Malcolm Wilkerson
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| Malcolm in the Middle character | |
 |
|
|---|---|
| Malcolm Wilkerson | |
| Played by | Frankie Muniz |
| First appearance | Pilot |
| Last appearance | Graduation |
| Marital status | Single |
| Occupation | Student, multiple campus jobs |
| Family | Lois Wilkerson Hal Wilkerson Francis Wilkerson Reese Wilkerson Dewey Wilkerson Jamie Wilkerson |
Malcolm Wilkerson is the main character and protagonist in Malcolm in the Middle. He is played by Frankie Muniz.
Malcolm is the middle child of the family (thus the title Malcolm in the Middle) and is the central character in the show. At the beginning of the series, Malcolm's teacher recognizes him as a gifted student, and places him in an accelerated learning class. Much to his dismay, the move brands him as a "krelboyne" (the name krelboyne comes from the surname of one of the characters in the movie The Little Shop of Horrors, Seymour Krelboyne). Many episodes revolve around Malcolm's attempts to reconcile his genius-level IQ (165) with his desire to lead a what he would consider a normal social life. However, Malcolm remains a social outcast in school. In middle school, Malcolm uncomfortably socializes with his fellow krelboynes, but when the group moves on to high school, they no longer have classes together and stop interacting. He and Reese, particularly toward the end of the series, have no discernable group of friends. At this point, the only people Malcolm interacts with socially on a regular basis are his family, his genius friend Stevie Kenarban, and a handful of short-term girlfriends.
[edit] Series finale
In the final episode it is revealed that Malcolm's parents do not plan for him to be happy in life. During Malcolm's life, he consistently has exceeded his parents' expectations, and by the time he graduates high school, they have the highest of expectations for him, that he will become President of the United States. Pursuant to this, instead of letting Malcolm take a six figure job out of high school, his parents force him to follow through on plans to attend Harvard. Lois says that at Harvard, Malcolm will have to work harder than his classmates and accomplish more than they do, but they will continue to look down on him. Consequently, Malcolm will realize that there is more to life than showing off how smart he is. Then, the plan holds, he will channel his energies into a political career, and after starting off as a District Attorney or running a foundation, he will then be elected governor of a midsize state, and then be elected President. Lois and Hal envision that he would then become one of the greatest Presidents ever because he would represent the interests of people like his family, which, his parents say, no other President has. It appears that his brothers and grandmother are aware of these plans, as when Malcolm looks around at his family after being told this, they all nod at him, and Francis says, "Sorry, we thought you knew." Although Malcolm recognizes that his parents plans are outlandish and improbable and that they are are making decisions for him that are rightfully his to make, he signals that he's accepted their vision for him and will carry it out.
[edit] Jobs
Malcolm has had three jobs in the series. His first was as a babysitter for a rich family to earn money to buy a robotics kit, but he quit after learning the parents were spying on him. Later, in the middle of the series, Lois forced Malcom to take a job with her at the Lucky Aide to have him under her control. He hated the job and had tried to quit many times but Lois wouldn't let him. He finally quit at approximately the time he graduated. In the final episode he gets a job as a janitor at Harvard to help with his tuition.
