Plot summary
Days before Malcolm's birthday, he and Reese pull increasingly severe pranks against each other. Flashbacks throughout the episode gradually reveal how their feud began when Malcolm ate a blueberry Reese was saving. Dewey worries about his role as Abraham Lincoln in the school play and takes Lois' advice to imagine a set of parents, leading to a memorable performance. Hal enlists Craig to help him find Malcolm a birthday present, but is driven crazy by his constant demands. Although Craig calls off the deal, he rescues Hal from buying a bad comic book and forces the owner into negotiations.
The comic book and all of Malcolm's presents end up going to Dewey as compensation for missing his play, due to Hal and Lois having to ground both Reese and Malcolm for their pranks. Meanwhile, Francis and Otto encounter a "devil cow" at the ranch and Francis discovers it is just an ordinary cow long overdue for milking.
Credits
Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Malcolm in the Middle season 4. HTML formatting and reference markers removed.