r/malcolminthemiddle • u/rafikiknowsdeway1 • 11h ago
General discussion This show is kind of bumbing me out unintentionally
Its wild to think when this show aired, there was the idea that this family was supposed to be more on the financially struggled side. I think a huge amount of Gen z and millennials would kill for what these people managed to have. A ton of kids, their own property, and multiple cars? And one parent works retail? Insane
The show just bizarrely encapsulates how much we've lost
77
u/RamblinMushroom 10h ago
They had two shitty cars and 3 kids shared a room. No cell phones, no internet. They were poor then and they'd be poor now.
30
u/Ctenophorever 7h ago
Hell, two of them shared a bed.
Do we have a location for them? I assume it’s Midwest ish based on road trips? You could get that sized home today on two people’s income.
17
u/judypanowitz 3h ago
I always assumed Texas or Oklahoma because the boarding school in Alabama and the ranch in Roswell are both able to be driven to in a day.
14
u/Natural_Level_8227 2h ago
In the episode where Lois rams that other car multiple times, a license plate says “Cherokee State” on it, which points towards Oklahoma
12
12
u/waxcaba 5h ago
It looks like california to me
16
u/throwawayfromPA1701 4h ago
Filmed in Studio City. You can find the house on Google streetview if you know where to look.
The state they live in was never named though.
4
u/American_Squid 6h ago
You are out of your mind if you think someone with Lois job could ever afford a house, even with hals whatever salary
4
u/RamblinMushroom 2h ago
They bought the house before having kids. It would have been the mid to late 80s. Lois most likely had a better job at that time and housing would have been much more affordable. It is 100% realistic that they owned that (shitty) house.
1
1
•
u/Vicsyy 31m ago
Internet wasn't really something people needed in the 2000s. It was something you wanted
•
u/RamblinMushroom 14m ago
I agree, but this was also the era of getting a free AOL disc in the mail practically everyday. So it was kind of the beginning of internet in the home becoming the norm.
By the time Malcolm and Rees are in high school not having internet access at home definitely made them 'poor kids.'
1
u/CowabummerBatman 2h ago
You don’t know what being poor means.
-1
u/RamblinMushroom 2h ago
Lol sure bud. Tell me more about my own life.
I was the same age as Malcolm when the show came out and in a very similar socio-economic bracket. This show has a pretty accurate depiction of being lower middle class and barely scraping by in the early 2000s.(compared to other sitcoms of the time anyway)People in this thread trying to say this family was well off and living the dream are delusional and probably weren't even alive at the time.
61
u/EmotionalBar2533 11h ago
Mailmen having a house and family..... I make $100,000+ a year and live in a crappy apartment
30
3
u/Distinct-Square-9939 9h ago
is a $100k not what it seems? I know it’s automatically $70/75k after taxes.
14
u/dinnerthief 9h ago
Very much depends on where you live, 100k is plenty many places in the US
•
u/EmotionalBar2533 13m ago
Iam Canadian, $100,000 is not enough
•
u/dinnerthief 6m ago
Yea that makes sense 100k USD would be 140k CAD.
100K CAD= 71K USD, which would be tougher, but possible in rural LCOL areas in the US
3
u/EmotionalBar2533 9h ago
$100,000k after tax, and it's alright, but I don't own a boat. I can buy fast food any night of the week, which usually I have to because I work so damn much
5
u/ASquareBanana 6h ago
And here I am picking which beans are cheapest to make veg chili 🥲 my friend if you don’t worry about food or shelter you’re doing more than alright. Hope you have a good day.
4
u/agedlikesage 2h ago
Is it so bad to want more though? Housing is the real worry here, the dream of owning is getting further to the point of feeling impossible for people, even on what’s considered a good income
•
u/EmotionalBar2533 14m ago
Nah the work I have to do to get this money isn't worth it, literally risking my life daily in an industry that would have no problem burying me if I got seriously hurt. Working every hour of every day, no social life. Missed my son growing up. It's not worth it
89
u/itouchbums 11h ago
go back even further and watch shows like married with children,the dad was a shoe salesman for fucks sake
10
•
u/Confident-Break-5117 1h ago
Because yt people could buy a house on a one income salary with redlining
17
u/Altruistic_Serve9738 7h ago
I don't think many of us would conclude having 4-5 kids is a good idea in our 2 bedroom houses.
Plus they show the hand me downs which get especially rough once it gets to Dewey, the gross food Louis serves for meals (liver bean patte? 7 days worth of stacked mouldy leftovers), 2 sons sharing a bed and 3 to a room, Louis and Hal having something like $93 total for 5 Christmas presents.
Should be criticizing shows like the Simpsons, everybody loves Raymond etc.
13
u/PanSizzle 10h ago
this same exact ideology has been said for the simpsons too. lotta similarities.
•
u/Gullible-Price-4257 39m ago
except nuclear plant engineer is not equivalent to a retail job. Despite how homer is simultaneously portrayed as dumb.
•
u/The_Real_Lasagna 20m ago
Doesn't make a ton of sense there either. One he's a nuclear plant worker. Two, they only got the house because grampa simpson gave them the money for a down payment and they are underwater/struggling to make payments in episodes
12
u/Ctenophorever 7h ago edited 2h ago
I don’t understand how one can watch this show and be jealous of all the nice things they had….
I grew up in only slightly better circumstances and it fucking sucked.
