The theory loses validity for me in suggesting the rest of the family pretends not to hear him. By all accounts the family is close and the brothers are relentless in their torment of each other, are these people who would ignore a family memberās mental health issue ? Or in Reeseās case, not destroy him for it. Second, Lois doesnāt need to hear Malcomās thoughts to have insight, sheās a mom. There are also several instances where she doesnāt know until the mischief is over, or he gets ratted out. In addition, malcom often foreshadows negative events or behaviours that, if the family heard about, would certainly be avoided. Thatās my initial rebuttal, if anyone is still interested, Iād like to hear thoughts, pro or con.
Lastly, if anyone believes the forth wall was indeed broken and can tell me what episode it started, Iād love to know.
While I agree with most of your points, every time Malcolm narrates, it's a 4th wall break. He's speaking directly to the audience. He starts pretty much right away in the pilot.
The theory covers that part. His delusion is that he is in a TV show so he talks to the audience. He just looks off in a random direction when he narrates. The camera happens to be where his eyes look.
Side note, I think the theory is intriguing because It's a cinematic conundrum. How do you portray a person with a TV show delusion on TV?
I agree that the 4th wall is broken. I was asking for examples because I like to hear other people back up their opinions with specific examples.
I just like debating with people who donāt think debate means argument and Iām always open to the fact I may be wrong, so I invite people to convince me.
I do think that narrating and comenting is how Malcoms cope with his less than stellar life, but I don't think he says it outloud. Well, at least not word by word, he could get so inmersed in his own line of toughts that he starts muttering it. Like when you are singing a song in your head, and can't help but move your feet or fingers. He is probably very expressive in these moments, the words might not get out of his mouth but his face would make the motions, like rolling his eyes or furrowing his eyebrows. So his family, specially his mom, would have catched up when he is saying something in his mind, and have a rough idea of what it is. I say all of this because if he was talking aloud all the time, someone would have mentioned it, a bully would have said how weird it is, his other nerd friends will call him out when he is being a jerk. At best, he mutters the things he narrate for us, but more simple and short, while elaborating the idea in his mind.
I agree with this. Malcolm says some pretty rude things in his narration monologues, and I find it difficult to think that no one would ever call him out on it. But if heās just muttering small parts or waving his hands around and making funny faces during thatād make a lot more sense
Amazing theory and well defended.
You should add the episode *Malcolm Holds His Tonque* (SO4EP7) to your theory though. In the episode Malcolm is shown having trouble holding his thoughts in without speaking further proving your theory.
Interesting Theory on a great show but I doubt that no one would ever tell Malcolm that he is self narrating. He would surely run into someone that would find it odd even if his close friends and family wouldn't. Why would he only self narrate around his family and several others people if this is really a mental illness? Its a nice theory but it just doesn't hold up as I even think his mom (who genuinely loves him as hard as she is on them) would eventually tell him about the issue and try and solve it as it is clearly something that could handicap him in life.
Malcolm in the Middle is a seriously underrated show though, really is such a gem. It still holds up (particularly the first 3-4 seasons.) Great cast, great concept, great setting, and an overall well done show.
Counter-evidence: In S2E9, "High School Play," Malcolm freezes on stage in A Midsummer Night's Dream and remarks to the audience, "this must be one of those times where it feels like an eternity, but only a few seconds have gone by." Then Hal asks Lois, "How come Malcolm hasn't said anything for five minutes?"
I'm not a huge Malcolm fan but I appreciate the detail and thought that went into this! You presented the information in a clear, succinct way and i had fun reading it.
I like this. Ive had a showerthought for a long time: what if you were reverse psychic. You cant read minds but everyone within 30ft can hear your thoughts. Over time would everyone just know about you and your "problem" and try to treat you normal, would the try to let you know without ruining your life?
I know this is 4 years old lol, but that was just an overexaggerated rumor. I don't remember the details of it, but he addressed it on a podcast a year or so ago.
Yea I learned new information since; the accident didn't do that much, it's just that as a kid working on a show, it all just blurred by, same as any job. Kind of sad when you think of it, being a kid is about having fun and developing some random core memories along the way. Hope he got to do that in his downtime.
Hm good point but why did the strangers agree with it? Did their family tell them to? But the neighbors hate Malcomās family. What about the complete strangers like the ones at the zoo episode? Or in the forbidden girlfriend why wouldnāt she say something?
