You Gotta Know When to Fold 'Em (Part 2) is the 17th episode of Married... with Children, also the 74th overall episodes of the series. Directed by Gerry Cohen, the episode was written by Kevin Curran. The episode originally aired on FOX on February 18, 1990.
Synopsis[]
Part two of two episode story arc. Al, Kelly, and Bud track down Marcy and Peg in Vegas who are desperately trying to raise money to get home — and sign Al up in a wrestling match.
Plot Summary[]
This culmination of the two parter has Al tracking Peg down in Las Vegas, to try to get the Marcy and Peg out of the hole they got themselves into, with the kids, Kelly and Bud, in tow. Peg took Marcy to Sin City to forget about Steve leaving her, and as season four's seventeenth episode rolls around, the ladies have forgotten about having any money, or pride as well. Kelly dazzles the locals with her talent, and this time it has nothing to do with her looks. Al agrees to try to win $10,000 by staying three minutes in the ring with GLOW wrestler "Big Bad Momma," a huge monster of a woman. When they get there, they have no money and they need to make enough to get back home.
Kelly gets to act like Raymond from the movie Rain Man where she picks numbers on the Roulette wheel by her mind going blank. When that doesn't work (Because Al made Kelly nervous), Al agrees to wrestle with the G.L.O.W. Girls who are the gorgeous ladies of wrestling. What he doesn't expect is "Big Bad Momma", one tough mean cookie of a woman, that even he wouldn't dare crack a weight joke on! He fights her, it should be said, not for the family, but for the TV. All he has to do is spend 3 minutes in the ring with her, it's a lot more difficult than it sounds because Big Mama doesn't like to lose.
Recurring cast/Guest stars[]
- Regulars
Guest starring[]
- Ava Fabian as Yummy All Day / Roulette Dealer
- Rick Zumwalt as Gambler
- Tony Cimber as Announcer
- Lynn Braxton as Big Bad Momma
- Jeanne Basone as Hollywood
- Ursula Hayden as Babe, The Farmer's Daughter
- Gene LeBell as Referee
- Sam Clay as Croupier
- Nicholas Dorr as Man
- Sarah Taylor as Lounge Singer
- Tommy Nast as Elmo
- Dean Rubin as Time Keeper
Quotes[]
- Al Bundy: Alright now, I want you to fan out, and if you find Mommy... or something Daddy would like a little better, give the Bundy yell.
- Bud Bundy: "I wanna die!"?
- Al Bundy: That's the one.
- Peg: [to Al, who is on the floor after Big Bad Mama hit him] Al! I am really disappointed with you! You know your children are watching!
- Al: [gasping] I know, Peg! That's why I'm trying to keep the blood in! Ahhh! [Big Bad Mama drags Al across the ring]
Notes[]
Title[]
- The title for this two-episode story arc title is based on the lyric from the Kenny Rogers song "The Gambler"
Trivia[]
- In the ongoing series of wrestling connections, not only does Al mix it up with GLOW's Big Bad Momma, but the ref in the ring is wrestling legend and stunt performer "Judo" Gene LeBell, sometimes called "the Godfather of Grappling".
- He was previously seen in season 2's "Earth Angel" as Al's friend, Larry.
- Ava Fabian, the actress who plays Yummy All Day in Al's fantasy would appear in another fantasy of Al's in season 5's "Route 666 (Part 2) " as Honey Roasted.
- She was Playboy's Playmate of the Month August 1986.
- Al mentions that they have the "Bundy Yell" as part of the Bundy tradition. The yell is "I wanna die!".
- During the recap at the beginning of the episode, around the 1:31 mark, when Al puts his feet up on the coffee table, "555" and "SHOE" are partially visible on the bottoms of Al's left and right shoes, respectively.
- This is from an earlier episode, "976-SHOE", where Al convinced Steve Rhoades to lend him money to create a "Shoe Hotline" and make a commercial. In his first commercial, as he is laying with Muffy, the camera zooms out to show the bottom of Al's shoes with "555" and "SHOE" written in white, before telling viewers "And remember: Se Habla Shoe".
Cultural References[]
- Al's appearance, refined British accent, white dinner jacket, and his lines ("Bundy, Al Bundy" and "Beer... shaken not stirred"), as well as the music in Al's fantasy, are references to the fictional British MI6 agent, James Bond.
- Al mentions that he intends to key the car of Wayne Newton, a Las Vegas based entertainer and singer.
- The lounge singer mentions that she is playing a tribute to Tony Orlando, a musician, songwriter and actor best known as being part of the 1970s musical group, Tony Orlando and Dawn.
- Peggy and Al see a sign offering $10,000 to survive 3 minutes with a G.L.O.W. wrestler.
- GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) was a real all women's professional wrestling circuit based in Las Vegas that ran on syndicated television from 1986 until 1990. The brand was revived in 2001 by G.L.O.W. alum Ursula Hayden (Babe the Farmer's Daughter), with several events held over the years as well as a Netflix series that ran from 2017 to 2019.
- G.L.O.W. members Big Bad Momma, Babe the Farmer's Daughter, and Hollywood appear as themselves in the episode.
- Two other members of G.L.O.W., Trudy Adams and Becky Mullen, who played Amy The Farmer's Daughter and Sally The Farmer's Daughter respectively, also appeared on MWC, though not as their wrestling personas.
- Al mentions that they bought their television set series at Sears, a national department store chain that was founded in Chicago, with its headquarters based in the Sears Tower landmark. At the time this episode originally aired, it was the largest retailer in the United States, but as of 2021, fewer than 35 stores remain, with all of its stores in Illinois now closed.
- At one point, Bud uses Kelly to play roulette, where she picks numbers on the Roulette wheel by her mind going blank. This is likely a reference to the 1988 film, Rain Man, in which a pair of brothers go to Las Vegas, with the younger brother using his older savant brother to win at blackjack.
Music[]
- Peggy sings an off key rendition of "New York, New York" by Frank Sinatra.
- Frank Sinatra also sang MWC 's opening, "Love and Marriage".
- Peggy sings an off key rendition of "Personality" by Lloyd Price.
Locations[]
- Las Vegas
Sets[]
- Casino Gaming floor
- Casino Lounge / Bar
Goofs[]
- Peg maxed out the credit cards and Al didn't even have $12 cash to pay for a pizza as seen in part 1 of this two part episode. It shouldn't have been possible for Al to buy airline tickets to Vegas for himself and the kids, especially on such short notice.
- Bud and Kelly, who are underage and still in high school, are shown roaming around the casino throughout the episode and even standing at the roulette tables without issue. Casinos typical do not allow anyone under 21 on the gaming floor (Even if they are at a family friendly casino, they would still require the kids to quickly pass through the gaming floor with an adult to get to a restaurant or arcade within the building and be at a far enough distance from any card table or slot machine). Also, security would have most likely escorted them outside of the gaming area upon seeing them.
- On the spin in which Al loses all his money, the roulette dealer announces the winning ball while it is still in play.
- When Peggy reads the advertisement sign for the wrestling match to Al, the sign clearly says "G.L.O.W. Wrestler", but she reads it as "G.L.O.W. Girl".
- The strings that are pulling Al's wheelchair to the edge of the steps at the end of the episode are briefly visible in the right hand corner of the screen.
References[]
External Links[]
You Gotta Know When to Fold 'Em (Part 2) at the Internet Movie Database- You Gotta Know When to Fold 'Em (Part 2) on Bundyology
- You Gotta Know When to Fold 'Em (Part 2) - Transcript on Springfield! Springfield!
- #75 You Gotta Know When to Fold 'Em (Part 2) - MWC Podcast on Horrorphilia
