When I re-watched “MalColm in the Middle”

I’m not sure how many of you remember this series, or even know about it, in fact; but it is a terrific show. Running from 2000 – 2006, the show is funny, clever and just great. Maybe it’s the show that represents childhood, or maybe it’s the show capturing the late 90s early 2000s era or maybe it’s me missing my own childhood but you’d really have to watch the show yourself to figure it out.

Most would remember Bryan Cranston as Walter White from “Breaking Bad”, but he did another great series before that: Malcolm in the Middle. Hal is this sort of adult child who is very much in love with his wife and tries to control and take care of his mischievous kids who get in all sorts of trouble. Hal and Lois have 4 kids at the beginning of the series: all boys. And Lois gets pregnant in the series again with surprise: another boy. One can only imagine how hard it must be for Lois to take care of them with Hal acting like a child himself, at times. No wonder she is arrogant, paranoid and controlling.

But, I am getting ahead of myself. While I’ve watched “Malcolm in the Middle” before and thoroughly enjoyed it, rewatching has made me see it in a different light. Who doesn’t miss their childhood? I read somewhere that when we remember how childhood, it’s not the 90s we miss but our childhood and our innocence. Because in our minds, it is just that beautiful messy time where we could do anything we wanted, be anything we wanted. It’s not about the era, but it’s all about the time.

And this is what “Malcolm in the Middle” captures perfectly. What I realized when I rewatched this time is how childhood actually was during those times. The guys got in all sorts of trouble, they were chaotic, they were curious, and they were naughty and sometimes just plain evil. They did all sorts of things; they were risk takers. And this is where children could have different childhoods. They wrestle, they experiment, they throw stuff and each other all around; they’re scared of their mother. But it doesn’t stop them from doing more. And because of this, they have this amazing childhood that they can remember and laugh about.

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