Evacuation (Malcolm in the Middle episode)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Evacuation is the 24th episode of the second season of the FOX Network sitcom Malcolm in the Middle. Written by Gary Murphy and Neil Thompson, and directed by Todd Holland, it aired on May 13, 2001.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

1 Plot
2 Guest Cast
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Plot

[edit] Main plot

Hal takes in a new sofa for the house. He and Dewey ride it back to the dump only to find it had already fallen off when they got there. The couch caused a train wreck (toxic chemical spill), so the entire town evacuates to the school gym.

[edit] Malcolm and Lois plot

Malcolm gets home late due to a homework assignment with Stevie, but Lois grounds him for not coming in when promised. The grounding continues even at the gym. Malcolm is humiliated in front of the other kids, so he refuses to let Lois punish him like it. He mocks her, asking if she'd still punish him like that when he is an adult. She then spanks him (really a light tap), and tells him that when she can't do that she'll change the rules.

[edit] Reese plot

Reese conjures up a black market scheme by trading blankets, pillows, clothes, medicine, and even wheelchairs among the townspeople.

[edit] Hal and Dewey plot

Dewey acts like the innocent boy and lies that his parents were killed by the cloud from the chemical spill. His story evolves and now he is the "Toxic Orphan" whose mother shielded him from the cloud with her body, then he had to strangle his dog to stop it from suffering and on his birthday. Hal does not know that Dewey is the Toxic Orphan and begins collecting money for him. When the crowd finds out that Dewey is his son they are outraged.

[edit] The Francis plot

Eric goes out with a girl named Laura, while Francis is stuck with her sister Didi. All Eric and Laura did was make out, far as we can see. Francis and Didi didn't exactly click in the first few minutes, but after Francis vents that the other guys call him "Poodlehead," the relationship turns on.

[edit] Malcolm's overview

"I knew I was supposed to be home to help dad and Reese with the new couch. But Stevie and I were in the zone. We were cranking on our geometry homework and actually got two weeks ahead. I was an hour late, but c'mon it was for school! Mom totally overreacted and grounded me for two weeks. No phone. No television. No friends. And no dessert. It was so unfair. I stormed off to my room, while dad and Dewey went to take the old couch to the dump. That night, some army guy showed up and said the whole neighborhood was being evacuated. A train derailed and caused some sort of toxic spill. He said that somebody had left a couch on the train tracks. Anyway, we all had to stay in the gym at school, so I thought it would be cool to walk around. That's when mom informed me that I was still grounded. Even in the gym! The Krelboynes weren't even allowed to come talk to me. It was ridiculous. While I was stuck by myself, Reese started a black market by stealing all the toilet paper and making people trade stuff for it. And Dewey told everyone his parents died in the toxic cloud, and kept getting free sympathy stuff like food and toys. Meanwhile, dad felt so guilty about the couch thing that he went out of his way trying to help people. When he found out about the "toxic orphan" he started a fundraiser - not knowing that it was actually Dewey. Everyone was having a blast but me, because I was "restricted" to the cot. So while my family was shivering outside the gym, begging me for blankets, I was just getting comfortable on my cot. After all, I was still grounded."