Get the Dodge Out of Hell

This one starts with Bud and Kelly making excuses for not going to Wanker County, where Al has been named grand marshal of the bicentennial parade. Al scolds Bud for lying, and then tries to get out of going himself (Griff turns up saying that there's a 24-hour emergency shoe sale at the store). Peggy sees through her husband's deceit, and the whole family sets off in the Dodge.

However, after the Bundys stop at a car wash to get the car cleaned, they are informed that the vehicle has gone missing. Meanwhile, Marcy has forced Jefferson to get a job at the car wash; while there, she runs into her ex-husband Steve, who tells her he has given up his ecological stance and is now making big bucks.

There are some reasonable laughs to be had in this episode, but I can't help but feel that the whole car wash scenario is there purely to facilitate the scene where Al wanders through the wash in search of his Dodge, getting soaked, scrubbed and covered in hot wax, all of which probably seemed a lot funnier on paper. As was often the case with MWC's early seasons, Steve steals the show with his pithy witticisms, and provides the kicker: he's actually working as a chauffeur for a rich man.

N. B. If the guy playing Mikey the car wash manager looks strangely familiar it's because the actor is David Faustino's brother Michael.