MITM becoming very controversial.

admin

Retired Administrator
Is it me or has Malcolm in the Middle become quite a controversial sitcom.

Firstly we had Malcolm have sex with a much older women this week, as well as Lois going topless and Reese behaving quite abnormally also!

Is this a desperate attempt to get more viewers to watch the show, or is this perhaps because the writers have got more freedom since Linwood Boomer left. Or even perhaps because they feel that as children get older they do indeed do these kinds of things, its only on television where it seems controversial...

And in a couple of weeks time we will see yet more controversial topics brought up as we see Dewey doing something whcih many of us here would have thought out of line for his character. Again is this desperation for viewers?

Also Reese vs. Stevie, who would have though Reese would stoop so low as to fight with Stevie...

Any thouhgts?
 
Personally, as I haven't seen the seventh season (if that's what your talking about)

I'm not absolutely sure whether it's too controversial but I really am shocked about Malcolm having sex with a much older woman. Lois going topless is also incredibly strange for a mother of 5 including little Jamie.

I can imagine Reese doing all sorts of bad things, abnormal you name it as he's 'the bad boy'. It is horrible him fighting Stevie though. I agree he is sinking a bit low on that subject.

I cannot wait to see season 7 as it looks very interesting!!
 

allison

New member
I haven´t seen Burning man, yet, so I don´t know what abnormal stuff Reese is doing, but Lois getting topless and Malcolm having sex with an older woman sounds a bit weird, indeed.
I´m not sure what to think of Reese vs. Stevie, though. I can´t imagine them getting into a fist fight (altough we have seen Stevie flying into a tree, already) so maybe it´s a different fight. In Lois battles Jamie they also didn´t get into a fist fight and in Malcolm vs. Reese there was a scene where they were really fighting, but that wasn´t the reason why it was called Malcolm vs. Reese.
 

willdubbs

New member
Well, maybe Reese and Stevie won't really fight, maybe they will be opposed to each others because they want to date the same girl or something like that. But Dewey
Spoiler for spoiler:
smoking!
, that's ridiculous!
 

willdubbs

New member
Who knows. But
Spoiler for spoiler:
shaving
was already a very weird idea but
Spoiler for spoiler:
smoking
, it's not Dewey at all.
 

Squeaky Yugi

New member
Malcolm and Stevie have gotten into shouting (sort of) fights before. This episode probably marks the first time where Reese has a bone to pick with Stevie.
 

Ryebeach

Moderator
For the longest time, MITM didn't deal too much with the more adult type situations all teenagers go through as part of growing up. Based on what I've read about this season and from the premiere, I expect to see more of these so called "controversial" episodes throughout this season. To me, that is a good thing. Malcolm and Reese are getting older now and are that much closer to adulthood. They need to tackle more adult type storylines. Dewey is growing up as well, perhaps too fast for some viewers. In regards to the upcoming storyline with Dewey, perhaps it is a result of peer pressure that he does what he does. That would certainly be a topic I'd like to see addressed as peer pressure is a large part of our society.

In my opinion, I don't feel these types of storylines are being done to lure in more viewers per se, although if that happens based on early ratings, it will certainly enforce the direction the show is going. I think they are simply a result of the fact that the characters are all growing up and in effect, so is the audience.
 

tjpeople

Site Administrator
Staff member
Yes, well i mentioned this in the spolier thread for reese vs stevie, but i agree that
Spoiler for Spoiler:
smoking is very strange as people see dewy as small and cute and inocent, but as Rye said peer presure is an issue and so is smoking at it a habit that some teengers face and in a away its good they are tackling it as an issue, also i think that we decied that shaving was a mistake in that article and it was actually smoking, but no one know as yet.
 

Garbage Kills Megan

parties with your mom
I don't really think it's a ploy to get more viewers because they don't advertise for Malcolm anymore. People aren't going to know these controversial things are happening in the show unless they already watch it.

Personally, I didn't think Lois going topless was very controversial. I guess it is for some people, but she was just joining a group of free thinkers. It was really just sort of funny to me.

And Reese vs. Stevie might be a feud like in Forwards Backwards, more of a prank thing. I don't imagine an actual fight. Though Stevie did punch Reese pretty hard in Dinner Out, and we have seen Malcolm throw balls at Stevie. A little bit of a fight might be ok, especially if Stevie does really well.
 

tjpeople

Site Administrator
Staff member
I dont think people mean thats its controversal in such a way that lois taking her top of is like 'arhh we must ring fox and get this off the air' its just its more shocking theme/storylines, than we are used to - its just how the family developed, i dont think it wa done to attract more view particaully.
 

Wemboy

New member
I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing, after all some of the best comedy comes when people are brave enough to risk being offensive. As long as it's not just gratuitous and can be seen as fitting in with the wider storyline in some way. I wouldn't want MITM to stick to "safe" storylines, as i think it could become quite dull, why not push the boundaries a bit every now and then, it won't always work but the results could be fantastic.

Also I think that it's really just a reflection of the boys growing up and experiencing new things. The kind of stuff they did in season one just wouldn't seem realistic in season seven. As for Dewey, well he is artistic, and artists are never afraid to cause a bit of trouble, so maybe it's just an extension of that type of rebeliousness.
 

allison

New member
I agree with Wemboy. Now that I´ve seen burning man I don´t even think these scenes (with Malcolm and the older woman, Lois topless...) were really offensive or something. And as long as it´s not really offensive (or even racist) I think it´s ok and maybe even more realistic considering the characters´ages. That´s actually one thing I always liked about the show: they didn´t always stick to safe storylines as Wemboy said, but risked being offensive.
 

Kratos

New member
Its supposed to be funny, and
Spoiler for if we didnt know that:
Dewey was going to be smoking when we first saw it we might have laughed. Its the same with Ida loses a leg, that was just gross with the leg ordering etc.


I dont think the issues are bad bad, they need to evolve the show, and if we are hoping for a 8th season they will need more storylines... perhaps this season is more of a tester...
 
couple points regarding first ep. Was that malcolms first time? if not when was? if it was, he sure got over it quick. i was a little disturbed to see Rosanna Arquette be the one. I always love the big bang at the end of an episode. Fireworks, things blowing up, etc. Dewey sure did change, almost didn't recognize him. Lois being topless is no big deal. she has been before and hal has been as well, getting his back shaved i think. Unrelated question. Whats the deal with the hamster ball that rolls past in some older episodes? I'm new to this room so maybe it has already been discussed. Go Malcolm. Life IS Unfair!!
 
Remember the ep. when Reese kept punching Stevie in the arm for saying "What" or something like that. Stevie just kept taking it, until he punched the crap out of Reese in that restaurant, sending him into some food trays. Stevie has more than stood up for himself in the later years, after being kind of wussy in the initial episodes he was in.
 

Wemboy

New member
@psychoformalcolm: this isn't really related to this thread, so the moderators may have preferred a new thread for the question (?) but the hamster was Dewey's. He looked after it for one episode, but he decided to set it free, with a load of food. For the rest of the season it was kind of a running joke that occasionally you could see him rolling past in the background. I think the storyline was from season three.
 
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