SEASON 2, EPISODE 1: BUCK CAN DO IT

With Fox surviving its first season of prime time programming, the network upped the stakes, with Married With Children being one of its flagship shows. During Season 2, the characters are firmly established while the punchlines get better with each week. By the end of the season, Married With Children will begin to hit its peak. The season begins with an episode showing the odd, but somewhat touching, connection Al has with his dog Buck. Buck has been impregnating every dog in the neighborhood and the Bundy's are threatened with a lawsuit. After Al agrees to get Buck neutered, the lawsuit is dropped. Still, he resists with all his might, hoping to keep his male dog a "true" male dog. In the end, he has to do the dirtiest chore he knows of to get Buck out of the operation. Buck will forever be in debt to Al.

SEASON 1, EPISODE 13: JOHNNY BE GONE

Married With Children's first season ends with the Bundy's being as nostalgic as ever. Al and Peg's high school hangout is being closed. There will be one last chance to eat hamburgers and fries at a special final day bash, and they have prime tickets for the special farewell party. Only problem, children issues pop up. The Bundy's scramble to fix Kelly's (she was not invited to a big party) and Bud's (his battery run car which is entered into a race is not working) problems and also make the closing ceremonies. To add to the chaos, Marcy spills salmon on her dress: she must get it clean (she is hosting Japanese bankers with a big promotion in line if she impresses) and is forced to wash at the Bundy's. The Bundy's manage to solve the kids problems with their typical unorthodox approach--will it be too late? This last episode of the season left big questions for fans of the sitcom. Mainly, would MWC fall back into the typical family sitcom blather (the Bundy's actually caring, not to mention solving, the kids problems during this episode gave signs that it would) or will it break from the network TV routine (and expand on the outrageous elements the show has offered glimpses of)? Stay tuned.

*CHICKEN LEGS: One of the longest running gags on MWC, Al for the first time tells Marcy what her legs look like!

*VIVA LA FRANCE: Al encounters his friends the French when he tries to read the instructions to Bud's car.

SEASON 1, EPISODE 12: NIGHTMARE ON AL'S STREET

Steaming right along, Married With Children was ending its debut season with momentum. Another strong episode, the first to focus on a Al vs. Marcy confrontation, a showdown that would occur time after time in the future. By thispoint, all MWC characters were fleshing out nicely. At last we see the Peggy Bundy we have come to know and love. Originally rather dull and unoriginal, the "new" Peggy is proud of the fact she does nothing, has a deeply unsatisfied sex life and is continually like a dog in heat. With the first season coming to a conclusion, the cast of MWC have nailed the specific traits of their characters that will make them so enjoyable and cutting edge in the future. In this episode, Marcy has been approached by some men who offer to repave her driveway. With Steve out of town, Marcy informs the Bundy's of what she thinks is this unbeatable deal; Al insists it is a scam. Marcy, unwilling to admit that Al knows anything besides foot diseases, stubbornly holds firm with her opinion until a couple of days later, when she finds out that the whole deal really was a scam. Marcy doesn't want Al to know he was right, so she asks Peg to keep it a secret. But two nights in a row, Al appears in Marcy's dreams; Marcy, who so despises Al, finds herself ready to sex it up with Al during the dream. When Steve comes home, he wants to have sex with Marcy, but Marcy starts to puke every time he comes on to her. Peggy is ferociously jealous while Al revels in the fact that Marcy actually wants him. In the end, Marcy is able to turn the tables on Al; his worst nightmare, he dreams of doing it with Marcy!

*AL'S RETIREMENT: If Al can ever survive the torture from Peggy and the kids, he has a plan for his retirement: a nice piece of land off Lake Chicimanaco. Interestingly, Al knows during this episode that his land is contaminated and unfit for living. I guess he forgets about that in the future, because Marcy's second husband Jefferson, the man who swindled Al, tells the unsuspecting Al five years down the road that his retirement property is worthless.

SEASON 1, EPISODE 11: WHERE'S THE BOSS?

Slowly but surely, Married With Children was developing its unique sense of humor during Season 1. With each episode, Al's low paying job, his lack of sexual prowess and his inability to earn respect were becoming more prominent. At the same time, one couldn't help but feel sorry for him; Al Bundy was becoming a lovable loser. Episode 11 introduces us, somewhat, to Al's boss, Gary. The owner of the shoe store has died in a plane wreck. Al is not upset over the loss of Gary, but he is bothered by the fact that his boss never took the time to meet his lowly salesman. When news leaks that Gary actually survived the crash, Al vows to bring his boss to Chicago. If unsuccessful, he will quit. Other mall workers and customers egg him on when Al's deadline passes and still Gary has not arrived. Humiliated, Al quits, but the loss to the shoe industry doesn't last very long; Peggy and Al home together all day is too painful for them both. In the end, Al manages to come up with an idea to save face. Don't get used to it Al: your days of happy endings are numbered. Yet another episode where the jokes are tighter, the characters are developing and the laughs are frequent. Married With Children was going places.

