BLACKOUT Air Date 11/18/05
Chapter 707

Hal and Lois change their anniversary plans to stay home for a steak dinner with the entire family. Dewey is disappointed that he won’t get the cereal for dinner that Hal had promised him. Hal tricks Reese into cooking by saying that he will secretly share the Kobe beef steaks with him.

When Jamie’s mylar balloon floats away and shorts a transformer, a blackout envelopes the house. Francis manages to sneak into the garage. Then Lois catches him trying to steal the huge stuffed fish that both he and Hal claim to have caught years before. Hal switches the name markers on the cooked steaks and accidentally knocks them off the counter. Malcolm hides three attractive Dutch girls in his room until he can get rid of Hal and Lois. The girls threaten Malcolm: “If we’re not drunk in 20 minutes, we’re leaving!” Reese suggests drugging the steaks with Benadryl to knock their parents out, but Malcolm has a better idea. He calls Hal from a cell phone claiming to be drunk and 100 miles away. He asks Hal for a ride home. Hal is about to go get him when the lights turn back on. He sees Malcolm in the hallway. Hal criticizes Malcolm for his dishonesty while he's eating the Kobe beef.

The family sits down to eat their steak dinner. Everyone falls asleep, except for Dewey. He drugged all of the steaks. He eats his cereal dinner with the Dutch girls.