u/loonylovesgood86

Not much cooking or eating went on in the Bundy kitchen but it was still well-used!

Highlights:

The first thing to note about the kitchen is the greenery that lines the top of the cabinets. Like, what even is that? Was it alive? Fake? Was this a decorative trend during the 70s and 80s? See pics 1-4 for the best views.

They have a round dinner table, lots of cupboard space, and a bar/breakfast nook (trying to distinguish between American/Canadian terms here, lol). The bar has two raised chairs and consistently has a telephone placed upon it. There’s a little bookcase next to it. Yup, the Bundys owned quite a few books. (The bar area can be seen in the first 4 pics, along with pics 5 and 6. The bookshelf can be seen behind Bud in pic 7).

The floor pattern changed at some point between Season 1 (pic 5) and Season 5 (pic 3).

There’s wallpaper in here too! (Pics 8 and 9 show it the best). And fun lighting fixtures. (I think there’s lights above the bar as well). See pics 1, 5, 8, and 9 for best views of the lights.

The fridge is brown and as far as I can tell, stayed the same through all 11 seasons. They also have a stove (appears to be gas) and….a dishwasher!! (See pics 8 and 10). Peggy famously cooked burgers in the toaster (pic 2) and by later seasons, they had a toaster oven. (Pic 8). I know they get a microwave in Season 11, but I’m not sure if they end up keeping it!

Someone in a previous post mentioned the small, portable TV they had in the kitchen that they never used. You can see it in pics 6, 9 and 11.

Fun stuff:

-There’s a set of shelves built into the bar with yet more knick knacks on them. (Pic 12)

-They own a set of French Onion soup bowls. The same set I own, from the looks of it. (Al eating something FRENCH??) (see pic 2 - you gotta zoom in).

-They own the same cute salt and pepper shakers with mushrooms printed on them that my parents owned. (Pic 11).

-They have a calendar on the wall in later seasons!And I think it doesn’t change once it’s there, lol.(Pics 13 and 14).

-Yes, there is the laundry room that attaches to the kitchen and contains a second set of sliding doors out into the yard. You can see it in most of these pictures, including behind Al and Peg in pic 15. That’s for a separate post, though!

-Finally, let’s examine the last picture. Are those RECIPE BOOKS behind Peggy?? Is that a fruit basket on top of the fridge? (If not, what the heck is it??). What is the gadget on the counter behind Al’s arm?

What do you like best about their kitchen? Is there anything I missed?

One of my favourite things about the living room is all of the little details you can see in the background. For the most part, a lot of these remain the same throughout 11 seasons, but there are some things that change or shift around.

Wall Decorations

Peggy very clearly likes to hang things on the walls….leaving hardly any surface bare!!
In the first picture, we can see that she even hung stuff above the doors into the backyard. She seems to really like framed photos and paintings, plates, and little knick knacks. The same style can be found on the walls surrounding the staircase and leading into the kitchen. (See Pic 2)
There’s also the light sconces on the brick wall, along with what I think is supposed to be a barometer or a clock (my grandparents had something similar). (See Pic 3).

Shelving and Drawers

There’s a chest of drawers in the corner by the stairs. Scroll through pics 4 to 7 to see the various things that sat atop of it. A lamp, a framed photo collage, and a plant are the most consistent items. By Season 11, the family photo from Al’s Dodge was now displayed there. (See pic 8).

The other chest of drawers was located next to the garage door, and also had photos atop of it (including the framed collage from the other table), various knick knacks, but most often, Al’s trophies (assuming they are from his football days, though some could be baseball and bowling too). Sometimes his trophies moved throughout the room (see pics 9-13) but as early as Season 1, they were located on this table.

There’s a large shelving unit in the back of the room by the back sliding door, which holds a record player and records, a stereo, plants, vases and knick knacks. (And occasionally, a framed photo of Peggy). In some pics, it appears to hold books as well. Pics 1, 9, 10 and 12 give the best views.

The Desk
The desk along the brick wall had a telephone during the first season (Pic 14) but eventually had various lamps, stationery items (I swear there’s an inkwell in one photo), bill holders, and other unidentifiable objects. See pics 3, 11 and 15 for more views. In Season 10, the Bundys get a computer (see pic 16) but by Season 11, it’s gone again (see pic 17). Maybe it moved down to the basement with Bud?

