| The
Review: |
'Married With Children' was a hit
comedy on Fox beginning in the late 1980s. The series is about
the incredibly dysfunctional Bundy family, Al (Ed O'Neill),
Peggy (Katey Sagal), Kelly (Christina Applegate), and Bud
(David Faustino), who, despite typifying everything marriage
pundits claim is wrong with families today, somehow make things
work. ***
The first season does a good job
of introducing the Bundys, as well as their neighbors, the
D'Arcys, Marcy (Amanda Bearse) and Jefferson (Ted McGinley),
and Al's womanizing co-worker, Steve (David Garrison). I'd
like to say the season advances some over-arching storyline,
but that just wouldn't be accurate. Not unlike many sitcoms
that have followed in its wake, Married With Children has
no pretense of an over-arching story. This is just about the
Bundy family's daily life, which, in itself, is funny enough
to watch again and again. ***
I remember watching this show when
I was in my teens and thinking it very funny then. But watching
it now, in my mid-twenties, with a little more life experience
under my belt and after having been married for 4 years, I
have to admit I find the series much funnier. The only humor
I really got when I first watched this episode came from Kelly
and Bud, who really develop their humor in later seasons.
But with my new perspectives, Al and Peggy are really the
best part of the show. I also had no idea there were so many
sexual innuendos; boy was I naive! ***
As far as the acting goes, in this
first season, Christina Applegate and David Faustino aren't
very good. Admittedly they were very young at the beginning;
the numerous years spent working on the show is probably what
helped them improve over time. Also not very good in these
first episodes was Amanda Bearse. I'm inclined to think she
improved over the course of the series as well. Ed O'Neill
and Katey Sagal are pretty good. I think they also improved,
but they definitely started out several notches above everyone
else. Of course, part of me being impressed with them probably
has to do with the fact I understand more of their jokes now
than I used to, but even so, I was impressed.
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