Who'll Stop the Rain? is the 13th episode (11th produced) of Married... with Children season four, and also the 70th overall episode of the series. Directed by Gerry Cohen, it is written by Kevin Curran. The episode originally aired on FOX on January 7, 1990.
Synopsis[]
During a rainstorm, Al tries to fix the roof and the TV antenna. Meanwhile, Marcy is upset when Steve gets a new job at a pet store and she ends up getting bitten by one of his "pets", especially when the creature proves to be poisonous.
Episode summary[]
Al desperately tries to fix the house's leaking roof during the weekend of a long rainstorm. But each time Al falls off the roof, it makes Peggy and the kids wonder if he's too stupid or too cheap to call a roofer to do the job. Meanwhile, Steve lands another job at a pet store, from which Marcy suffers side effects after getting bitten by a venomous variety of guinea pig (the Peruvian Devil Gerbil). The thirteenth episode of the fourth season, this was basically a farewell to David Garrison as Steve, his penultimate episode playing Steve Rhoades in a reguar capacity.
Recurring cast/guest stars[]
- Regulars
- Amanda Bearse as Marcy Rhoades
- David Garrison as Steve Rhoades
- Buck the dog as Buck Bundy
Quotes[]
- Al: [smiling] Boy, I love the rain. Have ever since I was a little boy. Dad used to say rain is the sound of Angels flushing. Goodnight, Peg.
- Peg: Oh Allll... [walks her fingers up Al's arm and looks at him hopefully, as Al cringes]
- Al: Oh no, Peg, I'm tired.
- Peg: Oh come on, honey, you don't have to be awake. Just the usual "I'm done how 'bout you?" will be fine.
- Peg: Bud! Kelly!
- [The kids enter the master bedroom in their sleepwear, with Bud holding a bat and Kelly holding a large sauce pot]
- Bud: What is it, Mom?! Creditors?!
- Kelly: I'll go boil the water!
- Peg: No, no, no, not this time. Now, sit down, kids. [Bud and Kelly sit on Al's side of the bed] Now, look. I know sometimes you feel you don't see enough of your dad, and he may be to busy to care for us. Well, get ready. 'Cause your father is about to do something that we'll never forget. And I want us all to enjoy it as a family. Now just look over at that window, abooouuuuttt... NOW!
- Al: [offscreen] WH...WHOA..OHHHH!
- [Al is shown falling head first in front of the window, as Peg, Kelly, and Bud smile and applaud at what they just saw]
- Peg: OK, kids, back to bed.
- Bud: [smiling] Awww, thanks, mom. Tell Dad he was cool.
- Kelly: [smiling and nodding] Yeah.
- [the kids get up from the bed and are about to exit, before Kelly stops at the doorway and turns to Bud]
- Kelly: You know, I'm going to do something special for him. I'm going to give him back his wallet.
- Bud: [concerned] But not the cash...
- Kelly: [scoffs] We didn't see him land!
- [Bud nods in approval and they both exit the bedroom]
- [Peg and Al are laying in bed, as their bedroom is now leaking in multiple places. Al is holding a frying pan over his head where one of the leaks is at]
- Peg: [annoyed] How many holes did you put on the roof by walking on it in spiked golf shoes? [Al makes a sarcastic grin and nods] Oh, and honey, this time on your way down, you took out our TV antenna!
- Al: Sorry, Peg, but I needed something to break my fall. Since there was no live wire or your neck handy, I grabbed the first thing that hit my face.
- Peg: [points to the television set] Well, you know our reception is shot to hell.
- Al: Well, I'm sorry, Peg. [throws out the water in the frying pan onto the floor.] Had I known you wanted to watch Dallas tonight, I would've just put my hands behind my back and slalom head first under the patio.
- Peg: Are you ready to give up yet?
- Al: I am not! Just so happens I have three unbroken bones left. I'll see y'all,... I'll see y'all drown before I quit. [calms down] Goodnight, Peg.
- Peg: Goodnight, honey. Turn out the light.
- [Peggy turns over to her side. Al reaches out to turn out the light next to him and gets electrocuted. He writhes in agony before becoming unconscious with his tongue sticking out of his mouth and still holding the fry pan. Peggy doesn't notice.]
- Peg: Oh, and be careful, Al. [smells the air and suddenly becomes disgusted] God, it smells like ham in here!
Notes[]
Title[]
- The title of this episode is a reference to the 1970 song of the same name by Creedence Clearwater Revival and Al trying to fix the leaking roof during the rainstorm.
