Damn Bundys is the 21st episode of Season 11 of Married... with Children, also the 256th overall series episode. Directed by Richard Correll and written by Ben Montanio & Vince Cheung, it premiered on FOX-TV on April 28, 1997.
Synopsis[]
Al makes a pact with Lucifer (Robert Englund) to play with the Chicago Bears to take them to Super Bowl in exchange for his soul. When Al insists on not quitting after his aim is achieved, Lucifer sends him to Hell, where he meets his entire family, who are now dead. As his life is exactly the same as on Earth, he challenges Lucifer to a football match for returning to life.
Plot Summary[]
Al and Jefferson are preparing to watch the NFL draft. When Jefferson tosses a canister of potato chips to Al like a football, Al ends up crashing through the dining room table. Unfazed and unhurt, he tells Jefferson that he would sell his soul to play for the Chicago Bears and take them to the Super Bowl. Just then, the doorbell rings. A man in a red shirt enters and introduces himself as Lucifer, there to claim Al's soul.
Al ends up getting drafted by the Bears and becomes a phenom, scoring touchdowns left and right. He takes the team to the Super Bowl, but unfortunately, the deal was only to lead them to the championship, but not be able to play. Al insists on playing, but without the Devil's help, he's reduced to his original athleticism at the start of the episode. He gets tackled so hard on the first play that he dies. After being taken to Hell, Al finds his planned torment to be enjoyable: being forced to eat nothing but Weenie Tots (his favorite food), having to spend eternity in the bathroom, and never seeing his family again.
The Devil changes his plan and forces Al to have spend an eternity with his family and the D'Arcys. 300 years later, Bud has grown crab claws (which keep puncturing his blow-up doll), Kelly is a gargoyle (which scares off her dates), Peggy has hooves (unable to use the TV remote and call the Home Shopping Network), and the D'arcys have to endure Al's insults (which are the same every day). Tired of this Hell, Al challenges Lucifer to a football game to be sent back to Earth - whoever scores first gets their wish.
Lucifer assembles a much stronger football team consisting of Eric the Red, Atilla the Hun, Genghis Khan, Brutus, and Goliath, who consistently stop the Bundys and D'Arcys from scoring touchdowns. On their fourth and final try, Jefferson throws a Hail Mary that Al is about to catch. Just as Al goes to catch the game-winner, Lucifer freezes time and gives Al two options: catch the ball and send everyone back to Earth as part of the deal or drop the ball and be sent back to Earth along with three Hell babes holding moneybags. Al chooses to catch the ball and wakes up in his house, revealing that he was knocked out after crashing through the dinner table. As Al remarks it was a dream, he pulls out a box of Red Hots Lucifer gave him while in Hell and remarks "There's no Hell like home."
Recurring Cast/Regulars[]
- Lucky the Dog as Lucky Bundy
Guest starring[]
- James Brown as Himself
- Robert Englund as Lucifer
- John Welsh as Clerk
- John Cirigliano as Napoleon Bonaparte
- Alex Ardenti as Hunky Guy
- Erik Kramer as Himself
- Curtis Conway as Himself
- Raymont Harris as Himself
- "Judo" Gene LeBell as Brutus (Uncredited)
- Troy Brenna as Footballer (Uncredited)
- Michael Satterfield as Lost Soul (Uncredited)
Quotes[]
- [At the Super Bowl, Al, who is now playing for the Chicago Bears, is being cheered on as reporter James Brown is getting ready to interview him]
- Crowd: Bundy! Bundy! Bundy!...
- Al: [Leading the crowd on] Hehehe! [turns to talk to James Brown]
- James Brown: So, Al, it's the final moments before the start of the Super Bowl. You've had a miraculous Cinderella season. The whole world is wondering: How did you do it?
- Al: I sold my soul.
- James Brown: [nods] Dedication. [turns to face his cameraman, with Al looking directly into camera] Well, to you young people watching out there [Al smiles and nods], and uh... to you old people too [Al winks], anything is possible if you put your... [pauses, looks back at Al, then into the camera] "soul" into it. Give them hell, Shoehorn!
- Al: Thanks, J.B.! [smiles and give a thumbs up gestures to the camera]
- [Al and Lucifer have arrived in Hell after Al is killed during the Super Bowl.]
- Lucifer: Now here comes my favorite part, [turns around to face Al, uses his tail as a mic and takes like a game show host] your itinerary of eternal torments, heh!
