Gary Grubbs
The Dodge gets a funeral in the back yard, complete with bagpipes and a folded seat cover. Al leases a replacement that goes badly wrong. Jefferson goes to Cuba for the fuel pump and turns out to be on first-name terms with Fidel Castro.
The series’ first two-parter sends the Bundys to Dumpwater, Florida, and a motel called Poppy’s by the Tree. An axe murderer has visited every five years since 1962, and the locals are taking bets on which Bundy he gets. The episode opens in black and white.
A storm traps the Bundys at the motel and the locals will not help. Then the killer takes Peggy hostage, which forces Al to actually do something. It is also the first appearance of “Thank your father, kids” — a ritual the series kept for ten more years.