Malcolm in the Middle (season 7)

The seventh and final season of Malcolm in the Middle premiered on September 30, 2005, on Fox, and ended on May 14, 2006, with a total of 22 episodes. Frankie Muniz stars as the title character Malcolm, and he is joined by Jane Kaczmarek, Bryan Cranston, Christopher Kennedy Masterson, Justin Berfield and Erik Per Sullivan.

Malcolm in the Middle
Season 7
DVD cover
Starring
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes22
Release
Original networkFox
Original releaseSeptember 30, 2005 (2005-09-30) –
May 14, 2006 (2006-05-14)
Season chronology

Episodes
See also: List of Malcolm in the Middle episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
1301"Burning Man"Peter LauerMichael GloubermanSeptember 30, 2005 (2005-09-30)06-05-7013.50[1]
Malcolm and Reese attempt to hitchhike their way to the annual Burning Man festival but are caught by Hal and Lois. Malcolm makes the event sound so interesting that they decide to turn the trip into a family vacation. At the festival, everyone heads out to participate except Hal and Dewey; Hal is scared of the Burning Man attendants who mistake his bourgeois lifestyle as an ironical persiflage of society, while Dewey has to do all the chores around the RV. Reese and Lois fit in well at the festival, while Malcolm has sex with a healer named Anita (Rosanna Arquette), although he is dismissive of her beliefs. Reese is nominated to "burn the man down" to end the festival but cannot accept that it has ended, and in his attempts to keep the weekend going, he accidentally torches the RV. Hal and Dewey are forced to work to pay for the RV, Malcolm ends up depressed, and Lois and Reese secretly agree to return the following year.
1312"Health Insurance"Steve WelchRob UlinOctober 7, 2005 (2005-10-07)06-05-7023.44[2]

Hal finds out that the family has been without health insurance for six months and tries to safeguard the house until Monday, when the insurance is put back into effect. His over-protection of the house and the boys ends when he accidentally breaks his leg. He then goes to great lengths to keep Lois from finding out. In the meantime, Lois tries to fish out a union snitch at the Lucky Aide store.

