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The FOX Network creates a new show -- "No Pot To Pease In" -- which upsets everyone except Al, who loves it in Season 9 of MWC. | ||||
Season 9, Episode # 9 Number (#192) in series (259 episodes) | ||||
Guest star(s) | George Wyner Leonard Kelly-Young Lisa Kaseman Steven Hack Bruce Fine Alex McLeod Jennifer Massey J.J. Johnston Mark Barriere | |||
Network: | FOX | |||
Production code: | 9.09 | |||
Writer(s) | John Glenn Houston | |||
Director | Gerry Cohen | |||
Taping date | ||||
Original airdate | November 6, 1994 | |||
IMDb | No Pot to Pease In | |||
Episode chronology | ||||
← Previous | Next → | |||
Sleepless in Chicago | Dud Bowl | |||
No Pot To Pease In was the 192nd overall series episode of Married... with Children also the 9th episode of Season 9 of the series. Directed by Gerry Cohen and written by John Glenn Houston, the episode originally aired on FOX-TV on November 6, 1994.
Synopsis[]
When Kelly auditions for a part in a Fox network sitcom she happens to mention some stories about her family which the producer likes better then the original script.
Storyline[]
In this self-referential episode, Kelly pitches her family's and neighbors' quirks and vices as a new premise for a Fox sitcom. After seeing it, everyone (except Al, who is the only one who enjoys the sitcom) protests that the producers copied their lifestyles. The Bundys go to the show's studio in Los Angeles to attempt to get it off the air, and possibly file a lawsuit over the show copying everything about the Bundys from their home, Al's job in a women's shoestore, Kelly's blonde airheaded demeanor, and Bud, down to Peg's red coiffure!
Recurring Cast/Regulars[]
- Amanda Bearse as Marcy D'Arcy
- Ted McGinley as Jefferson D'Arcy
- Buck the Dog as Buck Bundy
Guest starring[]
- George Wyner as Ronald N. Michaels
- Leonard Kelly-Young as Mel Pease (as Leonard Kelly Young)
- Lisa Kaseman as Patty Pease
- Steven Hack as Lou (as Steve Hack)
- Bruce Fine as Ben Pease
- Alex McLeod as Carrie Pease (as Alexandra Ann McLeod)
- Jennifer Massey as Marla 'the Pigeon' Darla
- J.J. Johnston as Security Guard
- Mark Barriere as Washington Darla
Notes[]
Title[]
- The title of this episode is a reference to the saying "No Pot to Piss In" which means to not have anything of value.
Trivia[]
- During the end credits, a picture of the cast from both Married...With Children and Pease in a Pod are shown together in the Bundy living room.
- It is revealed that Kelly has begun attending The Larry Storch School of Acting in this episode.
- When Al tells the family to assuming the FOX viewing positions while getting ready for the next episode of Pease in a Pod, and the camera angle is facing towards the Bundy staircase, if one looks on the table with the food on it, you can clearly the milk carton that has Seven's face on the "Missing Child" side. This was previously used in in season 8's "Ride Scare"
- The FOX executive Ron Michaels is named after the series' creators, Ron Leavitt and Michael G. Moye.
- Also, the last name Michaels is likely taken from WWE wrestler Shawn Michaels who was just starting his solo career as of the original airing of this episode.
- J.J. Johnston, who previously appeared on MWC as "Louie" in season 8's Luck of the Bundys plays the security guard at the studio.
- Alex McLeod, who plays Carrie Pease, previously appeared on MWC as one of Bud's dormmates in the season 7 episode, The Old College Try.
- Al fears that the show "Pease in a Pot" will be taken off the air and replaced with a show by Don Rickles. During the 1993 TV season, Married... with Children was followed by the show Daddy Dearest, starring Richard Lewis and Don Rickles, which lasted for 11 episodes.
- When Kelly starts talking about her family and neighbors to Ron Michaels, various clips from past MWC episodes are shown while "Love and Marriage" plays over them:
- Al Bundy:
- Go for the Old - Showing off his new fashion.
- You Better Shop Around (Part 1) - Sitting in his inflatable pool and playing with his belly button.
- Wabbit Season - Running up the staircase after setting his foot on fire.
