From its title sequence, with the argumentative noise of They Might Be Giants’ song Boss of Me over MTV-style, ADHD-addled cutting, Malcolm in the Middle suggests that there is no one controlling these children. Even from its very first episode, including Francis’ brilliant “If you could find it in your heart” speech over a background of various incidents, the family of troublemakers are set up to rip, tear, and destroy everything that they come in to contact with.

Even Malcolm’s fourth wall-breaking conversations to his audience work as both an update on what’s happening, but also pre-cursor to a biased narrator for his own scheming and monkey shines. Below we rank some of the best and most destructive moments from the brilliant series.

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7 Science Fare Explosion (“Krelboyne Picnic” Season 1, Ep 8)

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In a desperate bid to get out of having to perform at the school talent show, Malcolm sabotages Stevie’s chemicals to create a stink bomb. Unfortunately, he misjudges the measurements and creates a giant explosion that covers the whole school. An early example of all the characters being given a part to play, each with a fair share of screen time, and all culminating in various destruction for the good of the whole episode.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

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MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

6 Hockey Fight (“Company Picnic Pts 1 & 2” Season 3, Ep 11-12)

While made to be the hockey team’s kit man, Francis steals all the money he can from his teammates’ wallets and bets against Lavernia to lose, with the goal of making over $600 and paying off his debt to her. But when Lavernia gets on the ice herself, the team starts winning.

Recognizing that he could sway the game once more, Francis jumps in as well and begins to sabotage whatever he can. In a last ditch final play, now realizing that these are his teammates, Francis wins the game with the final shot and admits that there was actually no real bet. His reward? One last skate on the ice — completely naked.

5 The Kid’s Aren’t All Right (“Lois’ Makeover” - Season 3, Ep 10)

Recognizing that, yes, they can beat Hal at basketball when working together as a coherent team, Hal starts to play prison rules to win. Pulling down shorts, and going as far as to fake an injury to avoid having to play again, the boys sit atop one another to create a sort of human Megazord to block the hoop.

When it looks like Hal will make a basket, he is punched directly in the groin by his eldest son. Whenever the show focused on just the boys always created magic and Dewey’s delivery of The Future’s Now, Old Man is just spectacular.

4 Whose Dog Is This?! (“Traffic Jam” Season 2, Ep 1)

In this brilliant “bottle” episode, the family are stuck in a traffic jam with no view of it moving any time soon. Malcolm meets a pretty girl, and Lois goes completely off the rails in a need to get home to Dewey and relieve a babysitter who isn’t even there anymore.

Exchanging heated words with the police on the scene and then the cleanup crew, and finally being faced with a scenario that she cannot shout at or control, Lois stumbles upon a dog locked in a hot car. Snapping, she smashes the window of the car with a rock and releases the vicious canine, which immediately attacks her.

3 Joy Ride (“Reece Drives” Season 3, Ep 13)

Reece breaks back against his moronic and selfish driving teacher when he steals the car and takes Jackie his hostage. Doing his best OJ impersonation, Reece takes the cops on a journey down the highway and back to the driving school range. Not only proving that he can perfectly navigate the course and its obstacles, the scene is framed wonderfully to mirror his fellow driver’s poor attempt earlier in the episode. As Reece is finally tackled by the police, Hal, having watched it play out on TV, sighs and readies himself to inform their lawyer.

2 Wide Ride Clown Brawl (“Lois’ Birthday” Season 2, Ep 3)

Neglecting her own birthday, Lois escapes the house to be alone. Ending up at a batting cage, Hal and the boys do their best to save what little shred of the day they have left and make it up to her. Unfortunately, a brawl ensues following a lewd remark from a carnie clown with Hal swatting the goofy fiend in the face and knocking him down.

Jumping to their fallen brother-in-arm’s aid, a colorful contingent of clowning jokers join and start tussling with the rest of the family. Recognizing that these men and boys are willing to fight clowns for their wife and mother’s honor reminds Lois of just what she has. Which is something. Watch as Oscar-nominee and four-time Emmy winner Bryan Cranston is kicked repeatedly in the face with an oversized clown shoe.

1 Golf Cart in the Pool (“Family Reunion” Season 4, Ep 3)

For all the times the Wilkerson family (if that is their real last name) don’t see eye to eye, when Lois is shunned and humiliated at the big family reunion, her boys decide that destructive revenge is the only logical next step. Put-upon and hit with a barrage of backhanded comments and general nastiness on arrival, Lois is the main target of hazing by Hal’s extended family.

When she is duped into missing out on the family photograph (including every member, minus her), enough is enough. With Francis behind the wheel, the boys drive a golf cart across the grounds of the house, destroying the buffet, driving over the cake and hurtling into the pool. Watching all four of them slowly sink under the water is absolute gold in one of the best episodes of the entire series’ seven season run.