Her Cups Runneth Over is the sixth episode of Season 3 of the FOX sitcom Married... with Children, as well as the 41st overall episode in the series. Written by Marcy Vosburgh and Sandy Sprung, the episode was directed by Gerry Cohen and premiered on FOX on January 15, 1989.
Synopsis[]
Peggy becomes depressed on her birthday when she discovers her favorite bra has been discontinued. Al and Steve discover that Peggy's favorite bra is still being sold at a lingerie store called Francine's of Wisconsin.
Plot[]
To be added.
Cast[]
Regular Cast[]
- Ed O'Neill as Al Bundy
- Katey Sagal as Peggy Bundy
- Christina Applegate as Kelly Bundy
- David Faustino as Bud Bundy
- Amanda Bearse as Marcy Rhoades
- David Garrison as Steve Rhoades
Guest Stars[]
- Tally Chanel as Corky
- April Wayne as Muffy
- Devin DeVasquez as Vicky
- Lynne Austin as Peaches
- Deron McBee as Policeman
- Bill Smillie as Pops
Quotes[]
- Marcy: Do you know what would happen if men had breasts?
- Al: We wouldn't need women anymore?
- Peggy: And if you had what other men have, I wouldn't need batteries anymore.
- Al: Kelly, let me ask you a question...
- Kelly: [quickly] Daddy, no matter what you heard on the streets, I'm a good girl and I never would've done that.
- Al: No, no, no... It's about your mother.
- Kelly:[quickly] Daddy, no matter what you heard on the streets, she's a good girl and she never would've...
- Al: No, no! I wanna talk about her birthday. I don't know what to get your mother. Maybe your being a girl will come in handy for once. [Kelly gives him an annoyed look] Any ideas?
- Kelly: Well, it's not as easy as it sounds, Dad. She's real down about this age thing. You've gotta understand something. Mom was around before I was even born. It's harder for a woman to get old. there's so many more places to sag. Y'know I've seen college girls. Just starting to age. The little lines they get around their eyes when they smile. The hair on their knuckles starting to darken. The fear in their face as they find themselves staring at the big 2-5. Well, I guess what I'm trying to say here is that... [suddenly becomes confused] wait, what was the question?
- [Al pats Kelly on the head]
- [A young, attractive woman peaks her head out from between the changing room curtain and sees Al standing nearby]
- Vicky: Excuse me, sir. Are you straight?
- Al: The hairs on my chest are.
- Vicky: Oh, good. Maybe you can help me. If you were my boyfriend, would you like this?
- [Vicky opens the curtains to show Al her lingerie, consisting of a light pink bra, panty, garter belt, and thigh high stockings, which leaves him speechless]
- Vicky: Will he like it?
- [Al simply nods in agreement while staring at her in amazement]
- Vicky: Or do you think he'd like it better without the bra? Like this...
- [Vicky quickly takes off her bra and stands there topless, causing Al's eyes to widen just before he faints]
- Vicky: [smiling while using her hands to cover her bare breast] Yeah, you're right. I don't need the bra.
- [she quickly walks away from the curtains as an unconscious Al is shown on the floor with a big grin on his face]
- [Marcy and Peggy are sitting on the Bundy living room couch, with a nearly nude male stripper in between them, sharing a bowl of popcorn. Bud then enters with a birthday gift]
- Bud: Hi, Mom. [sees the stripper] Dad dead?
- Peg: No.
- Bud: Wellll, then I guess this is a good time to discuss my... new allowance? [sits down with a sly grin on his face]
- Peg: Don't worry, Bud. [pats the stripper on his leg] He's just an exotic dancer that Mrs. Rhoades got for Mommy's birthday. It's just a rental.
- [Kelly arrives and also has a birthday gift]
- Kelly: Hi, Mom. [stops and becomes confused after seeing the stripper] Dad dead?
- Peg: Just in spirit.
Notes[]
Title[]
- The title is a play on the idiom "My Cup Runneth Over," which comes from Psalm 23 in the Old Testament, meaning that a person has an abundance of good things and blessings, as well as on the cups of a bra.
Trivia[]
- This is one of the key episodes which Michigan housewife and "family values" activist Terry Rakolta found so offensive that she began a letter-writing campaign to the show's sponsors, to try to pressure them to withdraw their sponsorship and for Fox to move the show to a later timeslot more appropriate for mature programming. This led to the Rakolta Boycott.
- A few sponsors did cancel their commercials, and the episode "I'll See You in Court" was pulled from airing during season 3, but her efforts had exactly the opposite effect to that which she wanted: the story spread like wildfire and resulted in a huge jump in the ratings for the show. It made Married... with Children a major hit and put Fox Network on the map.
- As revealed in this episode, Peg's favorite bra is the Fancy Figure 327.
