"Allusion"-type Plots

I didn't know exactly how to word the title of this thread, but does anyone else particularly enjoy (or I guess dislike) the plots in MitM that mention common problems symbolically?

Now, that's really crappy wording, but perhaps an example or two will show what I mean.

In Stupid Girl, the wrecking ball is sort of a reference to a drug problem, as shown by both Dewey's comments and Hal's defensive reactions.

Also, in Motivational Seminar, Dewey's "other mom" is (more blatantly) a parallel to a cheating spouse, with the cake and cookie crumbs as added humor.

Those are only the first two that came to mind, so feel free to list any more that I didn't mention and your thoughts on them.
 

Murph

New member
I enjoy things LIKE that, but I LOVED Hal with the steamroller, and HATED Dewey....................................................oh, I mean, hated Dewey "cheating" on Lois




I think you know what I meant :D
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
Thos are great plots, they can be especially funny because the viewer, thinking of the object of the allusion, believes they know what's coming next, when in fact the outcome is much different.

I guess Home Alone 3, by its very title, is an allusion to the Home Alone movie series, although I've never seen them so I suppose it's tough for me to judge.

In a more advanced hypothetical situation, Cliques could serve as a reference to international partnership. In the timeframe of this episode, I don't believe the Iraq War was yet as controversial as it is today, but that's the issue coming to mind here: that the interntional community once shared the goal or disarming all terrorists, but with the invasion of Iraq, that goal has become mired and countries have split into distinct alliances--"cliques" if you will--that are, in some ways, teetering on the brink of a third world war. Perhaps someone can think of a better example than the Iraq War?

Excellent question, it really got me thinking! The two you pointed out were the easy ones--I'll have to see if I can come up with more.
 
I'm going to see if I can find any more, too. I really like the Iraq War one that you put together -- it's not as obvious as the others, but it still fits very well with the episode.

The three Home Alone movies share a similar plot to the Home Alone 4 episode, but in the movies the kid is accidentally left at home. Besides the title and that they're "home alone," there's not really that much else in common between them.

Another episode that might fit well with international relations is The Bully, in that the one (or perhaps a few) supreme power often holds the entire system together. It's not nearly as good as the Iraq War one, but hey, I tried :).
 

hvg3akaek

New member
I didn't know exactly how to word the title of this thread, but does anyone else particularly enjoy (or I guess dislike) the plots in MitM that mention common problems symbolically?

Yes! I love this aspect of MitM! From (my poor) memory, I would suggest that there were many more cases of this happening. I will have to go through and find more specific examples (any excuse to watch it all again!)

But yes, I recall this as one of the big parts in hooking me into the show, how they took these situations, and transformed them into stranger / more normal happenings.


Spoiler for College Recruiters:


It was also interesting that in "College Recruiters", where this allusion is used for the relationship of Hal to the recruiters, towards the end, Hal acknowledges the allusion! :) I think that's a first!
 
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MalcolmFun

New member
Yes! I love this aspect of MitM! From (my poor) memory, I would suggest that there were many more cases of this happening.

I think that is true. I love even the idea that that you have to think about these jokes and not just take the show at face value. Most sitcoms spoon feed to the Lois Common Denominator of viewer.

Here is another one that was pretty straightforward without reading to much into it. In Malcolm's Car the guy from AAA has an intervention as if he was actually from A.A. Also Malcolm treats his car as if he was stuck in an abusive relationship.

Or one of the funniest...the ham sandwhich analogy in Pearl Harbor. Maybe you would like it if you tried it.
 
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