Turning Japanese is the 21st episode of season 10 of Married... with Children and the 232nd overall series episode. Directed by Sam W. Orender and written by Fran E. Kaufer, it premiered on FOX-TV on March 17, 1996.
Synopsis[]
Marcy gets a chance to get promoted, but she has to impress her Japanese boss (Pat Morita). He sets his eyes on Al's Dodge. Marcy tries to convince Al to sell his Dodge by offering a lot of money and taking him to the nudie bar, where she meets her boss too.
Plot Summary[]
Marcy is up for a promotion that will send her to Japan once a month and also make her the vice president for the U.S. branches of Kyoto National Bank. But, to get promoted she needs to impress Mr. Shimokawa, the bank's president by inviting him over for dinner. Of course, she needs the Bundys to stay out of sight for the duration of the visit and bribes them with money to pay for lodging and the all-you-can eat clam buffet at the Howard Bowman's Motor Lounge or "HoBo's".
Midway through a dinner involving her pandering to Mr. Shimokawa by invoking Japanese culture and karaoke, Al's Dodge 1971 is heard entering the driveway (as the Bundys had managed to be kicked out of HoBo's). Recognizing that particular car's backfiring sound, Mr. Shimokawa explains to Marcy that he is a collector of American junk cars and that particular Dodge is a rare car that is missing from his collection. He then orders Marcy to negotiate with Al to complete his collection and secure her job promotion. Despite the offer, Al initially refuses, saying that it was born a Bundy and will die as a Bundy.
Desperate to secure the sale of Al's Dodge to her boss and earn that promotion, Marcy compromises her feminist principles by going with Al to The Jiggly Room to get Al to agree to a sale price. Even after paying for his meal and dances, the negotiations go on for some time with Al claiming that it more about the sentimental value than monetary value.
Al agrees to sell it for $20,000 but only on one condition that he whispers into Marcy's ear. A few moments later, he and Mr. Shimokawa get together, where Al congratulates him for buying the car. Mr. Shimokawa tells him that he had told Marcy, "Every man has his price!". Al, who begins to put on a pair of sunglasses, agrees with his sentiment, before saying "Just like every woman has hers!".
At that moment, an embarrassed Marcy comes out onto the stage and performs a striptease, revealing that it was the other condition needed for Al to sell the Dodge. The now excited Mr. Shimokawa runs on stage and enjoys what he is watching. He then assures Marcy that she now has the job. Though it turns out that it was not due to her negotiation skills, but rather for how she dances on stage. Hearing that, the irritated Marcy angrily responds by punching him out into the rows, causing a big bar fight.
Back at the Bundy residence, the local news reports that Shimokawa was arrested for inciting a riot, as the Bundys enjoy their clams from the buffet. Kelly mentions that Marcy had been demoted once again, now acting at the "ATM Beeper". As they continue watching the news, it is revealed that a rare form of botulism had been found in clams used at the Motor Lounge - which just happen to have been stolen by the Bundys. They disregard the info and continue to eat the clams.
Recurring Cast/Regulars[]
Guest Stars[]
- Pat Morita as Mr. Shimokawa
- Todd Parker as Officer Stan
- Darrell Kunitomi as Japanese Al
- Angela Spangler as Bambi
Quotes[]
- [At the Bundy residence, Marcy and Jefferson have informed Al, Kelly, and Bud that she will be getting a job promotion but needs to first secure it by having dinner with her boss at the D'Arcy residence]
- Marcy: So Al, uh, the reason that I'm here is that I need your help with just one little thing to make tonight's dinner perfect. I need you to leave the neighborhood. You see, I don't want my boss to be repulsed by you or your children, no offence.
- Al: None taken.
- Marcy: So you'll do it?!
- Al: I meant none taken... [with a sly grin] yet.
- [Al raises his hand and rubs his fingers together, symbolizing that a bribe is needed]
- Marcy: All right, Al. What's your price?
- Al: One night, all expenses payed, in a Howard Bowman's Motor Lodge.
- [the kids become excited upon hearing this and Al's stomps his foot down to express his joy]
- Kelly: Heheh
- Bud: Oh, HoBo's!
- Kelly: [smiling] Where every bed is shaped like a boxcar, hehe. [Bud and Al look at her oddly, which suddenly makes her embarrassed] Or, uh... so I hear from my slutty friends who may go there all the time. Not me.
- [At the D'Arcy residence, Jefferson is laying on a platform and performing a karaoke version of "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" by Culture Club]
- Jefferson: [singing, bobbing his head] Do you really want to hurt me? Do you really want to make me cr-y-y-y-y-y-yaaah?!
- Mr. Shimokawa: [v.o.] More than life itself!
- [An angry looking Mr. Shimokawa reaches across the table, grabs the knife and stands up, indicating that he is about to stab Jefferson to death.]
- [In an attempt to negotiate and buy the Dodge for Mr. Shimokawa, Al, Marcy, Jefferson, and Bud are at the Jiggly Room]
- Bud: Mrs. D'Arcy, I thought that as a feminist that you wouldn't like places like this.
- Marcy: [chuckles] Oh, no, no, no, no, no. Feminism is about protecting a woman's right in the workplace. Now, where that workplace happens to be is none of my concern.
- [Just then, a young, attactive blonde stripper walks over while stroking Jefferson and then stands between him and Marcy]
- Bambi: [to Jefferson, while shaking her hips] A lap dance?
- Marcy: Split, bitch!
- Iqbal: Hello...[playfully taps Officer Dan on the arm] Officer Dan, what can I do for you?
- Officer Dan: We got a call about an indecent sex act.
- Iqbal:[nervous] I assure you, I have no indecent sex act in my establishment.
- Officer Dan: Then get one!