Finally, I have to mention the plants. It seemed someone in the family had a green thumb, unless the plants were fake. Check out the plants behind Al and Steve in pics 14, 15 and 18 and the tree by the front door in Pic 19! These would disappear by the later seasons, though smaller plants were always in the background somewhere.

And of course, there’s the greenery that lines the ceiling in the kitchen, but that’s for another post.

Finally, let’s take a look at the photos in the background of Pic 13. Who do we think is in them?

The Bundy living room was a staple of the entire series, appearing regularly in pretty much every episode (with a few exceptions, mainly the ones when the Bundys were traveling, such as the second and third parts of the England episodes). Pic 1 is from Season 2 and Pics 6-7 are from Season 11 to show how little the set changed throughout the years. (With a few minor differences which we will cover in Part 2).

Highlights:

The Couch: The living room, of course, contains the famous couch (which remains the same throughout the series, though it was sneakily replaced by Kelly after she burns it down in the 8th season episode, Sofa So Good). Once in a while, it features some fancy throw pillows, but overall it remains fairly unchanged throughout 11 seasons.

The TV area: Along with the couch, there is an armchair on the viewer’s left, and a smaller white chair on the right. There’s a standard wooden coffee table (usually draped with Peggy’s magazines, a TV Guide, Al’s trusty remote control, and the occasional plant), and an end table on the left, which usually holds a lamp and sometimes a telephone.

The 4th Wall: Yes, the brilliant directors showed us the fourth wall twice during the course of the series. Along with the TV, we see a wood-panelled wall, two windows with green and white drapes, a large framed painting, and a small-tiered table with some sort of decorative ornament on it. Pics 8-9 show both scenes with the 4th wall.

The Floor: The floor appears to be hard wood, with a giant throw rug under the couch and coffee table and a smaller oval-shaped rug in the background that we definitely had in my house growing up. (See Pics 10-11).

The Walls: The walls are a mixture of brick, wood paneling and wallpaper. The wallpaper colour and pattern seems to stay the same throughout the series. There is a green pattern on the wall by the kitchen (see Pic 14) and a pinkish coloured pattern over by the garage door (Pic 13). There is also wallpaper on the staircase wall, but the stairwell is deserving of its own post.

Were there any other sitcoms from this era that depicted the fourth wall? (I think they did it in Big Bang Theory a couple decades later).

What are your thoughts on the overall look of the living room? It feels very retro 70s/80s to me, particularly with the brick and wood panels.

In Part Two, we’ll take a closer look at the living room decor, including pictures, furniture, plants, and various other knick-knacks.

Now that our episode recaps are over, I thought I’d try something a bit different.

Over the course of the week, I’m going to do a separate post about different spaces within the Bundy house, to examine how they changed over time, and identify any neat little things in the background. I think the set decorators had a lot of fun on this show, and I intend to explore that a little bit.

The Bundys always thought their house was a dump, but many of us in this day and age consider it to be almost a palace. They didn’t realize how lucky they had it!

What was your favourite part of the Bundy House?

Bud’s prison penpal Starla takes the family (plus the Darcys) hostage. Kelly ends up falling in love with Starla’s boyfriend, Lonnie.

Notable Guest Stars:

-Tricia Cast as Starla. She is best known as Nina on the soap opera The Young and the Restless.

-Chip Esten as Lonny. He is known for his appearances on Whose Line Is It Anyway and the series Nashville, among various other shows.

Fun Fact: Along with Johnny B. Gone from the first season, this episode takes place entirely in the Bundy’s living room.

Give us the bloopers: Outtakes from this episode were featured in a German special and can be found here: https://youtu.be/lBA9QE0jYe4?si=XtDu0RXm57uwa60B

Sad Fact: This is the beginning of the end, as the next episode is essentially the final one (with a random episode airing months later).

Al forms a surprising friendship with Marcy’s cousin Mandy, who happens to be a lesbian.

Subplot: Kelly and Bud try to set up a depressed Lucky with another dog.

Notable Guest Star: Not really a “guest” but Amanda Bearse plays Mandy, in a dual role.

Fun Fact: This episode aired 10 days before Ellen’s famous coming out episode. Amanda Bearse had come out publicly as a lesbian in 1993.

Filming Confession: This episode used a pre-recorded laugh track instead of the infamous live studio audience, due to the complexities of Amanda filming both roles of Marcy and Mandy.

Kelly gets a role in a children’s TV show after the original host has a breakdown.

Subplot: Fed up with Peg’s clinginess, Al experiments with various sleeping arrangements.

