The Agony and the Extra C is the 18th episode of season 10 of Married... with Children, also the 229th overall series episode. Directed by Sam W. Orendor and written by Jimmy Alack & Jim Kelley, it premiered on FOX-TV on February 11, 1996.
Synopsis[]
Bud and Kelly visit Jefferson in the hospital, who tells them the story of how he ended up there — complete with a misspelled tattoo and the problems that followed it.
Plot[]
While at the hospital waiting for surgery, Jefferson tells Bud and Kelly about his 5th wedding anniversary mishap. On the morning of his anniversary, he and his pals Al, Griff, Ike, Officer Dan and Bob Rooney went to the Jiggly Room. Upon being told that he needs to get back home to Marcy by 7pm, he then realized that he had nothing to give her.
It was suggested by one of the strippers that he could honor Marcy by getting a tattoo with the tattoo artist who also happens to be at the Jiggly Room. But the drunken tattoo artist ends up adorning Jefferson's rear end with the sentiment "I Love Mary." Al must figure out a way to help Jefferson get this past Marcy.
Meanwhile, Peggy, now is Paris, France, is continuing her search to find her father and reunite her parents.
Back at the D'Arcy residence, in order to hide the tattoo and avoid the pain from it, Jefferson decides to wear three pairs of pants and refuses to sit down to dinner with his wife. He delays the night's escapades further by taking two hours to slowly eat his dinner, which begins to upset her as she wants to move on to sex. After getting Marcy to play hide-and-seek in her sexy cowboy outfit, Jefferson heads next door to Al's, where the still-drunk tattoo artist amends the tattoo
Unfortunately for Jefferson, the amended tattoo ended up turning into "I Love Marty."
Back in the hospital, Jefferson reveals besides getting the tattoo removed, the real reason he's there is to have Marcy's cowboy boot removed from his body, as she kicked him hard enough to lodge it between his buttocks.
Quotes[]
- [In the Bundy Kitchen, Al is hosting a meeting with his NO MA'AM brothers, with Griff, Ike and Bob Rooney having cereal and beer at the table and Officer Dan surveilling the D'Arcy residence.]
- Al: We are here on an important mission: To save our brother D'Arcy from the fire-breathing lip-less beak of his wife on the day when all married men need their friends the most, their wedding anniversary.
- [Griff, Ike and Bob Rooney shutter at the thought before resuming their cereal and beer breakfast]
- Al: Brother Dan, has code name "KFC" flown the coop yet?
- Officer Dan: No, but she's headed for the living room.
- Griff: Let's hope there's a man left to rescue after Marcy's done with him.
- Jefferson: Hey, why aren't you guys at work?
- Al, Griff, Bob Rooney, Ike: [together] We're sick!
- Jefferson: Oh.
- Officer Dan: [proudly] Except for me. I'm working.
- Police Dispatcher: [v.o.] The mayor has been taken hostage. All available units...
- Officer Dan: [turns off his radio, annoyed] Blah, blah, blah! [gestures moving to the door] Come on! Let's go to the nudie bar!
- [At the Jiggly Room, after Jefferson realizes that he needs a gift before going home, Al decides to help him out]
- Al: Everybody, huddle up, huddle up. [the rest of the NO MA'AM members and several strippers gather around him] All right, fellas, when one of us is in need, what do we do?
- Ike: Try to help him out and in so doing we make things worse. [the men nod in agreement]
- Al: Exactly. But now we need to think of an anniversary present. Any ideas?
- Bob Rooney: Hey, you know... [slowly pulls out a pink bra from his pants] lingerie is always nice.
- Griff: This is for Jefferson's wife?
- Bob Rooney: Ah, yeah. [immediately stuffs the bra back in his pants]
- Officer Dan: Al, what did you get Peggy for your anniversary?
- Al: Well, it depends on the year. The first year is paper, so I put a big bag over her head. [he and the other men laugh] I can't wait for the plastic anniversary. [he and the guys burst out laughing again]
- Sierra Madre: I just had a thought!
- NO MA'AM: [stunned] What?
- Sierra Madre: Why don't you get a tattoo? I had my boyfriend's name tattooed on me for his birthday.
- [the men suddenly surround her, hiding her from the camera]
- Officer Dan: Well, I don't see no tattoo.
- Sierra Madre: Oh, no? It's right here! [makes a lifting gesture, implying that she quickly removed a piece of her lingerie and the tattoo is located in a rather intimate area, shocking all of the guys]
- Ike: [stunned, staring downward at her body] Oh, man, I'd love to be her boyfriend.
