Married . . . with Children [TV Series] (DVD)
Season 2
APPROX. 0 MINS. - PROD. YEAR: 1987 - MPA RATING: NR
" The Bundys were the anti-Cosbys, as dysfunctional a family as television had ever seen
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5—For Whom the Bell Tolls. Hemingway would be appalled. Al feels even more martyred than usual after a mysterious $80 charge appears on his phone bill, and tries to rally the neighborhood in a protest.
#6 & 7—Girls Just Want to Have Fun. After Marcy catches Steve and Al ogling a repairwoman´s butt, she finds herself dragged to one of Peggy´s favorite hangouts: a male strip joint that brings out the inner Marcy.
#8—Born to Walk. After Al loses his driver´s license, he paints a less-than-dashing figure as he scoots here and there on alternate wheels—a bicycle.
#9—Alley of the Dolls. Al brings Steve onboard as a ringer so that the Bundys can win a bowling competition.
#10—The Razor´s Edge. So many literary allusions and so little literature. Steve so loves his new beard that he´d rather bunk with the Bundys than shave it off.
#11—How Do You Spell Revenge. Hypercompetitive Al tries to get Peggy thrown off the neighborhood baseball team.
#12—Earth Angel. Bud´s fantasy brings his mom´s fantasy true when he takes in a stray. A beautiful, young homeless woman, that is.
#13—You Better Watch Out. After Santa crash-lands in the Bundy´s yard, Al takes his place.
#14—Guys and Dolls. A fantasy episode, where the Bundys and their neighbors relive childhood fantasies.
#15—Build a Better Mousetrap. It´s "Mouse Hunt" for Al and Steve, who decide to eradicate a pest without the help of a professional.
#16—Master the Possibilities. More Buck mayhem, this time because the family hound just received a credit card in his name.
#17—Peggy Love Al, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. A Valentine´s Day show where the oversexed Peggy only wants Al to say he loves her.
#18—The Great Escape. Can Kelly manage a single night without sneaking off? It´s a challenge when the family spends the night together in Al´s shoe store.
#19—Impo-Dent. Marcy bangs up Steve´s new Mercedes, and more than the auto body takes a beating.
#20—Just Married . . . with Children. Al and Peg pretend to be their newlywed neighbors on a TV game show, "How Do I Love Thee?"
#21—Father Lode. When Al comes into some money he turns into a paranoid moneygrubber.
#22—All in the Family. Peggy´s family comes for a visit, with predictable results.
Video:
The picture is in color and full screen (1.33:1), of course, and the quality isn´t as grainy as some of the TV-on-DVD has been. But it´s still not as sharp as many of the old black and white shows. Color isn´t as forgiving in the transfer process, and there´s a slight haloing around the edges—but not enough to spoil the fun.
Audio:
Except for the now-infamous Frank Sinatra version of "Love and Marriage" that introduces the show, it´s all dialogue, and so the Dolby 2.0 Surround is all that´s needed, and the sound actually relies less on center speakers than many of the 2.0s.
Extras:
Instead of click-on features or a single extra showing the cast talking about the show, viewers have to find some 20 Easter Eggs that reveal a chopped-up interview with the stars, who sit in a group talking about various aspects of the show. Apparently, Columbia TriStar has determined that the cult following for the show appreciates Easter Egg hunts more than they do straightforward features. But the clips are so short that it can get annoying pretty damned fast, and what the cast has to say isn't all that insightful.
Bottom Line:
It´ll never be mistaken for a classic, and "Married . . . with Children" won´t make the list of all-time greatest television situation comedies. Even among blue-collar comedies it´s about as believable as one of Al Bundy´s fantasy romps with other women. But it´s a milestone (funny how close that word comes to "millstone") in television entertainment, and a deliberately irreverent flip-side to the squeaky clean family sitcoms. In fact, one of the episodes has Bud saying, "You know how you always say it´s good to do something nice for people?" with Dad and Mom responding, "We never said that." "Oh," Bud says. "It must have been Cosby." Those kind of anti-family, self-conscious barbs made "Married . . . with Children" the most popular show Fox had to offer during its start-up years. As such, the show is destined to be shown in college classes on TV, Gender & the Family for many, many years to come.
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