History Heartwarming / MarriedWithChildren

* For all their snarking and snapping at each other, Kelly has at least two [[BigBrotherInstinct big sister]] moments where she warns Bud of a girl's bad intentions. In "What Goes Around Came Around," Bud doesn't listen and ends up humiliated, but rather than ditching Bud, Kelly takes out her revenge on the girl in question by stripping her down to a towel, chaining her to a wall of lockers with a banner that reads, "DON'T MESS WITH A BUNDY!", and tying the towel to a rope attached to Buck's leash. Kelly then calls Buck to her just as school starts and everyone enters.

* Then ending of the Season 6 "pregnancy" arc, in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72h-izRDNpg "Al Bundy: Shoe Dick."]] A meta-example: Al wakes up after [[spoiler: a season-long dream. As noted elsewhere, RealLifeWritesThePlot in that Creator/KateySagal had been pregnant and the pregnancy was written in, then she had a late-term miscarriage. When Al wakes up and finds out she's not pregnant]] Peggy comes out of the bathroom and beams at Al. She says "You had $50,000, and yet you still came home to me. That shows you really do love me." They then proceed to banter cutely, and Peg snuggles up to Al, who puts an arm around her. As a viewer, you get the feeling that it's the actors, not just the characters, and Ed O'Neill is showing Katey Sagal some warmth after a very difficult loss.

* In RealLife, Christina Applegate has developed Multiple Sclerosis and can't stand up for very long without assistance. When she got up to give her thank-yous, it was her TV mom Katey Sagal who helped her to the podium and helped her stand while she gave her speech.

* Al's response to Bud and his teacher's relationship in "Teacher Pets". When Bud suspects his teacher is attracted to him, he lets him believe it to humor him since it makes him feel better about himself. When he finds out that not only is it true, but the two slept together, he drops everything to put a stop to it. He calls the cops on her, but not before chewing her out for taking advantage of the power dynamic. In true ''Married With Children'' form, the fallout hilariously makes things worse because the teacher had just been replaced that same day, so he unwittingly got the wrong woman arrested while making his son look like he slept with a woman old enough to be his grandmother, maybe even his great grandmother. Considering this episode aired in 1992, when both DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale and TeacherStudentRomance were glossed over, with even female students being cheered on for dating their male teachers, this was a very admirable gesture on Al's part. Even more so is how, up until the misunderstanding, he (correctly) believed the teacher was very attractive, which is another DoubleStandard in its own right, and Al still vocally disapproved of it.

* Al's response to Bud and his teacher's relationship in "Teacher Pets". When Bud suspects his teacher is attracted to him, he lets him believe it to humor him since it makes him feel better about himself. When he finds out that not only is it true, but the two slept together, he drops everything to put a stop to it. He calls the cops on her, but not before chewing her out for taking advantage of the power dynamic. In true ''Married With Children'' form, the fallout is hilarious because the teacher had just been replaced that same day, so he unwittingly got the wrong woman arrested while making his son look like he slept with a woman old enough to be his grandmother, maybe even his great grandmother. Considering this episode aired in 1992, when both DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale and TeacherStudentRomance were glossed over, with even female students being cheered on for dating their male teachers, this was a very admirable gesture on Al's part. Even more so is how, up until the misunderstanding, he (correctly) believed the teacher was very attractive, which is another DoubleStandard in its own right, and Al still vocally disapproved of it.

* In "Oldies But Young 'Uns", Al is driven to the limits of insanity trying to find a song from his youth that he heard on the Oldies radio station which eventually drives him to a music store famous because the owner can identify any song just by the customers atonally humming the tunes they can recall from their half-remembered youth... and the guy can't name the song Al wants. Falling to his knees, Al finally reaches the point where he begs God for either death or answers (or alcohol), and whatever PowersThatBe up there apparently sees that Al is really on the knife's edge this time, so the next song on the jukebox just happens to be the song Al was looking for. And playing from the beginning allows him to remember the songs' name. Turns out it was [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWiP8XnczSI Anna (Go To Him)]], the original Arthur Alexander version.

