History Recap / MalcolmInTheMiddle

#"Secret Boyfriend": Malcolm begins dating a secretly brainy girl who has to hide her intellectualism in order to keep her popularity. Meanwhile, Hal argues with a mini-golf manager (played by Harold Sylvester[[note]]Al Bundy's black friend, Griff, on ''MarriedWithChildren''[[/note]]) over denying Dewey a free game.
#"Blackout": Similar to the season 12 ''Simpsons'' episode "Trilogy of Errors," viewers get to see, from three different prespectives, the aftermath of a power outage at Malcolm's house during Hal and Lois' wedding anniversary.
#"Army Buddy": Larisa Oleynik (from ''TheSecretWorldOfAlexMack'') guest stars as Reese's old friend from the Army, who returns to tell him that she has feelings for someone close to her.

#"Stereo Store": In the first episode directed by Bryan Cranston, Hal gets a job at a stereo store, where he feels left out because of the teenage coworkers. Meanwhile, a freaky girl named Jessica (played by HaydenPanettiere) is hired to babysit the boys.

#"High School Play": Malcolm gets a role in a high school play and starts blowing off his friends to spend more time with his new high school friends. Meanwhile, Hal and Dewey create a LEGO city.

#"Sleepover": Malcolm helps his handicapped friend, Steve, have a real boys' night out during a sleepover. Meanwhile, Lois challenges Reese to give Dewey a bath in order to prove that he's old enough to stay up and watch a ''Film/Child'sPlay'' movie, and Francis gets hazed by a secret society at the military school, and proves to be no match for the mental and emotional torture he suffered from living with Lois.

#"Sleepover": Malcolm helps his handicapped friend, Steve, have a real boys' night out during a sleepover. Meanwhile, Lois challenges Reese to give Dewey a bath in order to prove that he's old enough to stay up and watch a ''Film/ChildsPlay'' movie, and Francis gets hazed by a secret society at the military school, and proves to be no match for the mental and emotional torture he suffered from living with Lois.

#"Sleepover": Malcolm helps his handicapped friend, Steve, have a real boys' night out during a sleepover. Meanwhile, Lois challenges Reese to give Dewey a bath in order to prove that he's old enough to watch a scary movie, and Francis gets hazed by a secret society at the military school, and proves to be no match for the mental and emotional torture he suffered from living with Lois.

#"Monkey": Craig is laid up by injuries, thanks to being chased into traffic by Dewey's dog, and spends his insurance money on Oliver, a capuchin monkey "butler"--who is actually deranged and gives Craig a hard time.

#"Dirty Magazine": KurtwoodSmith (Red Forman from ''That70sShow'') and Lori Beth Denberg[[note]]credited as "L.B. Denberg"[[/note]] (from the original cast of ''Series/AllThat'') guest star on this episode that has Malcolm's principal put a moratorium on all extracurricular activities after the school literary magazine publishes a story that contains vulgar language and sexual content.

#"Red Dress": When Lois finds her red dress burned and stuffed in the toilet, she immediately blames Malcolm and his brothers, Reese and Dewey, and holds them hostage until one or all of them confesses. Meanwhile, Hal, Malcolm's BumblingDad, makes friends with the waitstaff while waiting for Lois.

#"Pilot": Malcolm's miserable life (which includes being bullied by his brothers, Reese and Dewey, another brother who has been shipped off to military school named Francis, a hard-ass, sadistic mom named Lois[[note]]not to be confused for the one on ''FamilyGuy'', who is also sadistic, but also has a past as a sexually promiscuous party girl...and is a cartoon character[[/note]], and a somewhat oblivious dad named Hal) worsens when his I.Q. test results come back, revealing that he's a genius and is placed in a class filled with neurotic nerds known as the Krelboynes.

