The Two that Got Away was the ninth episode of the tenth season of Married... with Children. Written by Al Aidekman and directed by Amanda Bearse, it was the 220th overall episode in the series. The episode originally aired on FOX, premiering on November 19, 1995.
Synopsis[]
Al and Jefferson's fishing lodge reservation is usurped by Shannon Tweed and Jefferson plots revenge. But when they realize that they unwittingly took a nude picture of Shannon Tweed and one of the lodge employees, they try to make a small fortune. Meanwhile, Kelly and Bud hope to get Lucky a part in a dog food commercial.
Storyline[]
Al and Jefferson head off to the mountains for a three day fishing trip without their wives. When met at the fishing lodge by a pair of buxom Swedish masseuses, they couldn't be happier. But their moment of joy is cut short when Randolph, the innkeeper informs them that their reservation is now cancelled. Despite having made their reservations a year in advance, the innkeeper explains to Al and Jefferson that actress and Playboy Playmate, Shannon Tweed, got their cabin because she is famous and does not need a reservation.
Just then, the famous actress comes out to meet Randolph and the two men that she took the cabin room from. And while Al hopes she'll intervene on their behalf, instead, Shannon mocks their appearances before ordering them to be thrown off the property immediately.
After spending the remainder of three day vacation at the Nudie Bar, they return home and look through the photos that Jefferson shot while at the lodge. While looking through them, they find out that he had inadvertently snapped a photo of Shannon and the innkeeper in a hot tub together. Upon seeing this, Al is ready for revenge.
Meanwhile, Bud gets Lucky an audition for a commercial for Hungry Puppy dog food and enlists Kelly to teach him some tricks. Despite all the training, it's Kelly that the commercial's director wants.
Realizing the photo means big money, Al arranges to auction it off to the tabloids. As the bidding begins to heat up, Shannon arrives at the Bundy's door claiming she's come to apologize. But once she seduces Al into destroying the photo, she reveals it was simply a ruse to get rid of the incriminating picture -- one that Jefferson just sold for $25,000!
Finally, with the aid of a dog costume, Kelly makes her debut as the Hungry Puppy.
Guest Stars[]
- Shannon Tweed as herself
- Joey Sagal as Randolph
- Leland Orser as Director
- Alden Millikan as The Trash
- Shae Marks as Inga
- Jasmin Paul as Star Disher
- Donna D'Errico as Helga
- Joey Dente as Daily Scandal
- Mary Harper-Johns as Stage Mom
Quotes[]
- [Al and Jefferson have arrived at the Elk Head Lodge. While Al puts their fishing gear down, Jefferson is taking pictures of the surroundings]
- Al: Jefferson, would you stop taking pictures so we can enjoy this place?
- [Two attractive buxom blond ladies exit the inn to greet Al and Jefferson]
- Al: [leaning in] Jefferson, would you start taking pictures so we can enjoy this place? [Jefferson quickly takes a few pictures again]
- Helga and Inga: Willkimen!
- Helga: We are your Swedish masseuses. I'm Helga.
- Inga: And I'm Inga.
- Al: [leering] And I'm Alga.
- Jefferson: [stunned] ...And I'm gaga.
- Inga: [steps forward] May we carry your bags?
- Al: Heh, yes. [staring at her breasts] May we carry yours?
- Inga: [smiling] Yah, sure!
- [Al and Jefferson instantly become giddy and start laughing]
- Al: Ah, Jefferson, we died and went to the land of milk and... honeys!
- [In the Bundy living room, Al and Jefferson are standing behind a podium as several different media outlets are there to bid on the photo of Shannon Tweed with Randolph that Jefferson took]
- Jefferson: Attention, media whores... [quickly corrects himself] uh, I mean, esteemed members of the press. The auction for the Shannon Tweed hot tub photo is about to begin.
- [the press talk over each other]
- Male Reporter: Show us the goods then.
- Star Dasher: Show us the stuff first.
- Al: [bangs gavel] All right, all right. All in good time. Before I get to the main event, I would like to start with a genuine photograph of the Loch Ness monster.
- [the press talk over each other]
- Jefferson: [looks at the photo] My God, Al, that's horrific. What exactly is that?
- Al: A picture of Peg's mom in the bathtub.
- Jefferson: I don't see a bathtub in there.
- Al: Trust me Jefferson, it's under there somewhere.
- Star Disher: [looks at the photo] That's not the Loch Ness monster! He's not that big.
- The Trash: [gets up and approaches Al] So what? We'll slap Roseanne's head on it and say she lost weight. [reaches into his pocket] I'll give you 50 bucks.
- Al: [bangs gavel] Sold!
Notes[]
Title[]
- The title of this episode is a reference to the idiom "The one that got away", which is typically used to express regret for breaking up with a person only to later realize how important or special they were.
