Lois VS Evil is the ninth episode of season 1.

Plot

After a mishap of a steam cleaner, Lois finds out that Dewey stole a $150 bottle of cognac from the store where she works. She makes him return it, but she's fired by an tyrannic assistant manager, which leaves the family struggling.

Summary

The episode starts with the cold open where Lois is washing the dishes and trying to stop Malcolm and Reese from fighting, Dewey saying he hates his brothers, and Hal pretending to work on something, but in fact making a crossword puzzle.

Malcolm is in school, saying how confused he is about julie houlerman, about whether she likes him or not. Back at work, Lois and Craig are stocking shelves with condoms, and Craig exclaims how "intense" it is. The boys come in the store and Lois warns them not to mess around with the microphone, the candy, price tags and the register at Lucky Aide. Soon Reese and Malcolm are inspired to play with the steam cleaner, while Dewey is nowhere to be found(possibly told to play on the mecahical horse so he doesn't tell on them). Lois soon discovers them playing with the steam cleaner and punishes them.

At home, Hal talks with Dewey after finding him in his usual hiding place. He tells his father that he's upset with both Reese and Malcolm for forbidding him from letting him play with the steam cleaner and stole something from Lucky Aide. It isn't long until Hal and Lois learns that Dewey stole an expensive bottle of cognac. He apologizes for his actions, but she still makes him return the bottle and apologize to Mr. Pinter. Later on after they return the bottle, Mr. Pinter fires Lois out of spite, leaving the family struggling to make ends meet.

Meanwhile, Stanley and Francis both get jobs as security in the Miss Alabama Paegant. Francis tales the opportunity to socialize with the girls until he learns that they think he's gay.



It's been 10 days since Lois was fired, and Malcolm accidentally tells Julie that he is now poor, so later they decide to make a collective of food in order to give it to them, thanks to Julie and Caroline. When Hal eats rotten peaches, Lois is forced to beg for her job back when she learns about the expensive bill at the hospital. There, she confronts Mr. Pinter and says some strange and bad things that he's done, which humiliates him. Lois tells him that he should be grateful because she's the only one who knows this much about him and that someone else would sell him out. This later proves to be true when Craig and the other co-workers overheard Mr. Pinter's secret now intends to tell the district manager, which causes him to quit immediately to avoid humiliation. Ultimately, Lois finds her life back to normal and now Malcolm is not "poor," and tells that to Julie straight in her face.