A Tisket, a Tasket, Can Peg Make a Basket? was the season opening episode of Season 8 of Married... with Children, also the 158th overall episode of the series. Directed by Tony Singletary and written by Kim Weiskopf, the episode originally on FOX, premiering on September 5, 1993.
Synopsis[]
When Al and Peggy go to a basketball game, Peggy switches seats with Al and her seat is chosen for a $10,000 free throw contest.
Storyline[]
When Al manages to get two prime tickets to a charity all-star basketball game, Peggy spoils his fun by insisting she come along. Al reluctantly takes Peg along even though she knows nothing at all about the sport.
Peggy switches seats with Al and her seat is chosen for a $10,000 free throw contest and Al is deeply disapointed. Things get from bad to worse for Al when she trades seats with him just before his former seat is chosen for a $10,000 free-throw contest, Needless to say, the Bundy curse continues when Peg misses the free throw, then after getting consoled by Al, makes the shot from behind her back, before walking off the court at episodes' end! Meanwhile, Kelly tries to bag for herself NBA center Vlade Divac. Fellow NBA stars Clyde Drexler and Xavier McDaniel also guest star.
Guest stars/Recurring[]
- Cast regulars
- Amanda Bearse as Marcy D'Arcy
- Ted McGinley as Jefferson D'Arcy
- Buck as Buck Bundy
Guest starring []
- Vlade Divac as Himself
- Clyde Drexler as Himself
- Xavier McDaniel as Himself
- Roy Fegan as Team official
- Gerald Emerick as Man behind Al
- Ray Clay as P.A. Announcer
- Kari Cuartero as All Star Girl
- Marianne Herme as All Star Girl
- Tracy Lindley as All Star Girl
- Alexis Martinez as All Star Girl
- Shannon Roy as All Star Girl
- Kathalene Taylor as All Star Girl
Quotes[]
- Peggy: Your father will be home soon and he'll be looking for dinner. Tell him I hope he finds it. I'm just going over to Marcy's.
- Bud: But, Mom, you'll miss Dad's latest episode of "A fat woman came into the shoe store today."
- Peggy: Actually, I already know how it ends. He doesn't get the sale or a life.
- [Kelly, dressed as one of the All-Star cheerleaders, breaks away from the group during their dance and tries to flirt with Vlade Divac]
- Kelly: Hello, Vlade. My name's Kelly. I can make you very happy.
- Vlade Divac: You can show me how to set my VCR?
- Kelly: If necessary. [turns around and shows Vlade the back of her leg while slightly lifting up her skirt] Here's my phone number.
- Vlade Divac: [looking] There's only six numbers.
- Kelly: Well come on, I'm not easy.
- [Peggy looks disappointed after missing the free throw shot. Al then comes up to her with the ball tucked under his arm]
- Al: Ah now, Peg, now, that's all right. [puts his arm around her] You gave it your best shot.
- Peg: You're not disappointed, Al?
- Al: Disappointed, Peg? It's the only way it could be. I wanted it, I needed it, I deserved it, how else could it have turned out?
- Peg: [perks up] Then it's your fault.
- Al: From the minute I said "I do."
Notes[]
Title[]
- The title of the episode is a reference to a line from the traditional nursery rhyme, "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" and questioning whether or not Peggy can make a free throw shot into the basket.
Trivia[]
- Starting with this episode, a new set of clips were used for the opening credits for Season 8. With the exception of Christina Applegate, the new clips include:
- Ed O'Neil - Al sitting on the couch changing the tv channel with one hand down his pants. It is similar to the previous version except Al is now in grey slacks and has noticeably less hair.
- Katey Sagal - Peggy coming down the stairs in a leopard print top that she later wears at the All Star Game. She stops and smiles for a moment before making her way down.
- Amanda Bearse - Marcy, now with shorter, brown hair, standing outside of the Bundy's front door in a "Feminism Lives" t-shirt and holding out a collection jar. She is shown talking to one of the Bundys before the door is shut on her.
- Chirstina Applegate - Same as the previous season.
- David Faustino - Bud siting in the Bundy Kitchen looking into a handheld mirror as he tries to fill his beard in with a black marker.
- Ted McGinely - Jefferson sitting in the Bundy living room and looking into the camera as he shuffles a deck of poker cards.
- For the first half of season 8, Marcy has shorter brown hair.
Cultural References[]
- The charity that Bud mentions, "Hands Across the Suburbs" is a reference to "Hands Across America", a charity event that took place in 1986 where people across the country held hands to form a human chain for 15 minutes.
- After boasting about eating the charity chocolate mints, he tells Bud "So Jerry Lewis can't afford Rip Taylor this Labor Day". This is in reference to:
- Jerry Lewis - American actor and comedian who created and hosted the annual The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon.
- Rip Taylor - American actor and entertainer who was known for his exuberance and flamboyant personality.
- Marcy and Jefferson brag that they are going to see "Captain & Tennille Unplugged". Captain & Tennille were a husband and wife musical band.