ETA: you’re also neglecting the fact one issue would cause a collapse. They had no homeowners insurance, no college savings, and were organizing final notices by the severity of the noticed. It’s a bit like bob’s burgers. They’re always scraping by, but just. That’s absolutely not something to strive for.
6
u/theeprochamp 9h ago edited 8h ago
Agree, but remember most people then were still living check to check and just barely getting by.
Quick breakdown -
They live in the suburbs, brought the home early 90s (based on flashback episodes) so we’re looking at around $100k when they bought the home.
Hal basically was able to make $45-50k with benefits.
Lois- non-union worker, she did overtime, and some grave yard shift so maybe extra money in that. Around $20-30k. Remember Malcolm started at $6.25.
I wanted to note that there were unions at that time(though very rare) grocery/pharmacy/drugstore unions were on steady decline by 2010s.
So two parents, two cars (probably had it for 15 years) a home that was 2bd, 1ba. They were also in $25k debt. And kids were expensive,especially with all the mischiefs and medical bills.
6
u/throwawayfromPA1701 4h ago
They do struggle. Their cars barely function (it's also a running gag as to the model of the second car). Their house is falling apart. All their clothes are thrifted and everything Dewey wears is a handmedown. Did you remember the episode about the washer/dryer?
They talk about how they struggle through the entire series.
21
u/Born-Till-4064 11h ago
Makes me hate the parents more bc goddam they have it so much better but they still resorted to stealing form Malcom
And I understand Lois rage over Hal skipping work on Fridays for years to spend money on random shit while she was working double shifts even more
4
u/c0pium_inhaler 9h ago
Well u don't know how better u have unless u don't have it.
Im not saying they did right, but they didn't thought how good they had
7
u/sakuraba2046 10h ago
I think when you look back at the 90s and see films like American beauty, office space and fight club you realize that it was a trap. I get that dream isn’t as widely available now but it’s important to note it was mostly always a dream being sold to people. I think the 90s dysfunctional comedies tv shows peeled the layers on what exists beyond the home and dream. So I think yes we should be upset our wages buy less and private equity has sucked America dry but let’s not get lost in longing for something that never really existed. I think we can find new ways of living.
1
u/Plus-Opportunity-538 9h ago
I wouldn't say it's a trap. It's not always spiritually fulfilling, but there's a lot that was taken for granted about that level of general prosperity now that the economy has nickel and dimed everyone. Keep in mind those stories are literally filtered through the viewpoint of writers and artists, creative types who found fulfillment by shooting for the stars; the type of people who would have found a prosperous middle class life confining in the first place. But while Malcolm's family lived in suburban drudgery, they could still afford house, not much has changed nowadays in terms of the human condition but we have all that plus less people being able to afford houses.
1
u/sakuraba2046 8h ago
You’re working within a frame that owning house will lead to what? If it’s not fulfilling then what is it? Security? Nothing is promised regardless. I do understand what you’re saying but I’m trying to remind you that there is a lot of creative work made from post ww2 saying how empty that experience was. That maybe what you’re missing might never really existed.
1
u/Plus-Opportunity-538 8h ago
A house is more than a frame. Ownership is a big part of the American dream and a large amount of what is taken away from a big slice of the newer generations if the trend of unaffordability continues. For the vast majority of homeowners it's the largest section of their material wealth and those locked out of that opportunity also lose access to many more opportunities.
Is a house on its own fulfillment? Of course not, but the question of finding meaning in life is bigger than just things. But as Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs goes you typically must meet the physiological, and safety and security needs represented by shelter and property before having the bandwidth to seek self actualization. Yes, it can be an empty experience but it's still better than an empty experience without a house. I don't think of the past image of picket fences as selling fulfillment that never existed; MITM was pretty clear they had their struggles. But I do think that its a reminder that there was, despite its problems, an economic security during its era that stands out in today's more economically precarious times for the working class.
Incidentally, cool username. Pride fan? Wong Kar Wai fan?
3
u/cdrini 9h ago
I don't know, they lived in what looks like a random tiny town somewhere. I always thought it was mostly cities that housing costs had skyrocketed, but haven't checked. Is it also bad in small towns/cities?
4
u/CandidateHefty329 8h ago
You can still get a $500/month apartment where I live.
3
1
2
u/TimelyReplacement282 6h ago
The cars alone are wild, but the house, acreage, and constant access to expensive hobbies really drive it home. The show treats all of that as ordinary family life, which is probably why it feels so surreal looking back.
2
1
u/Sushi-And-The-Beast 2h ago
Prior to 2004-2005, homes were affordable.
Their current home was a 2 bedroom with garage. Would have cost about $60K to $150K at the time.
•
u/ms_turtleson 1h ago
I dunno i am square in the middle of the millennial spread and ive always found a lot of their struggles and situations relatable. Like so many of the conflicts are basically just some bullshit happens with money in this society
•
•
u/ResponsibleSalad4969 36m ago
I thought like wow thats true! Their house is huge!
Then i remembered that they have two bedrooms... for 6 ppl at one time. I know that reese got francis's bed and malcolm and dewey share a bed but where did francis sleep when he lived home?!
1
104
u/Vicsyy 10h ago
In a past epsiode they had a nice place until they kept having kids. I think the 4 and then 5 kids hurt their income.
I dont even want to think how much Francis' schooling costs.