Love Conquers Al was the 13th episode that aired in season 10 of Married... with Children, also the 224st overall series episode. Directed by Amanda Bearse and written by Paul Corrighn and Brad Walsh , it premiered on FOX-TV on December 10, 1995.
Synopsis[]
On Jefferson and Marcy's suggestion, Al, Peggy, and her parents go to a marriage retreat/water park to get her parents back together. Peg's father runs away with another man's wife on a world tour. Meanwhile, Kelly dates a Hispanic man who won't put out, while Bud dates the man's sexually excited cousin.
Plot summary[]
Kelly has arranged a date with a dashing Spaniard named Carlos, and she needs Bud's help taking his cousin out of the picture, so she can get him alone and bypass the language barrier. She bribes him by saying that if he keeps Esmerelda busy, Kelly will set him up with Fawn, who is known by her nickname: "Fawn, Fawn, let's get it on".
Marcy and Jefferson, meanwhile are back from a couples' retreat (that also doubles as a water slide park) singing the praises of Dr. Richelieu, and suggesting his services could save the Bundys' marriage and, more importantly for Al, Peg's parents' union, as Ephraim is planning to take a trip around the world, sans Peggy's mother.
Carlos arrives at the household, with Esmerelda impressing Bud - in more ways than one. Bud and Esmerelda go into the basement, as Carlos notes that she will soon be joining the monastery and become a nun. However, Carlos is more focused on being romantic (such as singing, presenting slides of his village and telling jokes to her) than actually doing anything with her, while Bud is feeling the opposite.
Meanwhile, Al and Peg take Ephraim and Peggy's unseen mother to the marriage retreat, by tricking her into believing they were going to IHOP. Ephraim says that his wife seems to be a bit shy and a little embarrased to be here, and he convinces Al and Peggy to stay by saying that they may not fix their marriage if the two leave. The couples are set to do an exercise, in which the husband feeds either good or bad food to their blindfolded wives, in a trust exercise. When Ephraim tries to feed his wife a weenie tot, she bites on his fingers. After some time has passed, it is revealed that Peggy's mother ran off after the "accident", though Ephraim seems to have lost no fingers due to tickling her belly. Dr. Richelieu suggests a hugging exercise, but Al presents his own idea. The idea (for the husbands) is to take their wives on a stroll in woods, let the wife blame them for everything and admitting they are right while also apologizing, all while thinking about Pamela Anderson. The four couples leave to the woods, but Al and Peggy do not, with Al reasoning that their relationship is like the old saying "if it's broke, don't fix it." An hour later, the four couples come back, with three of them succeeding. However, Ephraim realizes he has tickets around the world and can take anyone in the world he wants (though Al doubts it), and he attracts one of the wives from the retreat to go along with him.
As the date ends, Kelly and Carlos end their date - with a kiss on the hand by Carlos, to Kelly's chagrin. Bud comes out of the basement with all but the collar of his shirt teared off. Esmerelda and Bud kiss as she and Carlos leaves. Bud notes that he is not horny for the first time in his life, just as Fawn arrives. She takes Bud into the basement, for a round of sex, as Bud yells out for no more.
Guest starring[]
- Tim Conway as Ephraim Wanker
- Mark D. Espinoza as Carlos
- Edward Hibbert as Dr. Richelieu
- Christina Solis as Esmerelda
- Lisa Boyle as Fawn
- Tiffany Granath as Pancake
- Kevin Bickford as Clown (as Kevin Lee Bickford)
- David Sederholm as Phillip
- Glori Gold as Naomi (as Glori Golding)
Quotes[]
- [An ecstatic Al is waiting for his father-in-law, Ephraim to arrive and take Peg's mom back home to Wanker County. He hears the doorbell and opens it, only to find Marcy and Jefferson, who looks like he is in some sort of trance there instead]
- Al: Sorry, Marcy, I mistook you for a 70-year-old hillbilly. Well, I'm sure that you get that all the time. [grins]
- Marcy: Al, not even you could dull my spirits today. [walks into the house holding Jefferson's hand] Jefferson and I have just returned from a blissful two days at marriage-encounter camp. [pulls out a pamphlet and hands it to Peg]
- Peg: [looking at the pamphlet ] "Dr. Richelieu's love compound and water park".
