Malcolm's Most Interesting Love Interest: Why Are People Obsessed With Cynthia?

[00:00:00]There are few characters from Malcolm in the Middle that are as intriguing as Cynthia.

[00:00:05]>> You're new here.

[00:00:06]>> Yeah.

[00:00:08]My dad wanted to get away from Manhattan, but I think the real reason is that my mom's remarriage hit him pretty hard, and he thinks that a new environment would help. The truth is nothing's been the same since my brother died in the boating accident.

[00:00:22]Just kidding.

[00:00:23]>> Not because of anything innate to the character, she really doesn't get a ton of backstory or depth. But the fascinating part of Cynthia is how big of an impact she seemed to have on the community. You naturally might expect a side character who is talked about more than any other side character on the forums and in my comments to be a major recurring part of the show. So I ask you, without cheating, how many episodes did Cynthia appear in within Malcolm in the Middle? I'm sure many of you will get the answer, but I'm curious to see what the outliers we may get are. So put your answer in the comments [music] below. Okay, you got it locked in? All right, the answer is four episodes.

[00:00:59][music] That's right, this character who takes up so much space in the collective mind of the Malcolm in the Middle community had maybe 30 to 40 minutes of screen time at most. And that is the thing about Cynthia that inspires my curiosity the most. How did this character that seemingly [music] disappears and reappears at random and then all of a sudden just vaporizes manage to take root in the community to the level that she did. To the point that her lack of inclusion in Life Sucks and Then You Die led to some people hating the show before it ever even aired. I mean, she's like egg but injected with super soldier serum. But that's what we'll be diving into today. Why is Cynthia so beloved and so commonly discussed within the community? Before we do that though, have you liked and subscribed? If not, now is a great time to do so. There's also a bunch more Malcolm content on the channel, and I plan on branching out to shows like Always Sunny in the near future. But without further ado, let's dig on in. So to understand why the community loves Cynthia so much, we just need to learn more about her character and how she is utilized by the writers.

[00:02:03]To do that, we can look at the episode she appears in, which as mentioned earlier, there are four. [music] The first being season 2, episode 12, entitled Cow Boy and Girl. The episode, of course, as the title gives away, sees [music] Cynthia joining Malcolm's Cow Boy class, a group of kids who are socially awkward but gifted in the way of intellect. [music] >> I no longer have to live in fear.

[00:02:24]>> What are you talking about?

[00:02:26]>> The hazing we put you through is over.

[00:02:28]>> What hazing?

[00:02:29]>> Oh, come on. When we gave you the warped lunch strip.

[00:02:35]When we dulled the points on your pencils.

[00:02:38]When you sneezed and no one said bless you.

[00:02:41]>> I still feel bad about that.

[00:02:42]>> During the episode, we very quickly learn that Cynthia is an awkward kid with an interesting sense of humor.

[00:02:48]Further, we find that she immediately has a crush on Malcolm and Malcolm has a crush on her, which they both admit to each other.

[00:02:56]>> Okay.

[00:02:57]You know what?

[00:02:58]Big deal.

[00:03:00]I do like you.

[00:03:02]>> [music] >> I'm willing to say it.

[00:03:04]I really like you a lot.

[00:03:06]>> I like you a lot.

[00:03:07]>> And to add a couple points in the episode, they almost kiss, but Malcolm struggles with this crush and [music] can't get over whatever insecurities or misgivings he harbors, leading to him ruining the moment.

[00:03:20]>> And my body's not going crazy.

[00:03:22]Fine.

[00:03:26]God, why should I conceal that stuff?

[00:03:28]>> Malcolm, what are you doing?

[00:03:30]>> Look, Cynthia, believe me, I'm trying to kiss you. And I think if you just give me a minute to clear my head, I'll be able to kiss you, okay?

[00:03:36]>> Excuse me?

[00:03:37]>> Which is a bit annoying because it's a scene that they build up across the whole episode, only to end without any payoff. This is the kind of start of a push and pull between Cynthia and Malcolm. Rather than having her become a more consistent [music] character and love interest. They sporadically use her and there's this underlying [music] tension between the two characters when they're together. Further, Cynthia remains at Malcolm's school all the way through her final episode. Yet, they do not show her like the other crow boys. I mention all this because I think the writers unwillingness to commit to any specific thing [music] with Cynthia, not even committing to like having her around regularly, while still keeping her theoretically there and theoretically pining for Malcolm, led to a feeling that they would use her for something bigger, but it just never comes. Mix that with the frustrating nature of how this episode builds up a potential relationship only to have an anticlimactic ending and I can understand why some feel they were robbed of seeing a Malcolm and Cynthia relationship play out. Which that unrealized potential seems to be a primary reason she is so commonly discussed by the community. The second episode Cynthia appears in is season 2 episode 18 entitled Reese Cooks. This episode sees inviting everyone [music] in school to a party, but Malcolm tries to dissuade her from doing so stating that she's a crow boy and nobody will come to the party and that it's one thing for [music] 10 people not to show up, but it would be devastating for 300 people not to show up.

[00:05:06]>> Hi, I'm Cynthia. We don't know each other, but I'm having a >> What's she doing inviting the whole school?

