Series 5

Wemboy

New member
Ok this is the first thread i've actually started, so please reply to it!

I was just wondering if any of you had some general thoughts on series five. It's the season that should be shown on BBC2 this year, and I don't think i've seen any of the episodes before. Obviously I look forward to the start of every new series of MITM, but i've noticed a general feeling on the forum that this particular season is slightly weaker than the rest. Is this a fair judgement in your opinion?

Looking on the vc, it seems that inconsistency is the main problem, as some eps are rated very highly, and others quite poorly. What I really want to know is just what to expect in general from the series. I'll always enjoy watching, but i don't want to build up my expectations to have them cruelly shattered:) . Any thoughts?
 

Dewey

Minimalistic
I didn't think Season 5 was so bad. I agree that some episodes were rather weak, and it was indeed lacking comparred to MITM in its early seasons.

But there are some good episodes to look out for. 'Dewey's Special Class' and 'Malcolm Visits College' are worth looking out for.
 

Dabney

Deutscher Moderator
well the first episodes are really weaker, I would say, but at the end, maybe the last five episodes are really really cool, i laughed a lot. and one highlight within the weaker episodes: thanksgiving!!
 

allison

New member
I agree that Thanksgiving is a pretty good episode. I´m also one of the people here who like the other seasons better than the 5th. I can´t explain why that is, maybe because there were some big changes. They had another kid, Malcolm became a less important character (and turned into a jerk (at least in some episodes)), Lois didn´t yell as much as she used to and Dewey had changed from a weirdo into a sarcastic genius. The show suddenly revolved around other things. Personally I didn´t like these changes too much and that´s probably why the 5th season is my least favourite. Another reason could be Francis´ ridiculous storylines at the ranch. I can´t think of a single one I really liked, they just interupted the main story. On the whole it´s not that bad, but compared to the other seasons the 5th is pretty weak.
 

Amigo22

Super Moderator
Yeah I agree that the start of Season 5 was disappointing, Vegas was definitely not a good season opener.but in the 2nd half there were some really good ones, like Reese's Apartment and Dewey's Special Class were my favorite eps, Malcolm Visits College was a good ep and Victor's Other Family was good as well. But I didn't like the Reese Joins The Army two-part finale, IMO it was boring.
 

Emrysgirl

New member
I'm actually watching season 5 on WB at the same time I'm watching the new eps on FOX (late fan). It's definitely not as amazing as the previous seasons, but still well worth watching.
One reason it isn't as good is that the character of Malcolm has changed a lot. He is not portrayed as as smart as (wow, 3 as'es in a row!:eek::)) before. His plots deal with typical teen problems instead. This takes away from some of the show's uniqueness. Also, he is flat out mean to Lois and Reese in some episodes:(. He usually apologizes by the end, but it still makes a bad impression.
Many of the Francis' plots were also weak. This probably affected my opinion the most since he is my favourite character. There is more of Dewey in this season. Reese is shown as a lot softer than in previous seasons. The baby, Jamie, doesn't do much and serves just as a prop. Lois is not as domineering as previously. This takes away from her character as well as the Francis vs. Lois struggle.
There are still some remarkable eps such as Ida's Boyfriend and Experiment. I have yet to see Dewey's Special Class and the Reese-Army eps. I've heard they are very good.:D
 

allison

New member
Emrysgirl said:
One reason it isn't as good is that the character of Malcolm has changed a lot. He is not portrayed as as smart as (wow, 3 as'es in a row!) before. His plots deal with typical teen problems instead. This takes away from some of the show's uniqueness. Also, he is flat out mean to Lois and Reese in some episodes. He usually apologizes by the end, but it still makes a bad impression.
Many of the Francis' plots were also weak. This probably affected my opinion the most since he is my favourite character. There is more of Dewey in this season. Reese is shown as a lot softer than in previous seasons. The baby, Jamie, doesn't do much and serves just as a prop. Lois is not as domineering as previously. This takes away from her character as well as the Francis vs. Lois struggle.
Wow, I had this discussion several times in a german forum and that´s exactly what I think. :D Lois doesn´t yell anymore (or not that much), Malcolm has changed a lot and especially Reese has become way softer than he was in the previous season. If I hadn´t known him before, I would never have thought that he used to be such a mean bully. :D
Actually it´s a little sad. A lot of things that were so great about the show have changed.
 

arach

New member
I always hear complaints about the Vegas episode, or the whole Season 5. I can absolutely not retrace that. Vegas is one of my favourite episodes (I loved Gordo the rabbit, Dewey trying to save him from the restaurant, and especially Hal freaking out about that slot machine).

You are right, there are some rather weak episodes in this season, but some of it, like Vegas, Malcolm films Reese, Dewey's Special Class and the Reese Joins the Army Episodes were excellent!
And some classic scenes have been in Season 5, like Hal leading the Lucky Aid revolt, Dewey playing piano on a self-made one in the garage, Hal entering Jamie into baby-competitions and many more...