- Officer Stan: [smiling, nodding] We didn't ditch that drug stakeout for nothing!
Notes[]
Title[]
- The title of this episode is a reference to the 1980 song of the same name by The Vapors.
Trivia[]
- At the beginning of the episode, Bud mentions that he is about to graduate from college shortly. He would graduate from Trumaine University three episodes later, in "Bud Hits the Books".
- Guest star Pat Morita. who plays Mr. Shimokawa, was best known for his role as Mr. Miyagi in the 1984 film, The Karate Kid and its sequels.
- Both Pat Morita and Ted McGinley were cast members on the 1974–84 ABC sitcom Happy Days. Morita played restaurant owner Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi, a recurring character originally debuting in Season 2 before returning for the show’s final two seasons, while McGinley played Roger Phillips from Seasons 8 to 11.
Cultural References[]
- At the beginning of the episode, the Bundys are watching the ABC sitcom Family Matters, with everyone (except for Bud) mentioning Urkel and his fashion sense, as well as "his fat cop neighbor". This is in reference to the show's breakout character Steve Urkel and his neighbor, Carl Winslow, a Chicago police officer who loved junk food.
- Pat Morita appeared on Family Matters as one of Urkel’s teachers, Mr. Tanaka.
- When Al mentions that he wants Marcy to pay for him and the kids to stay a Howard Bowman's Motor lodge, or "HoBos", a parody of the Howard Johnson's chain of hotels, motels and motor lodges, sometimes referred to as "HoJos".
- The shortened name "HoBos" as well as Kelly mentioning that every bed is shaped like a boxcar is a reference to the term, "Hobo", which usually denotes a homeless person who rides aboard freight trains in order to find steady work in a new place.
- Al previously mentioned Howard Johnson's in the season 2 episode "Poppy's by the Tree (Part 1)", stating that during their road trip to Dumpwater, they would stop at a Howard Johnson's for Pez.
- After eating sushi with the D'Arcys and viewing it as patronizing, Mr. Shimokawa mentions the character Gilligan from the 1960s television sitcom Gilligan's Island.
- Jefferson tells Mr. Shimokawa that he loved the 1993 film, The Joy Luck Club, believing that it is part of Japanese culture. Mr. Shimokawa then points out that the characters are Chinese.
- After mentioning The Joy Luck Club, Jefferson says that he also liked the Kama Sutra, before Mr. Shimokawa points out that the book is of Indian origin.
- After Jefferson mistakes the Kama Sutra for being Japanese, Mr. Shimokawa thinks to himself that "In my country, this man would be filling water glasses at Denny's!", referring to the family restaurant chain that also has multiple locations in Japan.
- When the doorbell rings, Mr. Shimokawa mentions the pizza restaurant chain Domino's Pizza.
- The first song that Marcy and Jefferson sing is Fame by Irene Cara from the 1980 film and the subsequent 1982–87 television series adaptation of the same name.
- Two of the stars of the Fame television series, Billy Hufsey and Jesse Borrego, appeared on Married... with Children a year after the series was cancelled. Hufsey played the exotic dancer, Zorro, in the season 2 episode "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (Parts 1 and 2)", while Borrego played Bruno, the Polk High School janitor who becomes Kelly Bundy's love interest/dance partner in the season 3 episode "Can't Dance, Don't Ask Me".
- The last song Jefferson sings to Mr. Shimokawa and Marcy is "I Think I Love You" by the Partridge Family from the TV series of the same name.
- Two of the cast members from The Partridge Family, Danny Bonaduce and Dave Madden, previously appeared on MWC in the season 8 episode "How Green Was My Apple".
- Marcy tells the Bundys that everything was going fine until they "Mothra'd" on home", referring to the kaiju (strange beast) from Japanese tokusatsu films.
- Al mentions finding chunks of "Reggie!" bars on his 30-year-old toothbrush.
- "Reggie!" bars are a repackaged version of Bun Bars, specifically its caramel flavor. It was named after MLB player Reggie Jackson. They were first introduced in the last 1970s and received an update in the early 1990s, offering a peanut butter flavor with an Upper Deck-branded baseball card.[1]
Music[]
- The first song that Marcy and Jefferson sing for karaoke is "Fame" by Irene Cara.
- The song Jefferson sings when Marcy goes to speak to Al about the Dodge is "I'm So Excited" by the Pointer Sisters.
- It is heard again as Mr. Shimokawa sings it while he runs up to see Marcy onstage.
- The second song Jefferson sings to Mr. Shimokawa is "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" by Culture Club.
- The last song Jefferson sings to Mr. Shimokawa and Marcy is "I Think I Love You" by the Partridge Family for the TV series of the same name.
Locations[]
Sets[]
- Bundy Living Room / Kitchen
- D'Arcy Living Room
- The Jiggly Room Bar Area / Stage
Goofs[]
- Mr. Shimokawa is not told that Al is a shoe salesman, as Marcy hired a Japanese man to play Al and said that he sold Acura cars. Then, when Mr. Shimokawa hears the Dodge, Marcy never stated who owned the car or who the real Al Bundy is. However, late in the show he refers to Al being a shoe salesman.
- It is possible that the "American Junk" that Al owns has Mr. Shimokawa reasoning that he is a shoe salesman because he can't afford anything else. It is also possible that someone could've told him who actually owned the car off-camera.
- When Bambi gets off of Bud's lap, he moves his arm and snaps his fingers in disappointment. When the camera shifts to Al and Marcy, Bud's arm can be seen at the edge of the screen, making the same motion again before reaching over for his plate.
- As Al escorts Marcy to the front door as he tells her that his Dodge "was born a Bundy, by God, it will die a Bundy!", a red light from what appears to be either a exit door sign or recording in progress sign can be seen reflecting off of the glass on the Bundy's front door.