Season 8 Episode 4: Luck of the Bundys

Good things start happening to Al Bundy, and he finds it deeply alarming. The run of luck is genuine and it keeps extending, and rather than enjoy it Al becomes convinced that it is a setup, because he has a working theory of his own life and the theory does not allow for this. He explains the Bundy Curse to Peg in detail: he was eighteen when he scored four touchdowns in a single game, which was the good luck, and the bad luck arrived in the form of meeting and marrying her, and the ledger has been balanced in one direction ever since. The more things go right, the more certain he becomes that something enormous is coming. Jefferson’s reaction to the streak is to try to monetize it before it expires, which he proposes doing by introducing Al to some well-heeled acquaintances who enjoy a game of poker. Kelly has lost her waitressing job and has moved on to work as a local mascot, which she presents as a career step. Bud has pledged a fraternity, and the initiation he describes leads Al to observe that once Bud is arrested, all four Bundys will have been booked for indecent exposure. Everything does eventually go wrong, comprehensively and at once, and Al is the only person in the house who is relieved. It is one of the more structurally interesting episodes of the early part of season 8, because the suspense comes entirely from the audience knowing Al is right.

Episode Facts

• Original air date: September 26, 1993
• Season and episode: Season 8, Episode 4
• Overall episode number: 161
• Written by: Richard Gurman
• Directed by: Tony Singletary
• Production note: This is the episode where Al lays out the Bundy Curse as a working theory, and the one that confirms he was eighteen at the time of the four touchdowns.
• Title note: A play on “luck of the Irish.”

Guest Cast

• Tom LaGrua as Weasel
• Lee Arenberg as Sal
• J.J. Johnston as Louie
• Dan Tullis Jr. as the policeman
• Sean N. Sickner as Policeman #2

The Bundy Curse

The curse speech is the reason this episode matters to the series’ internal mythology. Al’s account is precise: one piece of extraordinary good fortune at eighteen, immediately and permanently offset, with the offset being his marriage. It is the most explicit the show ever got about the deal Al believes he made, and it reframes seven seasons of complaining as a man keeping accounts.

Al’s exchange with Peg about horoscopes is the funniest thing in the episode and it ends on the line that got the audience shouting. Peg’s point about what he is prepared to believe when a magazine is involved is unanswerable, and Al’s reply does not attempt to answer it. He simply narrows his claim from belief to support and love.

Jefferson’s instinct on hearing that his neighbour is lucky is to find people to take money from, and his pitch, complete with a mimed deal, is Ted McGinley at his most relaxed. Al’s reference to his broker is one of the better throwaway jokes of the season.

Lee Arenberg, here as Sal, had worked with Katey Sagal three years earlier on an episode of Tales from the Crypt that also featured Sam Kinison, who had played Al’s guardian angel in season 4’s “It’s a Bundyful Life.” J.J. Johnston was back for his second appearance, having played Happy all the way back in season 1’s “Where’s the Boss?”

Famous Quotes

• Peg, reading aloud: “Buy a new dress. You are about to embark on a new and unique undertaking.” Al: “Well, the ‘undertaking’ part has kind of a nice ring to it… But Peg, I don’t believe in horoscopes.”
• Peg: “And yet you believe a nineteen-year-old in ‘Playboy’ pouring honey on her tush is really interested in saving the environment.” Al: “Hey, I never said I believed her, just that I supported her and loved her very much.”
• Jefferson, on the opportunity: “I’ve been a little worried about this lucky streak you’ve been having. I’m afraid it might wear off before I’ve had a chance to take advantage of it.” Al: “Hells bells, we can’t have that!”
• Al, checking his finances: “I better check my cash reserve. Or maybe I better call my broker: E.F. Nuttin’.”

Notes

• Kelly loses her diner job in this episode and takes work as a local mascot, which she compares to Michael Jackson’s career trajectory.
• Peg calls Al “Magoo,” which the series had used before in season 6’s “If I Could See Me Now.”
• Al notes that Bud’s fraternity initiation will complete the set: all four Bundys arrested for indecent exposure.
• The curse is reinstated by the final scene and the family’s bad luck resumes.
• A goof: Al’s zodiac sign here puts his birthday in late June, while his driver’s license in season 7’s “Un-Alful Entry” gives November 7, 1948.