malcolminthemiddle

Graduation is the 22nd episode of the 7th season and 151st episode overall, as the final episode of the original Malcolm in the Middle series. It was broadcast on May 14, 2006.

Synopsis

In the series finale, Malcolm has been accepted into Harvard and is getting prepared for his graduation of North High School as the class valedictorian. Reese is also graduating and looking to get a job as a janitor at North High School. Hal is having trouble, looking for a monetary way to cover for Malcolm's college plan. Dewey was given a high honor of his own by his brothers.

Plot

In the cold opening, all the boys sit on the couch watching something when Reese returns with a bowl of popcorn asking what he missed. Malcolm explains there was this big spark and describe explosion. Reese gets upset of missing it as he was only gone for a minute. Lois tells Hal to call a repairman, but he refuses claiming he can fix the television himself revealing the boys are actually entertained by watching their father's attempts to fix the television. Hal gets shocked making the boys laugh while Lois sighs in annoyance.

In the kitchen, Hal and Lois prepare all their money and paperwork for Malcolm. Malcolm explains that he got accepted into Harvard and, although they have no idea how they’re going to pay for it, they’ve got to find a way because it's his dream school since it’s 2000 miles away from his mom. Lois informs Hal that they’re still $5,000 short, much to Hal’s chagrin. Reese scoffs at how Malcolm being such a genius is worrying about his future, while he is set for life. Malcolm asks Reese if he doesn’t think it’s a little bit sad to become a janitor at his own high school. Reese reminds him he will be the assistant janitor and it’ll be all mop and no paperwork. Reese is also planned to move in with Craig, who appears with a box of Reese's things getting them ready and that he’s packed his winter clothes, comic books and half of his knickknacks, pointing out how they both have the same Quiet Riot CD. Reese reminds Craig that they won't be roommates for another two weeks; Lois aggressively emphasizes that Reese has exactly 12 days left living in the house. She boldly tells Reese the second he graduates from high school; he is out of his parents' house for good and into Craig's. Lois ask’s Malcolm what other jobs he can get. Malcolm states that he has already picked up some part-time jobs at Harvard to help make up the shortfall including working three shifts at the cafeteria, Mondays and Wednesdays at the bookstore and mopping the dorms at night. He guesses he could chop vegetables during his chemistry class, but Hal is exasperated by how unfair it is that kids with half his intellect are receiving full rides. Lois says it could be due to the fact that Malcolm corrected his Harvard interviewer on his pronunciation of the word “Sartre.” Hal refuses to give up and they will find the money somehow. Craig whispers to Reese that he does have a private life that he will try to keep confined to his own room but if so, it’s integral for him to know his safe word.

In the boys' bedroom, Malcolm, Reese, Dewey and Stevie reminisce about all the times they've had in their room and now that Reese and Malcolm are moving out, and Stevie is moving on, they will no longer have them together. Dewey admits that although he will finally have his own bed, the room will feel empty without his brothers. Abe is there as well and reflects on past endeavors, as if he was Stevie in those moments, before Malcolm reminds him that Stevie is here to help Malcolm write his valedictory speech. Abe understands but annoys Stevie, by passively complaining that despite getting his wealthy friend, Cedric Hampton, to be commencement speaker, Stevie is passed over from being valedictorian, and instead as salutatorian, before leaving the room. Reese wonders if moving out and being independent will change him and asks if he’ll gain a British accent. Malcolm reassures him it will, just then Reese suddenly realizes now that him and Malcolm are leaving home, the brothers can now get rid of their "nuclear option."

Stevie asks about the nuclear option, while the brothers close all doors and windows, then each draw out a key around their necks to open the lockbox. Malcolm explains that it was evidence of the worst thing they ever did; make a fake X-ray of Lois having cancer to sneak away with her signature for poor grades in elementary school. Malcolm tells Stevie that no matter how badly they screwed each other over there was always a limit. How none of them could push anyone to a point where they had nothing to lose, or they just pull the trigger and destroy all of them. Malcolm states that although they were proud of it at the time, they realized how shameful they were and now they can get rid of it. Reese decides Dewey should destroy it since he will now be the oldest brother still living at home. Dewey always knew that the day would come but thought both of them would be dead, but it still feels great either way.

