402 - DEAD MEN DON'T DO AEROBICS


"Hi, I'm the healthiest man in Chicago." (Jim Jupiter)
"Then you should heal quick when I pull your spine through your mouth." (Al)

Don't you just love it when Al makes threats? Considering how worn down and
wasted he normally acts, it's a real breath of fresh air when one of those
rare moments appears. It also shows how protective Al is of his family, such
as when he warns Zorro (Girls Just Wanna Have Fun) or Alejandro (I'm Going
to Sweatland) to keep away from Peg, or when he beats up one of Kelly' s
boyfriends. Better still are those rare moments when Al threatens someone so
casually, without any apparent reason - just giving a warning to watch out,
even to a well-built man like Mr Jupiter here. But enough of this. Dead Men
Don't Do Aerobics is tremendous fun to watch, with a rare focus on Peg and
much that is enjoyable. From the very beginning you can tell what will
happen - after all, one of the points about the Bundy family is that they'll
never change - but the way it is handled is quite deft. The episode sticks
to this one plot and is so much the better for it, developing at a smooth
assured pace.

"I've known Al for four years and I've never seen him dry." (Marcy)
"You've never had sex with him." (Peg)

A sly poke at the way MWC sometimes ignores facts to keep itself alive, by
examining how exactly Peg stays slim while remaining on the couch and eating
bonbons, Dead Men seems to shy away from going the obvious route and sliding
into moralising about healthy eating. Instead, it opts to show the Bundys
winning - but is it a victory? The dedication to the Mighty Cockroach is odd
and doesn't really fit, but the message of the episode nonetheless manages
to come through fairly clearly - that eating and diet is all about balance,
not about the extremes of either fitness (Jim Jupiter) or slobbery (Bundys).
Although not as thoughtful as many episodes it at least has a point to make.

"I'm a man, and a man's home is his coffin!" (Al)

An enjoyable tale with some good moments, Dead Men Don't Do Aerobics follows
on well from Hot off the Grill, and indeed is pretty similar in many
respects. Neither is a classic but both are good lead-ins to the fourth
season and bode well for times to come.

Rating : 7.