Trivia[]
- Randolph, the innkeeper, is portrayed by Joey Sagal, Katey Sagal's brother. He previously appeared on MWC in the season 6 episode "She's Having My Baby (Part 2)" as one of the bar patrons at the Paternity Ward Bar.
- Shae Marks, who plays Inga, previously appeared on MWC in the season 9 episode "Pump Fiction" as one of the sexy women in Al's second film, A Day in the Life of a Shoe salesman.
- Donna D'Errico, who plays Helga, was Playboy's Playmate of the Month September 1995.
- This was her second credited acting role, her first being on Unhappily Ever After, a show created by MWC co-creator Ron Leavitt.
- This episode features three Playboy Playmates acting in the same scene, though only two appear onscreen together at the same time:
- Donna D'Errico - Playmate of the Month, September 1995
- Shae Marks - Playmate of the Month, May 1994
- Shannon Tweed - Playmate of the Month, November 1981 / Playmate of the Year, 1982
- This is the third consecutive episode in season 10 to feature a Playboy Playmate. The previous episode "Blonde and Blonder" featured Heidi Mark, who was Playboy Playmate of the Month for July 1995, while the episode before that, "Flight of the Bumblebee" featured Neriah Davis, who was Playmate of the Month for March 1994.
- When Bud tries to get Kelly to guess who his client is and hinted that they peed in the D'Arcy's roses, she says "Dad?". In several past episode, it mentioned that Al had urinated or defecated the gardens of the D'Arcys as well as several other neighbors. He even boasted about how the Jenkins' roses won a prize that year due to Al going to the bathroom in their garden in "A Man's Castle".
- This is the second appearance of the director, played by Leland Orser, who directs Kelly in a commercial.
Cultural References[]
- After Jefferson takes Shannon Tweed's insult about being an aging pretty boy personally, he says "Now, Redford, that's aging!". This in reference to actor Robert Redford who would have been about 59 years old when this episode originally aired.
- When looking at the photo featuring Randolph and Shannon Tweed in the hot tub, Jefferson grabs the picture and says "Cosby's right. Kodak paper does make a difference!".
- This in reference to photography company Kodak and actor/comedian Bill Cosby, who at the time, served as a spokesman for Kodak and several other companies. He began appearing in commercials during the 1970s and reached the peak of his spokesman career in the 1980s. Though by the mid 1990s he was appear in less and less ads.
- Bill Cosby and his fading spokesman career were previously referenced in the season 7 episode, "Un-Alful Entry".
- At the auditions, the woman with the bulldog boasts that he plays Eddie on the NBC sitcom, Fraiser.
- One of the stars of the show Edward Hibbert, later appeared on MWC as Dr. Richelieu.
- The director sarcastically asks if Lucky played Murray on Mad About You before Kelly tells him that Lucky hates Paul Reiser.
- Mad About You was an NBC sitcom that ran from 1992 to 1999, followed by a short series revival in 2019.
- Paul Reiser is an actor and comedian who was one of the main stars of the show.
- When Bud tries to encourage Lucky for the commercial, Lucky quips "I get in the commercial, you get the money, I end up sharing a jail cell with the cast of 'Diffr'ent Strokes'."
- Diff'rent Strokes was an NBC (and later ABC) sitcom that ran from 1978 to 1986.
- One of the stars of the show, Gary Coleman, appeared on MWC in "How Green Was My Apple" and "The Joke's on Al".
- As Lucky alluded to, the three main cast members (Todd Bridges, Dana Plato and Gary Coleman) had some sort of legal trouble following the end of the series, as both Plato and Bridges went to jail on drug and criminal charges.
- During the bidding for the photo, Jefferson complains that those press members had paid more for "Brett Butler pulling out her wedgie".
- Brett Butler is an actress and comedienne who at the time starred in the ABC sitcom, Grace Under Fire, which also starred MWC guest star Geoff Pierson.
Music[]
- Al sings "On Top of Old Smokey" as he and Jefferson make their way to the lodge's entrance.
Locations[]
- Bundy Residence
- Elk Head Lodge
- Sound Stage
Sets[]
- Bundy Living Room / Kitchen
- Bundy Veranda
- Elk Head Lodge Entrance / Outdoor Signage
- Commercial set
Goofs[]
- After finding the pictures of Randolph and Shannon Tweed in the hot tub together, Al and Jefferson boast that they can sell it. In reality, they (along with whoever bought the photo if Al didn't swallow it) would likely face some serious legal issues, as Randolph had already asked them to leave before Jefferson took the pictures and that the pictures were taken on private property without Randolph's or Shannon's knowledge in a area where they likely expected reasonable privacy.