Pilot is the very first episode in the first season of Malcolm in the Middle.
The first appearances of Malcolm Reese dewey
Summary
Malcolm is transferred into the accelerated learning class and has to learn to deal with it.
Plot
Malcolm introduces himself and his family to the viewers. Downstairs at the breakfast table Malcolm, Reese, and Dewey fight over the remaining waffles while Lois shaves Hal's body hair in the kitchen. Malcolm learns that he will have to spend the afternoon with Stevie Kenarban, a handicapped asthmatic who happens to be in the Krelboyne class (the high honors class). He isn't too pleased.
As the boys are walking to school, Malcolm and Dewey find the bully of the school, Dave Spath, beating up a kid and forcing him to do embarrassing things. Malcolm and Dewey are able to pass by with him seeing them.
We move to Malcolm's classroom in school. The class is painting pictures. When he takes his finished work up to the teacher, she is very impressed with it. While he is talking to the teacher the bully, Dave, places red paint on his chair. When Malcolm sits down there is an audible squish. As we see him walking down the hall toward the office we can hear the laughter of the students.
It turns out Malcolm was summoned there by Caroline Miller, the Krelboynes' teacher, because of his astounding skills. Further investigation shows that he can pass a 'What's Wrong With This Picture' test at extraordinary speed.
When he arrives at Stevie's house that afternoon, he realizes that his parents are overprotective and won't even let him watch television. But they soon find common ground in comic books, and Malcolm thinks that the friendship won't be so bad after all.
The following Saturday, as Lois is getting ready for work and trying to find her bra, there is a knock at the door and none of the boys move to answer it. Lois opens the door topless and finds Caroline Miller outside. Caroline tells Lois that she has not returned any of her calls and is desperate to talk to her about Malcolm. Lois thinks that the counsellor wants to put Malcolm in a special ed class, and informs her that she would never allow it. A dishevelled Caroline explains that she is mistaken and asks to come in and tell her more.
At dinner, Lois announces Malcolm's outstanding IQ of 165, meaning that he will have to join Stevie in the Krelboyne class. The news baffles everyone at the table and Malcolm is more than just annoyed at the notion. He knows that he will be ridiculed for the rest of his life.
Malcolm reluctantly accepts his fate in the class. At school, his teacher brags about him being highly gifted. Later he finds himself with the other geniuses. He accidentally insults Stevie and regrets it immediately afterwards.
Malcolm decides to make up with him, but Dave Spath appears again. He insults the bully, causing him to get up and approach Malcolm. As he nears, Malcolm throws a punch and misses. Then he throws chocolate moose in his face. As the bully winds his fist up, Malcolm ducks. Spath tried to redirect his punch, but ended up slightly tapping Stevie's cheek with his knuckle. Stevie realizes what he can do with this opportunity, waits a beat, and pushes himself over, complaining about the pain. Malcolm and Stevie smile at each other. The crowd surrounding them and even Dave’s own gang rant about his beating of a crippled boy. Nobody believes Dave when he says it was an accident.
Apperances
- Malcolm Wilkerson
- Dewey Wilkerson
- Reese Wilkerson
- Francis Wilkerson
- Hal Wilkerson
- Lois Wilkerson
- Stevie Kenarban
Trivia
- The extended version of this episode, which appears on the Season 1 DVD, runs for 25 minutes instead of the average 21.
- It is revealed that Malcolm's IQ is 165.
- The sets of the family's house, the military academy and the krelboynes class room change after this episode
- The theme song is different. It is the same tune, but it is slower than usual. The clips used in this episode were originally chosen as temporary clips, because the final theme was not ready by the original air date; however the crew decided they preferred the temporary theme to the prepared permanent one and so chose to stick with the original, modifying it only slightly for later episodes.
- 20 million people tuned in to see the Pilot when it first aired. It was the second-highest-rated episode of the series, falling short only to the second episode, Red Dress, which attracted 23 million people
- Emmy Awards for this episode: Linwood Boomer - Writing for a comedy series; Todd Holland - Directing for a comedy series
- There was also a joke that appeared in the original pilot script. In that script, Malcolm was walking to school when a neighborhood kid came running up shouting, 'Malcolm, Malcolm, Malcolm. I was talking to my parents last night - I was listening to them talk, and what's your last name?' 'Wilkerson, why?' Malcolm replied. 'Oh. Who are the Pariahs?' said the other kid. The joke was eventually cut, and the show's writers subsequently decided never to reveal the family's last name, but forgot about Francis's name tag
- Nearly all of the houses in Malcolm's street have 'For Sale' signs, a joke thought up by producer Linwood Boomer's 2nd ex-wife.
- 'Krelboyne' is a term originating from a character in Little Shop of Horrors, Seymour Krelboyne.
- Martin Spanjers, who had auditioned for the role of Malcolm, and Vincent Berry, for the role of Reese, appear in this episode in secondary roles
- The whoosh and door slam effects which are a regular theme in this show during scene changes are different in this episode. They were not originally intended to be used on a regular basis in every episode.
- Eraserhead (a Krelboyne) played by Will Jennings is named in reference to David Lynch's bizarre film, Eraserhead, whose main character has frizzy hair similar to the Krelboyne
- The surname of the family was meant to be a secret, but Francis's name tag clearly states 'Wilkerson'. On the set, however, a comman cast joke was that the surname was 'Nolastname'. 'Nolastname' was used in the final episode (Graduation) on a new name tag for Francis.
- This the frist episode of Malcolm in the middle to be made
Bloopers
In the opening, we see Dewey's cold feet. Two shots later, his feet are in a different position.
After the titles when Lois tells Hal to raise his arms so she can shave his armpits, if you look at the bottom of the screen you can briefly see that Hal is wearing something to cover up his privates 'marble bag'.
When Malcolm is talking to his first teacher (Ms. Hogan), you can just see a small part of a boom microphone at the top of the screen.
Just after Malcolm sits in the paint a girl passes behind the class .In the next wide shot the girl is gone.
When Malcolm is in Stevie's room eating cookies, the cookie in Malcolm's right hand disappears and reappears between shots.
- When Stevie is telling a joke, the back of Todd Hollands (Director) head and briefly fingers can be seen in the lower left in the shots facing Stevie, clearly directing him. [widescreen version only].
In Stevie's room, when Stevie is talking you can see the boom microphone poking out at the bottom left of the screen. [widescreen version only].
When Lois hangs up on Francis before saying 'Oh, I love you' it seems as though the line is already disconnected (as can be heard from the dial tone from Francis' side] but in a later shot, Malcolm and Reese are just about to hang up the phone.
When Lois opens the door topless to Caroline Miller you can just see the tape that is across her chest, when shot from the back.
As we move to Malcolm in the Krelboyne class, he slowly opens his fingers that are covering his eyes - a hand on each side of his face But when we see through his eyes the fingers are crossing each other.
In the fight with Spath, Malcolm throws some chocolate pudding on his face. Just after hitting Stevie he still has it on his face then in the wide shot its all gone.
International Titles
France French 'Je ne suis pas un monstre' ['I Am Not a Monster]
Spain Spanish piloto [pilot]
Finland Finnish lentäjä
Ireland irish Píolótach
Promos
this the official promos pics
Screen Caps
Set Stills
