The Best Episodes Written By Alan J. higgins

Roller-skating lessons from Hal bug Malcolm, who rebels against dad's discipline while mom agonizes in bed from a backache she blames on Reese. Francis avoids his squad's survival weekend.

Mike and Molly gather with family and friends for a momentous occasion and reminisce about everything that led to this point.

An accident forces Sandy to come clean with Mindy. After visiting Eileen's grave, Phoebe tries to make amends with Norman, but it doesn't go well.

As Norman contemplates retiring, an unexpected visitor has him considering his spiritual life. Sandy dislikes changes Mindy is making at the studio.

Mike brings home a stray puppy for the weekend but Molly has difficulty warming up to it.

Norman contemplates a financial arrangement with Sandy. Sandy tries to smooth things over with Lisa. Mindy helps her father with his tax situation.

Norman has lunch with a widowed friend of Eileen's. Sandy and Norman attend a Parkinson's fundraiser. Norman is haunted by women from his past.

Being fed up with military school, Francis gets himself legally emancipated so he can go north to Alaska with his friend Eric and become a logger. This does not sit well at all with the family.

Mike's ego takes a hit during a bowling date with Molly.

Mike is upset when Vince bails on finishing a Do-It-Yourself project they started together.

Carl convinces Mike to go with him to see his psychic and Peggy drags Molly to her church to pray for something they’ve all been waiting for,

Norman and Sandy drive Phoebe to rehab, then spend the night at a casino. Sandy faces a financial quandary and learns he's angered Lisa.

Lois must take drastic steps to discover which of her sons ruined the special dress she bought for an anniversary dinner with Hal.

Juicy guest casting and ingenious plotting enliven an hourlong episode that airs in the plum post-Super Bowl slot. One storyline unfolds at Hal's company picnic, where Lois clashes with a blabby wife and her beleaguered spouse; and Hal runs afoul of his new boss and the big cheese. In Alaska, Francis's scheme to win a bet involves rigging a hockey game that pits loggers vs. a fearsome women's squad led by a blowhard coach.

After Hal is mistaken by his new boss, as that guy's boss, Hal plays along. Malcolm is in a three-legged scavenger hunt with the girl he likes, but becomes upset after he confesses he likes her, and she says she likes another boy. Reese is also the the scavenger hunt, and at first doesn't like the big dumb bully he is with, but they grow to like each other when they bond over beating up the other contestants and stealing their items. Lois continues to balance keeping Dewey intact and dealing with the crazy woman, but now must talk to the husband as well. Francis continues to sabotage his own team, this time on the ice.

Francis receives a visit from Lois and Hal to celebrate his one-year anniversary of sobriety. However, when they attend one of his A.A. meetings, it's revealed that it was Lois who forced him to start drinking. Back home, Dewey finds Hal's spare key for his car and tries to get Malcolm and Reese to drive him to the arcade, but, of course, they refuse.

While Sandy contends with a worsening prostate problem and conflict between his students, Norman deals with his troubled daughter, Phoebe.

Malcolm and his Krelboyne classmates enlist the help of Hal for a school project, which involves a robot, and an enormous swarm of bees. Lois visits Francis at his school after he becomes injured and soon clashes with Spangler.

Peggy makes Molly do chores in exchange for sharing tantalizing stories from her past for Molly’s second book.

Sandy and Norman turn to each other for support as Sandy waits for his test results and tension between Norman and Phoebe ramps up.

The night shift at Lucky Aide is held hostage by two robbers, since Craig does not want to give up the combination for the store's safe. Francis tries to help a heartbroken friend at the academy, while Hal and the boys fight nature at home.

Dewey starts carrying a purse to school. Francis's friend Richie joins him at military school. Malcolm becomes a slave to an old woman in the neighborhood.

Two days before their wedding, Mike and Molly arrange their wedding rehearsal which turns into a disaster.

Mike is inspired by their honeymoon trip to Paris to change his life and travel the world, while Molly worries how their family and friends fared at home without them.

Mike and Carl go to couples counseling to try to reconcile their partnership. Also, Molly decides to do a promotional radio interview on her own after Peggy decides not to participate.