0616 - RITES OF PASSAGE


Synopsis:   Bud’s plans for his 18th Birthday couldn’t be any bleaker, with Peg hiring a pony
and clown to come to the house and the girl of his dreams could caring less that he’s interested 
in her.  Al however has some good news to cheer him up.  Being that he’s now 18, Bundy tradition 
says that it’s time for Bud’s first trip to the Nudie Bar.


Thoughts:   Great episode!  Still during the prime season 6 when all was still going well for the 
show, this is a funny episode that is a high watermark in terms of the style and writing.  Bud is 
still in his Grandmaster B phase, still in the phase where he and Kelly can shoot insults around 
with no sweat on a daily basis (Kelly is "One size fits all", Bud is now 18, but his pimples are 
16 etc).  Even if we didn’t have the scenes with the Nudie Bar, we would have still had a great 
show back home with Peg and the D’arcy’s at a lame kiddy party that Peg of all people cooked up.
	
**	One thing to note is that Al and Bud go to the "Nudie Bar" and later on in the series
they decided on the "Jiggly Room."  A similar note is why Al reads Playboy and later just reads
Big’Uns.  Coincidently enough, why did they change the Nudie Bar set?  The Jiggly Room set has a 
little more pizzazz, but it’s almost the same set with runway and bar just rearranged.  Anyway 
back to the show.	

	There is sort of a B story here concerning Bud’s party complete with a just paroled 
clown, but it’s the way B stories are supposed to be.  As many of you know who read these 
reviews, I think that if there is ever a secondary plot, it has to be good or in some way be an 
extension of the main story.  The later seasons were full of bad second stories and plots and all 
they did was make for weak stories with fewer laughs.  A good episode of MWC should be one story 
with all of the characters OR characters in different locations focusing in on one story and here 
it’s Bud’s Birthday, only Al and Bud are at the nudie bar and everyone is at home getting Bud’s 
party ready.	

	The plot of this episode is pure Bundy in any sense of the word, with the celebration of 
debauchery and dishonesty which goes hand in hand with Al and Bud in these rare bonding moments 
that are sprinkled throughout the show.  Sticky the Clown is funny for the moments we see him and
the episodes awesome babe™ quotient is pretty high from Roxanne, Buds dream girl to the dancers 
at the nudie bar.  An almost perfect episode in every way and while we don’t get to see Al tear 
into customers at the shoe store, we get another of those great stories that he tells when he 
gets home.  Plus he and Bud both tear (literally) into customers at the Nudie Bar.


Rating:  9 shoes out of 10.  When I said high watermark, I meant it.  Where do you think those 
"at the Nudie Bar" statements from later episodes came from?  By the way, look for Sticky’s knife 
in the door when Al and Bud get home from the Nudie Bar.  Maybe not a top 10 on my list, but it 
goes in the top 20.  Bundying at it’s best.


Quotable Quotes: 

Al:  What place doesn’t suck when your broke?

Peggy: You know it’s not just any clown, Sticky the Clown!
Marcy: Oh he’s out?!

Jefferson just weaseled his way out of having to return a new car he just bought
Sticky:    Hi, I’m Sticky.
Jefferson: So am I.