Ep 18. My Dinner with Anthrax

Al Bundy, a once promising high school football player turned disgruntled shoe salesman, stars in Married...with Children season 6 episode 18 titled "My Dinner with Anthrax."

The episode opens with Al's wife, Peggy, inviting her cousin, Zemus, over for dinner. Little does Peggy know, Zemus has recently returned from a trip to the Middle East and is unknowingly carrying a highly contagious strain of anthrax.

As the family sits down for dinner, chaos ensues as Al becomes convinced that he has contracted anthrax from Zemus. Sniffing, scratching, and obsessively cleaning, Al's paranoia reaches new heights with each passing moment.

Meanwhile, Peggy is oblivious to Al's concerns and becomes increasingly annoyed as he disrupts the dinner with his compulsive behavior. She soon hides in the bathroom to escape his antics, only to find herself face to face with Zemus, who has also retreated to the bathroom to administer medication for his traveler's diarrhea.

The situation spirals into hilarity, as both Peggy and Al become convinced that they are now infected with multiple diseases. With tensions high and tempers flaring, the family turns to radical quarantine measures in an attempt to contain the perceived outbreak.

Throughout the episode, Al's panic is met with little sympathy from his loved ones, who continue to mock his paranoia and justify their own dismissive attitudes towards his concerns. It's not until the family dog, Buck, becomes ill that Al and his family finally take the reality of their situation seriously.

Despite the tense subject matter, Married...with Children's signature humor and biting social commentary are on full display throughout "My Dinner with Anthrax." From Al's grudging acceptance of his suburban existence to Peggy's dysfunctional familial relationships, the episode delivers a biting critique of American middle-class culture.

Ultimately, "My Dinner with Anthrax" serves as a hilarious reminder to check our blind spots and question our own presumptions. So the next time someone tells you that they're feeling a little under the weather, be sure to give them the benefit of the doubt – or risk becoming the butt of Al Bundy-style jokes.