Al’s barber dies, and the loss is genuine, not the man so much as the arrangement, which had been in place for decades and required no conversation. With nowhere else to go, Al ends up in a salon, which the episode treats as a direct threat to his masculinity: appointments, products, a receptionist, and people who want to discuss what he is after.
The half-hour is one of the best-made of the third season and the industry noticed. Editor Larry Harris was nominated for Outstanding Editing for a Series at the 1989 Emmy Awards for his work on it, which is a rare piece of formal recognition for a show that never won one. The direction, by James E. Hornbeck, is also outside the usual rotation.
The title gave the series a construction it reused twice more, “Requiem for a Dead Briard” in season ten and the two-part “Requiem for a Chevyweight” in season eleven, all three built on the same Rod Serling-derived pun, and all three about Al losing something nobody else thinks is important.
It is the second and final appearance of Al’s friend Russ and the only one for Louie, closing out the first-season poker circle. Al mentions tracking down the barber’s father in Cicero, and gets in a complaint about video arcades displacing pinball, a line that reads differently now that Ed O’Neill went on to star in Wreck-It Ralph. The episode is also one of only three in which Peggy turns down sex, the others being “The Great Escape” and “He Thought He Could.”
Episode Facts
- Original air date: February 12, 1989
- Season 3, Episode 9, and the 44th episode of the series
- Written by Michael G. Moye and Ron Leavitt
- Directed by James E. Hornbeck
- Nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Editing for a Series, Multi-Camera Production
Guest Cast
- Garrett Morris as Russ
- Steve Susskind as Barney
- Frank Lloyd as Norris
- Vito D’Ambrosio as Louie
- Kenny Sacha as Mr. Adonis
- Charlie Spradling as Murphy
- Steven Levy as Mr. Ron
- Stacey Alden as Fran
- Harry Hart-Browne as Eduardo
Al Bundy Will Not Go to a Salon
The eulogy for Tony is played completely straight, and it is one of the few times in three seasons that Al grieves for anything. The editing on this episode got an Emmy nomination.
It is the second and last appearance of Al’s poker friend Russ, who debuted in The Poker Game, and the only appearance of Louie.
Famous Quotes
- Al: “He said, yep, I’m still in San Quentin for killing the wife, but it was worth it.” Al, reporting back from calling his friends.
- Peg: “Oh! Unlike you, skilled illiterates.” Peg, on Al’s social circle.
- Al: “Do they have regular checker games in salons, Peg? Do they run the numbers in salons, Peg?” The case against.
- Al: “I need a place that’ll cut my nose hairs. Tony would. He was the greatest.” The eulogy.
Notes
- The title plays on Requiem for a Heavyweight.
- One of only three episodes in which Peg turns down sex with Al. The others are The Great Escape and He Thought He Could.
- Goof: Al has Bud chop up Buck’s doghouse for firewood, in a house with no fireplace.
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