Note: In 2021, a clip from this episode is shown in the Wandavision episode "Previously On".[3] Also in 2021, the sixth episode of Wandavision, "All-New Halloween Spooktacular!" is a tribute to sitcoms of the sitcoms of the late 1990s and early 2000s, especially Malcolm in the Middle.[4]
1323"Reese vs. Stevie"Linwood BoomerAlex ReidOctober 21, 2005 (2005-10-21)06-05-7033.63[5]
An angry Reese threatens Stevie, who dreads a retaliation. Dewey becomes addicted to cigarettes, thanks to ex-smoker Hal's many stashes around the house, so he tries to help Dewey quit. Lois tries to make Jamie talk by telling him about her high school years, but goes on so long that his first words are "Shut up".
1334"Halloween"David D'OvidioAndy BobrowOctober 28, 2005 (2005-10-28)06-05-7043.53[6]
Hal freaks out when Malcolm gives him the details of a grisly mass murder that occurred in the house years ago. Lois is working on Halloween and catches a shoplifter as everyone else at Lucky Aide throws a wild party. Reese and Dewey lose track of Jamie as they flee from an angry elderly neighbor named Mr. Sheldon after egging his house, while Lois gets arrested for kidnapping when she picks up the wrong child.
1345"Jessica Stays Over"Alex ReidMatthew CarlsonNovember 4, 2005 (2005-11-04)06-05-7053.53[7]
Jessica (Hayden Panettiere) moves in on a temporary basis and teaches Malcolm how to manipulate others, but when he uses her tricks on Lois he feels something he has never felt before, empathy. Hal fights back against a bee who is out for revenge for killing the rest of his hive. Reese attempts to mail himself to China in a crate to beat up his pen pal, but Dewey does not mail the crate to torture him.
1356"Secret Boyfriend"Peter LauerGary MurphyNovember 11, 2005 (2005-11-11)06-05-7063.65[8]
Malcolm is in love with a hot and secretly brainy girl named Vicki (Sarah Wright) who fears ruining her image by seeing him publicly. Meanwhile, Reese is kicked out of the house for refusing to get a job, and Hal is in a heated conflict with the owner of a miniature golf course (Harold Sylvester) because he will not give Dewey a free game.
1367"Blackout"Steve WelchEric KaplanNovember 18, 2005 (2005-11-18)06-05-7073.18[9]
A power outage caused by Jamie's balloon disrupts Lois and Hal's anniversary and reveals Malcolm's trysts with young European women. Reese tries to cook Kobe beef for Hal, Francis tries to steal a fish he and Hal caught years ago, and Dewey is upset that he cannot pick dinner. The entire sequence of events is revealed through several replays from different points of view, which all start from the outage.
1378"Army Buddy"Peter LauerNeil ThompsonDecember 2, 2005 (2005-12-02)06-05-7083.14[10]
Abby (Larisa Oleynik), a girl Reese befriended in the Army, visits the family house, and Reese assumes she has feelings for him, although she is actually attracted to Lois. When Lois finds renewed energy with orthotic inserts for her shoes, Hal fears she will not look to him for support anymore and plots to destroy the inserts. Malcolm gives Dewey a box of junk in order to pay off a $10 debt. When one of the comics inside turns out to be rare and valuable, Dewey forces Malcolm to do embarrassing things in order to get the money back.
1389"Malcolm Defends Reese"Bryan CranstonMatthew CarlsonDecember 16, 2005 (2005-12-16)06-05-7093.17[11]
Malcolm and Reese end up in the same class since Reese failed the previous year. Mr. Herkabe, who may lose his award for the school's highest GPA to Malcolm, gleefully humiliates Reese every day until Malcolm agrees to start failing his classes. However, Malcolm tells the school's principal, Mr. Hodges (Steve Vinovich) that Herkabe skipped Gym in the last semester his senior year (creating his own A.P. class in its place) and lied about taking the course for years upon Herkabe casually mentioning it to him. Hodges then publicly strips Herkabe of the GPA award, much to his humiliation, and returns it to original recipient Edna Thornby, who took and managed to pass Gym despite having the disabilities of being blind and clubfooted. Herkabe decides to retake Gym afterwards to reclaim it and Reese embarrasses him as revenge for the torments he suffered. Elsewhere, Jamie's new babysitter (Kathryn Joosten) drives Lois crazy with her nonstop talking, and Hal tries to help Dewey talk to a girl he likes, with the attempts ending in disaster.
13910"Malcolm's Money"Steve LoveMichael GloubermanJanuary 6, 2006 (2006-01-06)06-05-7103.56[12]
Malcolm begins to fuss about his high school yearbook photo. He also receives a $10,000 education reward unknown for him, and when Hal and Lois find out, they want to spend it on themselves.
14011"Bride of Ida"Linwood BoomerRob UlinJanuary 13, 2006 (2006-01-13)06-05-7113.80[13]
Dewey, Lois and Hal go out of town to St. Louis for a piano competition and, as punishment for an earlier prank, Lois has Grandma Ida watch Malcolm and Reese. They end up missing their plane, and while waiting, Hal finds a man's membership card to a prestigious airport club. Hal is horrified to find that the man was a wealthy diplomat deciding whether to sever foreign relations with eastern Asian countries. Grandma Ida makes Reese marry Ida's helper, Raduca (Rheagan Wallace), but only if he defeats Malcolm in three challenges. When Lois, Dewey and Hal return, they find out that Ida has gone while Reese has run away with Raduca to Las Vegas to get married.
14112"College Recruiters"Peter LauerJay KogenJanuary 29, 2006 (2006-01-29)06-05-7124.37[14]
A broke Francis gets talked into getting a real job by Dewey. Back home, Hal takes over the college recruiters, which Malcolm refuses to meet with, and treats each one as a suitor. However, Hal's plans are ruined when Malcolm chooses to go to Harvard. Reese and Raduca's marriage ends when Lois and Reese catch Raduca cheating.
14213"Mono"David D'OvidioAndy BobrowFebruary 12, 2006 (2006-02-12)06-05-7133.86[15]