- The song was also used in the season 4 episode "Hot off the Grill".
Trivia[]
- This episode was the first MWC episode to air in the 1990s.
- As the production code indicates, this episode was filmed prior to the two part episode, "It's a Bundyful Life (Part 1)" and "It's a Bundyful Life (Part 2)".
- This episode was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Editing for a Series - Multi-Camera Production.
- This episode is on Married With Children's Most Outrageous Episodes Volume 2.
- When Steve tries to bring Marcy over to the Bundy's and get Peggy to reassure her that she looks fine, someone can be clearly heard saying "mm-mm" in disbelief while a female can be heard saying something like "That's so fake" immediately after him.
- In the season 9 special, "My Favorite Married" , Katey Sagal said this was her favorite episode. The special also included footage from this episode:
- Peggy tilting her umbrella back to get water into her glass while it leaks in the kitchen.
- Al quipping about his fall off the roof and then accidentally electrocuting himself while in bed, followed by Peggy saying "God, it smells like ham in here!"
Cultural References[]
- Al mentions Dallas, a popular prime time drama than ran from 1978 to 1991 and then from 2012 to 2014. One of the actresses from the series, Charlene Tilton, would appear as herself on MWC in the season 7 episode, "'Tis Time to Smell the Roses".
- When Al says he will go up to the roof again with the right equipment, Peggy smugly suggests that he goes up there with a Wile E. Coyote mask, in reference to the Warner Bros. cartoon character known for his failed attempts at catching the Road Runner.
- Al says "And as God as my witness, I'll never be wet again!", which a reference to the 1939 film, Gone With The Wind.
- Bud mentions seeing the new "Gun N' Roses" music video and asking "Does Axl ever wear a shirt?", in reference to the hard rock band and its singer, Axl Rose.
- After Marcy comes in with her hump, she snaps at Steve and ask if his dream was to be married to someone named "Igor", in reference to Igor / Ygor a stock character in horror novels, depicted as a lab assistant with a hunchback.
Music[]
- The song Peggy is singing in bed after Al's second attempt is "My Girl", which was a 1965 hit by The Temptations.
Locations[]
Sets[]
- Bundy Living Room / Kitchen
- Al & Peggy's bedroom
Goofs[]
- When Bud and Kelly come into their parents' bedroom, Peggy tells them to sit. Yet, Bud sits right where the rain was leaking through on Al's side and he doesn't notice it and remains completely dry throughout the scene.
- Al's pillow keeps changing positions throughout the first scene.
- When Al leaves to fix the roof for the first time, his pillow has some large wet spots on it from the rain. But when he finally gets back in after his fall, the pillow is completely dry.
- After Al comes back to the bedroom after his first attempt to fix the roof, he is completely dry and clean, despite falling off of the roof in front of Peggy and the kids in the rain and into their backyard.
- As Marcy stops by the Bundy residence, she is holding an umbrella and then shakes off the water before putting it down, but its clearly dry.
- Bud and Kelly's raincoats are completely dry when they head back inside to see Steve's gerbil, despite having been outside for quite some time holding the pool for Al.
- Throughout most of the episode, its depicted as raining heavily, yet when Steve comes into the Bundy's house, he's dry but the box with the guinea pig he's holding is wet.
- When Al is crawling back into the living room after falling off the roof for the 2nd time, he is completely dry and clean, even though he was supposed to have been lying outside for quite some time.
- When Marcy asks Steve if he's dancing in his underwear in the park to earn his $3.40/hr wage, you can clearly see some raindrops dripping in front of the camera that's facing Steve's shoulder.
- In the scenes where Al is shown falling off the roof, it is clearly a mannequin falling feet first.
- When Bud tries to sell his sunglasses to Kelly, you can see the stage lights reflecting off his lenses.
- A stuntman dressed as Al hangs upside down at the end of the episode. (source: Playboy magazine article on MWC)
- When Steve picks up the gerbil and puts it on Marcy's shoulder, you can actually hear it drop to the floor, specifically the moment she says "Steve!". Then when when the camera does a wide shot and Marcy starts to walk across the room, you can clearly see it on the floor near Steve's feet.
External Links[]
Who'll Stop the Rain? at the Internet Movie Database- Who'll Stop the Rain? on Bundyology
- Who'll Stop the Rain? - Transcript on albundy.net
- #71 Who'll Stop the Rain? - MWC Podcast on Horrorphilia