Meanwhile, Hal learns Malcolm loses the Pierson Grant worth $3,000 as the sponsor decides instead to use the scholarship to do research for kids who cannot afford college and are offering Malcolm $50 to participate. After trying to talk to a bank for a loan and being denied by even a senior loan officer, Hal seeks a loan shark to give him the $8,000 he needs to pay for Malcolm's schooling. He tries to butter the shark up by revealing he has no intention of paying him back but instead is willing to go straight to the beating. He tries to convince the loan shark that he is ready to go anytime with being beaten and promises to be in horrible pain so that it can send messages to other borrowers to never miss a payment again. The loan shark then questions, it could accomplish the same thing without giving Hal the money. Hal tries to convince him the point would be muddled, before quickly leaving to allow the shark to sleep on the idea without giving them ideas to jump on him on the spot.

At school, Reese is being shown the ropes as a janitor by the head janitor, Al. Reese is very excited and looks forward to the job, however, Al tells him he will be gone after 30 days. Reese assures he is very committed to the job, but Al clarifies he'll be laid off as part of a union gig. They terminate the newest employee after the 30-day period, as the employees who work longer than 30 days will be eligible for full benefits and laying them off will save costs. Reese schemes up to create a mess that can last more than 30 days, so it be impossible to clean and need him longer to be locked in for life. At home, Malcolm struggles to write his valedictory speech and gets pestered by Lois, who wants to help him write it. She also comments that Malcolm shouldn't quote a rap group and instead Paul McCartney, who she believes is still relevant but clean in comparison, much to Malcolm's annoyance.

Later that night, Dewey has his brothers and Craig together, as he puts together a ceremony to destroy the nuclear option. Dewey makes a eulogy to symbolize the brothers' freedom of fear and blackmail and that Jamie can live a freer life with giving and receiving gifts out of genuine kindness and love instead of blackmail and dread. The bonfire ends with popping fireworks as a final touch.

At the house, Lois is on the phone with Susan telling her that Ida bullied her into giving the last ticket for Malcolm and Reese's graduation to her because the last time Lois stood up to her, she shoved a pig's head down their chimney. Francis and Piama arrive with Ida, Piama is panicked and warns Lois that she thinks Francis is really going to kill Ida this time. Francis comes in the house and grabs a fireplace poker claiming he drove by 70 miles of blunt objects to get to it and tell Ida she better run. Ida says he better make his first swing count. Lois closes the door and tells her mother that she'll make her some lunch after she finishes her cigarette and Francis and Piama can help make up their beds. Malcolm informs Francis that they could've been rid of her had he not made a speech first, Hal reassures him that in some parallel universe he did it.

Reese is revealed to have called Ida and shows him the mess he collected and put together in a barrel drum of gunk. Ida asks him about his patsy, who he is going to blame for doing it so they can take the fall for him. Reese admits he hadn't thought about a patsy before to which Ida suggests it can be anyone he wants, and if the mess is strong and successful, a whole village can go down. Reese is very impressed with how well Ida can brainstorm schemes. Meanwhile, Lois continues to badger Francis as he still does not have a job while he and Piama are helping her set up the table and trying to make everything as tidy as possible for Abe's fancy friend, Cedric. While Lois is reaching in the closet for the good China, she doesn't notice her fake cancer X-ray fall out of the closet and Dewey panics while Francis notices it. Francis quickly fakes another argument to Lois and grabs the X-ray by stepping on it and picking it up with putting a gum on his shoe. He and Dewey talk privately in the bedroom, to which Dewey reveals the cancer scare being fake and how Dewey couldn't get rid of it as he'd be sad. Francis realizes for Dewey that the X-ray holds sentimental value for his bond with his brothers. Francis initially plans to keep it as it's perfect blackmail material especially since he had no involvement in this prank, but Dewey's simple statement of "Mom's friend Jenny" quickly has him hand it back.

At lunch, Cedric, with Abe, Stevie, and Malcolm are making small talk about computers to which no one else was understanding for the past half hour. Cedric then offers Malcolm and Stevie a dream job in lieu of college offering six-figures, full benefits and stock options. Malcolm can't believe the incredible opportunity he's being given, however Lois immediately turns down the offer for him by telling them he will be going to college and finish his education. Understanding, Cedric withdraws the job apologizing to Lois for not consulting her first, telling Malcolm he needs his family to support his decision. Malcolm is left furious.