- Marcy: We've never been happier. Isn't that right, Jefferson?
- [Jefferson with a vacant look on his face, begins to talk in a stiff and monotonous tone]
- Jefferson: Love is all I need to make me happy.
- [Marcy smiles and pats him, before walking off to the kitchen with Peg. A concerned Al then comes up to check on Jefferson]
- Al: [knocks on Jefferson's head] Jefferson? You in there, buddy? [Jefferson slowly turns his head to Al in a robotic manner] What happened to you? You used to be a man.
- Jefferson: [in monotone voice] I am a man.
- Al: Then who's your favorite stooge?
- Jefferson: [stiffly] The 3 Stooges are not funny. You know who I think is funny? That Elayne Boosler, ha ha ha.
- Al: [snaps his fingers] It's a lot worse than I thought. [ponders for a moment] Luckily, I have something for such an emergency. [lifts up the couch cushion and pulls out several magazines] Jefferson I want you to get a load of these Big 'Uns here.
- [Al pulls out the centerfold and shows it Jefferson, who stares at it for a few seconds before slowly shaking and convulsing, before fully regaining his personality again]
- Jefferson: It's all coming back to me. Moe! Moe, is my favorite Stooge! [puts his hand up by his nose] Nyuck Nyuck Nyuck.
- Al: [laughing] Those bastards, they almost got you.
- Jefferson: Hey, who's the broad in the kitchen?
- Al: Well, that's your wife.
- Jefferson: Gah! [grabs his chest in shock] How the hell did that happen?!
- [Al chuckles and pats Jefferson on the shoulder]
- Marcy: Let's go, Jefferson. It's almost time for my nooner.
- Al: [hands Jefferson a couple of "Big 'Uns" magazines] Take two of these, call me in the morning. [looks at Marcy for a moment, then gives Jefferson the rest of the magazines] Better make it four.
- [The D'Arcy's exit, while Peg watches them with admiration]
- Peg: [smiling] Gee, Al, they seem so much in love. Maybe this Dr. Richelieu could make our marriage happier.
- Al: Oh, no, Peg, the only doctor who could do that is Kevorkian.
- Dr. Richelieu: Now, I see before me today many troubled couples. [slowly walks past the elderly man with the busty younger woman, then the effeminate man/masculine woman couple]
- Peg: Hey, Daddy, how's Mom doing?
- Ephraim: She's still not talking to me for lying and saying I was taking her to IHOP.
- Dr. Richelieu: Now, I know you all think your problems might be strange or... [stops to notice the clown and his wife] unique. But believe me, I have seen it all and nothing could...
- [the doctor suddenly stops as he is shocked at the sight of Peggy's mom]
- Dr. Richelieu: [mortified] Holy mother of gods!
- Al: Well, she's old enough.
- Dr. Richelieu: And who might you be?
- Al: Well, I might be Brad Pitt, but as you can see by the chick on my arm, I'm not.
- [Kelly laments about her disastrous date with Carlos, due to him not making any moves or even kissing her good night, while Bud, who ended up having several round of sex with Carlos' cousin, Esmerelda, is celebrating]
- Kelly: Can you believe that guy? How dare he not put out. You know what? I'm gonna tell all my girlfriends and ruin his reputation.
- Bud: [smiling] Kelly, this is great. Now, you're desperate and for the first time in my life, I'm not horny. [looks upward with arms stretched out] Take me now!
- [suddenly, Kelly's friend, Fawn, wearing a leather jacket, short silver dress and a sly grin appears at the door]
- Fawn: That's what I'm here for! [struts in and hands Kelly her jacket, before walking up to Bud]
- Bud: [horrified] Fawn?!
- Fawn: Yup. [looks at her watch] And I haven't had sex in... [gasps] 15 minutes! [grinning] Let's go! [begins to drag him to him to the basement]
- Bud: [panicking] No, no, no! No, no! No más! No más! (No more! No more!)
Notes[]
Title[]
- The title is from the Latin phrase "Omnia vincit amor", or "Love Conquers All".
Trivia[]
- When Kelly says goodbye to Carlos, she says "Adidas" instead of "Adios". A similar joke happened in season 5's "One Down, Two to Go", when Kelly said "Adidas" instead of "Adios" to Peggy when she was moving out.