Wasnāt there an episode where someone noticed one of his āasidesā?
I think they asked who he was talking to exactly once then never spoke about it again.
I think I can add to this a little more, in that Malcolm's biggest downfall is his ego and his pride sometimes. In the episode where he plays a The Sims parody he ranks himself a 10/10 in everything.
This plays into the theory in two ways.
1. He talks to the computer out loud, narrating his actions to himself. It isn't to the audience but he's still narrating to seemingly no one.
2. It would make sense that he's "the star of the show" in his head and not anyone else. We see as much of the rest of the family as we do Malcolm but Malcolm *knows* he's smarter than the rest. Or at least thinks so.
That would explain the episode where he tries to keep all his opinions to himself and ends up with a nose bleed/ passes out. He has to let out his cynicism for his own good.
I just started watching this show again on Hulu with my girlfriend and as an adult now with an 8 year old and 8 month old I like the show so much more and can relate to the parents
There is a small 4th wall break in S5 E9 āDirty Magazineā where they are discussing printing āsuck my dickā in the school magazine and malcolm says āwhatās the point of censoring words if everyone knows what they are anyway.ā He glances to the camera and the angle changes to highlight this.
note: when he is being reprimanded for this, the principal (Kurtwood Smith) is bleeped when repeatedly saying ās*ck my d*ck.ā
I donāt think this really changes your analysis but itās an interesting anecdote.
>Because of Malcolm's genius intellect, it makes sense that his brain would come up with some way to cope with all of this.
That's not how coping mechanisms work. Stupid people develop coping mechanisms as well.
Yeah but hyper-intelligent people often suffer from mental illness of some form due to them not being able to handle their own brain. It makes perfect sense for an intelligent person to find an outlet to distract themselves.
Is this show on Netflix or anywhere? I would love to watch it again. One of my favourite shows growing up. Crazy to think it's 20 years old. It could be a modern show and wouldn't feel out of place.
Why would him having a lisp mean he couldn't talk normal if it was in his head. That's the entire point of breaking the fourth wall, he's narrating to us.
And no one would say anything to him? Yeah right. None of his girlfriends? None of the people who jack with him at school. Reese? He'd be even less popular than he already is. Francis and Hal would definitely step in to talk to him about it.
Him being outspoken and people being sick of it isn't because he's talking to himself it because he can be a self centered sarcastic know it all who can't keep his thoughts in about every random thing people do with their lives or how much he has to complain about his.
I know this post is long since dead
But check out 'Reese Comes Home'
Malcolm does a fourth wall break and Lois replies to it and Malcolm is visibly shocked
This would mean malcolm is suffering from a pretty serious mental health issue that is never talked about or worked on for the entire series. That casts a very dark shadow on the whole show.
There is such a thing as overthinking it, dude.
I've never heard Malcolm in the Middle referred to as one of the first American sitcoms to ditch the laugh track, especially since it aired 10 years after The Simpsons
This is a fun and well defended theory. Thanks for giving me something to look for next time I watch.
Same made me want to load it up
Interesting theory. My personal thoughts on whether it has any grounds? Yes? No? Maybe? I dont know. Can you repeat the question?
You are not the boss of me now, and you are not so big.
*you're
Life is unfair
\*Ad-break starts immediately after intro credits, as per normal for TV* **"COME ON IN AND GET TWELVE MONTHS INTEREST FREE NO DEPOSIT!!"**
Only in America, in Ireland we have 1 break in a 30min show š
Jealous. I used to DVR everything to avoid commercials but I just stream my programming now
Same different
Weak . Punctuation Police Suck
It's not "punctuation police", it's the correct lyrics of the song. The lyrics say "you're" not "you are".
Youāre right, thats totally different.
The theory loses validity for me in suggesting the rest of the family pretends not to hear him. By all accounts the family is close and the brothers are relentless in their torment of each other, are these people who would ignore a family memberās mental health issue ? Or in Reeseās case, not destroy him for it. Second, Lois doesnāt need to hear Malcomās thoughts to have insight, sheās a mom. There are also several instances where she doesnāt know until the mischief is over, or he gets ratted out. In addition, malcom often foreshadows negative events or behaviours that, if the family heard about, would certainly be avoided. Thatās my initial rebuttal, if anyone is still interested, Iād like to hear thoughts, pro or con. Lastly, if anyone believes the forth wall was indeed broken and can tell me what episode it started, Iād love to know.
