Malcolm in the Middle/Heartwarming

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • "I love that nothing in my life is complete till I've shared it with you."
  • "You look me in the eye, and you tell me you can't do it."
  • When Ida, usually a couple steps above a Complete Monster, actually jumps into the street and loses her leg to save Dewey.
  • "Malcolm, I'm an average guy, in the middle of my life, in a job that can replace me in an hour. I was never an important man. You're the only important thing I've ever done."
  • The episode where the boys all unite to get revenge on Hal's family for reducing Lois to tears - when all she did was existed and (Genuinely) was trying to be nice to them.
  • The episode where Reese and Malcolm are tricked into believing the other is gay, and in an attempt to prove their acceptance, their nice to each other for a change. This even leads to them dancing to an ABBA song together in one amazing moment.
  • The episode where Lois, who had increasingly grown stress at the boys ruin a trip to the mall, as well as her own fantasies of having daughters instead of sons begins to crumble, ends with all of them including Hal giving Lois gifts in their own way to show that they care about her.
  • After discovering that Hal and Lois have absolutely no photos of Dewey growing up, he takes Hal's wallet and puts the two on an elaborate scavenger hunt to get it back. Along the way they have to pick up party supplies from the people who've got the contents of Hal's wallet (who also take the opportunity to mock the two for how they've treated Dewey). Eventually, they find Dewey at a video arcade he's paid to keep open after hours. Hal and Lois assume he wants them to throw a party just for him. But it's not, it's for Jamie, who's there with a babysitter. Dewey accepts that Hal and Lois neglected him, but he's not going to let Jamie go through the same thing, and has provided them an opportunity to shower Jamie with attention. Lois even consents that what Dewey has done is an incredibly nice thing for his brother... before telling him that everything he eats after the party will be soaked in sardine juice.
  • The episode where Lois loses confidence in her mothering abilities, and the flashback with her attempt at parenting Francis as a toddler (An Enfant Terrible one at that) was pretty heartwarming, especially compared to their regular interactions. She literally had to dispose of a teddy bear in the fireplace when Francis (presumably deliberately) set it on fire, injuring her hand in the process and talked with Francis about how she will do things that Francis will hate later in life in order to protect and love him.
  • After fighting with her sister and acting childish and crazy the whole episode, Lois learns that Susan has a fatal kidney disease. Lois then undergoes surgery and gives up her own kidney to save her.
    • And when Susan accuses Lois of never loving her, Lois gives this speech.

You see this scar? When I was six and you were four, Dad said we didn't get dessert because we were bad, and you dumped his pudding on his head and said, "Yeah, well neither do you!" And I laughed so hard I fell and hit my head on the corner of the coffee table. See those four freckles on your left ankle? We used to play connect-the-dots, and I drew a bunny, and you named it 'Footy'. And this hole in my ear in from when you got Dad's tackle box and pierced my ears for me because I was too chicken to do it. And that cap on your tooth is from when Cindy Bauer called me a bitch, and you beat the crap out of her and didn't think I ever knew about it. And this is the scar I got from the kidney I gave you because I love you. Don't you tell me I don't love you.

  • When Lois finds out that she is pregnant with Jamie, it is at an awful time; Ida injured herself outside their house and is suing them over it, when they're already horribly in debt. When Malcolm, Reese and Dewey find out about the pregnancy, they get angry and storm upstairs. While Lois is still having to deal with Ida, they come back down, and, having had a change of heart, tell her they don't mind sharing their stuff with the baby.
  • The episode where Hal visits Francis in military school. Hal is disappointed that Francis hasn't achieved anything during his stay and gets the impression that Francis was nothing but a trouble maker. Francis then criticizes Spengler for yelling at a fellow cadet simply for hugging his father goodbye. Spengler uses this to explain Hal that Francis was always trying to challenge his authority. Hal then realizes that even though Francis doesn't have any awards, he found another reason to be proud of him.
  • At the end of a late night of looking at their finances and trying to write a will, Hal and Lois concede that they're terrible parents and the latter even breaks down in tears about it. As if on cue, there's a loud noise in the boys' room and Dewey emerges with an arm injury. The parents promptly and lovingly attend to their injured son as Hal rushes out of the house to take him to the hospital. Lois, alone, ironically echoes her belief that they're terrible parents.
  • After failing music class, Malcolm reluctantly seeks tutoring from Dewey. After trying and failing to teach him, Dewey gets frustrated and tells Malcolm that he simply has no appreciation for music. This leads Malcolm to take revenge with a prank that leaves them both temporarily deaf. A few days later, Malcolm wakes up and, after turning on a classical music CD, joyously realises that his hearing is back. The episode ends with Malcolm listening to the music with a deeply thoughtful look on his face.
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