Dewey: Busey or Krelboyne

admin

Retired Administrator
Is Dewey naturally a Busey, or should, in reality, he be a Krelboyne like Malcolm was.

Very few episodes show that Dewey actually has any academic intelligence, we are all aware that his creativity skills are excellent, but we do not know how clever he really is.

Any thoughts?
 

Wildcat

Retired Moderator
I don't really think he should be either. He's smart, that's true enough, but I'm not sure if he's Krelboyne material. He just doesn't seem to be that smart. He definitely shouldn't be in the Busey class though. But like you said, we've never been given any evidence of how well he does academically--other than the fact that they wanted to test him for the Krelboyne class. We'll never know if he would have passed that test if he really tried though.

I wonder if the school has advanced/honors classes for students who don't have what it takes to be a Krelboyne, but are above average compared to other students? Maybe he should be in those classes. Also, my school has a gifted and talented program for students who aren't necessarily good at academics, but have a lot of talent in things like art and music. Dewey would definetly qualify for that program.
 

Emrysgirl

New member
Wildcat said:
I wonder if the school has advanced/honors classes for students who don't have what it takes to be a Krelboyne, but are above average compared to other students?
I doubt that the elementary and middle school have enough resources for an honors program, but the high school probably does. There's no Krelboyne class in the high school and Malcolm's still taking higher level courses. So, there must be an Honors/AP track.

I agree with Wemboy. I don't think Dewey is as academically advanced as Malcolm. Perhaps this is just wishful thinking though. Having Dewey be as smart as him would take away the one thing that separates Malcolm from the rest of the family.

I don't think Dewey fits in with the Buseys either though. I find it hard to believe that he's somehow actually emotionally disturbed. From what I've seen, of all the boys, he's had the most normal childhood. Hal and Lois had the most experience raising him and Francis had begun critisizing their parenting methods by then. And the beatings he got from Malcolm and Reese just look like regular sibling squabbling.
 

Alle

New member
Personally, I think there is little doubt about where Dewey stands when it comes to intelligence. I think the writers of the show deliberately left his academic skills ambiguous, because any storyline featuring Dewey in such a role would have had a "seen it all before" feel to it, thus blurring the difference between him and Malcolm as well as robbing both characters of their more unique attributes. In "Dewey's Special Class" there was the issue of the I.Q. test that the school wanted Dewey to take. There must have been a reason why they would require this of him. Just because we seldom see Dewey's school work, doesn't mean he has no academic knowledge. Besides, just knowing something is not the primary criteria in determining ones intelligence. Outside of school, however, we have often seen a side of Dewey that indicates a calculatingly cunning intellect that you might expect someone twice his age to possess. If you have further doubts, look no further than "Malcolm Visits College" where he single-handedly built a working piano out of household items. "Morp" with the complex scavenger hunt. "Dewey's Opera" where not only did he write and direct one, but fueled a fight between Lois and Hal just to provide him with better material for it. Need I go on?
 
Last edited:

Gouki

New member
Dewey's intelligence also shows up in the fact that he was practically teaching the Busey's. He was teaching a class of kids who weren't dumb, "just creepy."
 

Amigo22

Super Moderator
admin said:
Very few episodes show that Dewey actually has any academic intelligence, we are all aware that his creativity skills are excellent, but we do not know how clever he really is.

I thought it was odd that the school suddenly wanted Dewey to take an IQ test. Not only were we shown very little of his academic intelligence, but what about in general, like his involvement in the older brothers' trouble-making, for example? Yes, he was very young at the beginning of the series and therefore had no control over anything, but he did have the power of ratting on his brothers, which could have gained him immunity from punishment and Hal and Lois's trust if he had gone straight to them when he should have. And if you look at episodes like "Christmas", Dewey didn't deserve to be included in the sentences Malcolm and Reese got. "Red Dress" is another one. A six year old would not be able to set a dress on fire.

I'm getting a bit off topic so I'll leave it at that.
 

Alle

New member
Dewey rarely snitched on his brothers because doing that would be less thrilling for him than participating in whatever shenanigans they were up to. Besides, the perks that came from grassing on his siblings were probably very meagre. In the "Christmas" episode, he along with Malcolm and Reese were caught by Lois smashing up household items. Even if Dewey didn't personally damage any objects, he was there and clearly reveling in the destruction. So Lois would punish him along with them. In "Red Dress", again, even if he didn't burn the dress himself, Dewey might still have known who did it, as far as Lois was concerned. Just concealing it from her would make him as guilty as Reese or Malcolm. Besides, what makes you think a six year old is incapable of arson. In Lois' flashback in "Lois Battles Jamie", a two year old Francis was about to set his teddybear aflame before his mother stopped him. For such a small child, he looked like he knew what he was doing. Or perhaps Lois over-reacted? Well, their all capable of something.


If the point your trying to make is that Dewey gets caught doing a lot of forbidden activities, then I should point out that Malcolm often got caught doing something he shouldn't far more than him. Academic skills or no, Dewey at least has more common sense.
 

Amigo22

Super Moderator
Jeez why do my responses always have to become a big debate? You disagree with just about everything I post! :angry:
 

Alle

New member
What are you talking about? This is the only time I've disagreed with you. Well, second time now.
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
I thought it was odd that the school suddenly wanted Dewey to take an IQ test. Not only were we shown very little of his academic intelligence, but what about in general, like his involvement in the older brothers' trouble-making, for example? Yes, he was very young at the beginning of the series and therefore had no control over anything, but he did have the power of ratting on his brothers, which could have gained him immunity from punishment and Hal and Lois's trust if he had gone straight to them when he should have. And if you look at episodes like "Christmas", Dewey didn't deserve to be included in the sentences Malcolm and Reese got. "Red Dress" is another one. A six year old would not be able to set a dress on fire.

I'm getting a bit off topic so I'll leave it at that.
This opens up a whole different can of worms. It's easy to agree that Reese and Francis were the "worst" boys in terms of behavior and the little angel Dewey was the best. But he's certainly not as innocent as everyone makes him out to be. There are many times when he is involved in cons just like his older brothers, even if they aren't always quite as violent.
 

Alle

New member
Dewey is normally more subtle and clandestine with his mischief. Most of the time, he will think carefully about what and how he will carry out his plans before he executes them. I've always enjoyed how he would play expertly on his family's moods and emotions to achieve his objectives. He can charm the hind legs off a donkey and convince the creature to crawl. And his stealthiness is the stuff of legend. Like how he can just quickly and quietly disappear at will without anyone noticing him gone. The scene from "Stevie in the Hospital" where Lois was staking out in her own closet for three hours, waiting for someone to appear, but only seconds after she left, Dewey emerged from the same closet to snip off a button from Lois' shirt to further put her on edge. While he often gives the impression of being a well behaved kid, he's actually the most devious and clever of Hal and Lois' offspring. He can pull the wool over their eyes so thoroughly, none of them is any the wiser.
 
Top