England Show (Part 1) is the twenty-fourth episode of Season 6 of the FOX sitcom Married... with Children, as well as the 129th overall episode in the series. Written by Ellen L. Fogle, the episode was directed by Gerry Cohen and premiered on FOX on May 3, 1992.
Synopsis[]
Seamus Bundy provoking the curse
The Bundys win a trip to England, courtesy of the village Lower Uncton, which can rid itself of a centuries-long curse by ridding the world of male Bundys - and there are just two left. Back in 1653, an ancestor of Al's - Seamus McBundy, insulted a fat, ugly witch who then imposed a curse on the village and all future male Bundys. The Lower Uncton residents must kill the last male Bundys inside their city limits in order to end the curse, while Upper Uncton people must insure they die outside the city so the curse becomes permanent and Lower Uncton stays as their tourist attraction.
Plot[]
The story begins back in 1653 in the small village of Lower Uncton, where a blacksmith name Seamus McBundy insults a old woman who turns out to be a witch who places a curse on the all the male Bundys, and makes the entire village of Lower Uncton be surrounded by darkness. Three hundred and thirty-nine years later, we are in the present-day Lower Uncton, and find out that the curse will only be lifted if all the MALE Bundys are killed within the limits of the town, and that Al and Bud are the last two remaining males. The Bundys subsequently receive a letter, saying that they've won an all expenses paid trip to England, more specifically Lower Uncton. Marcy and Jefferson also come along, though their luggage is soon stolen.
Cast[]
Regular Cast[]
- Ed O'Neill as Al Bundy
- Katey Sagal as Peggy Bundy
- Christina Applegate as Kelly Bundy
- David Faustino as Bud Bundy
- Amanda Bearse as Marcy D'Arcy
- Ted McGinley as Jefferson D'Arcy
- Buck the dog as Buck Bundy
Guest Stars[]
- Bill Oddie as Winston
- Alun Armstrong as Trevor
- Steven Hartley as Igor
- Tony Steedman as Mayor Fivshaw
- Helena Carroll as Poxilda
- Ron Leavitt as Nearby Dog (voice)
- Michael G. Moye as Nearby Dog (voice)
- Kevin Curran as Voice of Buck
- Aron Kincaid as Nearby Dog (voice)
- Edd Hall as Airplane Captain (voice)(uncredited)
Quotes[]
- [A shot of an airplane flying is shown as the Bundys and D'Arcys travel to England. The Captain is heard over the speakers]
- Captain: [voice over] This is your captain speaking. Will the gentleman in 24-B please put his shoes back on? I'm choking to death.
- Peggy: [v.o., offended] AL!
- Al: [v.o.] Oh, please. They show us the movie, 'Dutch' and they think I stink?!
- [Winston and Igor go up to the Bundys at Heathrow Airport and introduce themselves]
- Winston: I'm Winston, I'm your driver, and this is my assistant driver, Igor.
- Igor: "Igor"?! [moves in closely] You know perfectly well I had my name changed legally. Is it too much trouble to address me as "Merrill"?
- Winston: [in a hushed tone] I'll call you "Merrill" when we're alone, all right?
- Igor: And when was the last time we were alone, hmm?
- Winston: Not in front of the Yanks!
- [Al decides to go the "Speaker's Corner" area at Hyde Park, where he is surrounded by a crowd]
- Al: I'd like to talk to you today about women. I don't like 'em! I mean, you folks are English but even you can't like women. I mean, you're sitting home, watching sports and that's the exact time that they pick to plant their ever widening, what you call "bums", next to you, and ask 'Remember that restaurant we went to 18 years ago. Did you think that waitress was pretty?' Then you tell them to shut up, and they get mad. Then they start to cry and you get mad because you can't hear the game, which I think was their modus operandi all along! Now, I'm not proposing a solution, 'cause I gotta go soon, I see my wife looking [Peg is standing at a distance with her arms crossed and giving Al a dirty look], but I'd just like to say, "I don't like 'em." Now could I get a 'Whoa, women. I DON'T LIKE 'EM?'
- [Al extends his arm out and several men join him in a "Whoa Bundy!"]
- Al and Men: WHOOOOAAAA WOMEN! IIII DON'T LIKE 'EM!
- [A red headed woman hits her husband for joining in. As Al is about to leave, he stops and turns to the crowd once more]
- Al: Oh, by the way, am I alone here in hating the French?!
- Crowd: NO!
- Al: [proudly smiling] I thought not!
Notes[]
Title[]
- The three episodes are set in England.
Trivia[]
- When the Bundys arrive at the airport, in the background there is a person holding a sign that says "Leavitt". Another person holds a sign that says "Moye". This is a reference to the creators and executive producers of Married... with Children, Ron Leavitt and Michael G. Moye (who also wrote this episode). There is also a third, but obscured sign for "Anderson" in reference to John Maxwell Anderson, another MWC producer.
- Ron Leavitt and Michael G. Moye provided their voices in this episode as a couple of dogs near Buck's cage while he is in the dog pound, and sing Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen.
