Ep 8. The Gypsy Cried

Al Bundy, a hapless shoe salesman, faces his worst nightmare in season 3 episode 8 of Married...with Children titled The Gypsy Cried. Al and his family get back from a trip to a nudist beach, and he has to hurry up to change his clothes and head down to the shoe store. He's not looking forward to work; he has to stand all day while dealing with human feet and a boss who hates him.

Meanwhile, Peggy Bundy, the family's matriarch, has other plans. She thinks that this is the perfect day to visit a gypsy to have her fortune told. When Peggy's wandering through the mall, she is attracted by a sign outside the teepee of Madame Inga. She looks inside and the gypsy, played by Cristine Rose, tells Peggy that she has a great destiny, augmented by unlimited fame and fortune. But first, she must pay her a ten dollar fee, which Peggy eagerly agrees to.

The catch is that the only way that Peggy will become rich is if Al dies. She gives her predictions, and Peggy goes home scared. She believes that her husband is going to die on September 23rd at 7 PM, which happens to be the same date and time as her hair appointment.

In the meantime, Al has to deal with his co-workers, who spend the entire day taunting him, making bets on how long his 3 PM customer will take and if he'll be wearing shoes or not. Al is miserable all day and can't wait to get home, but he doesn't know the gypsy's prophecy.

At home, Peggy starts to behave oddly, as she thinks that everything they're doing will be the last time she gets to do it with her husband. Al has no clue what's going on, but it becomes clear that something bad will happen soon.

Peggy confides the gypsy's prophecy to Marcy, her neighbor, and best friend. While Marcy believes in the power of the gypsy, she doesn't want to tell Peggy to avoid making things worse. Meanwhile, Kelly, Al's daughter, and Bud, his son, are excited to hear about their great destiny, but only if their father dies.

Al's doing dishes in the kitchen when Peggy surprises him with a romantic evening, complete with candles, roses, and wine. She starts to explain that this is the last night they're going to spend together, but Al doesn't catch on, asking her if she was hit in the head. Peggy starts to cry and then tells him about the gypsy's prophecy.

Al accuses her of being gullible and silly-minded. But Peggy's fear is so real that she threatens not to stick around and watch her husband's death. Al agrees and decides to quit his job right away to avoid crossing paths with his prediction.

After a few scenes of Al trying to find a new job and coming up empty, the inevitable date arrives. Al is sitting at home alone, nervously waiting for the clock to strike 7. But when it does, nothing happens. Peggy, Kelly, and Bud come into the house and start to celebrate the fact that Al is alive.

Al wonders what happened, and Peggy reveals that she used some of his hair and paid a random man to look like him and walk around the mall at 7 to confuse the gypsy. It works, and Al is grateful that his wife loves him enough to play such a silly trick to save his life.

The episode ends with Peggy and Al reconciling, with Peggy recognizing once again that she has the world's greatest husband.