Malcolm's Car is the ninth episode of Season 6 and the 116th episode overall of Malcolm in the Middle. It aired on January 30, 2005.
Plot[]
In the opening scene Hal is tickling Jamie until he presses down on his stomach and hears the car alarm beep. Realizing that Jamie swallowed the keys he calls out to Lois that she can stop looking for them.
In the boys' bedroom, Reese comes in and tells Malcolm that he is going to be proud of him after he found a way to make a large amount of money. He explains that he spent the last five nights in an online chat room reeling in a pervert named Heinrich and gained dirt on him when he showed up at his house with a printed transcript of their conversation where he calls Reese "Sugar buns" fifteen separate times. Reese threatens to send it to the police resulting in Heinrich being incarcerated. Heinrich starts crying about his wife and kids after agreeing to do whatever Reese wants. Reese claims entrapment isn't just for police anymore. Malcolm has no idea how to be proud until Reese explains that Heinrich works at the race track and will make bets on the horses for them so he needs Malcolm to choose the winning horses while he places the bets and they split the winnings 50/50 like brothers. Malcolm agrees as Reese goes to leave a suspicious message on Heinrich's answering machine. Malcolm wonders how blackmailing a pervert to condone underage gambling couldn't work out in their favour.
Later, walking down the street with Stevie with some fast food, Malcolm claims it did work out in their favour and that it’s been four days since they started placing bets and have already claimed almost 300 dollars after selecting winning horses. He is in disbelief that Reese’s plan actually worked out since they usually end up with a missing toe or something. Stevie asks Malcolm since when he started treating him to lunch, Malcolm claims he’s been making more money at work and there’s an incentive program at work where they’ve been giving out bonuses. As he continues explaining he gets distracted by a 1967 Plymouth Barracuda in one of the driveways and accidentally rolls Stevie’s wheelchair off the sidewalk before catching him. Stevie wonders if he’s trying to finish what God started, Malcolm apologizes that he didn’t see the curb and he was distracted by the car. Upon seeing that the car has a for sale sign in the windshield he immediately runs over letting Stevie fall over onto the road.
When Malcolm gets a new car he starts ignoring both Reese and Stevie in favour.
Back at the house, Dewey watches Malcolm brings his new car back in the driveway.Reese comes out of the house and asked Malcolm where he’s been since they were supposed to meet Heinrich after lunch and today was a total waste although he did buy Reese’s swimsuit. Malcolm tell his race how he bought a car and how it’s the coolest thing he’s ever seen. Reese isn’t impressed and states it’s a piece of crap before going back inside. Malcolm tells the car it’s magnificent before one of the headlights falls off.
Meanwhile, Craig comes to Lois for golfing tips claiming to be teaching their boss Frank’s wife Paula how to golf. But when Hal starts cutting hair for women and Paula becomes his customer, Hal reveals to Lois that Paula is having an affair with her golf instructor. Lois realizes that Paula's been cheating on Frank with Craig and must convince him to end his affair with Paula and admit to his boss about his wife‘s unfaithfulness at the risk of his job at Lucky Aid.
Back at the house, Malcolm now has a black eye from and is growing increasingly more frustrated after applying four coats of polish and wondering if it will run now. Reese calls him inside telling him his leopard skin seat covers have arrived. However upon entering the living room Reese and Stevie are joined by a man named Mike from Triple A. Mike tells Malcolm he is in a safe place and they’ve called him in for an intervention. He asks what it’s about, and Mike says that Stevie and Reese have important things to say and thinks he should listen. Stevie informs him he’s abandoned his friends and he’s been so obsessed over his car he hasn’t even noticed his new deck shoes. Reese states his car is ruining everything and is even affecting their illegal gambling. He informs him that he tried to pick a winning horse himself but since he’s an idiot, he picked a winning horse that came in at over 600 to 1. He tells him that he won $11,500 which he can’t touch since he can’t fill out a tax form. He says it’s tormenting him that he has such a large amount of money he can’t claim because of his brothers stupid car. Malcolm tells him to stop calling it stupid and the car is the best thing that’s ever happened to him. Mike isn’t convinced asking him where he got his shiner, Malcolm claims it was his own fault for not being careful enough. Mike states that they’re here to help, but the first step is for him to admit that he has a problem and that he went through exactly what he’s going through. Malcolm calms down and says he didn’t realize how bad things had gotten. Unfortunately he immediately runs outside, gets in the car and drives away. Reese, Stevie and Mike run out disappointed that their intervention was unsuccessful. Stevie is upset that he didn’t get to read his poem, with Mike patting his back in reassurance.
Cast[]
- Jane Kaczmarek as Lois
- Bryan Cranston as Hal
- Christopher Masterson as Francis (credit only)
- Justin Berfield as Reese
- Erik Per Sullivan as Dewey
- Frankie Muniz as Malcolm
Guest Stars[]
Recurring[]
- Craig Lamar Traylor as Stevie
Cameos[]
- Art LaFleur as Fred
- Bob Koherr as Mike
- Blaire Baron as Paula
- Rose Abdoo as Margie
Trivia[]
• Jamie only appeared in the cold opening. He is absent for the remainder of the episode.