[00:05:11]>> I hope you come with an appetite. I'm serving cookies shaped like famous communist revolutionaries.

[00:05:16]>> How many people are you inviting to your party?

[00:05:18]>> God, who knows?

[00:05:19]>> You're setting yourself up for a giant disappointment. I mean, when 10 people don't show up it's a drag. When 300 people don't show up it's like total humiliation.

[00:05:26]>> Much of the episode seems to highlight Malcolm and his inability to see life from another perspective and how he projects his own insecurities onto others. In the process though, we find out how optimistic, kind, and warm-hearted Cynthia is. She believes that everyone is better than Malcolm gives them credit for and that by opening her home to people it will expand her social circle. You know, in some ways she might be a little naive, but Malcolm is a jaded pessimistic curmudgeon already at his young age, which is crazy. And this episode, in my opinion, really does show that Cynthia is too good for Malcolm and that any relationship between them probably would not be a good one. But further, Cynthia is a rare character for this show. She's genuinely good and soft and kind, which genuinely makes her stand out and again makes it feel like there's some unrealized potential. The third episode is season 3 episode 14 entitled Cynthia is back. [music] This episode deals with Reese objectifying and attempting to use Cynthia, which Malcolm pushes back on.

[00:06:28]Essentially, Cynthia's absence is [music] explained away as her having gone to Europe for a while. Upon her return though, Malcolm finds her to be a bit moody.

[00:06:36]>> Here comes her royal bitchiness.

[00:06:44]>> Cynthia just got back from a semester in Europe and she's totally changed. She used to be so happy. Now it's like she's given up on life.

[00:06:51]>> and not herself, which it's revealed that Cynthia has hit puberty, which she is naturally and understandably self-conscious over. She reveals this to Malcolm alone, asking him to keep it a secret, yet he for some reason decides it a good idea to tell Reese of all people about it. Although, to be fair, he kind of blurted it out accidentally.

[00:07:09]>> What happened to your friend? She was never that great, but now jeez, it's like she's trying to be ugly.

[00:07:14]>> Shut up.

[00:07:15]>> Oh, I know.

[00:07:16]Her butt is gigantic.

[00:07:18]>> And she's trying to hide it.

[00:07:19]>> She's not hiding her butt. She's hiding her big boobs, okay? So if you tease her, you're just going to look like a >> You are a good, good brother.

[00:07:29]>> I lied.

[00:07:30]Her butt is huge.

[00:07:32]>> Reese, of course, decides to pursue Cynthia purely because of the information Malcolm shared. When Malcolm warns Cynthia, she naturally thinks maybe this is jealousy or something, but Malcolm is able to reveal Reese's plan by asking one simple question. What is his date's name?

[00:07:46]>> What's her name?

[00:07:48]>> What?

[00:07:48]>> What's her name?

[00:07:55]I know what her name is.

[00:07:58]And I'm not going to dignify that with a response. [music] >> That's right. Reese could not even recall that her name is Cynthia. Reese realizes his plan was foiled and he grabs at Cynthia, which Cynthia meets this with an ass-whooping.

[00:08:10]>> I know what her name is and her name is >> How can you be so creepy? Don't you EVEN HAVE THE REMOTE SENSE OF DECENCY TOWARDS A FELLOW HUMAN BEING? I HAVE FEELINGS. I WILL BE TREATED WITH RESPECT.

[00:08:30]>> Deservedly so. Some people don't like Cynthia in this episode because they don't quite understand why she would go on a date with Reese when she liked Malcolm. I tend to think she wanted to make Malcolm jealous or something, but of course we can only speculate. This episode does though set up Cynthia as a strong young girl, one who won't take when she realizes she's being used, making her a more admirable character.

[00:08:49]And it is not every day Reese gets put in his place that hard, so it's a bit more memorable. The final episode in which Cynthia appears is season 4 episode 2 entitled Humilithon. This episode sees Malcolm ignoring his friends from the past, seeing his entry into high school as an excuse [music] to reset his social life.

[00:09:08]>> I didn't make any new friends, but I did manage to avoid all my old ones.

[00:09:12]I'll make it up to them [music] once I'm popular.

[00:09:14]Who am I kidding? You know I won't.

[00:09:16]>> Malcolm!

[00:09:17]Malcolm!

[00:09:19]This is the spot where we'll meet for lunch, okay?

[00:09:23]Malcolm, did you hear her?

[00:09:33]>> His friends, of course, are pretty upset about this betrayal and Malcolm gets into some serious hot water when he approaches his mother Lois, who is handing out books at his school, which I do not know why he would approach her there. And it's immediately shown to be a terrible decision because Lois sees a stain on his pants and announces it to the world, embarrassing him and starting a reputation for Malcolm as Stain.

[00:09:56]>> What did you do to your pants? Oh, for crying out loud, how did you get a stain there already? It wasn't there this morning.

[00:10:03]>> Mom, stop. It's no big deal.

[00:10:04]>> You begged me for these pants. You almost started crying in the store when I wasn't going to buy them for you. And now, look what you did to them.