- Griff: [stunned, staring downward at her body] I'd love to be her boyfriend's name.
- [After getting the tattoo, Jefferson suddenly finds out that it was actually placed on his buttocks]
- Al: All right, Jefferson, drop trou.
- Ike: Hang two!
- Bob Rooney: Here we go! Come on! Let's see it! Let's see...
- [The rest of the group, along with Iqbal and several strippers gather around Jefferson]
- Jefferson: Hehe. Oh, man, Marcy's gonna love this!
- [Jefferson begins to unfasten and lower his pants, then leans over a table. The excitement from the group suddenly disappears as they see the end result]
- Bob Rooney: [after a short pause] I don't know, Jefferson.
- Griff: I think he left out the "C". [the guys and strippers nod in agreement]
- Jefferson: [lets out a nervous chuckle] What are you talking about?
- Al: [pats Jefferson on the shoulder, then moves next to him] I hate to tell you this, buddy but, uh... [pauses] you might be married to Marcy but, uh.... [pauses again] your ass says "I love Mary".
- [Jefferson's smile immediately vanishes and turns into a look of worry]
Recurring Cast/Regulars[]
- Harold Sylvester as Griff
- E.E. Bell as Bob Rooney
- Tom McCleister as Ike
- Dan Tullis, Jr. as Officer Dan
- Iqbal Theba as Iqbal
- Lucky the Dog as Lucky Bundy
Guest starring[]
- David Pires as Doctor #1
- Robert E. Almodovar as Doctor #2
- Cindyana Santagelo as Sierra Madre (as "Cindyana Lair")
- Traci Bingham as Lap Dancer
- Nick Danger as Harris
- Monty Ash as O'Malley
Notes[]
Title[]
- The title of this episode is a reference to the 1965 film, The Agony and The Ectasy.
Trivia[]
- Katey Sagal briefly appears in this episode in a pre-recorded insert, where Peggy is shown to be in Paris, France continuing the search for her missing father.
- Griff mentions that the Jiggly Room will feature dancers from Chihuahua, Mexico.
- Chihuahua is the name of a state in northern Mexico, as well as the state's capital city.
- The dancer who gives Jefferson a lap dance in this episode is played by Traci Bingham, who at the time was known for her role on the syndicated television series, Baywatch. That series also featured past MWC guests Pamela Anderson, Nicole Eggert, and Donna D'Errico.
Cultural References[]
- Al refers to Marcy as "Codename: KFC", in reference to the fast food restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC).
- A drunk Officer Dan gets on stage at the Jiggly Room and says "Hey, I'm a village person", in reference to the musical group, The Village People, which featured a member dressed as a police officer.
- The group previously appeared as themselves in the season 8 episode, "Take My Wife, Please".
- The taxi that Peggy rides while in France reads "CHEQUER" ("Checker" in English). This is in reference to Checker Taxi, a Chicago based taxicab service. Their taxis, made by Checker Motors, became synonymous with the American taxi of the past, particularly the models made between 1959 to 1982.
- During Peggy's phone conversation, there are various reference to the European country of France and the French:
- The taxi cab appears to be driving near the Arc de Triomphe.
- The taxi cab driver has a baguette on his dashboard and is dressed in stereotypical white long sleeve shirt with thin black horizontal stripes and a beret while smoking. Peggy also notes how rude and smelly the people are, which is also another French stereotype.
- Peggy mentions that she flew to France on the Concorde a supersonic passenger airliner developed between Britain and France.
- Peggy mentions that she tracked Ephraim Wanker to a Jerry Lewis film festival. Jerry Lewis was an American actor and comedian who became popular in France with some viewing him as a genius.
Music[]
- The song Marcy sings while setting up dinner for her and Jefferson is "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summers.
Locations[]
Sets[]
- Bundy Living Room/Kitchen
- D'Arcy Living Room/Bathroom
- Jiggly Room Stage/Bar
- Hospital Patient Room
- Paris street
Goofs[]
- When NO MA'AM tries to convince Jefferson to join them for "Foreign Exchange Night" at the Jiggly Room, Griff tells Jefferson that they are featuring dancers from Chicago's sister city, Chihuahua, Mexico. Chicago's sister city from Mexico is actually Mexico City, which is about 898 miles (1445 km) south of Chihuahua.
- The taxi that Peggy rides in while in France says "CHEQUER", in reference to the Checker Taxicabs. In reality, Checker Taxis were based in the U.S. and did not expand its service or fleet of taxicabs outside of the country.
- Also, a taxi in Paris would read "Taxi Parisien".