Mysteries on Married... With Children

Last update April 1, 2007

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There are some common mysteries in the general series plot of Married... with Children. Nobody claims MwC or sitcoms to be accurate, but these mysteries are highly unrealistic. As in a lot of sitcoms, there is kind of a series plot reset after every episode to make the show go on as usual. Debts and gains disappear (eg 503, 720), destructed houses are repaired (eg 508, 923) etc. The bundys also like to exaggerate a lot, eg about the condition of the Dodge, about the house or about Bud's pimples. Another phenomenon is cartoonism on the show, eg when Al and other people fall from the roof. Cartoonism is described on Bundyology's Changes throughout the Seasons page. Finally, there are simple mistakes, eg there are inaccuracies about the colour of the family Dodge. Mistakes are described on Bundyology's Goofs page. Plot resets, exaggerations, cartoonism and mistakes aren't mysteries to me. However, if you have explanations to the following mysteries or if you know other mysteries, you can send me an e-mail message. But please only suggest realistic answers or at least solutions that fit into the general series plot. Thanks!


Common Plot Mysteries

The Bundynomics Mystery: Al earns a minimum wage, but the average costs of his disasters and Peg each week comes to at least a few thousand dollars. And his house isn't that cheap, either. How come he never gets called to account?
Ade Bundy: The Bundy Curse keeps Al out of prison so that he can always be with his family.

The Couch Mystery: How can Peggy keep her weight, sitting on the couch and eating bonbons all day?

The Cleaning Mystery: Since nobody cleans the Bundy house, why is it not especially dirty?

The Food Mystery: What do the Bundys eat?
Bertram Thompson: Al gets food at the mall; Bud can buy his own food, or steals; Kelly gets guys to buy her stuff; Peg eats out with Al's money.
Andreas Carl: Al doesn't seem to have a particular source of nutrition; he just manages to get food from various places.

Another Food Mystery: When Al hardly eats, how come he can lock himself in the toilet for hours and overflow it?
Andreas Carl: For Al it's the only quiet place, and he uses a lot of Aurora White toilet paper.

The Front Door Mystery: Why is the Bundys' front door hardly ever locked? (Don't tell me that nobody wants to steal anything from this house because people do so in 518 and 720, and Al cares at least about his TV.)
Michael Nissen: Peggy is too lazy to check the door. Kelly is too stupid to remember.

The Marcy Mystery: If Marcy has so much money, how come she still lives next to the Bundys?
Bertram Thompson: Marcy often ends up losing money as a direct result of some contact with the Bundy family.
Ade Bundy: Marcy got suckered in to a huge morgage for her property. Nobody wants to buy Marcy's house; because of her neighbours.


Mysterious Important Events

The Graduation Mystery: How did Kelly ever graduate from high school?
Joe H. Rowland, Jr.: In episode 722, Kelly says she is going to the place that got her through high school - the principal's house.
Andreas Carl: She might have slept with her teachers; at least that's what she did for her junior finals (415).
Ade Bundy: Kelly passed at maths due to her abillity to make her mind go blank and think of a number. According to Principal Wicker in 313: "She's our best student."

The Seven Mystery: How did Seven disappear? (It's even more mysterious that he reappears on a milk carton in episode 825, so somebody is looking for him.)

The Divorce Mystery: Why is Steve and Marcy's divorce never mentioned?
It must have happened between 415 (last episode with Steve) and 503 (Marcy calls Steve her ex-husband).

The Car Mystery: Why did Peggy's car disappear after episode 520?
Kelechi Nwanuforo: In that episode, Al explains to the kids that he built his custom shopping trolley using "pieces of your mother's car".

The Vietnam Mystery: Al and Peggy left High School during the Vietnam War. Why is there no reference to any military service back then?



Thanks a lot to Marriedaniac, DSF, Melissey, "MWCFREAK", Adam Arriola, Kelechi Nwanuforo and Richard Allen. Special thanks to Bertram Thompson.


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© Andreas Carl 2002