Reese Joins the Army (1)

Reese Joins the Army (1) is the 21st episode of the 5th season of the Fox sitcom Malcolm in the Middle the 106th episode overall. It originally aired on May 16, 2004.

Plot

Hal and Lois are going through their bills when Hal mentions that things are getting worse at the office. Caught up in their worries, they hardly notice Dewey practicing on his keyboard, or Reese smooching with his girlfriend Beth. Dewey announces that he is entering the regional auditions of a Youth Music festival the next day, but no one pays any attention to him. The next morning, Hal finds two FBI agents in his car. They want him to testify against his boss, but he doesn't know anything. If that is the case, they claim, he might as well make up some stuff to help them. That night, Reese crawls through Beth's bedroom window and proclaims his love. Beth, however, wants to break up with him. Just as he is AbOUT to leave, Reese notices a foot sticking out from under Beth's bed. It's Malcolm, who's grown to like Beth as well. Hal talks to Lois about the FBI offer. Lois thinks it's outrageous that the FBI should ask Hal to do something illegal, and she urges her husband not to lie. Dewey announces that he's passed the auditions. Malcolm suffers from guilt after the incident in Beth's bedroom and he has some bad dreams about it. Dewey wakes him up with some startling news: Reese has run away. Before Dewey and Malcolm can inform their parents about Reese's disappearance, the FBI raid the house and arrest Hal. Meanwhile, Reese has gone to an army recruitment office and joined up. There is some doubt about his age, but he can prove that he is eighteen by showing his (fake) driver's license. The army welcomes 'Private Jetson'. Released from jail and facing indictment for fraud, Hal is fitted with an electronic ankle bracelet. He cannot leave the house. The public defender assigned to Hal's case does not seem to be very competent or interested in the case, making Lois even more worried. At the army camp Reese gets an army haircut, which slightly surprises him. When the new recruits line up on the parade ground, Reese shows up in a White T-shirt. He explains to his instructor that he has traded some of his equipment for a gameboy and extra cartridges. The instructor punishes him by making do push-ups in the mud. At home, an exhausted Lois barely realizes what's going on around the house. Francis and Piama have come over to help. Dewey announces that he's leaving by plane for the youth music festival. Again, no one pays any attention. Hal struggles with the limitations brought on by the ankle bracelet. Picking up The Newspaper from the porch is a chore. When Jamie wanders off onto the lawn, Hal has to get him back by luring the child into the laundry basket, attached to a rope, pulling him in. An anonymous man calls the house and tells Hal that he can prove Hal's innocence. They agree to meet at a secret place, which they don't mention on the phone. Malcolm builds a portable transmitter and puts it in a backpack, so Hal can leave the house. At the army camp, Reese has turned into a model soldier. His explanation is simple: if you stop thinking, everything gets easier. On the other hand, things go worse for Lois. Because she gave a customer twenty thousand dollars change instead of twenty dollars, she got fired. Bad news, such as the repossession of the fridge, doesn't seem to faze her. She just walks fully dressed into the shower and turns on the water. Hal goes to the public library to meet his secret ally. Because backpacks are not allowed, he leaves his in the bushes near the entrance. Malcolm has told him he can move thirty steps away from the bag. Carefully counting his steps, Hal enters the library. A stranger tells him that he has the necessary information to prove Hal's innocence. He assures Hal that he will bring the evidence forward at the court hearing. When Hal leaves the library, he sees a policeman staring at the bag. Hal denies being the owner of the bag, and so the policeman takes a look inside. The electronics make the officer believe that it's a bomb, and he orders Hal to get away quickly. But Hal comes up with an unexpected reply: he is from the bomb squad and he will disarm the device. In the final shot of the episode, we see Hal bent over the bag, surrounded by police officers and patrol cars.

Guest Cast

  • Paul Gleason as Mystery Man
  • Kevin Crowley as Tech
  • Michael Chieffo as Dennis
  • Steve Rankin Sgt. as Hendrix
  • James Henriksen as Officer Moon
  • Erik King as Agent Stone
  • Molly Orr as Beth
  • Monti Sharp as Officer Joplin

Reoccuring Role

  • Emy Coligado as Piama Tananahaakna-Wilkerson

Trivia

  • Lois is fired for giving someone 2,000 dollars in change by accident. This is not possible. All sale venue stores have a policy to drop any large denomination bills (for instance a 100) into the drop box beneath each station. Furthermore, if the register goes over a certain amount (this varies for different stores, but is usually in the 300 to 700 dollar range), they are required to make a drop as well. Lois could very well have given too much in change, but it wouldn't have been anywhere near that much.
  • Dewey flies to his competition by himself. While children can fly alone, they must be dropped off by an adult, watched by a flight attendant for the duration of the flight, and picked up by an adult at the arrival point. He would not have been allowed to board the flight by himself.
  • Dewey's flight number started with a 5. He couldn't say the rest.
  • This episode marks the second time Lois got fired from the Lucky Aide. The first was in early episode "Lois vs. Evil."
  • Dewey has a keyboard in this episode, most likely a note of the episode Malcolm Visits College where he builds a pipe organ.
  • Running Gag: The whole family ignoring Dewey, who tried to tell them about his music competition.
  • Reese's drill sergeant always calls him 'Private Jetson' because of the fake ID he initially shows in order to join the army.
  • Dewey wins a national music competition and even presents the trophy in the bathroom, but no one notices it.

Quotes

  • Reese: I just stopped thinking. I figured out that using my brain was the whole problem. Not just here, but my entire life. If I do exactly what I'm told and nothing else, then everything gets easy. It's not even a question of smart or dumb. You just turn yourself into a tool. I'm much happier that way. I'm the world's happiest tool.
  • Lois: Haven't you finished paying these bills yet?

Hal: How Am I supposed to know which ones to blow off? "Ultimate Final Notice" is obviously more serious than "Absolute Final Notice," but pink is angrier than yellow, and this one's still saying, "Please."

  • Lois: (about the bills) Well, forget this one. What's the vet going to do? Bring Dewey's bird back to life?