'Tis Time to Smell the Roses was the 23rd episode of Season 7 of Married... with Children, also the 154th overall episode of the series. Directed by Gerry Cohen and written by Kevin Curran, the episode originally on FOX, premiering on May 2, 1993.
Synopsis[]
Al plans on taking early retirement, but Peggy spends too much money shopping and he must get a job at Homeplate Athletic Shoes. He tries to buy the store, but fails thanks to Peg. He buys lottery tickets with the rest of the money ($6,000), but loses and ends up back in his old job.
Storyline[]
Al takes a $12,000 offer for early retirement from the shoe store, but Peggy finds the money and spends all of it in one hour by shopping. Al is forced to go back to work where he hears opportunity knocking with a chance to buy a shoe store called "Home Plate Athletic Shoes." Meanwhile, Charlene Tilton visits the Bundy house trying to sell them an "Abdomenizer."
Guest stars/Recurring cast[]
- Cast regulars
- Amanda Bearse as Marcy D'Arcy
- Ted McGinley as Jefferson D'Arcy
- Buck as Buck Bundy
Guest starring[]
- Charlene Tilton as Herself
- Susan Peretz as Ms. Blaub
- Peter Jason as Manager
- Shanga Parker as Habib #1 (as S. Kyle Parker)
- Ted Davis as Habib #2
- Abdul Goznobi as Habib #3 (uncredited)
Quotes[]
- [Al is at an employment office talking with the super-obese social worker ironically named Ms. Blaub]
- Al: And so, uh, Miss, uh... Blaub.
- Ms. Blaub: "Ms." Blaub.
- Al: Uh, yeah, I'm sorry, uh, your name was partially obscured by some, uh... errant flesh. Uh, as I was saying, I-I'm just not going to take anything, unlike you at a buffet. So, um, uh, what do you have for me?
- Ms. Blaub: Some Mennen Speed Stick in my desk?
- Al: Well, uh, let me give you a little tip: it goes under your arms... if you can ever get them horizontal.
- [Peggy, Kelly, and Bud are sitting on the living room couch, while watching actress Charlene Tilton work out and demonstrate the "Abdominzer" in front of them]
- Kelly: Hey, mom, how did you ever get Charlene Tilton to come exercise in our living room?
- Peg: Well, I called to order one of those things, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to buy it. So she rushed right over to answer all my questions.
- Charlene: It's easy and fun!
- Bud: [kneels behind Charlene as she stops to pose] You've just described me, you former Dallas cutie. [turns his baseball cap around] I like to call myself... "Abdomenizer B". But, uh, I don't need no stinkin' exerciser, I get plenty of exercise up in my room.
- Charlene: Yes, but with the Abdomenizer, for the first time you could have some company.
- [Bud, now embarrassed, quickly turns his cap around again and quickly slinks back to the couch as Kelly smiles at his failure]
- [Al quickly walks into the house and greets everyone there as he wants to tell them his future plan]
- Al: Peg... Kids... Charlene Tilton... [stops by the kitchen and turns to face the family] Peg, I now know what's been holding me back all these years.
- Peg: Mm, [nods, then turns to Kelly and Bud, with a smug tone] that would be us. I bet he has a new plan to change his future.
- Al: [bitterly] I should have killed you years ago!
- Al: All right, fine. We'll have a vote. Who doesn't want me to have my money?
- [Peggy, Kelly, Bud, and even Charlene Tilton raises their hands]
- Al: [points at Charlene] Now that hurts, Charlene! [gets up] All right. I now know what I have to do.
- [Al takes off his shirt revealing his muscular, untoned build]
- Peg: [smiling] Oh, Al, you're so cute. You're gonna try to earn it by having sex with me.
- Al: No, Peg! Nope. [slowly starts to walk around the back of the couch] I'm gonna take my pants off, get a lawn chair, and sit in my underwear over at...[drops down next to Bud, who starts to worry] YOUR college! Tell everybody I'm your father! [Kelly laughs at Bud until Al slide over to her] And then I'm gonna go over your diner where you work, pull up my Hanes. [Kelly suddenly becomes afraid] Tell them all I'm YOUR father! [moves to Peg] And then I'm going to go prancing around your beauty parlor. [Peg grimaces at the thought] Oh, and did I mention by then I won't be wearing any underwear?! [gets up and walks back towards the kitchen while looking at Charlene] And then, just for the heck of it, I'm gonna have a big sign that says: "I've been using the Abdomenizer two years, and this is what I look like!" [Charlene turns her head away in disgusts] Now let's vote. Who wants Daddy to get his money?
- [intimidated, Peggy, Kelly, Bud, and Charlene Tilton all raise their hands]
- Al: I knew you were all behind me!
Notes[]
Title[]
- The title of this episode is a reference to the idiom "Take time to stop and smell the roses", meaning that one should take a moment out of their busy schedule and appreciate the finer things in life.
Trivia[]
- Early in the episode, Al mentions that he's had a cold for three days and had to sleep in the garage. In fact, Ed O'Neill actually did have a cold during the filming of this episode, as his voice is noticeably raspy. The line about his having a cold was written in to the script at the last minute to cover this up.
- Shanga Parker, who previously played Bud's fraternity brother Ahmed in "Frat Chance", plays Habib #1 in this episode.
- Charlene Tilton, an actress best known for her role as Lucy Ewing on the 1980s primetime drama series, Dallas, plays herself in the episode.
- As revealed in this episode, Al earns $ 12,000 a year.
- Jefferson reveals that both of his parents died in tragic accidents:
- His dad was a gigolo who worked into his 70s suffering from back issues and died in a tanning booth accident.
- His mother was an exotic dancer at an all nude strip club and was swallowed whole by her pet snake while on break at her job.
- Abdul Goznobi, who plays Habib #3, would later go to be know for his roles in the film Old School and the television series, My Name is Earl.
- When Peggy arrives home with shopping bags as sings "Day-O", one of the bags is from "Muldin's" the department store that Peggy worked at in the Season 1 episode, "Peggy Sue Got Work".
Cultural References[]
- At one point, "Sock Daddy" tells the kids to put on some Johnny Mathis and leave, so he could have some alone time with Peg, referring to the singer who was known for his romantic ballads.
- After spending $3000 of Al's retirement money, Peggy mentions that she bought collectable Elvis plates from the Franklin Mint.
- Elvis is a reference to singer and actor, Elvis Presley. He was the topic of the third season season episode, "I'm Going to Sweatland".
- The Franklin Mint is a private mint that manufactures collectables such as coins, sculptures and figurines.
- Ms. Blaub offers Al "Mennen Speed Stick". Speed Stick is a brand of deodorant that, at the time this episode originally aired, was manufactured by Mennen and marketed as "Mennen Speed Stick" before it was acquired by Colgate-Palmolive in 1992.
Music[]
- Al sings a variation of "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" on his day of retirement.
Locations[]
- Bundy Residence
- Employment Agency
- Homeplate Athletic Shoes Shoe
Sets[]
- Bundy Living Room / Kitchen
- Ms. Blaub's Office
- Homeplate Athletic Shoes Entrance / Footwear Department
Goofs[]
- After telling Al that $10,000 is not much, her hands are open with the palms up and Al is looking at her. The phone rings and the camera immediately changes angles, with her hands now towards the lower left side of her hips and Al looking in a different direction before looking at the phone.