I missed the first 5 mins or so of this ep b/c I didn't realize it'd be on. Could someone tell me how it started and what happened before the "one free pass" scene? I know from the discussion we had earlier on the forums and the rest of the ep that Hal caught Dewey smoking. But it was so abrupt that I think I missed some sort of explanation.
My comments on the ep:
In general, I thought it was a mediocre to good ep by MitM standards. I felt that while the basic concepts behind the plots were good, the execution could have been much better. I kept watching scenes and thinking they had missed an oppurtunity to make it an excellent ep.
Another general thought: I was surprised at the number of ideas/concerns that we've discussed in this forum that were present in the ep: Jamie talking, Reese as a bully again, no Buseys, Dewey isn't perfect anymore, toned down Hal, Malcolm being considerate again, a happy ending for Malcolm, Malcolm narrating. Perhaps we have a spy among us
.
Hal/Dewey Plot: This was my least favourite plot. Before the ep aired, we were talking about how smoking didn't match Dewey's character in the least. Instead of making the plot more credible, watching the ep made it all the more absurd.
Even for a normal teenager, this plot would be ridiculous. "B/c I found cigarettes lying around" is not a good excuse to start smoking. Kids generally start either b/c of peer pressure or b/c their parents smoke regularly and consider it 'normal'. Added to that is what we know about Dewey. He's always been the responsible one - 'the snitch'. And even if we believe this slip up on his part, we can hardly be expected to believe that he'd be stupid enough to smoke 1 cigarette (much less 2 packs a day) at home with a mother as strict and as anti-smoking (she made Francis eat a lit cigarette) as Lois.
Hal's excuse for having the cigarettes around was also pretty flimsy. Having a safety pack and "just knowing that they're there" is understandable. But why did he have to fill the entire house with them. If anything, that'd ruin any chances he had of quitting.
I don't think either of the actors portrayed withdrawal very well either. It seemed to be more about getting the better of each other than about fulfilling a craving. They seemed angry rather than desperate or irritable.
Reese/Stevie Plot: This wasn't the main plot and I don't know why it was the title. As someone said earlier, the beginning was rather rushed, but other than that, I think it was a good plot. We got to see Reese as a bully again without losing the sensitive side that we learned about in season 5/6 i.e. he was a bully, but for touching reasons.
I was completely surprised by RoboStevie (as everyone seems to have dubbed him). I actually liked the idea a lot. I didn't like how he got kicked out of the program though - too sad. I would much rather have him destroy the machine so that the design had to be scrapped and the project put on hold for a while.
The plot also raises the question as to why Reese is suddenly jealous after all these years. Maybe, it has something to do with him being the only one left from his grade. Him being all alone (even more so than before) may make Malcolm and Stevie's friendship seem all the more like betrayal.
Malcolm's role: In any other ep, I would have been disappointed at the lack of a unique Malcolm plot line, but it somehow fit in this ep. In this ep, it sort of highlighted a quality of Malcolm's that we've been seeing less of in the recent seasons (even as far back as season3) - he's the normal one. While the rest of the family was going nuts, Malcolm was the sane calm narrator at the center (in the middle
).
Lois/Jamie Plot: This was by far my favourite plot in the ep.
It was really interesting to see the contrast between Francis and Lois. While Francis blamed Lois for everything and seemed to actually block out the instances where she had shown him consideration, Lois suppressed all the bad things Ida had done to her, blaming herself instead.
Another interesting aspect of the plot, of course, was Jamie's first words.
Does the fact that Jamie only talked after Lois left the room imply that he's actually been talking for a while and only refuses to talk when the family is around? If so, is he doing so just to antagonize them (especially Lois)?
Does the simmilarity of his first words and those of Francis mean that Hal and Lois' parenting hasn't really changed that much? Is Jamie another Francis? Perhaps, since they're simmilar, Lois will be able to reconsile with Francis by bringning Jamie up well.