Malcolm in the Middle, Season 1

[Francis is hanging upside down]

Stevenson:
You are hanging over a bottomless pit. In five seconds, I will cut the rope. Are you scared now?

Francis:
I'm really not. No.

Stevenson:
[dropping the executioner's hood] Why not? This stuff is way scary.

Francis:
I'm sorry, but this feels so amateurish. I mean I know you guys are trying, but I've been tormented by the best. Let me tell you a little bit about the master.

[Flashbacks occurs with Lois embarrassing a child Francis by yelling at the referee for a traveling foul. Then, it switches to a teenage Francis being more embarrassed by Lois as she shows his girlfriend his baby pictures in the photo album. Finally it switches to Lois in the boys locker room at Marlin Academy.]

Lois:
[Yelling at Francis after he got out of the shower in a towel] It's an 8 inch scratch on the car, Francis. Do you know how much it's gonna cost to fix? If you think you are ever, ever, borrowing my car again, you are sadly mistaken. And I saw that tattoo, Jimmy. I'm telling your mother.

Francis:
[flashback ends] And that's the stuff I didn't block out.

[The cult realizes the scare tactic wasn't working and decides to try something new. They replace the photo of a tormented man with a photo of Lois.]