- While Al asks Bud to hurry up and take a picture of him and the rest of the Bundys, a couple walks by and points out that Al is a shoe salesman, before walking away and laughing at him. The couple is Stacie Lipp and Larry Jacobson, writers for the show.
- Hair stylist Dottie McQuown is seen behind the Bundys when they try to get the Queen's Guard to crack.
- Al mentions that he and Bud would dress as Hare Krishnas and go to the airport, begging for spare change.
Cultural References[]
- On the airplane ride to England, the pilot announces over the speaker for Al to put his shoes back on, as he is choking to death. Al then comments "Oh, please. They show us the movie 'Dutch' and they think I stink?".
- Ed O'Neill actually starred in that movie, which was released in May of 1991 and considered a total flop, due to poor reviews and earning less than $5 million (on a $17 million budget) during its theatrical run. It would be referenced again in the season 9 episode "Dial B for Virgin".
- Jefferson revealed to the Bundys that he was originally taking Marcy to Epcot Center, an amusement park located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
- After Marcy complains about how her clothes smell likes Al's feet, Jefferson tell hers "For 10,000 bucks less, we could be smelling the sweet feet of Mike Fink on his keel boat ride".
- This is a reference to Mike Fink Keel Boats, a set of small boats used to travel the waters at the various Disney theme parks. They were in operation from 1971 to 2001 at Walt Disney World.
- Al keeps forgetting Winston's name and refers to him by names of other cigarette brands: Winston is the name of a brand of cigarettes. Throughout the episode, Al refers to him as:
- Jefferson mentions Michael Caine, a British actor best known for his Cockney accent. His notable film roles include Get Carter, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and in recent times, Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy as Alfred Pennyworth.
- Jefferson reveals that he watches Full House, an ABC sitcom that ran from 1987 to 1995.
- After Kelly appears to not know about England, Bud references three notable British figures:
- Poet and playwright William Shakespeare
- Prime Minster and member of Parliament Winston Churchill
- Actor / Comedian Benny Hill
- After Kelly recognizes Benny Hill from Bud's list, she says that she loves how they run around fast. This is in reference to The Benny Hill Show which often featured a sped up sequence where the characters would chase each other on the screen as "Yakety Sax" played over the scene.
- This would be later parodied on MWC in the season 7 episode, "It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This" as Marcy and Peggy yell and chase Al around the cabin as "Yakety Sax" plays.
Music[]
- The dogs in the dog pound sing "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen".
- An instrumental version of the British patriotic song "Rule, Britannia" is heard as Winston and Igor drive the Bundys around London.
Locations[]
- Bundy Residence
- Lower Uncton
- Dog Kennel
- Heathrow Airport
- London
- Hyde Park
- The Po' Side of Town
Sets[]
- Bundy Living Room / Kitchen
- Ye Old Blacksmith
- Lower Uncton
- Dog Kennel
- Heathrow Airport Baggage Claim
- Harrods Entrance
- Buckingham Palace Fence / Guard Booth
- Hyde Park / Speaker's Corner
- Wentworth Arms
- River Thames
Goofs[]
- When the family arrives at the airport in England, Al mentions how impressive England is and his hands are in his pockets. When Bud reminds him that they're just in an airport, Al's arm is somehow already around Bud's shoulder without him moving it there.
- At the beginning of this episode, Winston, who is the town historian of Lower Uncton says that it was not hard to find and kill the male Bundys since they all worked in shoe stores, but in the episode "And Baby Makes Money", we see several male Bundys, and Al is the only one among the group who works as a shoe salesman.
- Since Al and Bud are the only male Bundys said to be alive, that would probably mean that the other male Bundys from the episode "And Baby Makes Money" (as well as any other male Bundy located in the world) were killed in England at some point within a span of less than 2 years, which would be a rather impossible task.
- Even though the villagers said that it was a pretty good year for killing Bundys, it really seems as if they are doing it for the first time. They do mention that Bud and Al are the last male Bundys so they must have done it a couple of times before, but they seem extremely inexperienced in getting them into England and then into their village.
- At the airport outside, Marcy yells at Jefferson and knees him. When she tells him that he won't have a bulge in his pants anymore and is about to hit him, there is a man wearing a white coat walking behind them. Then, the camera instantly changes to a wider shot as she hits him and instead of a man, there is now a woman wearing a white coat walking past them.
- When the Bundys come out of the London airport, their luggage is placed in the trunk of the limo. Later when they come out of Harrods with all their shopping, the limo's trunk is empty.
- After Peggy removes Al's shoe from underneath the nose of the Queen's Guard, he smiles and then collapses. As he falls down, a blue mat can be clearly seen and the sound of him falling onto it is clearly heard.
- Although Lower Uncton didn't have sunlight for 4 centuries by the curse, the town didn't go into a deep freeze.
External Links[]
England Show (Part 1) at the Internet Movie Database- England Show (Part 1) on Bundyology
- England Show (Part 1) - Transcript on Springfield! Springfield!
- #129 England Show (Part 1) - MWC Podcast on Horrorphilia
