Traffic Jam is the first episode of season 2 and seventeenth episode in overall.It aired on November 5th,2000.

Plot

After being banned from the water park (because of the violations, including sneaking alcohol and Reese and Malcolm fighting in the water park), the family gets stuck in a traffic jam caused by a car wreck right in front of them. At the military academy, Francis bets fellow cadets that he can eat 100 Quacks(think Peeps), but gets very sick in the process. Meanwhile, Dewey has an adventure going home.

Summary

Malcolm recaps what happened at the Wavetown USA, Water Park. Due to the violations involving both him and Reese fighting and also his parents sneaking in alcohol in a suntan lotion, the Wilkersons are banned for life from there, a tradition they always end up observing. Hal tries to talk the security guard out of it, but he's sent on his way. Lois on the other hand, punishes the boys and tells them never to ask for anything from her again. Then, she tells them that she should've given birth to chimps so that way she could've expected that kind of behavior. Malcolm admits jealousy of Dewey because he got to stay home and play with the babysitter. The scene switches to him in the farm asking the scarecrow for help because he got lost after chasing a balloon and then a paper bag.

On the road home Hal tries to keep the lane for himself while a silver car wants to pass him. Lois tells him to be courteous and let him pass. Hal refuses and hits the brakes angering her. Lois tells him that the owner may have a gun and just let him pass before they get into an accident. He eventually relents, but soon after the same car gets into an accident and the family is stuck for hours.

Elsewhere, Dewey seeks help form a lady whom had found him on her fields to get him home, but he annoys her and she goes into a store to buy cigarettes. Soon after a car jacker steals a car with Dewey inside of it. The car jacker bonds with him for a while before leaving him with a bunch of illegal immigrants.

At Marlin Academy, Francis gets into a heated argument with Eric because of the Quacks expanding. He decides to take up the challenge to prove him wrong by attempting to eat 100 Quacks. Along the way, Francis gets sick and this proves Eric right about the Quacks expanding because they're marshmellows.

Back on the road, Lois is frustrated by by the workers because they're not doing anything to hasten the clean-up from the accident. Reese is in a heated conflict with the ice cream truck owner because he won't give them free ice cream. Malcolm falls in love with Jessica, who ironically is from Canada. Hal feeling guilty about what happened tells a highway patrol officer about it and touches him. The highway officer administers him a DUI(driving under the influence) test and makes Hal say the alphabet backwards while touching is nose.

Dewey gets help from everyone else and finally finds himself home as his family arrives. Lois asks him what happened to Mrs. White. Dewey tells her about the babysitter having to go away, not admitting that she had a heart attack and that the ambulence had to pick her up. Lois is upset and thinks he got rid of another babysitter like Malcolm and Reese did as he continues to tells her of his own adventure.

Trivia

This is the first time Francis makes a bet with the cadets and subsequently loses.

Hal is administered a DUI test for the first time.