*I KNOW THAT FACE: The very popular Giovanni Ribisi, equally effective as a supporting actor and as a star in many Hollywood movies, plays Bud's friend Teddy for the first of two episodes.

SEASON 1, EPISODE 10: THE POKER GAME

Al appears to an obsessive fisherman, thanks to continuous fishing referrals during the first season of MWC. It is fishing he appears focused on; there are no football references at all. Later, Al will obviously become famous for his former football exploits (and his ceaseless memories of them). As for fishing, his passion seems to subside throughout the years (although he still has a fondness for the sport, but he is not nearly as addicted as represented in the first season). In this episode, Al wants a new rod and is hoping to win enough money for it at a poker game. Steve joins Al, but only to meet some new guy friends. He is above gambling...or so we think. During the game, Steve starts to believe that Al and his buddies are horrible poker players and he gets in the game. But, it is Steve that gets washed out. Al wins $300, most of which is Steve's money. Steve on the other hand has lost his share of the mortgage payment and must face the wrath of Marcy. The Poker Game is one of the better episodes of season 1, as MWC appears to be getting into a groove. Good one-liners exist throughout, while the story has some nice twists and turns. The kids, for reason unexplained, are not around during this episode.

*PEGGY'S PASSION: Peggy has a real thing for Hollywood nut job Mel Gibson. During this episode, she mentions him for the first time; Mel is her idea of the perfect man. She especially likes his buns.

*THE WACKY PACK: Al's friends during the earlier seasons weren't the sharpest group around. Barney will appear in 6 MWC episodes, five playing the actual Barney character. Norris we have already met; he will bum around with Al as Norris on 7 of the 15 episodes he appears in. Russ will hang with Al one other time.

*I RECOGNIZE THAT FACE: One of Al's uncouth friends is Russ, played by original SNL cast member Garrett Morris (he appeared in 104 episodes of Saturday Night Live).

SEASON 1, EPISODE 9: MARRIED WITHOUT CHILDREN

Watching these early Married With Children episodes, you will notice how much Al complains about having to have sex with Peggy and how little housework Peggy does. Yet again, the evidence to back up his complaints does not exist. Peggy is seen cleaning as this episode opens, and it will end with Al willingly hitting the sheets with Peggy for the second time in one night! Marcy is seeking experience in the raising of children, and she thinks that getting a chance to take care of Bud and Kelly would be a great course. Peggy plans a weekend away with Al (alone), and much to Steve's chagrin, the kids are thrust upon them. At first Al (naturally) doesn't want to go, but when he finds out that the Motel they will stay at has cable that will allow him to watch a big fight, he acquiesces. Al manages to juggle both the fight and sex with Peggy, while Marcy and Steve wilt under the pressure of watching the kids. With both the fight and the sex completed, the Bundy's decide to come home early and they call the Rhodes to inform them. Marcy and Steve brag about how easy watching the kids was, but realize after the fact that the Bundy's now may ask them to watch the kids all the time. So they finally allow Kelly to have the party she's been begging for (against Peggy's rules). Believing that the Bundy's will be infuriated when they come home to a out of control Kelly bash, they will never ask them to babysit again. The Bundy's pull a fast one, decide to stay at the motel, and Kelly's freak friends destruct the Rhodes house.

*MARCY'S REQUIRED READING: "Kids: Your Bigger Than They Are"

*EYESIES/CLOSESIES: This fun driving game is mentioned for the first time; Bud and Kelly will play it in a future episode, with catastrophic results.

*I RECOGNIZE THAT FACE: Noah Blake plays Kelly's boyfriend for the night. He is the son of the infamous Robert Blake. Blake would appear in another MWC episode a few years later, The Agony of De-Feet.

SEASON 1, EPISODE 8: PEGGY SUE GOT WORK

Peggy desperately wants a VCR so she can tape Phil while watching Oprah and she has a few schemes up her sleeve to get Al to buy one for her. And just as it seems like Al is going to cave in, Marcy steps in. She is infuriated that Peggy has to "ask" Al; it's sexist and outdated and all that stuff. So she lures Peggy into taking a job at a department store. Here, Peggy learns what she always suspected: working, especially working with the public, sucks. While she wants to quit, she can't, as that would be admitting to Al how hard his life (working and supporting the family) really is. Al also wants Peg to quit (this one here is rather odd--later we will see Al practically beg Peggy to work on many an episode), but he doesn't want to give her the satisfaction that he really needs her around the house. So both come up with a scheme to get of the predicament, and the kids prosper nicely. Like many of the early Married With Children episodes, that cutting edge is just not there. This strange hybrid of a conventional sitcom mixed with bits of edgier material just doesn't work.