When the family piles into the van to go to the ceremony Lois aware Malcolm is angry and makes him say what's on his mind and to get it out of his system. Before he can however, Reese's mess explodes coating the entire family in the foul gunk. In the backyard they all wash themselves off, Hal hosing Jamie off while suspended apologizing for being unaware he was upside down due to the gunk coating him. Piama claimed she is now ready to have kids since her fear of diaper changing has been reneged. Reese claims that he is the victim, and everyone is scrubbing his dreams out of their cracks. Ida asks if anyone else is hungry before going back inside. Malcolm claims now his life looks exactly how it feels. Furious, Malcolm demands to know why Lois screwed him over to which Lois explains that she knew Malcolm was about to take the job and throw his life away. Malcolm gets angrily confused, as he would have been rich and successful. Lois assures him he is not destined for the luxury life and the family expects him to go to college, work harder than all of his peers, graduate, start off as a district attorney or running a foundation, be elected governor of a mid-sized state, and eventually become President of the United States of America with all of his brothers being fully aware of the plans for his future and assumed he already knew himself.

Hal explains how their expectations for him began much smaller, but he continually succeeded them and upping the ante. When Malcolm reasons that he could've taken the job, become rich, and bought his way into office; Lois had already decided against it. Lois explains that he wouldn't be a good president, and he needs to continue to struggle in order to understand, represent, and empathize with families like his own. Lois tells him that he needs to work hard and bust his ass twice as hard as the rest of his peers to get the impressions of others, and to know they will still look down on him which will break his heart. This will make his heart bigger, and he will finally realize that there’s more to life than proving himself to be the smartest person in the world. She stresses to him once again that he can't just get rich, have fun and have a luxurious life (Hal stating that it's Dewey who gets to do that). Malcolm then becomes furious with how high his parents' expectations are for him to be the greatest president in the history of mankind. Lois asks him to look her in the eyes and tell her that he can't do it. Malcolm tries but finds himself unable to.

At the school, in the class of graduates everyone (including Stevie) sits far away from Malcolm and Reese due to the horrible stench lingering on them and in the audience the same thing goes for the family as everyone sits far away from them (a callback to the first episode). While reaching in his pocket for gum, Francis drops a name tag found by Hal to which he whispers he got a new office job and begs Hal not to tell Lois, as he loves it, and Lois would be too proud and would not let him live it down. Francis reveals that he has had the job for two months and he spends the entire day inputting numbers into a computer and loves every aspect of it including the stability, regular paychecks, his own parking space and receiving joke emails. Hal is very proud of Francis for turning himself around but keeps his secret.

Malcolm finally makes his valedictory speech starting by saying how he is praying for the ceremony to be over like the rest of his former schoolmates, earning a chuckle from the audience. He says how all the seniors have dreamed of this day when they leave childhood behind and achieve independence. Malcolm, however, has the audience understands that no matter how far away they go, their families will always be with them and that they will never truly be free, but that they'll also never truly be alone (reflecting on how it is like with his family). He then looks out to Lois, and decides to quote Paul McCartney, as Lois suggested earlier, which makes her happy and proud of him.

Three months later, Dewey and Jamie, feeling closer than ever, keep up the tradition of causing mischief in the house and hide in the closet while Lois screams in rage telling Hal not to touch it, Dewey informs Jamie what Lois would do if she found out it was the two of them, until he realizes that he can still enjoy a brotherly bond even with Malcolm and Reese gone. Francis argues with Lois over the phone about how "he'll get a job when he's damn good and ready" and she just can't live with the fact that he is still a free spirit. He then hangs up on her, Piama hands him his lunch and tells him that they'll be having chicken casserole for dinner. Francis says he will come home at 5:00 as he gives her a kiss and heads off to work. Reese and Craig are happily living together as roommates where Craig receives a 5-setting heating pad for a birthday present and is overjoyed how Reese listened to him before the oven timer dings and Reese gets up to prepare Craig's birthday cake. Hal talks to Lois while she's in the bathroom, satisfied that Reese and Malcolm are out of the house, and everything is going according to plan. Lois walks out of the bathroom with a horrified look on her face, she reveals that she is pregnant once again, as Hal screams in horror.

Over the phone, Reese tells Malcolm that after an incident where Reese framed the head janitor Al for putting peepholes in the girl's bathroom he was fired, and Reese was promoted to a full-time position as the new head janitor claiming their grandmother was right how beneficial it is to have a patsy to take the fall for his misdeeds. He then asks how his "Ivy League big shot" brother is doing, Malcolm tells him it’s going great and it’s a whole new experience for him. Malcolm now works as a janitor part-time to pay for his studies, while still maintaining his grades and attending his regular classes as a student at Harvard. He then remembers he has to get to his calculus class and promises Reese he'll talk to him later. Malcolm then hangs up the phone, grabs his textbook, and runs off to class, bringing the series to a close.

Cast

Guest Stars

Recurring

Cameos

Trivia

Errors

Quotes

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