Ep 11. Long Drive

In the episode "Long Drive" of Malcolm in the Middle season 4, the family goes on a road trip to attend a family reunion which is a 17-hour drive. Hal and Lois take turns driving and they try to count the game of license plates that they see along the way, but they end up fighting over it. Meanwhile, Malcolm and Reese are stuck in the backseat and they fight over some music, snacks and try to annoy each other, but it leads to them realizing how much they need each other.

Dewey tries to play a game with Jamie, but he doesn't like it so Dewey tries to get him interested in something else. Jamie's mind gets occupied when he sees a flock of birds and decides to make them follow him, causing a small accident with a car. Francis and Piama stay back to take care of the ranch and they have a romantic night together, but they are disturbed by a group of cows that surround them and start licking them.

When they arrive at the family reunion, they realize that the people there are so much different than they imagined. Hal's cousin has a wife who is fighting with him constantly, and she is deaf which makes it even worse. Lois' sister, Susan is there with their mother, Ida. Susan is the smart one who is always comparing her kids with Lois' and Ida is the one who is constantly criticizing Lois and praising Susan.

Dewey finds an old possessed doll that used to belong to his uncle and he starts to get obsessed with it. At the same time, Reese and Malcolm get interested in a girl who is at the reunion and they try to win her over. They start competing with each other to impress her, but their attempts end up in disaster.

As the night progresses, they all end up fighting with each other, and Hal and Lois argue about driving back because they didn't have a good time there. At the end of the day, they all end up realizing how much they need each other and decide to make the best of it.

Overall, this episode of Malcolm in the Middle offers a comedic take on a typical family road trip and family reunion and highlights the importance of family and looking out for each other.