User:Nothin' at all/MITM/313
| "Reese Drives" | |
|---|---|
| Malcolm in the Middle episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 13 |
| Directed by | Jeff Melman |
| Written by | Michael Glouberman and Andrew Orenstein |
| Production code | 06-01-309 |
| Original air dates | February 10, 2002 |
"Reese Drives" is episode 13 of the third season of the television series Malcolm in the Middle. It first aired on February 10, 2002.
Plot[edit]
Hal and Lois are dismayed to find Reese on his best behavior. With Reese preparing to test for his learner's permit, they are desperate to ground him, but despite galling and even being stabbed in the leg with a fork by Dewey, he refrains from retaliating or causing any kind of trouble. Francis, on the other hand, finds himself in financial need in Alaska when (in a manner unrevealed to the viewer) he manages to punch a hole in the roof of his cabin. With his parents unwilling to lend him money since his emancipation, Francis resorts to offering increasingly complicated trades and favors with lumberjacks working at the camp site.
Reese, having survived his final night before the test by having Malcolm tie him to his bed, passes his test and earns his learner's permit. As Reese leaves for driving school, however, Craig accuses Malcolm of egging his house and Lois angrily sends him to clean it up. Upon arriving, Malcolm learns that Craig lied so that Malcolm could come over and help him set up his entertainment center he purchased with his insurance settlement from the Wilkerson's accidental burning of his old house. Malcolm readily accepts.
Francis' dealings grow more and more complicated, and inevitably, the system breaks down. Having failed to meet the demands of several of the lumberjacks, who begin to plan severe retribution, Francis goes into hiding by disguising himself as an identical French-Canadian cousin named Pierre.
During his first day at driving school, Reese is dismayed to find that the driving instructor is so preoccupied by filling out his personal bills that Reese does not get his turn to drive. When the driving instructor has Jackie stop at the post office, Reese is determined to drive back to the school, but the driver's ed car is rear-ended before he even puts the car in drive. Panicking, Reese drives off and proceeds to lead the police in a low-speed car chase around town. Malcolm, who is helping Craig to calibrate his satellite dish, sees the live news feed of the chase and runs home, accidentally knocking the ladder to the roof askew as he leaves. Unaware of this, Craig tries to climb down from the roof, falling and landing on his cat, Jellybean.
As the chase drags on, looping several times around the city, Reese begins to run out of options. Apologizing to Jackie for getting her involved, he asks to use her cell phone so Francis can help him find a way out of the situation. Francis is optimistic at first about Reese's chance of escape, but in the course of the conversation, the lumberjacks catch on to Francis' deception and begin congregating ominously behind him. Accepting that the game is over, Francis tells Reese that there are times when it is best to stop running and face the consequences with class and dignity before submitting to the lumberjacks' punishment which, through a brief scream over the phone, is apparently brutal. Taking Francis' advice, Reese drives the car back to the DMV, surrendering to police after driving through the obstacle course flawlessly.