- Lynne Austin, who plays Peaches, the blonde woman that Al talks to find Peggy's cup size, was Playboy's Playmate of the Month July 1986 and the original model for the restaurant chain Hooter's.
- Devin DeVasquez, who plays Vicky, the woman who takes her top off in front of Al, was Playboy's Playmate of the Month June 1985.
- The town Al and Steve visit to find a bra for Peggy, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, really exists. It is about 2 hours away from Chicago.
- Al implies Peggy was 16 years old when they first met.
- At one point, Al tries to get flowers for Peggy's birthday and then realizing he doesn't have enough money for flowers, he asks for seeds instead before being hung up on. A similar thing happens in the season 8 episode, "Valentine's Day Massacre", when Al tries to buy flowers for Peggy and after seeing how expense everything was, in the end, has to settle for seeds.
- He also needed money to buy chocolate candy and a Valentine's Day card. However, he was only able to get the flower seeds, one piece of candy, and the card due to exorbitamt prices.
- Near the end of the episode, Peggy complains about how full service gas station use to do various services and respect customers before become lazy and anti-American in its current state. In the season 6 episode, "The Gas Station Show", Al takes the family out to a full service gas station, with Peggy crying for joy before Al is forced to work there to pay off the debt thanks to Peggy and the kids buying snacks.
- This is one of the few episodes where the final scene still continues after the "Directed By" and "Written By" credits are shown. In this case, after the credits are shown, Al and Peg make it to the top of the stairs before Al asks who the cop with his pants on backwards is.
Cultural References[]
- The lingerie store Al and Steve visit, Francine's of Wisconsin, is an allusion to and parody of Frederick's of Hollywood, a popular lingerie store that was a staple in American malls until its closure in 2015, though the company still has an online store.
- The song that Peg sings at the beginning of the episode is "Respect" by Aretha Franklin. Katey Sagal herself is a huge fan of Aretha Franklin and considers her album "Spirit In The Dark" the greatest ever made.
- Near the end of the episode, Marcy laments about how Mission: Impossible was cancelled, only to be replaced by Mission: Impossible.
- Mission: Impossible was a television series on CBS that aired from 1966 to 1973. It was about a small group of secret government agents known as the "Impossible Mission Force" who dealt with criminal warlords and evil organizations.
- As Marcy mentioned, after its cancellation in 1973, the series was revived a decade later in 1988, and was also called Mission: Impossible. It aired on ABC from 1988 to 1990 and with only Peter Graves reprising his role from the 1960s version (though a few of the original actors made cameo appearances).
- Although Marcy wouldn't have known at the time, there is also a film series version of Mission: Impossible starring Tom Cruise. Following its first film in 1996, it has currently spanned over six films with its most recent film being 2018's Mission: Impossible - Fallout and two more films scheduled for 2022-2023.
- The stripper mentions that he misses 8-track a musical tape format that was eventually replaced by compact audio cassettes in the early 1980s.
- In several episodes, it is mentioned that Al's Dodge still has an 8-track player in it.
- Kelly's gift to Peggy is "Al Jolson's Greatest Hits" and she also notes that its a 78.
- Al Jolson was an American singer, comedian and vaudeville/film actor, who was best known for starring in the first talking motion picture The Jazz Singer. He was also known for often performing in blackface, as clearly seen on the record cover.
- Although there isn't a "Al Jolson's Greatest Hits" album as depicted here, there is "The Very Best of Al Jolson" that has similar cover art and was likely edited for legal reasons.
- A "78" refers to a vinyl record and its RPM speed. Around the time this episode aired, records had declined in popularity, due to the use of compact discs (CDs) and the portable personal music players such as the Sony Walkman.
- Though it is the thought that counts, Kelly's effort at a birthday gift actually made Peggy feel old as Al Jolson died 38 years before this episode was made.
- Al Jolson was an American singer, comedian and vaudeville/film actor, who was best known for starring in the first talking motion picture The Jazz Singer. He was also known for often performing in blackface, as clearly seen on the record cover.
Music[]
- The song that Peg sings at the beginning of the episode is "Respect" by Aretha Franklin.
Locations[]
- Bundy Residence
- Francine's of Hollywood
Sets[]
- Bundy Living Room/Kitchen
- Lingerie Store
Goofs[]
- When Al is looking at Vicky, during the close ups of Al, Muffy, the female salesperson can be seen in the background constantly looking at Al and Vicky. When the camera pans out as Al faints, the salesperson is looking at the register and then turns towards Al's direction.
External Links[]
Her Cups Runneth Over at the Internet Movie Database- Her Cups Runneth Over on Bundyology
- Her Cups Runneth Over - Transcript on albundy.net
- #42 Her Cups Runneth Over - MWC Podcast on Horrorphilia
