Yeah, I figured it out as well.
One thing I like about Malcolm and Denise, besides all the stuff you all have mentioned is that they aligned with each other. How often do you see an older woman able to form a strong alliance with a younger male, and a younger male willing to do that? As mentioned above--Tina and Colby, as mentioned above, are the only ones that spring to mind, and there there was a mom/son vibe that I don't get in this case. Denise and Malcolm both have personalities that enable them to interact as "people", not as categories.