The Eighth Season

Married with Children is a risque television series takes a slapstick approach to comedy about a man whose life couldn't be any worse. Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill) is a former high school football star turned women's shoe salesman. After his glorious high school days, nothing has really gone in the right way for Bundy. He's such a loser that you can't help but laugh. Al's wife Peggy (Katey Sagal) was his high school sweetheart and the major cause of his headaches. They also have two kids: Kelly (Christina Applegate) and Bud (David Faustino). Next door are their neurotic neighbors Marcy (Amanda Bearse) and Jefferson (Ted McGinley). Together, the Bundys and the D'Arcys get into outrageous and comical situations. For additional information about the series, please refer to DVD Talk's reviews of season one, season two, season three, season four, season five, season six, and season seven.

As mentioned in the season seven review (and something that was probably burned into the minds of fans alike), season seven was not the show at its best. A new character was introduced and he proved to be more annoying than funny. Fortunately, the powers that be understood the issue and dropped the character mid-season. The season got better, but it still wasn't great. The good news is that season eight comes back after that catastrophe and offers up a plateful of hilarious, classic episodes. It is a huge step up and even better than some of the earlier seasons -- at least in this reviewer's mind.

One of the season's earlier episodes, "Hood In The Boyz", is a favorite of mine. This episode features Al contemplating an affair with Mary Ellen, an old flame from his youth. Mary Ellen asks for Al's help to deal with the local bully Ray Ray. Al takes on the young hipster and tries to beat some sense into him. The entire ordeal is pretty over-the-top, complete with comical gang wars (Al's old and out of shape football buddies facing Ray Ray's gang) and Al's "romantic" anniversary with Peggy. "Proud To Be Your Bud" is another standup episode. In it, Bud faces the reality that his past attempts to get girls hasn't worked in his favor. He remembers each of his past school year personas. He admits defeat and confines himself to the basement. However, things start to change when his alter ego takes over and gives him advice to get chicks. All the while, Peggy and Kelly fear for the worst.

Another strong episode is "A Little Of The Top". In this episode, Peggy forces Al to get medical treatment for an injury. Of course, with his luck the doctors perform the wrong operation; he is circumcised. The pain and anguish Al goes through and the general silliness of how the story is portrayed makes this episode one of the season's best. "The D'Arcy Files" is an episode that is somewhat hard to swallow, but at the same time it is a lot of fun. Jefferson's past is revealed. He is a spy in hiding and enlists Al's help to stop a bad guy.

As for the remainder of the season, there are a myriad of classic episodes. They include "No Chicken, No Check", Bud and Kelly purchase a car together and double date, "Take My Wife, Please", Marcy convinces Peggy, Bud, Kelly, and Jefferson to dress up as the Village People and sing/dance at her party, "No Ma'am", Al leads his men's group to stand against his version of oppression (from the opposite sex), "Change For A Buck", Buck runs away and gets locked up with hours to live, "How Green Was My Apple", the Bundys and D'Arcys have a property dispute -- which gets a little intense, and "Get Outta Dodge", Al is on the verge of getting a new sports cars; damn that Bundy luck.

Overall, Married with Children's eighth season is a strong step up from season seven. The comedy is rich and nonstop with the Bundys and the D'Arcys getting into some hilarious situations. I had a lot of fun reliving these episodes, as several stand out in my memory as classics, and am looking forward to future seasons on DVD. With that said, this season comes highly recommended. You will not want to miss out on the twenty-six classic episodes season eight has to offer!