[00:10:13]>> Hi.

[00:10:14]>> Oh, hey, Stain.

[00:10:16]>> What?

[00:10:17]>> Hey, Stain.

[00:10:19]>> Of course, with his having turned his back on his friends, he pretty much has no one left. And his chance [music] to reset his social life has been completely shot. And he decides he's just going to say, [music] "Screw it then." and get thrown into military school like Francis, which is a pretty drastic measure. So, he decides he's going to crash his parents' van.

[00:10:38]>> Malcolm, stop this. You don't have a license.

[00:10:41]>> That's okay. I'm just going to crash into my mom's car.

[00:10:42]>> Just before he goes through with this idiocy though, Cynthia sees Malcolm's state of despair and desperation and essentially sacrifices her own high school reputation to help him.

[00:10:53]>> I'd rather die than be left alone with Mom. Get out of the way.

[00:10:56]>> No. You can run ME OVER. I DON'T CARE.

[00:11:01]MALCOLM!

[00:11:03]IF YOU DO THIS, I will never have sex with you again.

[00:11:08]>> Again?

[00:11:09]>> They had sex?

[00:11:10]>> sex with her?

[00:11:10]>> They had sex?

[00:11:13]>> She's a >> She's a big >> Oh my god, what a >> Wow, I could really learn a lesson from this, but all I can think about right now is how the whole school is convinced that I had sex.

[00:11:27]>> announcing loudly to the world that they were uh intimate with one another. And this is the last time we see Cynthia.

[00:11:33]She performs a final act of selflessness that really to me proves Malcolm never deserved someone as good as her even more than the earlier episodes we talked about. She showed herself to be so genuinely selfless and caring and willing to throw herself under the bus just to help a friend out. And in the end, she did it for a guy who was never very good to her to begin with. I mean, as we kind of discussed, he had a whole episode kind of putting her down telling her she shouldn't throw a party cuz nobody likes her. She just deserves so much better. And I'm personally happy they didn't end up together. From here though, we don't know what happened to Cynthia. [music] Some theorize she left the school due to her father finding out about the reputation she falsely set for herself.

[00:12:15]But maybe her disappearance is a topic for another video. What we do know is that Cynthia does not appear again after this. And while she is mentioned briefly in the new mini series as well as a small clip with her is played at the start, she did not return there either.

[00:12:29]And I think it's this lack of a certain ending that really does drive some people crazy. Ultimately, I don't think the writers were ever going to have them end up together. You know, I think it's kind of common that there are people that maybe have a crush on somebody when they're a kid and they actually do like them back, but it just doesn't work out cuz they're kids. And I really [music] think that is what they meant to bring her in for. And maybe people liked her so much that she got a few more episodes. But the way the character is written, I can understand make some people think that there was going to be more to her. And then we don't even get an ending. [music] But there is one other final thing that seems to be probably the biggest reason the community likes Cynthia so much that I've kind of avoided touching on so far.

[00:13:09]And that's the fact that there were a lot of kids that watched Malcolm when they were young and they developed a crush on her themselves. Further, a lot of people who watch Malcolm especially as kids enjoy it because there's some relatability there. And Malcolm can act as [music] a self-insert for them. So ultimately, when Cynthia and him like each other, but they never end up getting together, I can understand why people, especially those who use Malcolm as a self-insert, feel like they get let down because Malcolm never got the girl.

[00:13:38]And I think that's totally fair. It's only natural to get invested in these characters and see some of yourself in them. And further, many people live vicariously through the shows they watch. I do need to mention though that there is a subsection of this group of people though that is kind of creepy about that crush. And I think that really sucks because I genuinely think that's such a small portion of the community. So, just if you see creepy comments, and I think it should be obvious what I mean without needing to go deep into it, please don't reply to them and just report them. So, in conclusion, Cynthia is an intriguing character. She's a rare character amongst the show in that she's kind, selfless, outgoing, and matches Malcolm's intelligence without being more ruthless like Jessica or arrogant like Malcolm. But, she can hold her own against the likes of Reese when needed, and is even able to put Malcolm in his place. Yet, this very interesting character [music] gets deeply underused, and they build up to a relationship between her and Malcolm that seems to rise and rise until she just vanishes [music] into thin air, and the relationship plot vanishes with her, never getting any type of ending. So, her uniqueness, alongside her unrealized potential and a seemingly promised relationship that never materializes, leads to her character being one of the most discussed and thought about in the community. All that, alongside there not being a certain end for her character, and of course, people having their own crush on Cynthia as kids and using Malcolm as a self-insert, but never getting that payoff, it all adds up to Cynthia being a mainstay amongst the minds of the community, even with only four episodes to her name. But, what do you think? Do you agree, or is there something that I missed here? Let me know in the comments down below. Once again, a and subscribe for more content like this in the future. And without further ado, guys, my name has been Crazy Rocky and this has been a smoking session.

[00:15:28]>> I have feelings. I WILL BE TREATED WITH RESPECT. I WILL NOT BE OBJECTIFIED. I WILL NOT BE HUMILIATED or demeaned.

[00:15:37]Now, KISS MY SHOE. KISS my shoe.