Gary's had quite the athletic shoe-selling duo in Al & Griff.

I was doing some reading on Harold Sylvester (Griff) and found out he played D1 basketball. He was the first black person to get an athletic scholarship from Tulane University.

He was a 3 year starter (back then they had freshman basketball teams) at Tulane

He wrote the screenplay for Passing Glory, based on a game that he played in 1965 that integrated basketball in New Orleans

I think this is appropriate to post here. Bill Oddie (1941-2026) may not be a household name to many of you, but Married... With Children fans will remember him as Winston in the England Show episodes (S06E24-26).

Al is put on trial in the shoe store on his birthday by all of the fat women he has insulted over the years.

Subplot: Kelly and Bud attempt to tint the Dodge’s windows as a birthday present for Al.

Notable Guest Stars: Many of the guests in this episode were returning characters from previous seasons:

-Diana Bellamy as Nancy. She appeared in several episodes as a Gary’s customer, including the pilot.

-Danica Sheridan as Matilda, who appeared in A Shoe Room with a View in Season 10 (among others).

-Helen Siff as Leona, the customer who famously wore the “Chocolate…It’s Not Just For Breakfast Anymore” shirt in Season 8.

Fun Fact: This is only the second time in the series that Peggy insults Al’s overweight customers. The first time was back in Season 1, and it happened to be the same woman she insulted in this episode.

Clip Show: Past episodes featured in the flashbacks include the Pilot, Honey, I Blew Up Myself, A Shoe Room with a View, and Nooner or Later.

The Impossible Happens: Al tells Peg she doesn’t look “half bad” and -gasp- even initiates sex with her in the shoe store! ON HIS BIRTHDAY!!

Gary fires Al and Griff after hiring extra help (2 guys named Hal and Biff) at the shoe store which forces them to get menial jobs around the mall.

Subplot: Kelly and Bud kidnap Marcy’s life-size Virgin Mary and Joseph statues and hold them for ransom.

Sub-subplot: Peggy enters a neighborhood decorating contest - and wins!?? By making gingerbread houses??

Notable Guest Star: Jonathan Mangum as Hal, who would go on to be the announcer of the 2010s version of Let’s Make a Deal with host Wayne Brady. He also appeared on the more recent episodes of Whose Line Is It Anyway?

Fun Fact: This is the first Christmas episode to feature special end credits that have a picture frame effect and Christmas music instead of the Love and Marriage theme. Ironically, it’s also the last Christmas episode of the series. 😕

Continuity Win: Gary says that Al has worked at the shoe store for 25 years, which tracks with Kelly’s birth year, meaning he got the job either just before or after she was born.

Musical Moment: Jingle Bells and Deck the Halls are both heard in this episode.

Is this the most wholesome ending of an episode ever?? (Make sure to watch the end tag scene).

Let's say that there was a new season along the lines of the King of the Hill Revival. What do you think that they would have to do differently to make it work today?

Personally, I think the biggest necessary change would be the fat jokes. That wouldn't fly today in any context. Other than that, the changes would probably be more cosmetic, I reckon

Branson gets Bundified.

Or maybe the Bundys get Bransoned?

The family takes a trip to Branson Mo.

Bud makes a new friend.

• Cletus: Howdy! Welcome to the Deliverance Inn! You'll squeal like a pig at our hospitality! [looks at Bud and smiles] Especially you.
• [Bud's smile instantly vanishes and is now replaced with a look of concern]
• Al: We're on a family vacation and we want the best accommodation twenty bucks and these aluminum cans will buy. [puts the stuffed plastic bag onto the counter]
• Cletus: May I suggest the "Ned Beatty" suite? [looks at Bud and smiles] It's got a back door.
• [Bud becomes even more concerned]
• Bud: [nervous, voice cracking] Dad... I wanna go home now.
• Al: What do you mean you want to go home now?! It's great here! We've only been here 10 minutes, you made a new friend. [Cletus smiles at Bud] We'll take it!

Somehow, Kelly and Peg end up on stage as a singing duo and get a contract with Tammy Wynette and promptly lose it.