Episode Guide

1. A Tisket, A Tasket, Can Peggy Make A Basket: Al gets a pair of tickets to a big basketball game.
2. Hood In The Boyz: When Al finds out one of his high school girlfriends is experiencing gang trouble in the old neighborhood, he enlists the help of his football pals for a confrontation that pits youth against experience.
3. Proud To Be Your Bud: Bud's latest attempts to impress women fail miserably, causing him such embarrassment that he confines himself to the basement. But when his "cool" alter ego appears, Bud learns the secrets of gaining adoration.
4. Luck Of The Bundys: Peg checks Al's horoscope and insists he's due for a stroke of good luck. But when good things actually start happening, Al gets a shrinking feeling that his luck won't last.
5. Banking On Marcy: When Marcy's superiors at the bank ask her to deliver bad news at a shareholder's meeting, she calls a radio therapist who suggests she focus on sex to overcome her fear of speaking in public - advice that leads to disastrous results.
6. No Chicken, No Check: Al quits lending his car to Kelly and Bud, who take matters into their own hands and purchase one to share. But when both make plans for the drive-in, they are forced to double date, with each trying to get the other out of the car.
7. Take My Wife, Please: On Halloween, Al is left to face Death, while Peggy and the kids are recruited to fill in for the Village People.
8. Sacred Single: Al tries to counsel a new employee against marriage.
9. No Ma'am: Al and his friends fight back against women's liberation.
10. Dancing With Weezie: Al and Jefferson avoid a theater event in order to go to a sports bar.
11. Change For A Buck: Feeling disenchanted and ignored, Buck runs away.
12. A Little Off The Top: Al is accidentally circumcised.
13. The Worst Noel: Al misses the D'Arcy's annual Christmas party, unaware he wasn't invited.
14. Sofa So Good: Kelly's boyfriend accidentally destroys Peggy's sofa.
15. Honey, I Blew Up Myself: Peggy's birthday gift for Al causes quite stir at the mall.
16. How Green Was My Apple: The Bundys and the D'Arcys go to war over a property line dispute.
17. Valentine's Day Massacre: When Bud discovers a long-lost Valentine's card a girlfriend sent him a year ago, he goes on a mission to find his lost love.
18. Get Outta Dodge: When Al's old Dodge approaches the one million mark, the manufacturer offers to highlight it in a commercial - in exchange for a brand new sports car.
19. Field Of Screams: Al fights to keep an auto factory from replacing his high school football field.
20. The D'Arcy Files: Jefferson reveals his past life as a spy.
21. Nooner Or Later: To win a contest, Peggy must persuade Al to come home from work to engage in some afternoon hanky-panky.
22. Ride Scare: Al becomes an environmental hero and celebrity.
23. Legend Of Ironhead Haynes: When Al's sarcasm costs him his prized parking space, he turns to a manly hero for advice.
24. Assault And Batteries: Household chores threaten Al's chance to see a favorite old movie.
25. Al Goes Deep: A football star's romance with Kelly jeopardizes Jefferson's lifesaving wager on a big game.
26. Kelly Knows Something: After their television breaks down and Al finds a way to win a large sum of money to buy a replacement, he auditions to be a contestant on a new sports trivia game show. However, after he is turned down because he lacks personality, he enlists Kelly to take his place.

The DVD

Video:
The video format is given in its original aspect ratio 1.33:1 full frame color. The overall quality is acceptable. There are some noticeable of compression artifacts and ghosting during heavy movement. Overall, while not outstanding, the visual representation is still good enough.

Audio:
The audio track in this release is given in English Dolby digital stereo sound. The audio sounds pretty clean and is very flat. It is as basic as TV on DVD releases get. This release also supports closed captioning.

Extras:
For extras, there are two "minisodes" -- short compressed versions of full length television episodes -- for Silver Spoons "A Family Affair" and VIP "Loh-down Dirty Shame".

Final Thoughts:
After a less than stellar seventh season, Married with Children comes back with a vengeance. Season eight is a major improvement from its predecessor and contains nonstop hilarity. The situations the Bundys and D'Arcys find themselves in are goofy, over-the-top, and worth every laugh. The classic moments include Al getting circumcised, the Dodge reaching the one-million mark, Jefferson revealing he is a spy, Buck running away from home, the kids sharing a car and double dating, and more. The season is a riot and a must for fans.