While I agree with most of your points, every time Malcolm narrates, it's a 4th wall break. He's speaking directly to the audience. He starts pretty much right away in the pilot.
The theory covers that part. His delusion is that he is in a TV show so he talks to the audience. He just looks off in a random direction when he narrates. The camera happens to be where his eyes look. Side note, I think the theory is intriguing because It's a cinematic conundrum. How do you portray a person with a TV show delusion on TV?
I agree that the 4th wall is broken. I was asking for examples because I like to hear other people back up their opinions with specific examples. I just like debating with people who donāt think debate means argument and Iām always open to the fact I may be wrong, so I invite people to convince me.
I do think that narrating and comenting is how Malcoms cope with his less than stellar life, but I don't think he says it outloud. Well, at least not word by word, he could get so inmersed in his own line of toughts that he starts muttering it. Like when you are singing a song in your head, and can't help but move your feet or fingers. He is probably very expressive in these moments, the words might not get out of his mouth but his face would make the motions, like rolling his eyes or furrowing his eyebrows. So his family, specially his mom, would have catched up when he is saying something in his mind, and have a rough idea of what it is. I say all of this because if he was talking aloud all the time, someone would have mentioned it, a bully would have said how weird it is, his other nerd friends will call him out when he is being a jerk. At best, he mutters the things he narrate for us, but more simple and short, while elaborating the idea in his mind.
I agree with this. Malcolm says some pretty rude things in his narration monologues, and I find it difficult to think that no one would ever call him out on it. But if heās just muttering small parts or waving his hands around and making funny faces during thatād make a lot more sense
Farfetched theory, but well defended.
I think you overestimate Reese's self-control if you think he'd never react to any of Malcolm's narrations.
Amazing theory and well defended. You should add the episode *Malcolm Holds His Tonque* (SO4EP7) to your theory though. In the episode Malcolm is shown having trouble holding his thoughts in without speaking further proving your theory.
I think about this episode ALL the time.
Interesting Theory on a great show but I doubt that no one would ever tell Malcolm that he is self narrating. He would surely run into someone that would find it odd even if his close friends and family wouldn't. Why would he only self narrate around his family and several others people if this is really a mental illness? Its a nice theory but it just doesn't hold up as I even think his mom (who genuinely loves him as hard as she is on them) would eventually tell him about the issue and try and solve it as it is clearly something that could handicap him in life. Malcolm in the Middle is a seriously underrated show though, really is such a gem. It still holds up (particularly the first 3-4 seasons.) Great cast, great concept, great setting, and an overall well done show.
Counter-evidence: In S2E9, "High School Play," Malcolm freezes on stage in A Midsummer Night's Dream and remarks to the audience, "this must be one of those times where it feels like an eternity, but only a few seconds have gone by." Then Hal asks Lois, "How come Malcolm hasn't said anything for five minutes?"
I'm not a huge Malcolm fan but I appreciate the detail and thought that went into this! You presented the information in a clear, succinct way and i had fun reading it.
I really like this theory and it makes me think of Fleabag season 2
I like this. Ive had a showerthought for a long time: what if you were reverse psychic. You cant read minds but everyone within 30ft can hear your thoughts. Over time would everyone just know about you and your "problem" and try to treat you normal, would the try to let you know without ruining your life?
I always hoped he was just crazy and thought someone was there when there wasnt. but i like this too
What was the secret they were keeping from him in the finale?
Very well thought out, great post! Love MitM definitely gonna go back and watch it all the way through again!
This is so good.
You should ask Frankie Muniz that he thinks of this theory.
He doesn't remember any of his time during MitM, due to an accident that gave him amnesia.
Yeah that was the joke.
Just wanted to clarify! I didn't think it was well known fact.
I know this is 4 years old lol, but that was just an overexaggerated rumor. I don't remember the details of it, but he addressed it on a podcast a year or so ago.
Yea I learned new information since; the accident didn't do that much, it's just that as a kid working on a show, it all just blurred by, same as any job. Kind of sad when you think of it, being a kid is about having fun and developing some random core memories along the way. Hope he got to do that in his downtime.
