Al is upset that his regular Thursday evening slot at the bowling alley has been turned into a ladies-only night, that all the films at the theater are geared towards women, and that the nudie bar has been turned into a coffee house that hosts readings from feminist poets. Al and his friends decide that enough is enough and form a protest group - No Ma'am (National Organisation of Men Against Amazonian Masterhood) - seizing control of the TV show The Masculine Feminist (hosted by Jerry Springer).
This episode makes one wonder how Al is coping in the overly-sensitive, politically-correct climate of the 2020s. I read a couple of articles recently (one for the Dallas Observer and one on ScreenRant) describing Married With Children as problematic and toxic, and calling it culturally insensitive, the writers of those pieces clearly missing the entire point of the show: the controversial and outrageous nature of Married With Children was deliberate, the programme a gross exaggeration of the ignorance and crassness of many a blue-collar family. The Bundys were never intended to be role-models: we find their behaviour funny precisely because it is so blatantly unnacceptable. It's the antidote to every wholesome family-friendly sitcom that preceded it. To be offended by the show displays a total lack of understanding, but sadly that is the way of the world today
Perhaps we need Al Bundy now more than ever...
This episode makes one wonder how Al is coping in the overly-sensitive, politically-correct climate of the 2020s. I read a couple of articles recently (one for the Dallas Observer and one on ScreenRant) describing Married With Children as problematic and toxic, and calling it culturally insensitive, the writers of those pieces clearly missing the entire point of the show: the controversial and outrageous nature of Married With Children was deliberate, the programme a gross exaggeration of the ignorance and crassness of many a blue-collar family. The Bundys were never intended to be role-models: we find their behaviour funny precisely because it is so blatantly unnacceptable. It's the antidote to every wholesome family-friendly sitcom that preceded it. To be offended by the show displays a total lack of understanding, but sadly that is the way of the world today
Perhaps we need Al Bundy now more than ever...