- The Gas Station Show - Sitting on the couch and crying after watching Shenandoah.
- Look Who's Barking - Performing the Duckwalk after finding out where Hans is.
- A Dump of My Own - Sitting on his new Ferguson Toilet.
- Do Ya Think I'm Sexy? - Sitting on the couch and looking depressed.
- Bud Bundy:
- Buck the Stud - Standing arm in arm with two girls and getting kissed on the check by one of them.
- Buck the Stud - Getting punched in the face by a female jogger after opening the front door.
- Buck the Stud - Walking down the stairs in one of Kelly's costumes.
- Valentine's Day Massacre - Screaming as he is dragged down the hotel hallway by Winkie the dog.
- Do Ya Think I'm Sexy? - Holding up a screwdriver after being electrocuted while fixing the doorbell.
- Peggy Bundy:
- Peggy Turns 300 - Coming down the stairs in her new dress.
- A Three Job, No Income Family - An annoyed Peggy smoking, while working at Burger Trek.
- The Worst Noel - Walking in with bags from the mall.
- Season 4 opening - Peggy smoking while tossing salad in the Bundy kitchen.
- My Mom, the Mom - Sleeping on the couch with a candy bar in her mouth and the remote control falls out of her hand.
- Marcy D'Arcy:
- You Better Shop Around (Part 2) - Looking menacingly at the camera and getting ready to attack Al.
- The Wedding Show - Marcy threatening to hook punch Jefferson in the liver.
- Tooth or Consequences - Acting like a chicken while yelling at Steve Rhoades.
- I'm Going to Sweatland - Marcy having an orgasmic experience in the Bundy kitchen while talking about Elvis.
- It's a Bundyful Life (Part 1) - Marcy is drunk and dancing at the bank.
- Jefferson D'Arcy:
- Mr. Empty Pants - Sitting at a salon and talking about his hair.
- Take My Wife, Please - Enters the Bundy house dressed as one of the Village People.
- Route 666 (Part 1) - Holding up a gold nugget while sweating profusely.
- Cheese, Cues and Blood - Talking with Kelly while counting money from her last match.
- Al on the Rocks - Dancing topless at a bar while women try to give him money.
- Buck Bundy
- Various clips of him sitting by the staircase.
- Al Bundy:
- In Ron Michael's office, there are posters for "Me and the Shiksa", "Amos n' Andrew" and "Art Allante, P.I.". These posters were previously featured in the season 6 episode, "Kelly Does Hollywood (Part 2)"
- The posters feature MWC creators Ron Leavitt and Michael G. Moye, as well as producers/writers Larry Jacobson and Stacie Lipp.
Cultural References[]
- When Marcy comes in and announces that "Pease in a Pot" has been cancelled because "...some woman in Michigan didn't like it", it is a reference to Terry Rakolta and the Rakolta Boycott, which sought to cancel Married... with Children in the late 1980s following Rakolta's complaint about the season 3 episode "Her Cups Runneth Over".
- At her audition, Kelly starts acting and talking like comedian Jerry Seinfeld, who, at this time, was known for his NBC sitcom, Seinfeld.
- When Kelly is doing her audition, the monitor behind her is showing clips from The Three Stooges.
- After Al confronts Ronald N. Michaels, he tells Al that he has worked with the greatest actors, saying: "Bertinelli, Danza, Lenny, Squiggy, all of them" in reference to:
- Actress Valerie Bertinelli
- Actor Tony Danza
- Characters Leonard "Lenny" Kosnowski and Andrew "Squiggy" Squiggman from the sitcom Laverne & Shirley
- David L. Lander, who played Squiggy, previously appeared on MWC as Al's friend Eli in "Married... with Queen: The Sequel (Part 2)"
- SNL Alumni Michael McKean played Lenny on the series,
- When Peg starts showing off her TV Guide collectors plates, one of them features Tina Yothers, an actress best known for her role on the 80s TV show Family Ties.
- She would later appear as herself on MWC in season 11's "Kelly's Gotta Habit".
- One of the items that Peggy receives from the Home Shopping Network is a cassette of Boxcar Willie. Boxcar Willie was a country musician who often sang in the "old-time hobo" music style.