In my opinion, Season 3 had more crappy episodes than Season 5. Of course episodes like Dewey's Dog, Charity or Christmas make up for it, but there are still more episodes that I didn't really like than in Season 5. And I liked Francis at the Ranch better than Francis in Alaska.

I guess it's a matter of taste. :Curved:
 

allison

New member
arach said:
You are right, there are some rather weak episodes in this season, but some of it, like Vegas, Malcolm films Reese, Dewey's Special Class and the Reese Joins the Army Episodes were excellent!
And some classic scenes have been in Season 5, like Hal leading the Lucky Aid revolt, Dewey playing piano on a self-made one in the garage, Hal entering Jamie into baby-competitions and many more...

In my opinion, Season 3 had more crappy episodes than Season 5. Of course episodes like Dewey's Dog, Charity or Christmas make up for it, but there are still more episodes that I didn't really like than in Season 5. And I liked Francis at the Ranch better than Francis in Alaska.

I guess it's a matter of taste. :Curved:
Of course it is.:D You know, I didn´t like most of the scenes you even called classic. Hal leading the Lucky Aid revolt was ok, but in my opinion far from a classic scene. I didn´t like the scene where Dewey played the self-made piano. Of course they often exaggerate things on the show (which is even one of the things that makes it so great), but for me this was too much and not that funny. I think in the previous seasons the Wilkersons (or whatever their surname is:D ) were just portrayed as a crazy family whereas the 5th season was often quite unrealistic. Some people like it and some people don´t. That´s probably why opinions about the 5th season are so different. I agree with you that there were some great episodes, but there were also a lot of weaker ones (and in my opinion "Dewey´s special class" is one of them)
 

Emrysgirl

New member
It's not that the season as a whole is bad. It's just that there are some bad eps, and while there are a lot of moderate and good eps, there are no absolutely spectacular ones (like in previous seasons) to make up for them.

Ps - German forums? Where? I wonder if I could understand them (probably not).
 

arach

New member
allison said:
Of course it is.:D You know, I didn´t like most of the scenes you even called classic. Hal leading the Lucky Aid revolt was ok, but in my opinion far from being a classic scene. I didn´t like the scene where Dewey played the self-made piano. Of course they often exaggerate things on the show (which is even one of the things that makes it so great), but for me this was too much and not that funny. I think in the previous seasons the Wilkersons (or whatever their surname is:D ) were just portrayed as a crazy family whereas the 5th season was often quite unrealistic. Some people like it and some people don´t. That´s probably why opinions about the 5th season are so different. I agree with you that there were some great episodes, but there were also a lot of weaker ones (and in my opinion "Dewey´s special class" is one of them)
I guess you are right. Maybe I don't care if something is unrealistic as long as it's funny. And that's always a matter of taste. I know that I often consider things funny that others don't like, e.g. Vegas. But I don't care... why should I? :D
We are talking about the same show, and the good thing is that there is humour for everyone.

@Emrysgirl: www.malcolm-mittendrin.com
 

NeCoHo

Retired Mod
Overall, i'd give season 5 a 3 out of 5. I really liked the army episodes, Experiment, Victors other Family, and a few others. But episodes like Block Party and Polly in the Middle are just bad. In my opinion, both of those episodes' plots were pretty bad.
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
As we continue this argument, I feel I must put in my two cents--I really enjoyed Block Party. It is a fantastic, episode in my opinion, and furthers the reputation the Wilkersons have in their neighborhood. When that reputation is turned upside down, hilarous consequences result. Great ep there.
 

allison

New member
@Emrysgirl:

arach already gave you the link. ;) There´s also an english section, but some of the english forums have been deleted.

appanah is right, the lucky shirt story was pretty good whereas the Abe and Craig story was just lame. I´m so glad we don´t see Polly anymore. I didn´t like her too much (it probably sounds weird, but I think there was a strange atmosphere when she was in the house) In which episode did Malcolm take her for a drive and they were followed by her ex-husband? That was entertaining, but I didn´t like her other storylines.
I have a question, appanah. I´m really impressed by your analysis, and I always enjoy reading them but I wondered if you really think that poducers think about all these things when they make a new episode or if this is just what you think, because you think of them as a "real" family. Don´t get me wrong, of course you don´t think they´re a real family, but what I mean is: Do you "pretend" they´re a real family when you write these things, or are you trying to figure out what writers thought when they made the episode?

(I hope my question doesn´t sound too confusing)
 

Wemboy

New member
Well thanks for the thoughts guys. I'm definitely not viewing the series with as much trepidation as before. From what you all say it seems that series five contains a lot of transitional elements. All the characters are changing as they have to deal with new experiences. This must be hard for writers to deal with, but also viewers as well i guess as the characters they know and love change. Also, i sense some disagreement on what the good and bad episodes are! Whatever, i'm sure there's gonna be some i like and some i don't, but i'm glad you disagree over what the good and bad episodes are, rather than agreeing they're all bad :) . All i have to do now is look forward to following the show around the schedule, from timeslot to timeslot, wherever BBC can be bothered to fit it in, yeh worth every penny my licence fee:mad: . Anyway thanks again for the information/discussion.
 
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