Current Events > I like how Malcolm in the Middle makes you think... (spoilers)

(+) Yeah! (+)

...That Francis and Piama are going to break up, only a few episodes after she's introduced.

You see it a lot in shows: One of the main characters gets a new love interest, they stick around for a bit, and then they break up and the love interest is never seen or even mentioned again. Malcolm in the Middle even did it on several occasions. With Francis and Piama, the show established that they met and got married in less than a month, and this was following Francis emancipating himself and going all the way to Alaska after spending a few years in military school, so we already know that Francis is know for his stupid decisions.

The following episodes after Piama is introduced show that the two still don't really know each other, culminating in their argument about their casino money, and they come to the realization that maybe their marriage was a mistake. You think they're going to break up, and we'll never see her again, especially since this is the penultimate episode of the season (and the penultimate episode of Francis' Alaska arc).

...No. They immediately have sex and start bonding. They stay married, and she actually sticks around until the very end of the series.

I like that they did that, subverting expectations in regards to Francis and Piama's whirlwind romance, and allowed it to develop even further and further developing Piama as a character (including making peace--more or less--with Lois). Would have been a shame if they just dropped her like they did with Cynthia.

Wouldnt happen in a show today mostly because everyone got fed the fast-food diet of go, go, go

Yeah they did a great job with Francis and Piama. With her, he got his shit together and became the most responsible well adjusted one in the family. Then they went and screwed up his character in the last season.

BlazinBlue88 posted...

Yeah they did a great job with Francis and Piama. With her, he got his shit together and became the most responsible well adjusted one in the family. Then they went and screwed up his character in the last season.

Agreed. Actually, it was season 6, but through seasons 4-5, his time on the ranch turned him into a responsible adult (even if he still had his silly moments, but that goes for everyone on the show) with a great relationship with his boss (in contrast with Commandant Spangler and Lavernia), but then halfway through season 6, we discover that he was fired offscreen by the ranch and has turned into a loser again. It's like the show went out of its way to bring back seasons 1-3 Francis, character development be damned.

I feel like the writers had no idea what to do with him after like season 3.

I like dewey's hamster that just kept going around places

Solar_Crimson posted...

It's like the show went out of its way to bring back seasons 1-3 Francis, character development be damned.

Relapsing can be a form of character development.

Gremlynn posted...

Relapsing can be a form of character development.

Yeah but there was no real reason behind it. The actor who played his boss had cancer and had to leave the show. That's why they fired Francis off screen which didn't make sense for the character considering how irreplaceable he was. Then they didn't know what to do with him.

Corbenik posted...

I like dewey's hamster that just kept going around places

The fact they didn't bring this back in the final episode felt like a missed opportunity.

Yeah I remember being surprised by that as a kid. I didn't think he was mature enough to be a husband but they made it work.

I also miss Cynthia she was a good foil to Malcolm. Then they brought in Hayden P to antagonize and befriend Malcolm who I also really liked

Malcom's dad got stage 3 lung cancer and became a Drug Lord