- One of the Big 'Uns that Al gives to Jefferson appears to be the special Christmas edition issue that was seen in season 7's "Un-Alful Entry".
- Edward Hibbert, who plays Dr. Richelieu, was at the time known for his role on the NBC sitcom, Fraiser, which was about the life of a radio psychiatrist.
- David Sederholm, who plays Philip, the effeminate male in the pink polo shirt, previously appeared on MWC as Bruce Van Pelt in the season 6 episode, "Al Bundy, Shoe Dick".
- Both Edward Hibbert and David Sederholm appeared an episode of Fraiser, titled "Slow Tango in South Seattle", but do not share any screen time together.
- One of the food items presented during the couples' feeding exercise is a bowl of Weenie Tots.
- This is the first appearance of Kelly's boyfriend, Carlos. He will appear again later in "Al Goes to the Dogs".
- Carlos, along with Genghis and Vincent "Vinnie" Verducci all hold the distinction of appear on the show as Kelly's boyfriend more than once.
Cultural References[]
- As Al tries to snap Jefferson out of his new persona, he tells Al that he likes comedian Elayne Boolser.
- Jefferson revels that he is a fan of Moe Howard from the The Three Stooges after Al helps him out.
- After Peggy is inspired by how Dr. Richelieu helped Marcy and Jefferson and suggests that he might be able to help their marriage, Al tells her "Oh, no, Peg. The only doctor who could do that is Kevorkian".
- This is in reference to Dr. Jack Kevorkian, a pathologist who was nicknamed "Dr. Death" for being a proponent of physician-assisted suicide. He had assisted in several of them between 1989 and 1998. He eventually lost his medical license and served 8 years in prison, but continued advocating for euthanasia until his death in 2011.
- At one point, Bud refers to Esmerelda as "Bowser", the name of the reptilian antagonist from the Super Mario video game franchise.
- When Carlos arrives and greets Kelly, he tells her that she looks "Muy Bonita", while she thanks him and says that he looks "Bobby Bonilla, too".
- "Muy Bonita" is Spanish for "Very pretty".
- Bobby Bonilla is a retired MLB player as well as one of the highest paid MLB players. At the time this episode was filmed, he had been traded from the New York Mets to the Baltimore Orioles. He was previously referenced in "A Man for No Seasons".
- Ephraim mentions that he tricked Peggy's mom to go to couple's therapy by telling her they were going to restaurant chain IHOP.
- Al sarcastically refers to himself as American actor, Brad Pitt.
- As Peggy tries to convince Al that they should stay at the therapy session, Al tells her "Peg, I'd rather go synchronized swimming with Angela Lansbury. I'd rather have my neck shaved by Ray Charles.".
- Angela Lansbury was a British-American actress. At the time this episode aired, she was known for her role on the CBS series, Murder, She Wrote.
- Ray Charles was a pianist/singer who was blind for the majority of his life. He had been previously referenced in "Honey, I Blew Up Myself" and "Ship Happens (Part 1)" whenever Al made a sarcastic remark to Peggy.
- After Al gathered the men together and suggests that they take their wives on a midnight stroll, he mentions actress and Playboy Playmate, Pamela Anderson, who previously guest starred on MWC twice during season 5.
- During Carlos' slideshow, Kelly points out a statue of actress Sally Struthers. He then mentions that she had brought a lot of food to his village and hoped that next time she comes back, she can actually share it with them.
- The actress had been the butt of jokes on MWC several times as well as on other shows such as South Park, due to her appearing on charity commercials alongside starving children while looking rather well fed and asking viewers for donations.
Music[]
- The couples at the therapy session sing "Kumbaya" twice.
Locations[]
- Bundy Residence
- Dr. Richelieu's Retreat
Sets[]
- Bundy Living Room / Kitchen
- Dr. Richelieu's Retreat
Goofs[]
- When Al says to Ephraim, "that's because you don't have a creamy nougat center", he can be seen laughing and glancing at the camera crew twice as he turns to Peggy.
- As Al tells Peggy "I'd rather have a picture of you tattooed on the inside of my eyelids than spend any more time with these clowns.", the audio appears to be dubbed in at the "...with these clowns" part.
- After Ephraim takes a shot from his booze flask at the Retreat, he puts it straight back in his pocket without replacing the cap.