Kelly has been studying at the Larry Storch School of Acting, and Larry Storch himself turns up at the house, which turns Al into a fan. Storch played Corporal Agarn on F Troop, a show Al has referenced throughout the series, and the moment Al hears the name he comes out of the shower. Kelly and Storch are to appear in a play together, and the episode builds toward that. Meanwhile Al has asked Gary for a raise and been moved onto a worse arrangement instead, so his plan to make up the shortfall is a midnight madness sale, conducted in costume. Bud’s prediction of exactly this plan, delivered before Al can announce it, is the funniest moment of the episode, and Al’s refusal to share the idea afterwards is the right response. So Al and Griff spend the episode dressed as wolves. The scene where Al, in costume and unaware that his boss is standing behind him, explains to Griff why there is nothing to fear from Gary, is a near-exact rerun of his grovel from “Business Still Sucks,” and it is just as good the second time. When Storch is incapacitated before the performance, Al goes on in his place.
Al’s half of the episode is a midnight madness sale he and Griff are made to work in wolf costumes, a humiliation the series had visited on him before in season five’s “Wabbit Season.” The two plots converge when Storch comes by the shoe store to meet his new fan and Gary, who has her own history with him, takes him out. Bud supplies the background detail that Storch also ran a karate school and a heating and air conditioning trade school, the latter jointly owned with Gary.
Episode Facts
- Original air date: March 12, 1995
- Season and episode: Season 9, Episode 20
- Overall episode number: 204
- Written by: Alison Taylor
- Directed by: Amanda Bearse
- Taped: January 13, 1995
- Production note: The shot of Kelly in the red dress declaring she can soar with the beagles was used to introduce Christina Applegate in the opening credits for the show’s final two seasons.
- Title note: An allusion to Something Wicked This Way Comes.
Guest Cast
- Larry Storch as himself
- Lynn Ann Leveridge as the woman
The Agarn Has Landed
Larry Storch was a genuinely well-chosen guest for this series. F Troop ran for two seasons in the mid-sixties and Al has been quoting it since season 7’s “T-R-A-Something-Something Spells Tramp,” and Storch plays himself here as a man running several businesses at once, including, as Bud reveals, a karate school and a trade school for heating and air conditioning repair. Gary turns out to have been his business partner in the latter.
The midnight madness setup is beautifully constructed. Al invites his family’s suggestions, gets nothing, announces that he has a plan, and Bud pre-emptively describes the plan in full, including the detail about costumes having nothing to do with the merchandise. Peg’s laughter and Al’s refusal to proceed with the announcement is the payoff. The series had done a version of this before in season 5’s “Wabbit Season.”
Kelly’s malapropism in this episode is one of her most famous, and Bud’s follow-up about the reviews not being in yet is the line that makes it.
Al’s wolf-costume monologue about not being afraid of the boss is a direct restaging of his grovel from “Business Still Sucks,” right down to dropping to his knees, and the series is clearly aware it is repeating itself. The slow turn, the silence, and the four words he manages are the best thing in the episode.
A continuity wrinkle: Al presents the commission arrangement as a punishment, but season 1 and season 3 both established that he was already on commission, with his cut on a twenty dollar sale working out to about a nickel after deductions.
Famous Quotes
- Al, having asked for ideas and received none: “‘Duh?’ Well, I’ll take that under advisement. But, as usual, I have a plan.”
- Bud: “Just as long as it’s not one of those stupid ‘Midnight Madness’ sales. You know, where the employees dress up in those ridiculous costumes that have nothing to do with what they’re selling.” Peg: “Bud, your father would never do something stupid like that. So, Al, what’s your idea?” Al: “…I’m not telling ya!”
- Kelly, in her red dress: “Just imagine, me and Larry Storch on the stage together. Tonight, I become a lesbian.” Peg: “I think you mean a ‘thespian’, dear.” Bud: “Yeah, well, the reviews aren’t in yet.”
- Al, taking the call at work: “Griff, the Agarn has landed. I gotta get home.”
- Al, unaware his boss is behind him: “Just because Gary’s built like a man doesn’t mean she can hit like one. Let her come in here and sell shoes!” Then, on turning around: “…Please don’t fire me.”
Notes
- Peg opens the episode ordering novelty salt and pepper shakers from a shopping channel, themed after a police drama then notable for its nudity.
- Al sings a variation of “We’re in the Money” on getting home from work, and plays the “Charge” fanfare while on stage.
- A continuity oddity: Al is thrilled to meet Storch here, having shown no interest at all when Kelly’s enrolment at his school was first mentioned in “No Pot to Pease In.”
- The Mill Creek DVD uses the syndicated version of the opening titles for this episode, which starts with the fountain already running and omits the couch gag.
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