Lois discovers she has mono after a visit to the doctor. Upon giving it to Malcolm, they are both forced to quarantine for two weeks in the same room, where an unlikely bond forms between them. Hal is invited to all of his neighbors' parties. Although happy at first, Hal is horrified when he learns just how much they hate Lois and celebrate the days she won't be attending any of them. Dewey makes Jamie his slave, and he teaches Reese to be nice to Jamie. After their recovery, Malcolm and Lois revert to their old habits.
14314"Hal Grieves"Christopher Kennedy MastersonEric KaplanFebruary 19, 2006 (2006-02-19)06-05-7143.95[16]
Hal gets a devastating phone call that his father has died, but because he never knew his father well, he does not shed a tear. In an attempt to overcompensate with his sons, Hal buys the boys copious gifts and lets them miss school repeatedly. Abe thinks that a phone call from Leonard Nimoy, a cast member of Star Trek: The Original Series, will cheer up Hal, but George Takei arrives instead. Just before Hal signs his name to purchase an expensive car, the pen he is using reminds him of his father, and he breaks down in cathartic tears while Lois consoles him.
14415"A.A."Steve WelchAl HigginsMarch 5, 2006 (2006-03-05)06-05-7154.12[17]
Lois and Hal visit Francis to help him celebrate one year of sobriety, but when they attend his A.A. meeting, they find out that he never really was an alcoholic. Dewey finds the spare key to Hal's car, but when Malcolm and Reese refuse to drive him to the arcade, he swallows it.
14516"Lois Strikes Back"Alex ReidGary MurphyMarch 19, 2006 (2006-03-19)06-05-7164.94[18]
When four popular high school girls play an evil prank on Reese by pretending he has a secret admirer and then dropping a pig off at his front door, he falls into depression. Lois fails to negotiate with the principal, then forces Reese to tell her who the girls are so she can get revenge for him. Hal builds a pitching machine.
14617"Hal's Dentist"Steve LoveJay KogenMarch 26, 2006 (2006-03-26)06-05-7173.58[19]
Hal's friend Trey tells him to come to his dental office when he cracks a tooth during a poker game, but their friendship is in jeopardy when Hal is faced with a $2,000 bill. Reese teaches Lois how to ride a bike. Malcolm and Dewey's favorite pastime becomes sleeping after they find a new mattress in the street.
14718"Bomb Shelter"Matthew CarlsonRob UlinApril 2, 2006 (2006-04-02)06-05-7193.74[20]
Malcolm joins a local dance class to meet a cute girl, but after discovering she is a poor dancer, he realizes that he must accept Danielle (Lynsey Bartilson), the unattractive but more talented partner, in order to win the competition. While trying to bury their father's broken trophy, Reese and Dewey discover an underground bomb shelter in the backyard and lock Hal in it. Although Hal is initially furious, he discovers the bomb shelter actually has a luxurious living space from the Cold War era. Lois tries to win a new truck at the shopping mall by keeping her hand on it.
14819"Stevie in the Hospital"Steve WelchDave Ihlenfeld & David WrightApril 9, 2006 (2006-04-09)06-05-7203.60[21]
When Stevie goes to the hospital, Malcolm tries making up every excuse he can think of not to go because he can't face the truth about his illness. Meanwhile, Hal gets highly competitive about his new remote control boat when a ten-year-old keeps knocking it over. Lois thinks Dewey is gaslighting her after she forgets to get him baking soda for a school project, and Reese's new job as a telemarketer turns into a life-or-death situation when he has to deal with a suicidal man on the other line.
14920"Cattle Court"Peter LauerMichael GloubermanApril 16, 2006 (2006-04-16)06-05-7182.89[22]
Reese meets a cute vegetarian named Carrie (Tara Lipinski) when he goes back to work at the meat plant. Although they initially argue about their choice of diet, Reese tries to prove himself to Carrie by releasing a herd of cows meant to be slaughtered into the city streets, where they are trampled to death by oncoming traffic. Malcolm tries to fool Craig in order to attend a rock concert. Hal makes his own, grittily realistic version of The Game of Life in hopes of beating Dewey, under the guise of teaching his son a lesson about real life.
15021"Morp"David D'OvidioGary MurphyApril 23, 2006 (2006-04-23)06-05-7213.02[23]
For the senior prom, Reese gets paid to take Janine, a studious girl in class, but only after she gives him a makeover and sends him to finishing school. Malcolm aligns himself with the unpopular students to form an anti-prom they call "Morp", but some of the more popular students invite the Morp guests to attend the regular senior prom, abandoning the still-defiant Malcolm. Dewey discovers there are no childhood pictures of him, so he concocts an elaborate scavenger hunt to punish Hal and Lois and throw a party for Jamie.
15122"Graduation"Linwood BoomerMichael GloubermanMay 14, 2006 (2006-05-14)06-05-7227.38[24]
As Malcolm struggles with writing his valedictorian speech and must decide between going to Harvard and accepting a dream job, Hal consults with organized crime to raise the last $5,000 he needs to send Malcolm to college. Meanwhile, Reese moves in with Craig and becomes an assistant janitor at the high school, and the boys destroy the evidence of their faking an X-ray of Lois having cancer to distract her from their bad report cards from years ago. Malcolm discovers that Lois has been pushing him to become President of the United States his whole life after Reese's plan to create the worst mess ever backfires. Nevertheless, Malcolm finally reconciles with Lois as he makes his speech. Three months after the end, Reese and Craig become best friends, and Reese keeps his job as a janitor after he frames his boss for installing peepholes in the girls' bathroom; Dewey and Jamie continue their brothers' tradition of causing household mischief; Francis enjoys life with a stable job, one that he has never told Lois about; Hal and Lois panic when Lois discovers she is pregnant again; and Malcolm attends Harvard, working part time as a janitor to pay his way through college.

