When Married with Children first debuted in 1987, I was shocked, shocked I tell you, to see such a crass portrayal of the American family. To this day, I still can’t believe the show was ever greenlit for television.
The low-brow Bundy family consisted of Al, the man of the house who complained constantly about his unrewarding job selling shoes and his ungrateful family. Then there was his garish wife, Peggy, a flaming redhead, stay-at-home mom who spent more time gossiping and smoking than she did cooking, cleaning, and parenting their two children while Al was at his “minimum-wage-paying slow death” of a job.
And we can’t forget the children. Kelly was your stereotypical attractive dumb blonde while Bud was blossoming into a skeevy young man.
To my surprise, I was immediately drawn in by the show from the first episode and stayed loyal until the show ended a decade later.
What kept me watching?
An Unconventional Romance
Well, besides the sidesplitting humor and situations the family and their neighbors, Marcy and Jefferson D’Arcy (originally Marcy and Steve Rhoades), brought us each week, it was the unconventional romance between Al and Peggy that glued me to the screen.
Al and Peg Bundy were a fascinating couple.
They constantly tossed barbs back and forth. For example, Al criticized Peggy’s lack of virtually anything maternal, and Peggy barked back with how Al earned a pittance of a salary. Yet despite all of that, they never strayed from their marriage.
Even when Luke tempted Al with pretty blonde women at the beginning of Season 1, Al kept his hands to himself and went home to Peggy, albeit with a blonde wig for her to wear to keep his motor running. 🙂
Even when Peggy frequented Troy’s strip club in Season 5, she always went home to Al, though a few dollars lighter.
Unconditional Acceptance & Trust
Under all the playful jabs and ribbing, they accepted each other for who they were.
They went through some tough times too and broke up for a spell, but then they eventually realized they missed each other and got back together. These are the things that happen to normal people, like you and me, all the time.
The bottom line is that Al and Peggy had a connection, and they were perfect for one another. Even when tempted by outside forces, neither cheated on the other because they had trust and, most important, true love that always brought them back together.
Did you watch Married with Children? What did you think about Al and Peggy Bundy?