Lez Be Friends is the 20th episode of Season 11 of Married... with Children. It is the 258th overall series episode. Directed by Gerry Cohen and written by Pamela Eells, it premiered on FOX-TV on April 28, 1997.
Synopsis[]
Mandy and Marcy, standing near each other.
Marcy's cousin, Mandy (Amanda Bearse in a dual role) comes to town and befriends Al and Jefferson, making Marcy jealous. Mandy later reveals to Al that she's gay, creating a rift between her and her cousin that Al must try and fix.
Plot Summary[]
Marcy tries to bribe the Bundys with food, soon revealing that she wants them to stay inside all weekend. Her explanation is that her cousin, Mandy is coming into town. She then says that Mandy is her identical cousin, something Al finds hard to believe. Although Marcy and Jefferson had gone to pick her up at the airport, Mandy decided to take a cab and ends up arriving at the Bundys, waiting until they come back. Although Al just thought she was Marcy with a wig on, she is, in fact, identical to Marcy - except for the darker hair and other body enhancements.
Mandy and Al get along great - they both love foosball, going to baseball games, and drinking, as well as poking fun at Marcy. They even went to The Jiggly Room together! While alone, Mandy tells Al that she's gay, something everyone in her family is aware of except for Marcy. When Marcy finds out, they get into a huge fight, forcing Mandy to ask to sleep at the Bundys'. Al goes over to speak to Marcy, who is more upset that everyone likes Mandy better than her. Al appears to her sense of reason, and the two cousins make up.
Meanwhile, Kelly and Bud try to set up Lucky with another dog because of his depression. When the owner of the other dog, Elaine, looks very attractive, Bud soon tries to seduce her. Lucky acts rude towards the dog, ruining Bud's chances with Elaine. Later, Kelly returns home with a happy Lucky and his new friend from the park, a male bulldog dressed in leather biker clothing.
Recurring Cast/Regulars[]
- Lucky the Dog as Lucky Bundy
Guest starring[]
- Amanda Bearse as Mandy
- Elaine Hendrix as Elaine
Quotes[]
- [Al is chatting with Mandy on the couch and is shocked to learn that she is a lesbian]
- Al: [in disbelief] How did a thing like this happen to you? Wha... Did you stood up to the prom or... you went to prison? I know, it was summer camp, wasn't it? You sprained a muscle skinny-dipping and the beautiful blond counselor, let's call her "Betty", carried you back to her cabin and gave you a massage, and before you knew it, you were a love slave in an all-girls sex cult.
- Mandy: [pauses, with a sarcastic grin] Yeah, that's what happened. [acts normal again] You saw that in a video, didn't you, Al?
- Al: [looking down, rubbing his knuckles] Yeah, my favorite!
- Mandy: [smiles] Mine, too! So you don't have a problem with two women being together?
- Al: [shrugs] No... as long as there's a guy watching. Hahaha. [Mandy playfully punches him on the arm and he responds in kind] Hehehe! [Mandy playfully punches him again, but appears to hurt him this time]
- [In the middle of the night, Al finds Mandy with her suitcase at the front door, revealing that Marcy kicked her out after confessing that she is a lesbian]
- Mandy: I hate to impose, but can I crash on your couch?
- Al: Well, that depends. Won't turn it gay, will it? [chuckles]
- Mandy: [with a bitter grin] No, I don't think so, Al.
- Al: Hahaha! Just checking. Well, I better get on upstairs. [begins walking to the staircase, but then stops and turns around] Oh, uh... I trust you're enough of a lady not to whistle at my tight little behind as I go up the stairs.
- Mandy: AI, I told you, I'm gay.
- Al: That may well be but there are some things no woman can resist.
- [As Mandy takes a seat on the couch and prepares for bed, Al deliberately slows down and struts his way up the stair, emphasizing his butt. He eventually notices that she is already laying down and not looking. After a moment, he decides to walk back down and chat with her again.]
- Al: Hey, Mandy, I have a question. Do you just like certain women? Or would you sleep with any woman on Earth before you'd sleep with a man? [sits next to Mandy on the couch]
- Mandy: [sits up] Well, it depends. Give me a "for instance."
- Al: [thinking] Mm-hmm. For instance you're on a desert island. Who would you rather be with: me or Cindy Crawford?
- Mandy: Cindy.
- Al: Me or Phyllis Diller?
- Mandy: Phyllis.
- Al: Me or Marge Schott?
- Mandy: You. [Al quickly celebrates] But the whole time we'd be doing it I'd be thinking of Phyllis Diller. [Al then shrugs and walks back to the staircase]
Notes[]
Title[]
- The title of this episode is a reference to the expression "Let's be friends" and "Lez", a shortened form of "Lesbian" that is typically viewed as an insult/slur.
Trivia[]
- Elaine Hendrix, who plays Frisky’s owner, previously appeared on MWC as Sandy in the season 9 episode "User Friendly".
- Hendrix was David Faustino's real-life girlfriend at the time.
