| “ | The only way I've managed to get through my crappy life with any shred of self-worth is by living in denial! If I was gonna let myself get beaten by failure I would have given up after the first kid! | „ |
| ~ Hal Wilkerson |
| “ | If you try anything, anything, at all, I will be on you like a rainbow on an oil slick. | „ |
| ~ Hal vowing to keep a close watch on his sons. |
Halifax "Hal" Wilkerson (also known as Hal Nolastname) is one of the main characters of the sitcom, Malcolm in the Middle. He is a major anti-hero as well as one of the two main antagonists (alongside Lois) of the series.
He is the father of the six Wilkerson's, Francis, Reese, Malcolm, Dewey and Jamie. He is also the husband to Lois (named after the Family Guy character, who is Peter's wife) he is much worse parent compared to her style of controlling the boys.
Hal acts as the enforcer of Lois. He will constantly try to keep his sons in control however he has an extremely poor handling of them and is nowhere near as good as Lois. He also shows signs of being a pathological and compulsive liar. He normally goes out of his way to get money even if it is on a superstition an example was when he had a dream that in Vegas he had won a jackpot but when he gets there it ends up being a weekend stay. Hal is incredibly irresponsible with his own money, when winning a thousand dollars in the lottery instead of investing it in something rational he buys himself a bulldozer. He almost came close to destroying an entire car dealership but he was stopped when Dewey planted "I Love You This Much" in his way. He has no hope for most of his children especially Francis and Reese, he also constantly neglects Dewey. The only son he has hope for is Malcolm who is a genius.
He is portrayed by the actor, Bryan Cranston who is famously known for his portrayal of Walter White in the hit TV series Breaking Bad.
Personality[]
Compared to Lois, Hal is laid-back, and not as stressed when it comes to dealing with his sons however he is also clueless and completely incompetent when tightening his leash around the boys. He is obviously the weaker parent, this was accurately shown in "Bowling" when Dewey broke the rules and he was tasked with looking after him while Louis took Malcolm and Reese bowling. While Louis was able to make him apologetic in the alternate version, Hal was instantly overpowered by his younger son granting him free run of the house. The same was in the alternate reality when Hal took Reese and Malcolm were bowling and Louis was looking after Dewey. On the way there he was instantly lost and barely focused on his sons, in fact he was more emotional when his 300 hundred strike was ruined by Malcolm rather than him actually being in danger.
Aside from being the least competent, Hal is also childish. When faced with problems or annoyances he will scream in frustration. An example was when Grandmother Ida was suing them while they were about to have a fifth baby and while he put on a brave face for Lois, when he entered the car he was reduced to a sobbing, blubbering mess. Hal's childishness normally surfaces whenever Lois goes away. An example was when his old college friend came to town while Lois went to her sisters and Hal actually demolished his bedroom wall. It's also revealed that the all years at his job he never worked on Fridays instead went bumper carting, the high school play of the Nutcracker and a real-life haunted house. He constantly contradicts himself, and shows amazing irresponsibility especially when it comes to family money something that was obvious when Dewey won one thousand dollars in the lottery and instead of investing if in Dewey's college fund he buys a bulldozer for himself.
Hal is also childishly retaliative. When his garbage man refused to take their massive cat playpen, he forces him to take it. When this failed he left a mountain of garbage on their home so he and Reese stole their truck then placed the garbage wall on his front yard.
Hal is also incredibly indecisive which was brought on by his traumatic birthday party where he asked for both a petting zoo and a clown which resulted in the clown being strangled by the snake. It's because of this he allows Lois to make the major decisions and was physically stressed when trying to decide whether to let his uncle live or put him down when he was in a coma.
Hal constantly underestimates his children, he has no hope for Reese nor does Lois they only both want him gone and are infuriated by his delinquency and troublemaking nature. The only son he has any hope for is Malcolm whose family future rides on him. He also constantly neglects Dewey, to the point where he forgets his birthday on a yearly basis however despite his neglectful nature Hal was genuinely upset when he realised he was left out of Francis' maturity and also made good on his promise to give him a motorbike ride when he became 21 despite it being a lie when he first said it.
Hal has a difficult relationship with his family, this is mostly with his father who was never there for support when he needed him. Most of the friction is rooted to his family not accepting Lois as a daughter-in-law causing massive frictions between Hal and Lois' families. Hal proves to be a very dedicated husband to Lois but he does fear her. Hal constantly sets low barriers for himself to the point where he steals from his own son while trying to give his family the "best Christmas ever" and taking a naked picture of Lois on New Years Day without her consent. He also suffers a phobia of monkeys, snakes and clowns.
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