- [Lucifer snaps his fingers, which brings out a chef who is pushing a food cart and a covered serving tray.]
- Lucifer: For the next millennium, you'll be exclusively dining on the most hideous food ever known to man: [picks up the lid, revealing it to be a large pile of Weenie Tots] Weenie Tots.
- Al: [excited] Oooh, I love those!
- Lucifer: [disappointed] Really? Well, uh.... what you don't know that a steady diet of weenie tots would cause you to spend an eternity in the bathroom! [grins, hoping that it will change's Al's mood]
- Al: [shrugs] Why do you think I love them?
- [An upset Lucifer puts the lid back on the tray and gestures to the chef to leave]
- Lucifer: All right, Mr. Bundy. Since you find Hell such a picnic, uh... how about this? For the rest of eternity, you'll never see your family again!
- Al: [kneels and breaks down] This is HEAVEN! [puts his head against Lucifer's waist and hugs him] Thank you!
- [Confused, Lucifer looks around and then awkwardly pats Al on the head, as he continues crying and holding onto him.]
Notes[]
Title[]
- The title of this episode is a reference to the 1955 musical comedy, Damn Yankees.
Trivia[]
- Robert Englund, who plays Lucifer, is best known as the original Freddy Krueger from the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. His guest role in this episode is one of Englund’s relatively rare purely comedic performances.
- The season 1 episode, "Nightmare on Al's Street" is a reference to the franchise's name.
- Al had previously been referred to as the "Freddy Krueger of the library system" by Miss DeGroot in the season 3 episode, "He Thought He Could".
- This is the only episode to feature CGI effects, which were initially intended as a “theme week” tie-in to FOX's special airing of the 1994 comedy film The Mask (which aired the following night, April 29, 1997), in which MWC and several other FOX shows aired special episodes incorporating CGI elements.
- Due to the number of special effects shots employed, this episode was not recorded before a live audience and used a pre-recorded laugh track.
- The Bundys and the D'Arcys have spent 300 years (or around 109,570 days) in hell. When Marcy comes to the Bundy home, Al says the D'Arcys have visited 7,916,042 times. This means that the D'Arcys have been visiting the Bundys at least 72 times a day during that timeframe.
- Martial arts legend "Judo" Gene LeBell appears in this episode as Brutus.
- NFL commentator James Brown makes his second and final appearance on MWC in this episode. He was previously seen earlier in season 11 as a relative of Aunt Maddie in "A Bundy Thanksgiving".
Cultural References[]
- Al plays for the real-life Chicago Bears NFL franchise as part of his deal with the devil. Curtis Conway (Wide Receiver), Erik Kramer (Quarterback) and Raymont Harris (Running Back), who played for the team at the time of the episode, appear as themselves.
- After Al immediately agrees to sell his soul, Lucifer mentions that "Tom Arnold put up more of a fight!", referring to the comedian/actor who at the time this episode aired, had divorced actress/comedian Roseanne Barr and accusations that he only became famous due to his marriage.
- While watching Al playing in the NFL, at one point, Kelly calls out to the fictional cartoon bears Smokey Bear, Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo Bear.
- Al pointing to everyone in the kitchen saying "and you were there!" as well as the ending line of "There's no Hell like home" are references to the 1939 musical film The Wizard of Oz.
- While Bud is talking on different cell phones, he tells an agent to "Show me the money!", the line famously said by Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding, Jr. the 1996 romantic sports film Jerry Maguire.
- As Lucifer takes Al's soul down in the "Hellevator", Al bemoans that he was supposed to go to Disneyland. This is in reference to the phrase "I'm going to Disneyland / Disney World!", a promotional slogan that was used in commercials for the two Disney theme parks starting in 1987, typically featuring the Super Bowl MVP saying the phrase after winning the game.
- The check-in clerk says that Al is at "Club Dead" and how it overlooks the cesspool. This is in reference to Club Med, a French travel and tourism operator that owns and operates several beachside resorts across the world.
- Al is shown playing the guessing game, "Hangman" with French military leader, Napoleon.
- Peggy says that she should have been in heaven having sex with a young Elvis Presley, a singer and actor.
- Elvis was the subject of the Season 3 episode, "I'm Going to Sweatland".
- Katey Sagal, who plays Peggy, met Elvis in real life as her father, Boris Sagal, directed a movie (Girl Happy) with Elvis.
