, Otto and Gretchen introduce Francis and Piama to their new rent-free living quarters and how they are completely free to redecorate and they are free even to hammer a sandwich to the wall if they desire. Piama is grateful for their hospitality and settles herself in claiming it’s so beautiful she never wants to leave. Otto asks Francis if he likes horses but he honestly doesn’t know since he has no experience with them. Gretchen tells them they bought the ranch while they were on vacation after Otto grew tired of running a factory making heart/lung machines. Otto emphasizes how if you made even one mistake you would get reprimanded for it.
In the tiger pit, Malcolm tells Dewey to stay calm and try not to look like meat. A woman spots them in the enclosure and tells them they shouldn't be down there. Malcolm thanks her and asks her to inform a zookeeper that they're down there. A zookeeper named Randy arrives and is in shock. Malcolm asks him to get them out of there. Randy assures them they've trained for this situation and there's a procedure they follow. In the first aid centre a few legal representatives making calls about the limit of their liability and how if the story gets out the press has to sound sympathetic to the boys but make it clear that it's their fault to avoid a potential lawsuit. One zookeeper named Pete goes to help save the boys after asking Hal and Lois if they've seen the koalas.
Lois decides to go look for the boys and tells Hal he needs to rest. Matt comes in to apologize for what happened, but Hal doubts he's really sorry and knows it is payback for him being jealous. Hal tells Matt he knows how upset he is because Lois chose him, hoping that him being bitten makes things even between them. Matt explains that although Lois is great, the situation was too much for him so he backed off. After a brief mention that there was at least one other suitor for Lois' hand named Dennis while she was dating him and Hal and that Hal didn't know this, Matt leaves after realizing he said too much.
Later, Lois goes to the off-limits tiger enclosure, where Randy assures her there are no kids in there. Hal confronts Lois with this new information but after she mentions another man named Larry causing the two to argue more as Lois asks if they can discuss it later, but Hal doesn't trust her since she may have another date with another man later. Lois emphasizes it was well over 20 years ago and brings up how Hal was dating a slutty manicurist leading to a growing audience of onlooking zoo-goers, with the hilarious sight of Hal's bulging facial spider bite taking center stage during the heated exchange. All the while Reese battling the goat nearby is completely ignored by his parents. Eventually Hal admits that Lois’ engagement ring isn’t a family heirloom and that he bought it, for someone else. When Lois asks who he tells her it was for Farrah Fawcett. He explains how when he was fifteen he thought if he had an actual ring to give her he would stand apart from all the other idiots who were also in love with her. Lois understands Hal’s plight and decides to call it even as they hug. Just then Randy’s walkie-talkie sends him a message about the two kids trapped in the tiger pit earning a gasp from all the zoo-goers. He tries to claim he’s getting a call from another zoo down the road but no one believes him. Hal and Lois know it must be their kids, Hal asks if it’s Malcolm and Reese but Lois knows it’s Malcolm and Dewey since Reese wouldn’t last 30 seconds in the presence of a tiger.
The key to Francis' maturation comes after Otto introduces him to cowboy Zeke, who appears to be a weathered ranch-hand. Otto goes to restock the buffet and once he is out of earshot, Zeke reveals to Francis that he's not a real cowboy, and his real name is Murray, telling him that the job is a goldmine where no one does a lick of work, but everyone still receives generous pay. It's easy to take advantage of the kindly Germans, as long as the employees watch each other's backs. However, Francis admits that even though he has never been near a horse that doesn't require putting quarters in it, he refuses to take advantage of Otto after he and Gretchen were very kind to give him and Piama a steady job at the ranch. He immediately fires Murray for this disloyal action alone, then grabs a horse's harness unsure of whether or not it's for him to wear or the horse and begins to work.
In the tiger pit, Dewey thinks Stanley is getting angry explaining he named the tigers Stanley and French Fry. Malcolm tells Dewey he loves him and Dewey expresses anger knowing it's just more of his hating life nonsense. But Malcolm admits that he appreciates life now and how imperfect it is and loves all his family including Reese. Dewey claims they will be fine but Malcolm knows their death is inevitable and he doesn't need Dewey to give him false hope. Dewey argues back he doesn't need a crybaby brother taking all the fun out of being at the zoo. Their parents arrive and are shocked at the danger they are in, Dewey claims Malcolm is simply in a bad mood and they will get out of it. Malcolm states Dewey needs to face reality and Superman isn't going to just fly in and save them. In that moment, Reese defeats the marauding goat by hurling him into to the tiger pit distracting the tigers long enough for the workers to rescue Malcolm and Dewey. Dewey smiles smugly at his brother with Malcolm knowing he was right all along.
At breakfast the next morning, Malcolm promises to be a better person ever since the zoo he has had a new outlook on life. This is short-lived however since he suddenly wonders why he and he alone has to learn lessons the hard way. Then coming to the realization that the universe thinks the only way to make him appreciate life is by almost killing him in the process, he then returns to his apathetic state and retreats back to his bedroom.
Over the phone Lois tells Francis about their endeavors at the zoo. He asks her if the family has ever seen animals giving birth at the zoo. Lois admitted that they didn't because they were concerned over getting Malcolm and Dewey out of the tiger pit, but were relieved after they were rescued. They agreed not to sue the zoo for almost getting Malcolm and Dewey killed and Reese was spared from being sent to jail for killing the goat after saving his brothers lives. When Lois asks why, Francis explains that he got a new job at a ranch in New Mexico and was needing pointers in how to help animals give birth. Overhearing this, she admits that she is proud of him for actually being an adult in working. Francis assures Lois that he'll call her back later, hangs up and amateurishly helps a cow give birth during the concluding shot.
Trivia[]
- The show's opening theme is modified, replacing some of the season one scenes with scenes from seasons 2 and 3. This opening is used for the remainder of the series, (with the exceptions of shortened openings, which only have the ending "Life is Unfair" riff).
- Francis and Piama break down and meet Otto and Gretchen at this exact location in Acton, CA 93510, USA. The site has since been reused for a hardware store.[1]
- Zoo scenes were shot at the Los Angeles Zoo.[1]
- Jon Favreau appears as an extra as a Zookeeper.
- This episode follows the events of Francis and Piama losing their jobs at the logging camp and leaving Alaska in Monkey.
- First appearances of Otto and Gretchen Mannkusser, the first nice bosses Francis has.
Errors[]
- In one shot of Reese wrestling the goat, you can clearly see that it's a stuffed animal.
- When Reese is hiding in the bathroom from the goat, he opens the stall door and sees the goat and both his hands are away from the door, but in the next shot, his right hand is on the stall door.
- Whilst standing in the tiger enclosure, Malcolm's shirt changes several times from scene to scene.
- Francis stated to Murray that he's never been near a horse you don't put quarters in but in the episode Francis Escapes he is seen riding with real horses in a trailer. It's possible he only meant that he's never worked with horses.