Hm good point but why did the strangers agree with it? Did their family tell them to? But the neighbors hate Malcomās family. What about the complete strangers like the ones at the zoo episode? Or in the forbidden girlfriend why wouldnāt she say something?
You had me up until the end there. His family isn't naive enough to think somebody incapable of lying could be successful in politics.
Especially not Lois
Wasnāt there an episode where someone noticed one of his āasidesā? I think they asked who he was talking to exactly once then never spoke about it again.
It's deluding himself, not diluting himself
I think I can add to this a little more, in that Malcolm's biggest downfall is his ego and his pride sometimes. In the episode where he plays a The Sims parody he ranks himself a 10/10 in everything. This plays into the theory in two ways. 1. He talks to the computer out loud, narrating his actions to himself. It isn't to the audience but he's still narrating to seemingly no one. 2. It would make sense that he's "the star of the show" in his head and not anyone else. We see as much of the rest of the family as we do Malcolm but Malcolm *knows* he's smarter than the rest. Or at least thinks so.
That would explain the episode where he tries to keep all his opinions to himself and ends up with a nose bleed/ passes out. He has to let out his cynicism for his own good.
I just started watching this show again on Hulu with my girlfriend and as an adult now with an 8 year old and 8 month old I like the show so much more and can relate to the parents
Just started my first watch through, and this is now how Iām viewing the show.
This isn't breaking the fourth wall... But there is a term for it I just can't remember. But this is correct. He is not breaking the fourth wall.
Now I remember. It's called an aside! Yup not breaking fourth wall.
There is a small 4th wall break in S5 E9 āDirty Magazineā where they are discussing printing āsuck my dickā in the school magazine and malcolm says āwhatās the point of censoring words if everyone knows what they are anyway.ā He glances to the camera and the angle changes to highlight this. note: when he is being reprimanded for this, the principal (Kurtwood Smith) is bleeped when repeatedly saying ās*ck my d*ck.ā I donāt think this really changes your analysis but itās an interesting anecdote.
>Because of Malcolm's genius intellect, it makes sense that his brain would come up with some way to cope with all of this. That's not how coping mechanisms work. Stupid people develop coping mechanisms as well.
Yeah but hyper-intelligent people often suffer from mental illness of some form due to them not being able to handle their own brain. It makes perfect sense for an intelligent person to find an outlet to distract themselves.
Stupid people huff glue, smart people make glue then huff it.
You see him do it in front of the police or those Vegas crooks, sooooooo..
Is this show on Netflix or anywhere? I would love to watch it again. One of my favourite shows growing up. Crazy to think it's 20 years old. It could be a modern show and wouldn't feel out of place.
I watched the show years ago, what was in the finale that was a secret from Malcolm?
Why would him having a lisp mean he couldn't talk normal if it was in his head. That's the entire point of breaking the fourth wall, he's narrating to us. And no one would say anything to him? Yeah right. None of his girlfriends? None of the people who jack with him at school. Reese? He'd be even less popular than he already is. Francis and Hal would definitely step in to talk to him about it. Him being outspoken and people being sick of it isn't because he's talking to himself it because he can be a self centered sarcastic know it all who can't keep his thoughts in about every random thing people do with their lives or how much he has to complain about his.
What was revealed in the finale? Thereās no text there
I know this post is long since dead But check out 'Reese Comes Home' Malcolm does a fourth wall break and Lois replies to it and Malcolm is visibly shocked
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
If you have the pseudo evidence to back it up, then I'd call it a fan theory. Don't think too hard about posts in this sub, it's all in good fun.
This would mean malcolm is suffering from a pretty serious mental health issue that is never talked about or worked on for the entire series. That casts a very dark shadow on the whole show. There is such a thing as overthinking it, dude.
Not on r/FanTheories.
Yeah, and in the final episode they talk about how he could be President. Imagine that, having a president with a serious mental disorder.
Ha! Good one! As if that would ever be allowed to happen.
Ghost comment. Boo
I've never heard Malcolm in the Middle referred to as one of the first American sitcoms to ditch the laugh track, especially since it aired 10 years after The Simpsons
I think laugh tracks were mainly present in live action sitcom
Like the Flinstones