The Sixth 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 Bundy's, Marcy, and Jefferson D'Arcy 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, and season five.

Season six is packed with lots of outrageous, over-the-top, and oh-so-hilarious Bundy storylines. They include Peggy and Marcy's pregnancy for a good portion of the season, Marcy's ex-husband Steve briefly returning, Bud going to college and taking on the name Grand Master B, Kelly's network television debut, and the family vacation. Overall, season six is a lot of fun. Fans of the series should really appreciate the strong chemistry the cast has together and their over-the-top slapstick performances. This season is a riot.

The two-part season premiere episode "She's Having My Baby" introduces a new complication into Al's life, a baby. Peggy announces she is pregnant, as well as Marcy. Throughout the next several episodes, the episodes deal with Al and his trauma of a pregnant wife and an annoying pregnant neighbor. In addition, how Bud and Kelly's lives are disrupted add to the fun. But despite the pregnancy, there is not a new face added to the show. In the episode "Al Bundy, Shoe Dick", the pregnancy storyline was revealed as a dream.

Bud also starts going to community college. At the college, he is surrounded by new faces. In hopes of starting a cool new social circle (lots of babes), he takes on a new identity as Grand Master B, a hip hop rapper from New York. The Grand Master B storyline introduces some hilarious stories throughout the season and also gives the Kelly-Bud dynamic another form of teasing. The Grand Master is featured in episodes like "Rites Of Passage", Al takes his wannabe cool son to the nudie bar for his eighteenth birthday, "Teacher Pets", Bud's sexy older teacher makes him a 'grand master', and "The Mystery Of Skull Island", Bud's girlfriend Kara convinces him to do some stupid things to prove what a tough guy he is.

Kelly's life undergoes a dramatic change in the two-part episode "Kelly Does Hollywood" when she decides to get back at her instructor at the modeling school. On a special day when the class was staring on a public access show, Kelly's teacher purposely ignored her. Kelly responded by starting her own show on public access (imagine a female version of Wayne's World). The show turned out to be a big success and a Los Angeles television network picked it up. Al and Bud go with her, but like all Bundy endeavors, it turns out to be very different than Kelly could have ever imagined.

Besides Al's life getting turned upside down in his dream state (Peggy's pregnancy in the season's earlier episodes), he finds himself in several hilarious situations. In the episode "If I Could See Me Now", Al comes to terms with his poor eyesight and gets glasses. What makes this episode so great is O'Neill's goofy performance while picking out the frames and how he reacts when he can see again. "I Who Have Nothing" is another strong episode. It is another that is strong purely from O'Neill's wonderful performance. Al realizes he has nothing of value to leave his loved ones and he decides to retrieve the winning football from his 'four touchdowns in one' game from a former love interest. The episode is a riot, with Al in his Polk High football gear.

Other fun episodes this season include Marcy and Jefferson getting a kicked in the butt when Marcy's ex-husband Steve Rhoades returns in "The Egg And I". The story is absolutely goofy and ties the Bundys into a crazy mix up with the FBI! The three-part season finale "England Show" is a solid episode. In it, a back story is explained as to why the Bundy's have such horrible luck in life. The short version, they were cursed and so was everyone in the town of Lower Uncton. Many years later, Lower Uncton's inhabitants want to end the curse. All they need to do is kill the Bundy males. The Bundy's are lured to England with a free vacation, which turns out to be more than just a vacation! The episode is not the season's strongest, but it is still pretty fun with some goofy, over-the-top antics.

Overall, the season six episodes continue the great over-the-top, slapstick comedy the show has with the cast maintaining their solid dynamic. The content also features a lot of stories and changes for the character that should leave you laughing and wanting more. As one fan of the show to another, this season set is recommended.

Episode Guide

1. She's Having My Baby (Part 1): Al is unpleasantly surprised when Peg announces she's pregnant.
2. She's Having My Baby (Part 2): Al decides to run away from home when a pregnant Peg becomes demanding.
3. If Al Had A Hammer: Al builds a private clubhouse to which he can escape, but he discovers there are many miserable fathers-to-be who wish to join him.
4. Cheese, Cues And Blood: Al discovers that Kelly's making money the old-fashioned way - hustling pool players.
5. Lookin' Fer A Desk In All The Wrong Places: Al and Jefferson search for a "maid" while their pregnant wives are shopping.
6. Buck Has A Belly Ache: Peg feels left out when everyone's attention turns to a distraught Buck.
7. If I Could See Me Now: Al gets glasses -- and only wishes they were rose-colored.
8. God's Shoes: Al gets a divine inspiration and feels it is his duty to manufacture and mass market "God's Shoes."
9. Kelly Does Hollywood (Part 1): Kelly has her five minutes in the spotlight when her public access show takes off in the rating.
10. Kelly Does Hollywood (Part 2): Kelly's talk show makes it to primetime.
11. Al Bundy, Shoe Dick: Al dreams he's a private eye watching out for a beautiful heiress.
12. So This Is How Sinatra Felt: Peg sends Bud and Kelly to spy on Al when she thinks he's cheating on her.
13. I Who Have Nothing: Al visits his old high school sweetheart and relives his football glory days.

14. The Mystery Of Skull Island: Bud will do anything for his woman -- even if it means going head over heels.
15. Just Shoe It: Al lands a role in a commercial with Sugar ray Leonard, Steve Carlton and Ed "Too Tall" Jones.
16. Rites Of Passage: Al initiates his son into the realm of manhood when he takes Bud to a nudie bar.
17. The Egg And I: The Bundys try to turn in Marcy's ex-husband, Steve, for the FBI reward money.
18. My Dinner With Anthrax: Bud and Kelly send their parents on a romantic trip for their anniversary, which no one will ever forget.
19. Psychic Avengers: The Bundys take on all the psychic families of the region when Al takes over Jefferson's psychic prediction scam.
20. Hi, I.Q.: The Bundys are dumbfounded when Kelly is asked to join a group of geniuses.
21. Teacher's Pets: Bud's teacher teaches him a lesion about the birds and the bees.
22. Goodbye Girl: Bud tries to ruin Kelly's new job at the TV World theme park.
23. The Gas Station Show: Al finds himself with the gas station blues when he can't pay his bill and is forced to work at one.
24. England Show (Part 1): The Bundys win a trip to England -- with a deadly catch.
25. England Show (Part 2): The Bundys arrive Lower Uncton, England, where the townspeople are plotting to kill them.
26. England Show (Part 3): Al fights in an old-fashioned joust to save his family.

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:
There are no extras included with this release.

Final Thoughts:
The sixth season of Married with Children continues to offer episodes filled to the brink with over-the-top, slapstick comedy. What this series does better than most slapstick shows is keeping the content very fresh. The characters are put through plenty ridiculous situations and the end result is hilarious. Fans of the series should pick up this set immediately and newcomers as well. Married with Children is a solid show with racy humor and great performances from its cast.