* In "Oldies But Young 'Uns", Al is driven to the limits of insanity trying to find a song from his youth that he heard on the Oldies radio station which eventually drives him to a music store famous because the owner can identify any song just by the customers atonally humming the tunes they can recall from their half-remembered youth... and the guy can't name the song Al wants. Falling to his knees, Al finally reaches the point where he begs God for either death or answers (or alcohol), and whatever PowersThatBe up there apparently sees that Al is really on the knife's edge this time, so the next song on the jukebox just happens to be the song Al was looking for. Turns out it was [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWiP8XnczSI Anna (Go To Him)]], the original Arthur Alexander version.

* "How to Marry a Moron": Al wasn't too happy with Kelly falling for Lonnie and wanting to marry him, until finding out the guy is a member of the family behind Weenie Tots. However, he gets apprehensive after spotting Lonnie at the Nudie Bar, saying his daughter deserves more respect than this. Some further perks mollify Al, but upon learning Lonnie made a pass at Marcy (on the wedding day, no less), he immediately puts a halt to all this with Peg's full support. Upon learning the rest of Lonnie's family condones and engages in such adulterous behavior, Al is disgusted and stresses the importance of the sanctity of marriage ([[HypocriticalHumor albeit still getting his digs in at Peg]]).

* Kelly was a complete DaddysGirl. Whenever she thought that Al was becoming suspicious of her true (slutty) nature, she would panic, and proclaim that she was a good girl to her daddy. Not wanting to ruin her reputation in his eyes.

* Al gets dragged away from the church he's started to avoid paying taxes by Peg, who's demanded that he take her out for her birthday, complaining the whole time. The next day, at a service, Marcy embarrasses him in front of his congregation by displaying pictures of their evening--dancing, dinner, a Broadway show, and lastly, a stop at the "[[NoTellMotel Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Motel]]", with Al ''genuinely enjoying himself'' the entire time.

* Al gets dragged away from the church he's started to avoid paying taxes by Peg, who's demanded that he take her out for her birthday, complaining the whole time. The next day, at a service, Marcy embarrasses him in front of his congregation by displaying pictures of their evening, showing him ''genuinely enjoying himself'' the entire time.

* Kelly was a complete daddy's girl. Whenever she thought that Al was becoming suspicious of her true (slutty) nature, she would panic, and proclaim that she was a good girl to her daddy. Not wanting to ruin her reputation in his eyes.

* In the episode where Al gets a Lincoln town car on loan from a car dealership, he happily takes the family out for a drive. Cue several minutes of them cheerfully enjoying themselves, laughing and clapping, even though in true Bundy style, Al deliberately runs a stop sign, nearly running several pedestrians over, which of course, makes the family laugh even ''more''.

* In "Oldies But Young 'Uns", Al is driven to the limits of insanity trying to find a song from his youth that he heard on the Oldies radio station which eventually drives him to a music store famous because the owner can identify any song just by the customers atonally humming the tunes they can recall from their half-remembered youth... and the guy can't name the song Al wants. Falling to his knees, Al finally reaches the point where he begs God for either death or answers (or alcohol), and whatever PowersThatBe up there apparently sees that Al is really on the knife's edge this time, so the next song on the jukebox just happens to be the song Al was looking for. Turns out it was [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWiP8XnczSI Anna (Go To Him)]], the original Arthur Alexander version.

--> '''Al:''' "...I have ''sinned''!"

* In “If Al Had a Hammer,” Al talks to his deceased father (looking up at the heavens) about achieving the Bundy men’s dream of building their own room. Kelly asks who Al is talking to, and Peg responds that it’s Grandpa. Kelly, in a truly adorable moment, looks up, gives a wave, and softly, sweetly says “Hi, Grandpa.” Even Peg can’t suppress a smile.

--> '''Al:''' "...I have ''sinned''!"

* Al gets dragged away from the church he's started to avoid paying taxes by Peg, who's demanded that he take her out for her birthday, complaining the whole time. The next day, at a service, Marcy embarrasses him in front of his congregation by displaying pictures of their evening, showing him ''genuinely enjoying himself'' the entire time.

* In "No Ma'am", after losing bowling night to Ladies' Night at the alley and losing the Nudie Bar to its conversion into a coffee house, one of Al's friends suggests "playing Bon Bon toss" with Peg; even after losing every weekly joy in his life to the advancements of feminism, Al fires back an insult at his own bowling teammate's wife and ''immediately'' jumps to throw hands to defend Peg's honor.