Lez Be Friends

Mandy and Marcy, standing near each other.

Lez Be Friends is the 20th episode of Season 11 of Married... with Children. It is the 255th overall series episode. Directed by Gerry Cohen and written by Pamela Eells, it premiered on FOX-TV on April 28, 1997.

Synopsis

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 cousin Mandy is coming into town. She then says that Mandy is her identical cousin, something Al finds hard to believe. Mandy takes a cab from the airport and arrives at the Bundys; 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. 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

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 the owner of Frisky, previously appeared on MWC as Sandy in the season 9 episode "User Friendly".
  • Elaine 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. In actuality, Bearse herself is gay, having revealed it in 1993.
• As of this episode, all actors who were in the regular cast for the entire run of the series have played dual roles within a single episode:
  • Ed O'Neill played Al Bundy and the ghost of Al'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".
  • Amanda Bearse played Marcy D'Arcy and Mandy in this episode.
  • 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 laugh tracks of this episode were pre-recorded as Amanda Bearse played dual roles and the scenes involving Marcy and Mandy were too complex and time consuming to be filmed in front of a live audience.
• Ten days after the airing of this episode, another sitcom, ABC's Ellen, featured its' main character coming out as a lesbian in the episode, "The Puppy Episode". The episode was highly controversial at the time and even featured a parental advisory warning at the beginning.
  • The star of the show, Ellen DeGeneres, had publicly come as being 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.

Cultural References

• When talking about cousins who are identical, "Samantha and Serena" and "Patty and Cathy" are mentioned, referring to the tv series "Bewitched" and "The Patty Duke Show". Also, Marcy sings the "The Patty Duke Show" opening after discussing identical cousins.
• 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 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 had been banned from managing the Reds from 1996 to 1998, due to statements regarding 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

• Bundy Residence
• Rhoades/D'Arcy Residence

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, 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.