- Marcy finds out her cousin Mandy (both played by Amanda Bearse) is a lesbian, and is shocked by the revelation. Bearse herself came out publicly as a lesbian in 1993.
- With this episode, all of the show’s main cast members have played dual roles within a single episode. Prior to Amanda Bearse playing Marcy D'Arcy and Mandy in this episode:
- Ed O'Neill played Al Bundy and the ghost of Al Bundy’s Father in "Desperately Seeking Miss October", and Al Bundy and Seamus McBundy in the first part of "England Show (Part 1)".
- Katey Sagal played Peggy Bundy and Death in "Take My Wife, Please".
- Christina Applegate played Kelly Bundy and the neighbor who looks like Kelly in "The Stepford Peg".
- David Faustino played Bud Bundy and his cool alter-ego, Cool Bud, in "Proud to Be Your Bud".
- The episode used pre-recorded audience laughter as the scenes involving Marcy and Mandy were too complex and time consuming (requiring Amanda Bearse to be filmed separately as both characters or with a body double in scenes featuring Marcy and Mandy facing each other from the other’s perspective) to be filmed in front of a live audience.
- Ten days after the airing of this episode, the ABC sitcom Ellen featured main character Ellen Morgan coming out as a lesbian in the Season 4 two-parter "The Puppy Episode". The episode was highly controversial at the time and was even prefaced with a parental advisory warning at the beginning of the broadcast.
- The show’s star, Ellen DeGeneres, had came out publicly as a lesbian shortly before the episode aired.
- Although this episode reveals that Marcy's cousin is a lesbian, there were several subtle hints during season 11 that alluded to the topic of this episode and/or Amanda Bearse being a lesbian:
- "Requiem for a Chevyweight (Part 2)" - Both Al and Fidel Castro say that Marcy looks like "that kid from 'Home Improvement'".
- "Breaking Up Is Easy to Do (Part 2)" - As Marcy parades around the Bundy living room and sings "Al Bundy Away", she places emphasis on the last part of the lyrics, "I never felt - so gay!".
- "Live Nude Peg" - After Peggy says that she feels so lonely and hasn't been touched in awhile, Marcy puts her arm around her to comfort her. Peggy looks at Marcy's hand placement and smirks for a moment, before saying "You know, Marcy, that boyish cut really becomes you". Marcy then quickly pulls her arm away in embarrassment and refocuses on the topic of Al going to The Jiggly Room.
- Amanda Bearse looks noticeably tanned and has light brown hair in this episode, especially when compared to the previous episode, "Birthday Boy Toy", where her hair was more blonde.
- When Peggy asks Marcy that she and Mandy are identical to each other, implying as to why Mandy has a fuller bust than her, Marcy responded "implants", which Jefferson noticed, prompting Marcy (a regular subject of jokes about being flat-chested) to give him an angry look.
Cultural References[]
- When talking about identical cousins, Samantha Stephens and Serena (played by Elizabeth Montgomery) from the 1964–72 ABC sitcom Bewitched and Patty and Cathy Lane (played by Patty Duke) from the 1963–66 ABC sitcom The Patty Duke Show are mentioned, after which Marcy sings an excerpt from the Patty Duke Show theme song.
- The song was previously sung by Charlie Verducci in the Season 5 episode, "Oldies But Young 'Uns", when he stopped by the Bundy residence to help Al find the song that he was looking.
- When Mandy first arrives and Al thinks that its Marcy with a wig, he calls her the "Fifth Beatle", a term used to refer to someone who was a former member of or had a strong connection to the British rock band, The Beatles.
- When Al tries to see if there is any woman that Mandy would reject to sleep with Al instead, he mentions:
- Cindy Crawford - Model and actress who was one of the top supermodels during the 1990s.
- Phyllis Diller - Actress/comedian known for her self-deprecating humor and numerous plastic surgeries. She was also considered an icon in the gay community.
- Marge Schott - Owner of the Cincinnati Reds baseball team from 1984 to 1999. At the time this episode originally aired, Schott was in the midst of a two-year ban from handling day-to-day management of the Reds handed down by Major League Baseball in 1996, due to statements favorable of Adolf Hitler as well as past incidents involving racist remarks and unprofessional behavior. She eventually sold her share of the team in 1999.
Music[]
- Marcy sings a variation of the theme song for The Patty Duke Show.
- "Puppy Love" by Paul Anka is played when Lucky and Frisky start their date as Bud and Elaine make out on the couch.
Locations[]
Sets[]
- Bundy Living Room / Kitchen
- Marcy & Jefferson's Bedroom
Goofs[]
- Mandy curls up and goes to sleep on the Bundy's couch. When she is awakened by Jefferson knocking on the door, she now has a pillow and blanket.
- During the close up shots of Mandy and Marcy standing together in a scene, whenever the camera goes behind Mandy to show Marcy's face at the same time, it is clearly a different person, as the acting double has a noticeably lighter skin tone compared to Marcy.