# Malcolm splashes down **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 4, 2002, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malcolm-splashes-down/135216 "2002-11-04T14:31:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malcolm-splashes-down/135216/1 "2002-11-04T14:31:33Z")
having successfully cleared the shark. Sure,we can debate whether he actually jumped last season, but yesterday’s season premiere certainly removed any doubt that the feat has been accomplished. Don’t know if I could begin to list the awful moments: goat wrestling Hal’s welt idiots climbing into a tiger pit barnyard orafice humor unfunny Germans Well, I guess that frees up another half hour. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malcolm-splashes-down/135216/2 "2002-11-04T16:56:19Z")
1. I don’t think “jumping the shark” applies here. No inane stunts (for this show) were employed. 2. Yeah, it did suck. Esp. since the ads gave away most of it. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2002, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malcolm-splashes-down/135216/3 "2002-11-05T01:08:53Z")
I enjoyed the goat fighting. Malcolm’s angst seems out of place, though. And Francis has apparently grown up now. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2002, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malcolm-splashes-down/135216/4 "2002-11-05T01:50:41Z")
I liked it better when Dewey seemed to be “touched in the head”. ---
**Author:** ![Weird\_AL\_Einstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c67d28/32.png) [@Weird\_AL\_Einstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weird_AL_Einstein)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2002, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malcolm-splashes-down/135216/5 "2002-11-05T01:55:55Z")
Last night’s ep was sub-par, but I for one am not ready to write the show off just yet. ---
**Author:** ![kevja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@kevja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevja)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2002, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malcolm-splashes-down/135216/6 "2002-11-05T02:27:28Z")
Corny as it might have been, I thought the exchange between Lois and Hal (Farrah Faucett engagement ring) was nice. Francis is just on his third adventure. First Military School, then Alaska, now a ranch. Same thing, except the people in charge are nice nitwits, instead of sadistic nitwits. I forgot the definition of Jumping the Shark. Is it when a show goes bad, or when it just stays the same? Imho, it hasn’t gone bad, maybe just a little predicable. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2002, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malcolm-splashes-down/135216/7 "2002-11-05T14:27:07Z")
“Jumping the shark.” refers to an infamously bad episode of “Happy Days” during its death spiral (but long before it actually went off the air) when Fonzie jumped a tank containing a shark on his motorcycle to impress Pinky whats-her-name. It refers to a pointless, irrelevant, pathetic plot stunt, esp. one that contradicts the characters’ normal behavior. It does not refer to a bad show in general. E.g., Niles “coming out” to Daphne counts. ---
**Author:** ![c\_carol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@c\_carol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_carol)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2002, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malcolm-splashes-down/135216/8 "2002-11-05T18:13:34Z")
ftg, I think “jumping the shark” has come to mean the moment when a good show goes bad – not an isolated bad episode, but a turning point after which the show is never quite the same. See [http://www.jumptheshark.com/](http://www.jumptheshark.com/) ---
**Author:** ![NYR407](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@NYR407](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NYR407)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2002, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malcolm-splashes-down/135216/9 "2002-11-05T18:55:08Z")
Actually you are both right. c\_carol gives the correct definition and the handy web site. ftg I believe gives the correct origin of the term. However, in the Happy Days episode Fonzie jumps the shark on water skis not on his mortocycle. This was part of the California trip episodes. He did earlier in the series perform a "death defying stunt " in Arnold’s (or was it Al’s) parking lot. As far as MITM. I don’t think it jumped the shark just yet but I can see the water skis being brought to the boat. The problem I feel is that it is really difficult to maintain the shock humor on a consistant basis. Most shows feel they have to out do themselves from one week to the next. The last year or so of Senfeld felt this way to me and The Simpsons, to me, has been on way too long. Although, I still love both shows there is only so far you can go before you are trying to force the scripts to be funny and outrageous. ---
**Author:** ![zuma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9c0ed/32.png) [@zuma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuma)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2002, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malcolm-splashes-down/135216/10 "2002-11-06T11:03:48Z")
I don’t think it’s jumped the shark, but I fear it is about to. I saw an interview with Frankie Muniz the other day, and I THINK (I wasn’t paying close attention) that he said that the family would have a baby this season. I do hope i mis-heard this.