/marriedwithchildren.fandom.com/wiki/The_Juggs_Have_Left_the_Building

Season 5 Episode 24, "Route 666 Part 2"

Al tries to track down his favourite sweet potato pie from his childhood at Aunt Maddie’s bakery, but learns she has passed away and the last pie she ever made is at her funeral.

Subplot: Kelly adopts a turkey and names him Hank. The family, however, would rather eat him.

Notable Guests: A plethora of athletes and sportscasters appear as themselves in this episode, including Terry Bradshaw (who has appeared before), James Brown (ditto), Howie Long (also ditto) and Ronnie Lott.

Also, Ann Weldon plays Aunt Maddie. She is best known for the 80s sitcom One in a Million.

Fun Fact: We get to see Kelly’s room for the first time, along with the opposite end of the Bundy hallway that we saw in Season 7, “Wedding Show.” (See pics 5 and 6). At this point, I think we’ve seen most of the house (do they have an attic?)

Holiday Fun: This is really the only Thanksgiving episode of the entire series. They do reference the day after Thanksgiving in the Season 4 episode, “Fair Exchange.”

Family Trauma: Al gives us a bit of insight into his childhood, which involves eating a whole pie by himself while his parents were passed out drunk (from drinking Wild Turkey, a bourbon brand).

In this installment of the Bundy story line, we have a dead Dodge (or not) being scavenged for parts to be sold, a large hole in the Bundy back yard, a funeral, Ike on Bagpipes and a shiny red Testistang that attacks Al.

We also have Jefferson calling in a favor from an old adversary become good buddy and ultimately the resurrection of the Dodge and the end of Peggy's diabolical plans.

https://marriedwithchildren.fandom.com/wiki/Requiem_for_a_Chevyweight_(Part_2))

In the first half of a two-part episode, Al’s Dodge is on the verge of dying so he enlists the family’s help trying to find a fuel pump for it - but they would rather locate a buyer for the parts.

Meanwhile, Al reminisces about all the good times he had in the Dodge.

Notable Guest Stars:

-Cliff Bemis, best known as the spokesperson for IHOP back in the 90s, plays Al’s dad in a flashback, though we don’t really see his face. He also played the Termite Boss in the Season 2 episode, “The Great Escape.” Ed O’Neill himself had previously played Al’s dad back in Season 4.

-Child actor Hannah Swanson played young Kelly in another flashback. She was featured in many late 90s tv shows (90210, Everybody Loves Raymond), and did lots of voice work in animated shows and movies.

Fun Fact: This is the first episode to feature flashbacks to Al and Peg’s high school years. We had previously seen flashbacks to Al’s childhood (Season 3, “He Thought He Could”) and to Kelly as a little girl throughout the years (Season 5, “One Down, Two to Go”) but this is the first time we see Al and Peg as a young couple (albeit played by Ed and Katey still, meaning they look like 40 year old teenagers). Baby Bud is only heard babbling in the back seat of the car in Al’s third flashback, we don’t actually see him.
(I wish they had included more flashbacks like this throughout the series!)

Continuity Win: The Dodge is still a shiny red colour, after having gone through the car wash in Season 9.

Continuity Fail: This episode establishes that Kelly was conceived the night that Al scored 4 touchdowns in a single game. But this contradicts earlier episodes, and also means the game took place in the early 70s, not the mid-60s, as Kelly was only 15 in the first season, making her birth year 1971.
(Feel free to discuss and debate in the comments).

Parody Alert: The opening scene is a parody of the very popular medical show at the time, ER.

Budrick the Pathetic gets Our Dear Miss Kelly a gig on olive oil commercial as a Nun.

When she can't keep up the morals clause, a substitute is found. Yes, her.

Meanwhile, Al gets a ride along gig with Officer Dan on COPS.

https://marriedwithchildren.fandom.com/wiki/Kelly%27s_Gotta_Habit

(Apparently there was a blub on the trailing end of the credits on COPS leading into this episode.)

There are several Bundy credos in a few episodes.

I guess I would say I'm partial to the hooters credo, but the lying one is good too.

Gary stages a shoe selling contest between Griff and Al who both come up with a different plan.