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Production

In March–April 2005, Fox renewed Malcolm in the Middle for a seventh season.[26][27][28] The following month, it was reported that series creator Linwood Boomer would not continue as showrunner, instead retaining an "executive consultant credit" while Matthew Carlson, would replace Boomer as showrunner.[29] In January 2006, it was announced that it would be the final season;[30] the decision behind this was widely attributed to declining viewership.[31] Main cast members Frankie Muniz, Jane Kaczmarek, Bryan Cranston, Christopher Kennedy Masterson, Justin Berfield and Erik Per Sullivan return as Malcolm, Lois, Hal, Francis, Reese and Dewey respectively.[25] As with the sixth season, Masterson made fewer appearances than the rest of the main cast.[31]

Release

Broadcast history

The season premiered on September 30, 2005 on Fox, and ended on May 14, 2006 with a total of 22 episodes.[32]

Home media

The season was released on Region 2 DVD on October 7, 2013,[33] and on Region 4 DVD on September 4, 2013.[34]

Reception

In his review of the series finale, Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe said it "sails by, with none of the grandstanding and schmaltz many finales rely on to make an ending profound."[35] Alan Pergament of The Buffalo News said, "Since it isn't exactly a warm and fuzzy comedy, you shouldn't expect Malcolm to get sappy at the end. Fortunately, it strikes a nice balance between maintaining its insanity (there's a messy explosion), having a few sweet moments and a suitably nightmarish ending."[36] Rob Owen of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said, "At a half-hour, it's not a bloated finale, nor is it particularly memorable, but this last "Malcolm" does send the show out in a style that's familiar to the show's fans."[37]

At the 58th Primetime Emmy Awards, the season received four nominations: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Kaczmarek, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Cranston, Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for Cloris Leachman and Outstanding Choreography for Fred Tallaksen for the episode "Bomb Shelter"; Leachman was the only winner.[38]

References
  1. "Weekly Program Rankings Report (Sept. 26-Oct. 2)". ABC Medianet. October 4, 2005. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  2. "Weekly Program Rankings Report (Oct. 3-9)". ABC Medianet. October 11, 2005. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  3. "'WandaVision' Recap: Some Assembly Required". Rolling Stone. February 26, 2021.
  4. "Halloween arrives early on a creepy, chilling WandaVision". February 12, 2021.
  5. "Weekly Program Rankings Report (Oct. 17-23)". ABC Medianet. October 25, 2005. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  6. "Weekly Program Rankings Report (Oct. 24-30)". ABC Medianet. November 1, 2005. Archived from the original on December 8, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  7. "Weekly Program Rankings (Oct. 31-Nov. 6)". ABC Medianet. November 8, 2005. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  8. "Weekly Program Rankings (Nov. 7-13)". ABC Medianet. November 15, 2005. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  9. "Weekly Program Rankings (Nov. 14-20)". ABC Medianet. November 22, 2005. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  10. "Weekly Program Rankings (Nov. 28-Dec. 4)". ABC Medianet. December 6, 2005. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  11. "Weekly Program Rankings (Dec. 12-18)". ABC Medianet. December 20, 2005. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
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  14. "Weekly Program Rankings (Jan. 23-29)". ABC Medianet. January 31, 2006. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  15. "Weekly Program Rankings (Feb. 6-12)". ABC Medianet. February 14, 2006. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  16. "Weekly Program Rankings (Feb. 13-19)". ABC Medianet. February 22, 2006. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  17. "Weekly Program Rankings (Feb. 27-Mar. 5)". ABC Medianet. March 7, 2006. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
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  20. "Weekly Program Rankings (Mar. 26-Apr. 2)". ABC Medianet. April 4, 2006. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  21. "Weekly Program Rankings (Apr. 3-9)". ABC Medianet. April 11, 2006. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  22. "Weekly Program Rankings (Apr. 10-16)". ABC Medianet. April 18, 2006. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  23. "Weekly Program Rankings (Apr. 17-23)". ABC Medianet. April 25, 2006. Archived from the original on November 5, 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  24. "Weekly Program Rankings (May 8-14)". ABC Medianet. May 16, 2006. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  25. "Casting Malcolm S07". AlloCiné (in French). Archived from the original on April 7, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
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  27. Wilkes, Neil (April 1, 2005). "'Malcolm in the Middle' gets seventh season". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
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  29. "Development Update: May 27-31". The Futon Critic. May 31, 2005. Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
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