Over the hills and far away in alt.tv.malcolm-in-themiddle, Santa Claws
came to play...
[...]
> Going with the Utah model: Reese got his learners permit mid season,
> the 'Hal Coaches' episode was very shortly afterwards (within two or
> three episodes), so he would definitely still have been 15 then, with
> his 16th birthday some time three to six months after that.
> Unfortunately off-screen, so we never know for sure. But that could
> just about be in the summer... which would make him borderline on the
> right age for his high school class, and still maybe about 15 months
> older than Malcolm.
>
> Okay, I think that works. Sorted.
But if he's 15 by the start of season three, then surely he's a year
behind for high school ? I don't know how the cutoff works for American
schools, but in the UK if you turn four in the summer, you start school in
the September. If the USA works in a similar way, then if Reese's 15th
birthday is in the summer, then he's a year behind ? In the first year of
high school, everyone is at least 14 and most will have their 15th
birthday during the year.
We can be a little more sure with Malcolm's age. Season 4 he starts high
school, so he must be 14 there and getting very close to 15. That explains
why he's not driving yet, you're right.
If Malcolm is 14 just shortly into season 4 (so 13 at the beginning), then
Dewey must be 10 as per "Flashback." But if we assume that...
episode 4.1: still during the summer holidays; Malcolm 13, Dewey 10.
episode 4.2: school term begins... effectively there could be a couple of
months between these two episodes. Perhaps during these couple of months,
both Malcolm and Dewey have their birthdays - Dewey's being just slightly
ahead of Malcolm's. Malcolm 14, Dewey 11. Both of them are the youngest in
their year and just make the cutoff. This runs just slightly contrary to
Flashback in that Malcolm isn't a full four years older, but if we assume
the difference between Dewey and Malcolm's birthday is less than a month,
it's effectively right.
We're getting there :-)
[...]
> And Malcolm already knows how to drive, just not legally... as far
> back as season 2 he borrowed the car of some old lady he was forced to
> look after and went joyriding around town until Lois spotted him.
Oh yes, I remember that episode. I enjoyed that one a lot.
> The insurance stuff I thought was Reese, back in season 3. Just a
> couple of episodes before 'Reese Drives' - if he wants to drive he has
> to pay for his own insurance, so he has to get a job at the burger
> bar, working for Richie. As Malcolm says, 'Reese gets to be bossed
> around by the only person in the entire world dumber than he is.' And
> Richie tries to frame him for a $400 theft.
Yes, you're right. I just got my episodes confused. The BBC are currently
showing season 3 for the first time, and Sky have just started showing
season 4. That's my excuse, anyway :-)
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