Notable Guest Star: Brandon Maggart as Uncle Dudley. He is best known for the Showtime series, Brothers.

Fun Fact: The guy who plays the court jester in this episode previously appeared in Season 4, “Fair Exchange”, as a nerd that dates Kelly.

Fond Farewell: This is the last time we see Peg and Al’s bedroom. (Though it wasn’t shown for all of Season 9 and 10).

Fed up with Al ditching her again to spend time at the Jiggly Room, Peggy disguises herself as “Jasmine”, a sexy stripper, and Al falls head over heels for her.

Subplot: Bud helps Kelly gain weight for a role in a weight loss commercial.

Notable Guest Star: Gloria LeRoy as Chesty LaRue. She played Mildred “Boom Boom” Turner in All in the Family and had an extensive career in vaudeville and television.

Fun Fact: Peggy has a photo of Al on her nightstand, which appears to be a publicity photo of Ed O’Neill.

Fellas, It’s Been Good To Know Ya: This is the last appearance of No Ma’am members Ike, Bob Rooney and Officer Dan, and also the last mention in general of No Ma’am.

Filming Order Chaos: It may seem sad that Al is already sick of Peg after they reunited at the end of the previous three-part saga, but fear not: This episode was filmed before that trilogy.

While Al is striking out with women, Peggy, Kelly and Bud are excited to start a new life with the charming Bruce - until he reveals his plans for the family.

Of course, Al and Peggy get back together after realizing they can’t be without one another. ❤️

Notable Guest Star: Alan Thicke as Bruce. (See previous post).

Fun Fact: During the sweet montage of clips showing past moments between Al and Peggy, two scenes from an upcoming episode, “A Babe in Toyland” are shown, as the episode had already been filmed but had not yet aired.

Touching Tribute: Buck the dog is mentioned when Al comes into the house to visit Lucky.

Continuity Fail: Peggy says that her and Al have been married for 25 years, but they celebrated their 25th anniversary two seasons ago.

In the second part of this trilogy, Al moves out and gets his own apartment. He and Peggy end up at the same singles bar, where Peggy meets a rich man.

Notable Guest Star: Alan Thicke as Bruce. He previously appeared in the Season 10 spinoff episode, Enemies. He is, of course, well known for his starring role in the 80s sitcom Growing Pains.

Fun Fact: Al’s voice is raspy in this episode, as Ed O’Neill apparently had a cold while he was filming it. (I can’t ever imagine performing while sick. Kudos to him).

Musical Moment: Old Time Rock and Roll by Bob Seger was originally used in this episode but was later replaced by a sound-alike version on the DVDs.

During a couple’s board game night, Peggy is upset when she realizes Al doesn’t know anything about her. They end up at couples therapy, where they ultimately argue and break up.

Subplot: Kelly fights her rival Heather in the boxing ring.

Notable Guest Star: Lisa Robin Kelly, as Heather. She is best known for her role as Laurie in That 70s Show. She appeared previously in Season 7, Kelly Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

Fun Fact: Peggy’s birthday is revealed to be April 12, which also happens to be Ed O’Neill’s birthday. We also learn that Al and Peggy had sex for the first time on top of a crate in the back of a Tastee Freeze, and it was beautiful.

Behind the Scenes Drama: The saga of Al and Peggy’s separation was meant to be two episodes only, but significant rewrites resulted in some changes and delays in production. The initial script was deemed “too serious” for a Married with Children plot line. The original story? Peggy reveals during therapy that she lied to Al about being pregnant back when he had to marry her. (Cue shocked Pikachu face). You can read the entire script here: https://www.albundy.net/marriedaniac/ate/script/1116tbl.html

Continuity charmer: The family photo that Al kept in the back of the Dodge is now seen framed on a table in the background. D’aww.

Peggy loses her memory after wiping out on a bonbon wrapper, and Al uses it as an opportunity to turn her into his dream wife.

Fun Fact: This was the first episode of Season 11 to be filmed. We get a hint of that when Sally, the ring girl, mentions that Griff just got out of prison.

Continuity Failure: Al references his senior prom, saying that Peggy was only in her dress for 20 minutes, but in Season 3, we learned that Al never took Peggy to the prom, and instead they watched TV and had sex on her father’s coat.

Something to Ponder: Peggy seems to have a natural skill for cooking as an amnesiac. Perhaps she’s always had talent in the kitchen but chooses to suppress that part of herself?

(Pic 7 is from the MwC official Instagram page).

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).

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 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.

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!

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.

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.