Season 7 Episode 6: Frat Chance

October 25, 1992

Published 10/25/92

Bud is starting his sophomore year at a community college, and he has worked out that the obstacle between him and a social life is institutional. What he needs is a fraternity. So he founds one, recruiting the only three men available to him, and sets up operations in the Bundy garage on the theory that a charter and a name will do what his personality has not. The results are predictably thin until Kelly offers him a piece of strategic advice, at which point the garage fills with women and Bud has to explain to his sister exactly what he told them to get there. Meanwhile Jefferson wants to attend a reunion with his old fraternity brothers, an outing whose itinerary he describes in enough detail that Marcy forbids it. That dispute lands in the Bundy living room, and since nobody can agree on what to do instead, the four adults attempt to choose a film. The negotiation collapses into four people stating their single requirement over and over at increasing volume, and Al wins on volume. He is still going when Kelly comes down the stairs, which leads her to a realization about an incident from her own adolescence involving an old man in a Dodge. Al’s attempt to blame that on Bud does not succeed, and the scene has been cut from some cable prints. It is one of the stronger ensemble episodes of the season, mostly because all six regulars get something to do and none of the threads needs the others to work.

Episode Facts

Original air date: October 26, 1992
Season and episode: Season 7, Episode 6
Overall episode number: 137
Written by: Larry Jacobson
Directed by: Gerry Cohen
Taped: October 2, 1992
Production note: Marcy establishes that Bud is now in his sophomore year at a community college.
Title note: A play on “fat chance” crossed with the fraternity Bud is trying to start.