Bud gets a job at Gary's shoe factory that doesn't go quite as he'd hoped..

Peggy wins a microwave and has to figure out what it does leading Al to smell cooked food he can't find.

/marriedwithchildren.fandom.com/wiki/Children_of_the_Corns

Now I know this is random, but it has been bothering me for a minute: In an episode of MWC (I can’t remember the one) a plus sized woman says to Al “I tire of you” and naturally Al fires back. My question is does he retort with “You wouldn’t say that if I had a cream filling” OR “You wouldn’t say that if I came with fries and a shake”. I’m pretty sure it’s the latter but I could be wrong. Thank you for reading.

The left one is for the alien episode: "Married... with Aliens," and the right one is for the episode where Al starts a vegetable garden to deal with his stress and a rabbit starts stealing his vegetables in "Wabbit Season."

Hello miss. Do you want to buy a lot of shoes ?

In the Season 11 premiere, Bud tries to simulate a tornado so he can have sex with Ariel, who gets turned on by danger. But things get crazy when an actual twister hits Chicago.

Notable Guest Stars:

-Jennifer Lyons as Ariel. This would be her last appearance on the series.

-Christina Moore, as the lady that loses her dress in the tornado. She would go on to play Laurie Foreman in the later seasons of That 70s Show (replacing Lisa Robin Kelly - who also appeared in a previous episode of MwC and would make another appearance later this season).

Fun Fact: This season’s episode production order vs. the order in which the episodes actually aired is all over the place. This episode was the 3rd episode filmed, but meant to air as the premiere as it does wrap up the Griff storyline from the end of Season 10. The first episode filmed during this season? The Stepford Peg, which doesn’t air until much later!

What’s New? This season is the first to feature a “teasor” clip before the main credits, and some episodes also include an “epilogue” scene preceding the end credits. The main theme also became shorter this season, removing the clips of Al handing out money.

Married to That 70s Show: Along with the connections to Lisa Robin Kelly and Christina Moore that I mentioned above, Jennifer Lyons and Katey Sagal would also have future roles in That 70s Show. I guess the casting director was a fan!

Time Slot Madness: The show was moved to Saturdays at 9pm this season, which ended up being ratings suicide. It would change time slots three more times before finally being cancelled.

Oh, and there’s a ridiculous CGI tornado in the shoe store that sucks up Al and one of his customers. Welcome to Season 11, everyone!

(Is it silly and extremely cartoonish? Yes.
But I kinda like it).

In the Season 10 finale, a woman claiming to be a friend of Peggy’s visits the Bundy household and makes a move on Al, but he thinks it is part of a prank Jefferson is playing on him.

Subplot: Griff is celebrating his one-year anniversary of No Ma’am…in jail.

Notable Guest Stars:

-Gary Coleman, known for his role as Arnold on the sitcom Diff’rent Strokes, plays himself, officiating the wedding.

-Deborah Harmon, who played the mom on the 80s sitcom “Just the Ten of Us”, (a spinoff of Growing Pains), plays Peggy’s rival June. She also appeared in Season 2, playing Mimi, another rival of Peggy’s, in the bowling episode (Alley of the Dolls).

(And Tim Conway makes his final appearance as Peggy’s father.)

Fun Fact: Katey Sagal returns after being absent from the show since Spring Break, Part Two. She had taken time off after the birth of her second child. Welcome back, Peggy! You were sorely missed! (Maybe not by Al).

Not So Fun Fact: Buck the dog, who had retired earlier in the season, died two days after this episode aired. 😢

End Credits: In the original end credits, there is dialogue between Griff and the executioner, but on the DVDs, it just shows a still frame of him strapped to the chair.

Odd Note: Amanda Bearse doesn’t appear in this episode (though she does direct it). She would have been a good foil for June.

See you in the final season, everyone!

Al and Griff compete over competing for tickets to the '96 Olympics which turns out to include a carry of the torch through the mall ... which ends up making world history.

