Marcy D’Arcy
Amanda Bearse is best known for playing Marcy Rhoades/D’Arcy, the Bundys’ sharp-tongued next-door neighbor on the iconic sitcom Married with Children. She appeared in all 259 episodes of the series and made television history by directing 31 episodes while still starring on the show. From her directorial debut in Season 6 to fan favorites like “Live Nude Peg” and “Dial B for Virgin,” Bearse proved herself as a talented comedian, actress, and director.
I’m still buzzing from our first Bundy Breakdown Zoom Watch Party. Man, it was awesome seeing so many of you popping in, talking with us and reliving those classic moments with me. So I’m excited to announce we’re doing it again, and this one’s gonna be extra special. Mark your calendars: The 2nd Bundy Breakdown…
Peggy reads Seven a pirate story and the episode becomes it, with the cast recast into the book’s roles on the most elaborate set the series ever built. David Garrison returns as the villain, which gave him a chance to sing.
Steve Rhoades returns to reclaim Marcy and finds she has remarried, which puts both her husbands in the same room. He is also on the run from the police, so the Bundys have to decide whether friendship beats the reward money.
Marcy dents Steve’s new Mercedes while he is away, and rather than get angry he announces that the stress has made him impotent — and then commits to it entirely. Marcy spirals. It is also the first episode to show the real Tang bottle.
Steve is away, and Marcy begins dreaming nightly about a romantic, attentive version of Al. She is appalled. The episode gives Marcy an interior life nobody around her can take seriously, and logs the first mentions of the Bundy house number and Lake Chicamocomico.
Steve and Marcy have a tax refund and want to add a room, so Al lobbies for a pool room while Peggy and Marcy want an exercise room. Four people spend the episode negotiating over a room no Bundy will pay for. It is one of the series’ two bottle episodes.