#"Pilot": Malcolm's miserable life worsens when his I.Q. test results come back, revealing that he's a genius and is placed in a class filled with neurotic nerds known as the Krelboynes.
#"Red Dress": When Lois, Malcolm's sadistic mother, finds her red dress burned and stuffed in the toilet, she immediately blames Malcolm and his brothers, Reese and Dewey, and holds them hostage until one or all of them confesses. Meanwhile, Hal, Malcolm's BumblingDad, makes friends with the waitstaff while waiting for Lois.

#"Hal Grieves": In this, the only episode directed by Christopher Kennedy Masterson (the actor who plays Francis on the show[[note]]and is the brother of Danny Masterson, who plays Hyde, on ''That70sShow''[[/note]]), Hal's father dies, but rather than grieve over his death, he smothers the boys with affection and becomes a fun parent so that way, they'll miss him when he's gone. Meanwhile, Abe (Hal's BlackBestFriend) tries to get LeonardNimoy to appear and cheer up Hal, but settles for GeorgeTakei.

#"Dirty Magazine": KurtwoodSmith (Red Forman from ''That70sShow'') and Lori Beth Denberg[[note]]credited as "L.B. Denberg[[/note]] (from the original cast of ''AllThat'') guest star on this episode that has Malcolm's principal put a moratorium on all extracurricular activities after the school literary magazine publishes a story that contains vulgar language and sexual content.

#"Lois' Sister": Laurie Metcalf (Jackie from ''Roseanne'' and a [[OneSceneWonder one-episode wonder]] on a 1981 episode of ''SaturdayNightLive'') guest stars as Lois' sister who showers the family with gifts after learning that she needs a kidney transplant. Meanwhile, Francis acts as a Girl Scout troop leader, only to learn that Girl Scouts are evil.

#"Hal's Friend": Hal's old friend from high school, Larry (played by Joel Murray[[note]]brother of BillMurray and BrianDoyleMurray; was the voice of Darryl's next-door neighbor, Carl, on the short-lived animated adaptation of ''Baby Blues''[[/note]]) comes over and ropes Hal into plotting revenge against their old boss from their first job at a pizzeria. Meanwhile, Malcolm and Stevie try to cut the umbilical cord between Dabney and [[MyBelovedSmother his overprotective mother]] by taking him to a paintball arena to test out the new paintball gun he got for his birthday.

#"Sleepover": Malcolm helps his handicapped friend, Steve, have a real boys' night out during a sleepover. Meanwhile, Lois challenges Reese to give Dewey a bath in order to prove that he's old enough to watch a scary movie, and Francis gets hazed by a secret society at the military school, and proves to be no match for physical torture thanks to living with Lois.

#"Therapy": Malcolm fakes an emotional breakdown in order to get out of the Krelboyne class' Medieval Week. Meanwhile, Hal and Lois clean out a packed closet and find that it is actually a second bathroom, Dewey reveals a hidden talent for table skittles, and Francis turns his stint at laundry duty into an underground business.

#"Old Mrs. Old": Malcolm must help an old woman (Florence Stanley) in the neighborhood with whatever she wants of him because he broke her arm. Meanwhile, Dewey uses Lois' purse as a schoolbag, and Francis fears for his hoodlum friend, Richie's, life after he is sent to military school and becomes Commandant Spangler's best friend.

#"Malcolm Babysits": To raise money for an erector set, Malcolm takes a job as a babysitter for a clean, functional family who treat Malcolm like a king -- until Malcolm finds a horrible secret about his alleged charges. Meanwhile, the rest of Malcolm's family is forced to camp out in a trailer while their house is being fumigated.

#"Therapy": Malcolm fakes an emotional breakdown in order to get out of the Krelboyne class' Medieval Week. Meanwhile, Hal and Lois clean out a packed closet and find that it is actually a second bathroom, Dewey reveals a hidden talent for table skittles, and Francis is sentenced to laundry duty.

#"Pilot": A middle school outcast's miserable life worsens when his I.Q. test results come back, revealing that he's a genius and is placed in a class filled with neurotic nerds known as the Krelboynes. Worse still, a bully named Spath is pushing him around and his older brother, Francis, has been sent to military school.

