Fair Exchange is the sixth episode of season 4 of Married...With Children, also the 63rd overall series episode. The episode originally aired on FOX on October 29, 1989. Directed by Gerry Cohen, the episode was written by Al Aidekman.
Synopsis
The Bundy's host a French foreign exchange student simply because it means $500 per month which goes for food for the family. She fits in at first, but soon overshadows Kelly.
Storyline
The Bundys can feast on the $500 a month they receive for hosting a French foreign exchange student. But the beautiful French girl, Yvette, soon turns Kelly's social life into famine, which prompts Kelly to take action to get her own social life back. Milla Jovovich plays a French foreign exchange student who is staying in the Bundys' garage and burning wood for warmth. By having a foreign exchange student, the Bundys get $500 a month. Now, they can eat in style. Al has never been happier neither has Bud. The problem with the foreign exchange student is Kelly who is now replaced at school as the popular date among the men. She is now dating geeks especially one into pencils. Bud loves having her stay in the garage where he can peep and she doesn't mind. Steve and Marcy think she's Al's mistress and give out information for Peggy to get a good divorce attorney.
Recurring cast/Guest stars
Regulars
- Amanda Bearse as Marcy Rhoades
- David Garrison as Steve Rhoades
- Buck the Dog as Buck Bundy
Guest starring
- Milla Jovovich as Yvette
- Richard Israel as Myron
- Gregg Thomsen as Hank
- Douglas Bryant Johnson as Bob
Notes
Title
- The title of this episode is based on the 1960s television series of the same name as well as the Bundy participating in a Student exchange program.
Trivia
- Yvette is played by actress Milla Jovovich, who is best known for her roles in "The Fifth Element" and the live action "Resident Evil" movies.
- Despite Yvette and Kelly being similar ages in the episode, Milla Jovovich was just shy of 14 when this episode aired, while Christina Applegate was just about a month shy of her 18th birthday.
- Milla Jovovich and Christina Applegate attended high school together in real life.
- Besides playing a French exchange student, in real life, Milla Jovovich is fluent in French, as well as Russian and English.
- Although this episode originally aired in late October, Al points out at the beginning of the episode that it is the day after Thanksgiving.
- The Bundys are shown eating pizza as their Thanksgiving meal instead of the traditional turkey meal. They are so poor, that they ate the toppings and cheese first on Thanksgiving and saved the remaining dough for the next day.
- Peggy reveals that she had her engagement ring appraised the day after their wedding and that it is made out of glass.
- Steve implies that he may have been been setting up his way out of his marriage with Marcy.
- Marcy reveals that Steve took her to homecoming only because she chose to settle with a nerd after no one else would go out with her and was ridiculed for it by her friends.
Cultural References
- Kelly mentions that Myron's family took a tour of the Ticonderoga Pencil factory and the no. 2 pencil is the backbone of the industry. Ticonderoga is a real brand of pencils with its yellow-green no.2 pencils being commonly associated with school classrooms.
Locations
Sets
- Bundy Living Room / Kitchen
- Polk High School Hallway / Lockers
Goofs
- There some mistakes regarding student exchange:
- Foreign exchange students do not provide the money to the host. It would come from the exchange program in the form of a mailed in check.
- Even if the Bundys were not able to pick her up from the airport, Yvette would have been given some sort of transportation arrangement from the exchange program coordinator to get to the Bundy residence.
- The Bundy's house would have been inspected by the exchange program beforehand and they definitely would not been allowed to host a student with the garage and a cot serving as her bedroom.
- After the rest of the family took Kelly's dinner while she complained about being washed up, the fries on her plate keep changing. After her family cleans her plate, there are some fries left on her plate. Then when she calls Yvette a "French Poodle", her plate is almost empty with a few fries on the table. After she asks Peggy for advice, the fries are back on her plate. After she becomes depressed and Bud suggests some options for her future, the fries are off of her plate again. Finally, they are on her plate again when Al tells her to open the doors
- A silver boom mic is visible in the wide shot of Kelly getting up after sarcastically telling Yvette that she has her eye on the big fat tuba player.
- As Kelly heads up the stairs and Yvette pleads with her to help her with school, the moving shadow of someone (likely Ed O'Neill and Katey Sagal) can be seen on the wall at the top of the stairs.
External Links
Fair Exchange at the Internet Movie Database- Fair Exchange on Bundyology
- Fair Exchange - Final Draft Script on albundy.net
- Fair Exchange - Transcript on albundy.net
- #64 Fair Exchange - MWC Podcast on Horrorphilia
