Graduation (Malcolm in the Middle episode)

"Graduation (Malcolm in the Middle episode)"

"Graduation" is episode 21 of seventh season, and the final episode of the television series Malcolm in the Middle.

Plot

As the episode progresses, Reese finds out that he will be fired from his janitorial position after thirty days. According to the old janitor, if a new janitor is hired for longer than that, he gains the right to benefits through the employees' union, so every new employee is fired quickly. Seeing this as his dream job, Reese concocts a plan to create a spill which will take longer than thirty days to clean and therefore secure him the position.

Francis, Piama and the boys' grandmother Ida all come to town for the graduation ceremony (Lois and Hal having to force Francis from giving in to the urge to kill Ida). Francis and Lois immediately begin to bicker, with Lois complaining about Francis' lack of work or even plans, to which Francis replies by claiming that he has ideas for writing children's books or becoming a bounty hunter. It is also revealed that Dewey, Reese and Malcolm, no matter what, had to look out for each other due to them all sharing a secret - knowing they tricked their mother into thinking she had cancer in order to have her sign bad report cards without properly looking them over. They all referred to it as a "nuclear option," since any of them could have used the evidence to bring down all three if pushed too far. Knowing they will never need this bond since everyone is going their separate ways, they opt to burn the X-Ray which contained the true results of Lois' exam, and bestow the honor upon Dewey, knowing he'll soon be the oldest of the children at the house. Dewey doesn't actually destroy it (just the cardboard cylinder that contained it), due to the sentimental value it holds, and Francis has to narrowly save it from reaching Lois, and tries to blackmail him, but Dewey counters the blackmail and promptly gets the X-ray back.

Meanwhile, Reese has been brewing his noxious mixture, using animal waste, glue, a roadkill skunk, yard trimmings, eggs, roofing tar, and the contents of a portable toilet. Ida warns him that in order to pull off the plan successfully, he will need a patsy. The pair concoct an elaborate scheme as to how to smuggle the drum into the school, the sheer deviousness of which causes Reese to tearfully say "I love you, Grandma!"

Malcolm receives a letter from Harvard, canceling one of his grants and offering him a much smaller amount if he agrees to a study on people who can't afford to go to university. Hal decides to visit a loan shark for some cash, even offering to let himself get tortured for not paying back, but this fails. While Stevie, his dad and uncle (who is a wealthy technology mogul) are visiting the family, Malcolm is offered a lucrative position at a software company, which Lois refuses for him. As the family begins to go to the graduation ceremony, Reese's concoction (hidden in the back of the family van) rumbles and then explodes, the noise covering Malcolm's profanity-laden outburst toward Lois. Everyone in the van is thoroughly doused in the foul contents.

As the family hoses off in the backyard, Malcolm still remains angry at his mother for turning down the job and forcing him to still go to Harvard. She explains that their plan, all along, was to make sure that he is never happy. She continues that his long struggle, through Harvard and beyond, will eventually land him in the position of President. Malcolm counters, saying he could have taken the software job and bribed his way into office. With a stern look, Lois concludes - "You wouldn't have suffered enough", and explains that for all his hardships, Malcolm will be the only one who understands what life is like for families like his, and as President he will be smart enough to change things. While Malcolm is still outraged his entire life has been planned, Lois dares Malcolm to tell her he can't become on of the greatest Presidents in history, and as Malcolm reflects, he is speechless.

During graduation (where no one will sit near Malcolm and Reese, or the rest of the family because of the smell), as Malcolm gives a speech about the future (where he only gets applause from his family), Francis drops a security identification card (reading Francis Nolastname), which Hal picks up and questions Francis over. Francis explains that he has a very successful job as a clerk "inputting numbers into a computer all day" and enjoys the job very much. However, he has decided not to tell Lois because it would upset their long standing, if rocky, relationship. Hal understands, agreeing to keep the secret. Malcolm's speech ends with him quoting Paul McCartney, who Lois wanted him to quote, signifying that he has accepted her vision.

Three months later, Dewey and Jamie hide in a closet as Lois rages about something being broken. Dewey realizes that the bond he and his older brothers shared is now over, but he and Jamie now share a new bond. Francis calls Lois and angrily shouts that he will grow up when he is ready, then kisses Piama as he takes her packed lunch to work and promises to be home at five o'clock for dinner. Hal seems happy that Reese and Malcolm are out of the house although Lois is pregnant again, much to Hal's shock. Reese and Craig, now roommates, are celebrating Craig's birthday. Reese, on the telephone with Malcolm, explains that he landed the job of janitor when "they found the peephole into the girls' washroom" remarking that his grandmother was right about needing a scapegoat. Malcolm, at Harvard, explains that it is a whole new world up at Harvard, and like Reese, he's also doing janitorial work. As the bell rings, Malcolm quickly says his goodbyes, puts away his janitorial equipment and rushes to his next class. The series ends in the same manner as the series pilot, with a clip of "Better Days (And the Bottom Drops Out)" by Citizen King.

Trivia

• The episode was viewed by 7.4 million viewers the first time it aired, a season high.
• The episode aired the same day the finale of Seinfeld aired eight years prior.

Guest cast

• Noah Matthews – Young Malcolm
• Raymond O'Connor – Al
• Steve Vinovich – Principal
• Lamont Thompson – Cedric Hampton
• Enzo Stussi – Loanshark
• Cloris Leachman – Grandma Ida

Cold Opening

Reese jumps over the couch, returning from earlier with popcorn, asking of his brothers what he missed, appearing as if they were watching a television program. After Malcolm tells him about the explosion and unconsciousness to a disappointed Reese, Lois walks by and says, "Oh, for gosh sakes, Hal. Pay the money and get a repair man" to which a shot of Hal, meddling with a bunch of wires in the back of their television set, replies, "I am not wasting money when I am perfectly capable-" but is stopped abruptly as he is shocked, then the camera shows the siblings laughing. This opening includes the whole main cast with the exception of Christopher Masterson.