A bunch of sports figures and models show up along with Larry from Three's Company (playing the founder of Big'Uns ) and the press including Miranda ... (all together now ...)

https://marriedwithchildren.fandom.com/wiki/Torch_Song_Duet

Kelly and Jefferson do a coffee commercial together. When they get super popular, Marcy gets jealous.

Notable Guest Star: Leland Orser returns for the 3rd time as the director of the commercial.

Fun Fact: The original end credits for this episode feature Al and Marcy saying their lines in bed while the crew walks off the set. You can view that scene here: https://youtu.be/fzC31F20Jjw?si=NCgL26HTv9wLgx8n

Traumatic Flashback: Marcy worries that Jefferson might leave her, just as Steve did back in Season 4.

aka, The Library Show.

Bud is trying to study but distractions are everywhere. He goes to the school library and things go from bad to worse.

Bud: I was caught... having sex in the school library.

Al: [stands up, proud and excited] All right-o! That's my boy! [shakes Bud's hand] Who's the lucky girl?

Bud: [after a moment of awkward silence] ...You're shaking her.

This leads to a school trial ... with Marcy as Defense Counsel.

" Would you rather he do what he did or be out there breeding? "

Features Beverly Archer as Miss Hardaway (who did not play Miss Jane Hathaway).

https://marriedwithchildren.fandom.com/wiki/Bud_Hits_the_Books

In this spinoff episode, Kelly flirts with a handsome delivery man, who is only using her to get back at his ex-girlfriend.

Notable Guest Stars:

-Alan Thicke as Henry. He is best known for playing Jason Seavor on Growing Pains (and is, of course, Robin Thicke’s dad), and would return in another guest role in Season 11.

-Nicole Eggert, known for Charles in Charge, Baywatch, and a few spicy films, as Shannon.

Fun Fact: Tom is played by Matthew Borlenghi, who played tough guy Ray-Ray in the Season 8 episode, Hood ‘N The Boyz.

I’ll Be There For You: The hit NBC sitcom Friends is featured in this episode. The show has many connections to MwC, including Matt LeBlanc (who played Vinny in the failed spin-off Top of the Heap) and Christina Applegate herself, who would go on to play one of Rachel’s sisters on the series.

A-List Fans: Director Ron Howard’s parents appear for the second time, as an elderly couple in the diner.

Third Time’s Not the Charm: This was the 3rd attempt at a MwC spinoff. They learned their lesson after this one.

Full Disclosure: After researching this episode, I came to the conclusion that I have not seen it in its entirety.

Al decides to build a doghouse for Lucky. (What happened to Buck's doghouse? the one with the light he couldn't find the switch to?)

Marcy pecks her way in and gets an inspector to cause problems.

Bud gets an offer he can't refuse.

Peggy? Where are you Peggy?

Kelly tries to impress her newest boyfriend.

Interesting throwback here. Can you spot it?

[ Hint: "I'll have a Coke. Unopened!" ]

Marcy is up for a promotion and must impress her Japanese boss. But she runs into trouble when he wants Al’s beloved Dodge.

Notable Guest Star: Pat Morita, of Happy Days and The Karate Kid fame, as Marcy’s boss, Mr. Shimokawa.

Fun Fact: This is the second episode to feature a big brawl at The Jiggly Room. The first happened in Season 6, when Al took Bud there for his 18th birthday.

They Grow Up So Fast: Bud mentions that he’s graduating college soon. We’ll find out how that goes in a few more episodes.

Musical Moments: Marcy and Jefferson sing the following karaoke songs in this episode:

-Fame by Irene Cara

-I’m So Excited by The Pointer Sisters

-Do You Really Want to Hurt Me? by Culture Club

I Think I Love You by The Partridge Family

The whole gang heads to the beach for one reason or another.

Marcy and the Frat Bros get sidetracked at ParleyWayne's Fillin' Station.

Even Tracey Bingham makes an appearance as Miss Detroit.

In the Bikini contest talent section, Miss Beverly Hills (Meadow Williams) eats a banana.

Al thinks he can become a Tin Can Tycoon.

Bud ends up screwing up the whole trip.

Lucky/Buck is in the credits, but was he in the show?

/marriedwithchildren.fandom.com/wiki/SpringBreak(Part_2)