#"Pilot": A middle school outcast named Malcolm's miserable life worsens when his I.Q. test results come back, revealing that he's a genius and is placed in a class filled with neurotic nerds known as the Krelboynes. Worse still, a bully named Spath is pushing him around and his older brother, Francis, has been sent to military school.

#"Pilot": Malcolm's life in school goes from bad to worse when his I.Q. test reveals that he's a genius and must be moved to a class filled with asocial nerds called "Krelboynes."

#"Malcolm Visits College": Malcolm looks forward to visiting college—until Lois comes along and they meet the power-hungry dorm head, Leland. Meanwhile, Dewey cobbles a piano out of trash, Reese falls for a new girl in school who turns out to be a narc, and Francis runs a daycare center at the ranch.

#"Buseys Run Away": After Dewey is reclassified as sane and taken out of the Busey class, the other kids run away and hide in the trees near his house, forcing Dewey to look after them. Meanwhile, Hal (now unemployed) becomes a god among a gaggle of dimwitted bodybuilders, and Lois punishes Reese and Malcolm for their fireworks fiasco in the movie theatre.

#"Hal's Christmas Gift": Hal and Lois are strapped for cash as Christmas approaches, and things are made even worse when the now unemployed Francis and Piama decide to come home for the holiday, and Lois got into a car-crashing war with a woman. Meanwhile, Malcolm feels excluded when his brothers do fun stuff.

#"Lois Battles Jamie": Lois begins to think she is losing her touch when Jamie seems too much for her to handle. Meanwhile, Malcolm, Dewey, and Reese try to find something to do with a discarded diving board.
#"Malcolm's Car": Malcolm uses money he got from underground horse betting to buy a decrepit car that begins to take over his life. Meanwhile, Hal reveals a knack for styling women's hair, Lois discovers that her boss's wife is cheating on his with Craig.

#"Tiki Lounge": When Hal and Lois realize how little time they spend together, Hal turns the garage into a private tiki lounge where he and Lois can retreat. Things go smoothly until they feud over philosophical beliefs, eventually stressing out in the lounge. Meanwhile, Mr. Herkabe cons Malcolm into joining the Booster Club, where he learns a lesson about taking one for the team.

#"No Motorcycles": Hal makes good on a promise he made to Francis (a motorcycle ride on his 21st birthday, despite motorcycles being one of many of Lois' [[BerserkButton berserk buttons]]. Meanwhile Malcolm, Dewey, and Reese are held captive in their own home by a bully.

#"Mrs. Tri-County": The boys enter Lois in a local beauty contest as a joke, but the joke's on them when she competes.

#"Reese vs. Stevie": Reese makes himself handicapped so he can fight Stevie. Meanwhile, Hal catches Dewey smoking cigarettes and the two decide to beat their respective addictions to nicotine and coffee, while Lois tries to get Jamie to talk by endlessly blabbing about her day and her past insecurities.

#"Army Buddy": Larisa Oleynik (from ''TheSecretWorldOfAlexMack'') guest stars as Reese's old friend from the Army, who has a crush on Lois.

#"Traffic Ticket": Lois is cited for reckless driving, and arrested due to several outstanding parking tickets earned by Francis, but when Lois finds security camera footage proving that the reckless driving charge was legit, Lois has a meltdown over being wrong for the first time ever.

#"Mini-Bike": The boys buy a used mini-bike and fix it up, only to have Lois confiscate it, but Reese takes it back and ends up breaking his leg.

#"Flashback": While Hal worries and argues with Lois over the possibility of her being pregnant again since she is two weeks late with her period, the two look back at the memories of their children's births, all of which were plagued with disaster.

#"Poker": Hal finally gets an invitation to Abe's poker game, where Hal feels left out because he's the only amateur player (and ComicallyMissingThePoint that he's the only white guy in a group of black men). Malcolm clashes with Stevie for filming him in a homework assignment, and Francis and his Alaskan friends are trapped in an Alaskan blizzard fending off cabin fever.

