Malcolm In The Middle – Season 5 Review

22nd Apr 2013

I had expected that season 5 of 7 would begin to show the decline of Malcolm in the Middle and whilst it is not quite as good as the first 4 seasons it did surprise me in remaining a pretty good quality.

Significantly what has changed to this season from the previous is the introduction of Malcolm’s new youngest sibling Jamie. The addition of a new child into the family you would have thought would lead to a shift in dynamics and a specific focus on the child. The writers however have managed to pretty much seamlessly incorporate the baby into the actions and situations of the characters without anything feeling forced or an over the top demonstration to signal that now there is a baby. I felt this was true portrayal of this family, they just continue as the normal dysfunctional and messy family they have always been.

Interestingly if you could say season 3 focused on Hal and Lois this season was definitely Reese’s. There are moments recognising this season that he is growing up, that he may be pigeon holed and that in a perverse way he is exploring his own abilities. Specifically the episode where he moves out and the end of the season show something about his character.

What broke my heart repeatedly this season was the way the family ignore, my personal favourite, Dewey. After 5 seasons he still rarely gets his comeuppance or revenge on the brothers that have taunted him and the parents who don’t notice him. I do really hope something happens in seasons 6 or 7 for him.

What has emerged for me from the beginning of my revisit to Malcolm in the Middle is my utter love of Bryan Cranston. Every season I fall in love with a little bit more and I am struggling as to who holds a greater piece of my heart; Hal or Ron Swanson (Parks and Recreation). Cranston obviously takes such joy from being the character Hal and performs whatever the writers appear to come up with, with relish. He is also a pretty awesome dancer (and evidently manages to get this featured in the script). I am sure however there are future echoes of Breaking Bad in this season with him both being implicated with running a drugs ring and being arrested.

Overall another good season. Not quite as fresh as it was in the early days and there are less of the emotional intricacies of season 4 but it has not yet descended into a waste of time.

I leave with one last question. It has taken me 5 seasons to realise this but what the heck is the family’s last name? It is never ever mentioned.