- While looking over construction plans, Lucifer tells the construction foreman the errors in the plans for the "O.J. Plaza", which would feature a "F. Lee Bailey Bar" and "Kato Kaelin Lounge", in reference to several people involved in O.J. Simpson Murder Case in 1995.
- O.J. Simpson - Former NFL running back and actor who was accused of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman in June 1994. He was found not guilty in criminal court in 1996 after a lengthy and controversial televised trial. In 1997, a few weeks before this episode was filmed, Simpson was found guilty in civil court and ordered to pay $33 million dollars to the Brown and Goldman families.
- F. Lee Bailey - Criminal defense lawyer who was one of several that represented O.J. on the "Dream Team". His cross-examination with LAPD detective Mark Fuhrman regarding his past use of a racial slur is believed to have been a key factor in Simpson being found not guilty. The bar may also be a reference to Bailey bringing a flask to the courtroom, though his fellow Dream Team member, Robert Kardashian, defended him and said it only had coffee. He had also fought a drunk driving charge a decade earlier with help from another Dream Team member, Robert Shapiro.
- Kato Kaelin - Actor and television personality who was Simpson's houseguest on the night of the murders. He become a key witness during the murder trial and garnered national attention.
- Lucifer mentions that professional golfer Tiger Woods also sold his soul. At the time, Tiger Woods was viewed as a phenomenon in the sport due to his young age and helped revive the sport.
- Lucifer gives Al a box of Real Hots, which is a parody of Red Hots, which is a cinnamon flavored candy.
- During the football game in Hell, Bud takes a rock and uses a sling to launch it, hitting the much bigger and taller Goliath in the forehand. This is in reference to the biblical story of "David and Goliath", as well as its more modern usage, describing an underdog defeating a big challenge.
- Al selling his soul and engaging in a contest with the Devil to get can be seen as a take on the song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by the Charlie Daniels Band. In the song, the Devil, behind in collecting souls, challenges a young man named Johnny to a fiddle contest. If the Devil won, he would claim Johnny's soul; however, Johnny bested the Devil and won a golden fiddle.
- In the final moments of the game, Al mentions that it is time for the Hail Mary, which causes Jefferson to drop to his knee and say a prayer, before Al corrects him and tell him that he meant the pass.
- The Hail Mary prayer is a Catholic prayer that is said to honor Mary, the mother of Jesus. It is used to ask for divine help during times of need.
- The Hail Mary pass refers to a very long forward pass, where a quarterback lofts the ball into the air and players jockey for position as it lands. The move is done out of desperation, as there is very little chance for competition. Its name also comes from the Catholic prayer.
Locations[]
- Bundy Residence
- NFL Stadium
- Hell/Club Dead
Sets[]
- Bundy Living Room / Kitchen
- NFL Stadium Field / Seating Area
- Hell/Club Dead Check-in / Seating Area
Goofs[]
- When Al places a broom in Peg's hand before the devil unfreezes her and Jefferson, she can be seen blinking twice despite still being frozen.
- Also, when Peggy is unfrozen, her hand that is holding the broom is in a completely different position and a few inches above where Al originally placed it.
- Jefferson's hands are in a different position when he is unfrozen and opens the beer can.
- Whenever Al's getting attacked and pinned on the floor by the Devil's Football team, you can clearly see a mattress on the floor several times.
- As Al laments that he could have had his name called in the NFL Draft, both of Jefferson's arms are bent and resting on the top of the couch. The camera then changes angles and Jefferson now has his right arm stretched out across the couch and Al has a different, almost grimacing, look on his face.
- Jefferson's laughter after Al laments about how he could have been in the NFL draft appears to be dubbed in. If one looks closely, it looks like Jefferson was originally saying "Oh well" before being dubbed as he continues on, pointing out that Al only played high school football.
- Right before Al goes into his room of eternal damnation he has nothing in his breast pocket, but right when he steps into the house you can see the outline of a box. During the entire time he is in the house it is in his pocket and during some scenes you can zoom in and see the box has a yellow line going around the boxes border. When he finally leaves his house to tell the devil he wants his soul back, the devil asks him if he wants some Red Hots and hands him the box if you pause this you can see the box has the same yellow line going around the box. How did he get the box before the devil handed it to him.
- Lucifer asks Al if he wants "Red Hots", which is a real brand of candy. But the box in his hand (and later in Al's at the end of the episode) clearly reads "Real Hots".