- Marcy also mentions one of their hit singles, "Muskrat Love" when she threatens Jefferson for wanting to go to the baskeball game with Al.
- They had been previously referenced in the season 5 episode, "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" when Al sings "Do It To Me One More Time" as he washes his car in front of the neighborhood women.
- After Marcy asks Al who they think will be the opening band for Captain & Tennille, he sarcastically quips, "The Carpenter". This is in reference to the brother and sister duo, The Carpenters whose lead singer, Karen Carpenter died in 1983, leaving her brother as the remaining Carpenter of the band.
- In season 5's "A Man's Castle", it was mentioned that the Carpenter's song, "We've Only Just Begun" was Al and Peggy's wedding song as Peggy remodeled the toilet in their bathroom to play that song whenever it flushes.
- Actor Joe Piscopo is mentioned in this episode as being an usher working in the stadium. He has been mocked multiple times on the show.
- Throughout the episode, various NBA players are shown or mentioned by name:
- Patrick Ewing - Center, New York Knicks. Peggy has a "Patrick Ewing Groin Pull doll"
- Danny Ainge - Shooting Guard, Phoenix Suns. Mentioned separately from the other NBA All Star players by the announcer, implying that he is not well liked. Later, after Peggy takes her shot and the ball is in the air, Clyde Drexler thinks to himself "Hey, if we had her instead of Ainge, we'd have won the championship!".
- Pat Riley - Coach, New York Knicks. Al mocks Riley's hairstyle, as he was often known for his slickback hairstyle and tan during his coaching years.
- Charles Barkley - Power Forward, Phoenix Suns. Al mocks Barkley and tells him that he is "playing like a virgin".
- Xavier McDaniel - Power Forward, Boston Celtics. Grabs Al and throws him across the arena after Peggy asks if he really was an NBA player or "Did Sinead O'Connor get a tan". Later, he throws Al again after Peggy accidentally hits him with a basketball during practice.
- Shaquille O'Neal - Center, Orlando Magic. Al asks Xavier McDaniel if they could start off as friends and help him get Shaq's autograph before being tossed.
- Vlade Divac - Center, Los Angeles Lakers. Kelly tries to flirt with him twice but fails as security escorts her out.
- Clyde "The Glide" Drexler - Shooting Guard, Portland Trail Blazers. Gives Peggy advice before she is going to make a free throw shot.
- Kelly sneaks into the basketball game dressed as singer Tina Turner.
- After hearing Kelly butcher the Star Spangled Banner, Al tells Peggy "At least its better than Roseanne". This is in reference to American actress and comedienne, who, in 1990, performed the Star Spangled Banner in an off key and screechy version at a Major League Baseball game that received widespread criticism.
- When Al asks Peggy to pretend that he is the basket, she lists off things that she has pretended Al to be in the past, including actor Mr. T, an actor and former wrestler, who at the time this episode was filmed, was known for his role in the 1980s television series, The A-Team and as Clubber Lange in the 1983 boxing film, Rocky III.
- In what could be considered a 6-degrees of separation type event, Hulk Hogan co-starred in Rocky III as Thunderlips in a charity match. Hogan and Mr. T would later be teammates in a tag-team match at the first WrestleMania.
- After Peggy takes her free throw shot and the ball is in the air, Clyde Drexler thinks to himself "Hey, if we had her instead of [Danny] Ainge, we'd have won the championship!". This is in reference to the 1992 NBA finals with the Portland Trail Blazers playing against the Chicago Bulls. Both Drexler and Ainge played on the Trail Blazers at the time, with the Bulls winning the Championship during game 6 and Ainge signing with the Phoenix Suns a few weeks later.
- When Clyde Drexler talks to Peg about making the free throw shot, he tells to think of the line from a famous commercial. She suggests "Just Do It", before he reveals that he had been thinking "L'eggo My Eggo".
Music[]
- Kelly (dressed as Tina Turner) butchers "The Star-Spangled Banner".
- "Whoot, There It Is" by 95 South is heard as Kelly attempts to perform with the All Star Cheerleaders.
Locations[]
- Bundy Residence
- Sports Arena
Sets[]
- Bundy Living Room / Kitchen
- Sports Arena Seating Area / Court
◄ Season 7 | Season 8 Episodes | Season 9 ► |
A Tisket, a Tasket, Can Peg Make a Basket? • Hood 'n the Boyz • Proud to Be Your Bud • Luck of the Bundys • Banking on Marcy • No Chicken, No Check • Take My Wife, Please • Scared Single • NO MA'AM • Dances with Weezie • Change for a Buck • A Little Off the Top • The Worst Noel • Sofa So Good • Honey, I Blew Up Myself • How Green Was My Apple • Valentine's Day Massacre • Get Outta Dodge • Field of Screams • The D'Arcy Files • Nooner or Later • Ride Scare • The Legend of Ironhead Haynes • Assault and Batteries • Al Goes Deep • Kelly Knows Something |