for better or for worse?

samboo1

New member
I would like to know if MITM has got better through the years or worse. The earlier episodes (seasons 1+2) were all about the kids fighting. As the seasons went on the kids, or should i say teenagers, stopped fighting (well they reduced it) and got different interests as in Malcolm for instance, turned stressy, Reese, dumber and Dewey, stranger.
In my opinion i would like to see the boys arguing more in the current season and being typical teenagers.
 

allison

New member
If I had to decide I would say the earlier seasons were a bit better. I think they were funnier and I liked it better when the show mainly focused on the boys and their problems. I don´t think the show is bad now, but I enjoyed the first 4 seasons a bit more than the 5th for instance. I actually don´t think that Dewey became stranger. He was pretty strange when he was younger, but in a much funnier way. Ok, I could start writing an "essay" about Dewey´s character changes again, but I guess this could get a little annoying. :D As I very often said before he just appears arrogant to me now. But I think he was stranger when he was younger.
As for Reese, I don´t know if he´s dumber now. Maybe you´re right. Maybe his stupidity is a bit exaggerated now or maybe it just seems that way because he´s older now. Though I like it that he´s become pretty sensitive now, I sometimes think the writers took something special about the show away by that. We always knew that Reese isn´t just the hardass bully he pretends to be, but actually a pretty nice guy who cares a lot for his family. But in earlier episodes it was more subtle, you SOMETIMES realized it, but not very often, which made moments when you realized it something special. Now you can see it in almost every episode. If I didn´t know the first 3 or 4 seasons I would consider Reese a pretty nice person who´s just not very bright. I wouldn´t understand why it seems so hard for him to find friends.
Maybe that´s also a reason why he appears stupider now.It could be just me, but I think that mean people sometimes appear smarter than nice people. (Don´t know why, it´s just an impression I sometimes have)
It´s the same thing with Dewey. I liked it better when his secret talents were SECRET. I even thought it was kind of genius to make everyone on the show know that Malcolm is a genius whereas only the audience could see that Dewey was very smart,too, and even more talented.
 

arach

New member
I would give you some reputation for that one allison, but it says I have to spread around more, so I have to wait till someone does a nice post till I can give it to you again. Confusing stuff! :rolleyes:

That's actually a pretty interesting thread samboo, although I think we had a similar one some time ago.

Anyway, I also think the older seasons are better than the new ones, for several reasons:

1) I liked it more when the boys were younger and had to deal with the kids vs. parents issue more, and with the whole childhood problems. That reminds you of your own childhood of course, which is always a funny thing.

2) There were the children of course, but there were also the grown-up parts from Lois and Hal, AND the teenager problems, represented by Francis. In the later seasons, they all are teenagers (more or less) or adults, which in fact changed the whole concept of the show, showing situations out of 3 points of views: mainly from the children, but also from the parents and from a teenagers views.

3) The better storylines. Yes, there were in fact better storylines. In Season 1 (and two), nearly every episode was uniqe and great. The Pilot, Red Dress, Bowling, Funeral, Rollerskates, Smunday were all amazing episodes from the beginning to the end. But when you look at the newer episodes, besides a few exceptions, they certainly all have great scenes in them, but they aren't perfect from the beginning to the end like the classic ones. This may be a matter of taste, but I guess I'm not the only one who thinks that way.

4) Furthermore, there happened to be some changes over the years, which you don't always have to agree with. For example, I think sending Dewey to the Buseys was the right thing, but it certainly would have been better that no one besides himself and the viewers knew that he was a genious. (It would be so much funnier if everyone treated him like he was "handicapped", but that's only a thought... Same with his piano playing and general music skills. Would be much funnier if he would win all the prizes without telling the family.) - To say it in other words: I miss the weird Dewey.
Same with Malcolm: Most people probably don't agree with what he turned into - a desperate whiny complaining teenager.
The list goes on, some didn't like Alaska or to the Ranch, some didn't like Reese becoming sensitive etc etc.
Those changes may in fact seem tiny when you watch an episode, but how can you like a storyline with Malcolm, if you can't stand his bitching anymore? Or a storyline with Dewey, when there is nothing special and weird about him anymore? That in fact may affect your judging and make the newer episodes seem slightly less excellent as they may be if you wouldn't know the others. But I am drifting to some strange point now so I simply stop talking.


It's of course a matter of taste if you like what MitM turned into. But I have to say that I liked the classic ones a tiny little bit better, because of the reasons above.
I hope the final season will be an end that lives up to the show as whole. That would maybe change my opinion.
 
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