- Kelly mentions that she is going to the Larry Storch School of Acting and shows off a shirt featuring his face. Larry Storch is an American actor who is best known for his role on the 1960s sitcom, F-Troop.
- The scene with Kelly digitally inserted between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev during a speech at the White House is taken from footage of the Signing of the INF Treaty on December 8, 1987.
- During her reading in front of Ron Michaels, Kelly talks about "Snap, Crackle and Pop", as well as Trix.
- Snap, Crackle and Pop is a reference to the cereal Rice Krispies which is the name of its mascots, as well as the sound associated with the cereal.
- Trix is a breakfast cereal that is fruit shaped and flavored. It has been mentioned in several previous episodes.
- After Ron's assistant says that he won't be "taking notes from a kid", he asks him if he wants to go back to Full House.
- Full House was an ABC family sitcom that dealt with a widower raising three daughters, with the kid likely referring to twin actresses Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who played the youngest daughter, Michelle Tanner.
- MWC writers Kim Weiskopf and Russell Marcus both worked as writers on the series before joining Married... with Children.
- After Kelly's plea for Al and the family to go down to the studio and confront the producers of Pease in a Pod, Al warns his family that he will hold them responsible if the show is replaced with Don Rickles. Don Rickles was an American comedian and actor, who was known for his insult comedy.
- When the security guard asks the Bundy how they got passed security at the gate, Al tells him that security was checking Joe Piscopo, causing the guard to get upset and storm out with his baton in hand.
- Joe Piscopo is an American actor and comedian, who is best known for his tenure on Saturday Night Live during the early to mid 1980s. He has mentioned in several past episodes of MWC as the butt of a joke.
- To watch the Fox network, Al, Kelly and Bud have to hold up antennas with aluminum foil while holding onto electric lamps, etc. FOX has been primarily on UHF stations from its inception, including in Chicago, where the show takes place. With the addition of NFL rights, some VHF stations affiliated with ABC, CBS, and NBC would switch over to FOX.
- The "FOX Viewing Position" is a Green Acres reference as Hank Kimball assumes a similar position in the season six episode "King Oliver." On Green Acres, the reason was because the antenna blew down from the roof.
- When the opening scene of Pease in a Pod is shown, the screen splits to show an ad "Watch NFL on FOX". The episode aired during FOX's first season of NFL coverage, after it outbid the more-established CBS for the rights to the National Football Conference package on Sunday afternoons.
- Another reference to NFL on FOX is when Marcy suggests they sue FOX over Pease in a Pod and Al sarcastically quips that they can sue the network to get "an NFL mug or a lunch date with John Madden".
- John Madden is a retired football coach and sports commentator. At the time this episode originally aired, he had served as the primary color commentator for the NFL on FOX, coming over from CBS. Madden remained with FOX until the 2001 season.
- Madden then joined the Monday Night Football broadcast Crew with Al Michaels on ABC, a position that lasted from 2002 to 2005 which ended with the network's telecast of Super Bowl XL.
- Madden and Michaels then moved to NBC for the 20076 season and took part in the network's first NFL telecast since January 1998. The first telecast was the 2006 Hall of Fame game which featured Madden's Oakland Raiders vs the Philadelphia Eagles. Madden would stay with NBC until the end of the 2008 season.
- Another reference to NFL on FOX is when Marcy suggests they sue FOX over Pease in a Pod and Al sarcastically quips that they can sue the network to get "an NFL mug or a lunch date with John Madden".
Music[]
- The instrumental break in "Love and Marriage" by Frank Sinatra plays over the montage of past MWC episodes as Kelly talks about her family.
- A modified version is usually heard over the end credits of every episode.
Locations[]
- Bundy Residence
- Office
- Sound Stage
Sets[]
- Bundy Living Room / Kitchen
- Ron N Michael's Office
- Sound Stage entrance / Craft Services table
- Peas In a Pod Living Room / Kitchen
Goofs[]
- In the "FOX Viewing Position", Al and Bud are no longer holding their aerials which mean the TV should not be able to receive the electronic signals. Yet, the TV continues to show the Pease in a Pod program clearly, defeating the purpose of the "FOX Viewing Position".
- In the scene with Kelly digitally inserted between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev, the blue from the blue screen used to insert her in is bleeding through onto her left side.