Plot Summary
Genres: Comedy
Plot Outline Al Bundy is a misanthropic women's shoe salesman with a miserable life. He hates his job, his wife is lazy, his son is dysfunctional (especially with women), and his daughter is dimwitted and promiscuous.
Plot Synopsis: The Bundys are a stereotypical American family. Al is a shoe salesman who is fond of frequently reliving his doubtful 15 seconds of fame on the football field. Al is terrified of the all-to-frequent amorous advances his ditsy wife Peggy, a woman who must spend most of Al's wages at the salon and the mall. They have two children: Kelly, the stunning but superficial party animal, and Bud, who is too wrapped up in himself to realize his goal of "scoring" with a girl.
Plot Keywords: Friends Who Hate Each Other | Dysfunctional | Family | Sitcom | Spoof | Teen | Buxom | Beautiful Daughter | Father Daughter Relationship | Father Son Relationship | Mother Daughter Relationship
Review:
Perhaps the definitive episode of Married... with Children is near the end of the second season, when Al and Peg Bundy (Ed O'Neill and Katey Segal), pretending to be their recently married neighbors, go on a game show that tests how willing each newlywed is to torture their spouse. This episode has everything: The cascade of blithe insults, the cheerful shredding of all dignity, the outright celebration of humanity's worst instincts-- everything that has led self-satisfied arbiters of "culture" to proclaim Married... with Children the most sordid, distasteful sitcom in the history of mankind. In short, it's sheer genius.
As the petty, miserable, conniving, yet perversely vital Bundy family, O'Neill, Segal, Christina Applegate, and David Faustino give performances that walk a fine line between outrageous satire and painful truth. It's the anti-Cosby; family breeds contempt. Children scoff at their parents, parents resent their children, husbands and wives eye each other with suspicion and disdain. Episodes hinge on neutering their oversexed dog, fighting the phone company, and trying to humiliate a high school nemesis in a bowling tournament, but it's all an excuse for squalid delirium. This is not an ironic description of the show; Married... with Children is both ruthless and deeply funny. (Though created by men, Married... with Children was frequently produced, written, and directed by women, which is unusual in the sitcom world. This doesn't necessarily have anything to do with its sense of humor, but its eagerness to skewer and roast sacred cows is shared by such women-driven shows as Roseanne and Absolutely Fabulous.) The jokes are like blunt instruments, yet delivered with a unique panache that got honed to razor sharpness in the second season. If you've never experienced the Bundy clan, this is an excellent place to start.
While the first season of Married with Children was excellent, the second season is when the show really got going! There is not a single bad episode in the lot. There is a major leap in terms of the comedy, plotlines, and the character development, as the show is quickly finding its identity. It is a must own for any MWC fan.
The episodes included are:
1. Poppy's by the Tree (Part 1) - The Bundy's take a vacation in beautiful Dumpwater, Florida (It is as run down as it sounds). At their hotel, they learn of the Axe Murderer that kills the tourists of the hotel they are staying at.
2. Poppy's by the Tree (Part 2) - Al must save Peg when she is kidnapped by the Axe Murderer
3. If I Were a Rich Man - Al goes to the bank with Steve. The day after, one million dollars is missing from the bank. Steve and the Family thinks Al is responsible for stealing the money.
4. Buck Can Do it - The Bundy's get threated with a lawsuit after Buck the dog, umm, gets friendly with another dog. This leads to the family contemplating getting Buck neutered
5. Girls Just Want to Have Fun (Part 1) - Marcy gets into a fight with Steve. To cheer her up, Peg takes her to a male strip club. There, Marcy loses her wedding ring when she stuffs a dollar into the stripper's pants
6. Girls Just Want to Have Fun (Part 2) - The stripper returns the wedding ring to Al, and gives it to Steve. He has to figure out how to approach Marcy about this
7. For Whom the Bell Tolls - A high phone bill causes Al to shut off the phone service in his house, which angers the family and their friends
8. Born to Walk - Kelly gets her license while Al fails his renewal test
9. Alley of the Dolls - Peg meets an old rival from high school and they face off in a bowling match to determine who is a bigger loser. With a member of the Bundy's missing, Steve fills in for the family
10. The Razor's Edge - Steve goes on a rafting trip and comes back with a beard, much to Marcy's disgust
11. How Do You Spell Revenge? - The first softball related episode. Al tries to get Peg to improve her softball skills, while Kelly contemplates getting a tattoo of her boyfriend's name
12. Earth Angel - Bud brings home a beautiful art student to live at the Bundy house. Everyone loves her, except Marcy, who is jealous of her and has plans on getting rid of her
13. You Better Watch Out - A Santa Claus who was supposed to parachute in his arrival at a mall event, plummets to his death... in the Bundy's backyard!
14. Guys and Dolls - Al and Steve trade one of Marcy's classic Barbie dolls. After a fight, Al and Steve have to venture out onto the streets of Chicago to get it back
15. Build a Better Mousetrap - The Bundy's have a mouse in their house, and Al will do whatever it takes to get rid of it
16. Master the Possibilities - Buck the dog receives a pre approved credit card, so the Bundy's go on a huge spending spree
17. Peggy Loves Al Yeah Yeah Yeah - It is Valentines Day, and Peg wants Al to say "I love you". The viewers of the show got to vote on what Al should say. Also, Bud has his first Valentine
18. The Great Escape - One of the best episodes ever! The Bundy house is fumigated because of termites. Instead of getting a hotel, Al has the family live at the shoe store. Kelly is grounded but needs to sneak out so she can go to a rock concert. For those who have seen this one, it is the "Green Meat Attack" episode
19. Im-Po-Dent - Marcy dents Steve's Mercedes. Steve claims Marcy is making him impotent, and uses this to turn Marcy into his slave
20. Just Married... With Children - Al and Peg find an invitation for a love game show in the Rhoades' mailbox. They pose as Steve and Marcy in order to get on. When the Rhoades find out, they pose as Al and Peg and face off against Al and Peg on the game show, where the key to winning is to survive torture
21. Father Lode - Al wins some money at the racetrack, and he tries to keep it a secret to a suspecting family. Peg finds out and starts stealing from Al's wallet
22. All in the Family - Peg's relatives from winky puller county visit the Bundy's, while Al is trying to watch "Hondo"