A battle of wits and wills ensues between the boys and their angry mom, who wants to find out who ruined her expensive new red dress - found partially burned and soaking in the toilet. It's Hal and Lois's wedding anniversary (hence the dress); and while the boys fend off their mother, with the long-distance assistance of Francis, a lonely and increasingly sozzled Hal bonds with the staff of the restaurant where he booked a table for the big night. Lois finally achieves an epiphany on the phone with Francis, who convinces her to for once "let something go". After she leaves for the restaurant, with the boys in tow, Hal arrives home to an empty house - and we learn the truth about what happened to the red dress.

Malcolm in the Middle Season 1 Episodes...

• s01e01 - Pilot
• s01e02 - Red Dress
• s01e03 - Home Alone 4
• s01e04 - Shame
• s01e05 - Malcolm Babysits
• s01e06 - Sleepover
• s01e07 - Francis Escapes
• s01e08 - Krelboyne Picnic
• s01e09 - Lois vs. Evil
• s01e10 - Stock Car Races
• s01e11 - Funeral
• s01e12 - Cheerleader
• s01e13 - Rollerskates
• s01e14 - The Bots and the Bees
• s01e15 - Smunday
• s01e16 - Water Park (1)

Malcolm in the Middle Show Summary

Malcolm is a regular high school kid trying to navigate his way through life despite the various obstacles thrown in his way a complete misunderstanding of girls, the constant burden of masterminding plans to get himself and his brothers into or out of trouble, and a miserable job at the Lucky Aide not to mention a severe case of teen angst.

Although Malcolm has a genius IQ, he can't seem to make sense of the opposite sex, much less his embarrassing family. Lois is the outspoken, opinionated mom, who still manages to rule the roost even though her boys are growing wise to her crafty ways. Hal, a dad who is just a bumbling, big kid at heart, often finds himself creating more chaos than his five boys combined.