#"Forwards Backwards": A series of flashbacks and flash-forwards show how Malcolm's birthday was ruined thanks to a prank war with Reese. Meanwhile, Dewey worries about his role as Abraham Lincoln in the school play, and Francis and Otto try to capture a "devil cow."

#"Long Drive": Malcolm is forced on a long road trip with his mother, who uses the time in the car to give him a lengthy talk about sex and relationships that Malcolm was never taught in school. Meanwhile, Reese is put into the "ScaredStraight" program where he mocks an inmate, Dewey breaks apart Hal's a cappella group, and Francis accidentally kills Otto's favorite cow.

#"Malcolm Visits College":

#"Day Care": Malcolm's family pretends to be church-going Christians so they can take advantage of the church's daycare center. While there, Reese gets into Christianity, Dewey makes some valid points about people who believe in God too intently, and Malcolm refuses to take part of it. Meanwhile, a rival ranch reports an alien sighting, so Francis organizes a sighting on Otto's ranch.

#"Charity": When Lois forces the boys into community service to build character, they choose to help out at a church, where they quickly go from trading their own stuff to stealing merchandise and creating a black market. Meanwhile, Francis finally reaches his destination in Alaska only to learn that his new job isn't the easy money-making opportunity he thought.

#"Christmas": As the boys ruin Christmas every year, the most recent being a tree ornament war, Lois finally issues an ultimatum: either the boys behave or Christmas is cancelled.

#"Reese's Job": Reese works at a fast-food place, but gets into trouble when his co-workers think he stole money from the cash register. Meanwhile, Dewey tries to prove himself trustworthy with a goldfish and his parents try to sabotage his efforts, Malcolm finds himself eclipsed by the newest, youngest Krelboyne, and Francis helps one of his lodge friends prepare to marry a Russian mail-order bride, but what arrives is not what they expected.
#"Lois' Makeover": Mortified when she learns that she performs poorly in Lucky Aide secret-shoppers' performance reviews, Lois tries to dress up her appearance. Meanwhile, Hal is re-energized after beating the boys at basketball, and a rat infestation gives Francis a new job.

#"Reese Drives": Reese gets his learner's permit, but after a poor student named Jackie makes him miss his turn for a driving test, he steals the Driver's-Ed car and ends up in a chase with the cops. Meanwhile, Malcolm helps Craig set up his new entertainment system, and Francis makes several promises to different lodgers in order to fix a hole in the lodge's roof, but when he can't deliver, the angry lodgers come after him.
#"Cynthia's Back": Cynthia from "Krelboyne Girl" returns from living in Europe and Malcolm and Reese notice how "grown up" she's become.
#"Hal's Birthday": Lois arranges for Francis to come home on Hal's birthday as a surprise, but the real surprise is on everyone else when Francis arrives--with a wife, Piama (Emy Coligado).

#"Forwards Backwards": A series of flashbacks and flash-forwards show how Malcolm's birthday was ruined thanks to a prank war with Reese. Meanwhile, Dewey worries about his role as Abraham Lincoln in the school play.
#"Forbidden Girlfriend": Malcolm starts to date Nikki (Reagan Dale Neis), a girl from his school that he tutors in his free time. The only problem is her dad, a Vietnam veteran, who dislikes him. Dewey discovers he's an 'evil twin' and Reese uses this advantage to blame 'Dewey's twin' to turn on his enemies, and at the ranch, Otto is furious with the other ranchers who keep destroying the fence that Francis is building to keep the cattle inside. In the end, Francis settles them down with an idea.
#"Malcolm Holds His Tongue": Malcolm decides to keep his opinions to himself; at first it goes well, but he becomes so over repressed with his opinions, that he becomes overstressed, causing him to grow a stomach ulcer. Meanwhile, Reese must enlist Craig to drive him and his girlfriend to a concert. He finds himself in over his head when Reese learns that Craig wants to go on a hayride date and won't let him renege out of it. Hal starts practicing race-walking, and ends up having talents for it, until he ends up with a fierce rival.
#"Boys at Ranch":