Hal forgets to pay the family's health insurance and when the company won't reinstate them until Monday, he panics and locks the boys in their room so they won't get hurt. But the boys try to escape, Jamie gets in harm's way and Hal is the one who needs a doctor. Meanwhile, Lois and her coworkers discuss unionizing at the Lucky Aide and she hits her 10-year anniversary at the store.
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.